Back to the Meat Slicer: A Vertically Integrated, Thinly Cut Salami Framework for ABET Student Outcome Assessment

Abstract Evolution of ABET Accreditation Criteria in recent decades has included a change from specification of 11 Program Outcomes (POs) to specification of 7 Student Outcome (SOs) that are more complex compound statements somewhat akin to a whole salami that needs to be cut into smaller pieces before it can be used. Although ABET provided a map to facilitate the PO-to-SO transition, the words used for that mapping required programs to interpret their meaning and intent to craft continuous improvement programs that drive and document student attainment of the SOs. ABET workshops later recommended adoption of Program Indicators (PIs) at multiple levels of the curriculum to drive and document student attainment of the SOs (subdividing the salami). Presented herein is a framework in which PIs are further “sliced” into more specific and measurable Elements (Es). Student level of attainment of these Es can be measured to assess and document student attainment of PIs, and hence SOs. Specific examples of implementation of this framework, including detailed explanations of the calculations used to determine student level of attainment of the Es, the PIs, and SOs are presented. Examples of program improvements driven by the first 2-year cycle of implementation of this SO-PI-E assessment and continuous improvement system are presented.