Developing Additionally Improved Rubrics Following a Very Successful ABET Accreditation of the Ocean and Resources Engineering Department

Poster Exhibit, Professional Schools
The Ocean and Resources Engineering (ORE) Department at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM) is a small, highly specialized graduate department within the School of Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology. Historically it has had 7-8 faculty and approximately 35 students, about one third pursuing a PhD degree and two thirds pursuing a Master’s degree. At the present time, numbers are down slightly because of a general downturn in the field. ORE is accredited by ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology). This rigorous accreditation occurs once every 6 years, requiring a 250-page comprehensive self-study report, a series of fully documented supporting rubrics and a site visit. ORE went through this process in Fall 2015 and received an unprecedented perfect score (the only department at UH to get this). This stellar level of accomplishment is attributed to strong rubrics measuring well-developed assessment procedures and very good support from the Department’s dedicated hands-on external advisory committees. The department has a very high level of satisfaction among its graduates, with virtually 100% of graduates having found good paying positions in the field upon graduation. Our poster highlights some of the department’s efforts to further enhance our procedures. Included is a sample rubric and assessment methods utilized by ORE, along with program outcomes and conclusions drawn from ABET success.

The Ocean and Resources Engineering (ORE) Department at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM) is a small, highly specialized graduate department within the School of Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology. Historically it has had 7-8 faculty and approximately 35 students, about one third pursuing a PhD degree and two thirds pursuing a Master’s degree. At the present time, numbers are down slightly because of a general downturn in the field. ORE is accredited by ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology). This rigorous accreditation occurs once every 6 years, requiring a 250-page comprehensive self-study report, a series of fully documented supporting rubrics and a site visit. ORE went through this process in Fall 2015 and received an unprecedented perfect score (the only department at UH to get this). This stellar level of accomplishment is attributed to strong rubrics measuring well-developed assessment procedures and very good support from the Department’s dedicated hands-on external advisory committees. The department has a very high level of satisfaction among its graduates, with virtually 100% of graduates having found good paying positions in the field upon graduation. Our poster highlights some of the department’s efforts to further enhance our procedures. Included is a sample rubric and assessment methods utilized by ORE, along with program outcomes and conclusions drawn from ABET success. by John Wiltshire

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Recommended Citation:
Wiltshire, J. C. (2016, April). Developing additionally improved rubrics following a very successful ABET accreditation of the ocean and resources engineering department. Poster session presented at the Assessment for Curricular Improvement Poster Exhibit at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI.