IEEE CTAA and TAC-ABET Program Evaluator Selection Process

I. Introduction

This document provides an overview of the IEEE process for selection of the TAC-ABET accreditation program evaluators. This process involves administrators at TAC-ABET, IEEE Educational Activities (IEEE-EA), and the IEEE Committee for Technology Accreditation Activities (IEEE-CTAA).

II. Administrators

The following people are the current administrators. There are other individuals associated with this process but the primary ones are identified here.

IEEE-Accreditation Administrator - Laurie Policastro
IEEE-CTAA Program Evaluator Coordinator-W. David Baker

III. Establishing the evaluator resource pool

IEEE-EA administrator solicits potential engineering technology evaluators for the programs that IEEE has the responsibility for:

• CET Computer Engineering Technology
• EET Electrical-Electronic Engineering Technology
• EMT Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology
• LET Laser-optics Engineering Technology
• TET Telecommunications Engineering Technology

These are collated and submitted to the IEEE-CTAA. They are reviewed and voted on by the IEEE-CTAA members at the January meeting. The number of candidates selected depends on the number of evaluators being rotated out of the pool and the estimated workload for the coming year. Evaluators are re-appointed yearly and serve a maximum five-year term. Exceptions are made based on needs and balance of the evaluator pool. An equal balance between academic and industrial evaluators is an important criterion in the selection and re-appointment process.

Following selection by IEEE-CTAA, the IEEE-EA administrator places the evaluator data into an IEEE-CTAA data base. The entire pool of evaluators is then submitted to the Accreditation Policy Committee of the IEEE Educational Activities Board for approval.

All evaluator biographic data changes must be sent to the IEEE-EA administrator as soon as possible throughout the year. This data is periodically sent to various individuals as part of this process. Outdated evaluator information, particularly addresses and telephone numbers, creates serious problems during the assignment phase.

IV. Obtain institution and TAC-ABET team chairpersons information

TAC-ABET should assign team chairpersons by February 15. The chairpersons must contact and confirm fall visits dates with institutions by March 15.

TAC-ABET must send all details of the visit to both the IEEE-EA administrator and IEEE-CTAA Program Evaluator Coordinator by March 31. This should be sent on disc or by electronic mail. Information from TAC-ABET must include as a minimum:

• Institution name, program name, address, telephone & fax numbers, e. mail address, contact person
• Name of team chairperson, society and work affiliation, work & home telephone & fax numbers, e. mail address, number of visits as team chairperson
• Titles of all programs being evaluated and accreditation history
• Dates for visit
• Number of IEEE evaluators required
• Any special requirements for the evaluator selection

The TAC-ABET administrator must provide the IEEE-EA administrator with evaluator performance data for past visits. This will be used to code entries in the IEEE-CTAA evaluator data base following visits. This code will only be used to indicate an unsatisfactory performance and guide the IEEE-CTAA assignments and re-appointments. These codes will only be entered following approval of the IEEE-CTAA.

Upon receipt of the required data from TAC-ABET, the IEEE-EA administrator enters and provides the IEEE-CTAA Program Evaluator Coordinator with the biographic data on current technology evaluators by March 31. This data will include the code indicating unsatisfactory performance for past visits. This should be transmitted on disc or e. mailed.

V. Evaluator assignment

The IEEE-CTAA Program Evaluator Coordinator starts the process of matching institutions, programs and evaluators. The assignments follow these general guidelines approved by IEEE-CTAA:

• An evaluator may not return to the same campus of an institution for re-evaluation.
  
  
• General conflicts of interest, such as previously consulted with or employed at institution, recruits graduates, graduate of the institution, work for an institution that competes for students, member of program advisory committee, etc., must be avoided.
  
  
• Evaluators should be from out of state and high-cost travel is avoided if possible.
  
  
• An evaluator's skill and experience must match the program area. An evaluator for a two year program should have experience with associate programs either as an instructor, a supervisor of engineering technicians, or as a member of an industrial advisory committee.
  
  
• An evaluator is assigned one visit per year. An experienced evaluator may be asked to take a second visit as result of a late cancellation by an evaluator or rejection of an evaluator by the institution.
  
  
• A good-faith effort is made to assign all new evaluators their first year. They are selected for institutions with a good accreditation record and more than one program being accredited whenever possible. If there is only one program with two evaluators the new person would be assigned to work with an experienced IEEE evaluator. An attempt is also made to assign new evaluators to teams led by experienced IEEE team chairpersons. They are never assigned to evaluate "show cause" programs.
  
  
• A new evaluator may not be confirmed for a visit prior to completion of the orientation class.
  
  
• An evaluator with more than one unsatisfactory performance evaluation is not assigned. The IEEE-CTAA may remove this evaluator from the evaluator pool.
  
  
• An attempt will be made to assign members of the IEEE-CTAA committee.
  
  
• Upon exhaustion of the current evaluator pool past evaluators, CTAA members and IEEE TAC-ABET representatives can be selected as Program Evaluators.

Starting April 1, the IEEE-CTAA Program Evaluator Coordinator will select evaluators for each visit based on this criteria. Next, the coordinator contacts evaluators and obtains commitments for specific visits and dates. This assumes that all newly approved evaluators will attend a required the orientation class. Note that IEEE-CTAA usually has a spring and a summer orientation class. The coordinator will keep the IEEE-EA administrator advised of progress periodically.

The coordinator will transmit the assignments to the TAC-ABET administrator and the IEEE-EA administrator by May 1 on disc or e. mail.

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