VISIT LOGISTICS
Question: Who selects program evaluators
for an evaluation visit?
Answer: The CTAA provides ABET with a
recommended program evaluator for each IEEE
program to be evaluated. The team chair
normally follows the recommendation, but can request
another program evaluator from CTAA. Some
team chairs attempt to “balance” a
team with academic and industrial members, or
experienced and new members, and this may result
in the selection of other than the initial
recommended evaluator.
Question: When do I find out if I will
be part of an evaluation team?
Answer: After the fall visit date with
the institution has been established, CTAA will
contact you in the late spring to determine if you
are available for the visit. During the
summer, the team chair will provide the
institution with background information about
you. As soon as the institution has made a
determination on the recommended program
evaluators, the team chair will notify you of your
acceptance or rejection.
Question: Am I notified if I am not
going to be a part of any evaluation team for the year?
Answer: Unless you have been contacted
by CTAA, you won’t be making a visit for
the year. Normally, you will not receive any
other indication of whether or not you are going
to make a visit.
Question: If I need airline
reservations, when should I make them?
Answer: As soon as your team chair
confirms the dates of the visit, and the fact that
the school has accepted you as a PEV, you should
begin to make your travel plans. The team
chair will need to know your arrival and departure
dates so as to make hotel reservations for
you. ABET has contracted a travel agency to
handle airline reservations for ABET volunteers
(PEVs) traveling on ABET business. ABET
volunteers are strongly encouraged to use the
contracted travel agency. The
contracted agency will bill ABET directly for ABET
authorized travel while permitting the traveler to
accrue frequent flyer miles. Your team chair
will provide you with the name and contact
information for the contracted travel agency.
Question: What if an emergency prevents me
from participating in the campus visit?
Answer: Immediately inform your team
chair and your society’s PEV Coordinator in
order that they may arrange for a replacement.
Question: Who will make hotel reservations?
Answer: The team chair will reserve
hotel rooms for the entire team. In order to
do so he/she will need your travel plans as early
as possible.
Question: What type of local transportation
is available to the PEV during the course of the visit?
Answer: Local transportation differs
depending on the school’s location.
In some cases the school will provide local
transportation from and to the airport and from
and to the hotel to campus. In larger cities
mass transportation is most efficient. In
more rural areas the team chair may rent a
vehicle, and with larger team sizes the team chair
may ask one or more of the PEVs to rent additional
vehicles. This should be some of the first
communication that you get from your team chair.
Question: How do I get reimbursed for any
expenses I incur during my participation as a PEV
on a campus visit?Answer: Your team
chair will provide you with an expense report form,
or you can download one from the ABET
website. Upon completion, you forward it to
your team chair. The team chair must approve
your expense report prior to its going on to ABET
headquarters.
Question: Will I have access to a
computer during the visit?
Answer: Although many institutions
provide access to computing as part of their
arrangements for the visit, you should
specifically request your team chair to make
arrangements with the institution if you wish
access to computing. Many experienced
evaluators bring along a laptop computer and only
use the institution’s equipment for
printing the forms.
Question: As a PEV do I need to attend
any “refresher” training during the
course of my tenure as a
PEV?Answer: PEVs are not required to
attend any “refresher” training
during the course of their service as a PEV.
However, a PEV may attend any additional PEV
workshops as they wish. Workshops are
offered by TAC of ABET, and many of the
participating societies of TAC in addition to IEEE
workshops. TAC does not charge a fee to any
current PEV attending their workshop.
Although there are fees posted with every offering
of a PEV workshop, participating societies have
mutually agreed to not charge PEVs from other
societies attending their workshops. You may
want to confirm this with the society offering the
workshop if it is not IEEE. Also be aware
that neither IEEE nor TAC of ABET will reimburse
your travel or living expenses incurred while
attending any workshops.
REVIEWING the PROGRAM
Question: While reviewing the Self Study, I
discover something that may be a potential
problem. When can I contact the school for
additional information?
Answer: Prior to arriving on campus a
PEV should not contact the institution. Any
concerns or requests for additional information
should be directed to the Team Chair, who in turn
will contact the institution.
Question: While on campus reviewing
exhibits, I find that a key element of the
school’s continuous improvement plan is
missing. This finding may lead to a weakness
or even a deficiency. When may I inform the
institution of the potential outcome of not
including evidence of this element?
Answer: Without implying the level of
the discrepancy or its effect on the accreditation
action, the PEV should immediately upon discovery
of the discrepancy discuss it with the program
coordinator in an effort to attain additional
information that may either satisfy or dilute the
level of the discrepancy. At no time should
the PEV give any indication of the potential
accreditation action, not even at the exit
interview.
Question: How much time should I spend
interviewing faculty?
Answer: The size of the faculty is one
factor to consider in judging your time. If
you plan ahead on what information you will be
seeking, you should be able to interview a faculty
member in approximately 20 minutes.
Question: How do I arrange to meet with students?
Answer: This can be arranged with the program
head. You can decide the format and meet
individually or in a group.
Question: Where are the details of the
industrial advisory committee and its activities?
Answer: The program should provide you
with records and minutes of the committee and
these are usually provided as part of the display
materials along with student work and assessment
data. In addition, most programs will invite
some members to the luncheon on the first day in
order for you to meet and talk with them.
Question: What will help me do an
evaluation and arrive at recommendations that are
consistent with those of my peers?
Answer: First and foremost, remember
that you are part of a team when you do a
visit. Listen carefully to the other team
members during team meetings and take the initiative
to point out any inconsistencies you see.
Also, the Program Review Worksheet in the TC4
should be used before and during the visit to
ensure that your evaluation covers every item in
the criteria.
Question: How do I decide between the
accreditation recommendations of IR, and IV?
Answer: The number and significance of
the findings are one factor. The extent to which
the correction of the findings can be verified by
a report without requiring and on-site visit is
another. You should discuss these factors with
your team chair to help in the decision making
process.
Question: Are the findings that I
document on the TC11 and leave with the
institution final?
Answer: No, it should be made clear in
the exit interview that these findings are not
final and that TAC reserves the right to modify or
add findings on further review.
Question: Where can I get copies of the forms?
Answer: Your Team Chair will have
electronic copies of the latest forms and can
e-mail them to you or you can download them from the
ABET website,
www.abet.org
. At the ABET home page, simply click on
“Program Evaluators” in the left
hand column, and you will have access to the
latest revisions of all forms for each commission;
be sure to download the forms from the Technology
Program Evaluator listing.
Question: When evaluating a program which
awards both an AAS and BS degree, is it necessary
to fill out two complete sets of forms?
Answer: Normally it is only necessary to
fill out one TC4 form. However, separate
Program Summary pages of TC4 should be
completed. Since the criteria differ for the
two degree programs, a finding may be applicable
to only one of the degree programs.
Question: Can I use a word processor to
complete the forms electronically?
Answer: Yes,
but
TC11 is the only one that is required. Some
team chairs prefer all forms to be in
electronic form. With the TC4 filled out
prior to the visit, the changes on-site are
relatively minor and electronic versions can
actually save time.
