From its beginning in 1932, ABET has focused on improvement of engineering education. The explicit expectation that individual programs engage in improvement now appears as a common Criterion 4, continuous improvement, in all four Criteria. Continuous improvement is an ongoing effort to improve based on the belief that a steady stream of improvements diligently executed will create transformational results. As such it involves repeating cycles of assessment, evaluation and corrective action in a culture of improvement. Unfortunately, the focus of many ABET-accredited programs is solely on assessment of student outcomes with a compliance mindset. This compliance mindset misses the whole point of Criterion 4. In this session we will explore continuous improvement as a sustainable quality management system that can reap the benefits and improvements that are intended.
