Outcome assessment: practical realities and lessons learned

The challenges of implementing ABET 2000 outcome assessment strategies for a sequence of three computer engineering courses (spanning sophomore level to senior design) are described in this paper, with a focus on practical realities and lessons learned. Issues addressed include formulation of outcomes, choice of evaluation instruments, static vs. dynamic assessment thresholds, instructor overhead, maintaining consistency with prior grading practices, and remediation strategies. Outcome demonstration success rate data are presented for representative trials.