Assessment and Accreditation
The
B.S.C.S. degree program is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission
of ABET, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012,
410-347-7700. The B.S. in Applied
Computer Science is not accredited.
Our programs benefit from continuous assessment of learning
outcomes and educational objectives mandated by both Northern Arizona
University and by the ABET Computing Accreditation Commission. Results from these assessment activities and
discussions with our Computer Science Program Advisory Committee are used to
make program and course changes. This
results in programs that better meet the learning needs of students and better
meet the demand for graduates who can be successful in their chosen career. Below are the educational objectives and
learning outcomes for the B.S.C.S. program.
Educational objectives and measurable outcomes
Objective 1: Graduates are technically competent and prepared for leadership and professional practice with strength in design, problem solving, communications and teaming.
- Outcome 1.1 Possess professional skills and knowledge of the software design process.
- Outcome 1.2 Ability to function effectively in both co-located and distributed software development teams.
- Outcome 1.3 Possess abilities to effectively communicate orally.
- Outcome 1.4 Possess abilities to effectively communicate in writing.
- Outcome 1.5 Abilities in creativity, critical thinking and problem identification, formulation and solving.
Objective 2: Graduates are grounded in computer science and related mathematical fundamentals and prepared for advanced education and lifelong learning.
- Outcome 2.1 Competence in and ability to apply foundational theoretical concepts and skills related to software development, including underlying knowledge of mathematics (including discrete math, linear algebra, and statistics).
- Outcome 2.2 Familiarity with a broad range of programming languages and paradigms, with practical competence in at least two languages and paradigms.
- Outcome 2.3 Ability to apply knowledge of formal software development concepts to select and apply software development processes, programming paradigms, and architectural models appropriate to different application contexts.
- Outcome 2.4 Motivation and skills needed for lifelong learning.
- Outcome 2.5 Ability to use industry standard Integrated Development Environments (IDEs), debugging support tools, and other modern software development tools.
Objective 3: Graduates have an understanding of the scope and implications of the rapid and increasing integration of software-driven technologies into personal and professional spheres of modern society.
- Outcome 3.1 Ability to relate a broad education and contemporary issues to software solutions and their impact in a societal and global context.
- Outcome 3.2 An appreciation and understanding of professional and ethical responsibility.
Objective 4: Graduates integrate quickly into the workplace or advanced education due to an emphasis on high quality teaching, advising and mentoring.
- Outcome 4.1* Be a leader in educational innovation and the use of technology in providing a quality educational experience.
- Outcome 4.2* Attract and retain well-qualified students.
- Outcome 4.3* Foster advising and mentoring relationships between faculty and students.
- Outcome 4.4* Graduates have accurate, well-formed expectations about workplace or graduate school.
* Outcomes marked with an asterisk relate to unique program characteristics and nature of learning environment; they are essentially “non-learning” program outcomes that articulate central distinguishing characteristics of our program and are therefore assessed for continuous improvement and accreditation.