I. OBJECTIVES, OUTCOMES and ASSESSMENT A ... - pace university

tables presented above is that Pace is doing as well as or better than its
benchmark schools in writing, speaking, and collaborative skills. Although we
look mildly weaker in the realm of viewing and understanding social issues (items
6.d., 6.e. and 6.f), we are not weaker in supplying experiences tending to
cultivate personal values and a code of ethics.
Advisory Board
The Seidenberg School’s Advisory Board consists of twenty five industrial
practitioners from major corporations including IBM Research, Verizon and
PepsiCo. A full membership roster with organizational affiliations and minutes of
meetings are available on display in the Goldstein Academic Center, room 314.
The Advisory Board meets four times a year. It provides important guidance on
curriculum issues, specifically the abilities and skills sought by industry when
hiring new graduates.
For example, collaborative skills were being strongly advocated by the Advisory
Board since January 2001. As a result of this, and other assessments, software
engineering (CS 389) was enriched with a semester-long team project and was
made a requirement. This enhances the fulfillment of outcome d, “an ability to
function effectively on teams to accomplish a common goal.” Another
improvement motivated by the Advisory Board was to make the Data
Communications course (CS 388) a requirement. This enhances the fulfillment of
outcome i, “an ability to use current techniques, skills and tools necessary for
computing practice.”
Dr. Frances E. Allen; an Advisory Board member from IBM, a former Board
member of CRA, and an IBM and an ACM fellow; is an advocate of fundamental
understandings and constantly warns of fad technology. "Whether or not
theoretical details are used directly, they influence one's thinking." Dr. Allen’s
input has encouraged rigor in the algorithms and the programming languages
courses leading to strengthening of outcome a, “an ability to apply knowledge of
computing and mathematics appropriate to the discipline.” In the same vein, a
different Advisory Board member, Henry Marzullo, emphasizes the soft skills. "I
remember very little of the facts from my college days. Every day, however, I
use the skills I learned in college – to write clearly, to analyze objectively, and to
think creatively." His influence led to a public speaking assignment required of
every student in CS 242, Data Structures and Algorithms II, bolstering the
program’s strength relative to outcome f, “an ability to communicate effectively
with a range of audiences.”
Dean Merritt arranges for faculty to be present at Advisory Board meetings,
encourages Advisory Board members to cooperate with faculty on assessment
projects, and passes information relative to the educational milieu to the
Curriculum Committee and to individual faculty members. This information
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