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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 24
includes items such as Gartner Group reports, pertinent articles from professional publications, observations from meetings she attends such as the Fall 2005 National Science Foundation workshop on the future of computer science, and insights from her participation as a CAC/ABET Commissioner. Keeping the curriculum in step with industrial practice will occupy our attention for as long as technology continues to advance. Advisory Board consultations will continue to be a primary informational resource. Curriculum Committee The CS Curriculum Committee, meeting monthly throughout the Fall and Spring semesters, integrates assessment inputs from all sources to make determinations relative to course content. Also, it is a proactive mechanism that originates improvements rooted in observations of how students learn. The CS Curriculum Committee takes responsibility for initiatives on the curriculum including interfacing with the Advisory Board, for monitoring course content and activities, for constructing and evaluating the summative assessment, and other inquires, evaluations, and controls directly affecting coursework and students' experiences. For instance, outcome d was strengthened when the Curriculum Committee acted on the Advisory Board’s recommendation for an increased focus on collaborative skills. The Curriculum Committee acted to do this based not only on the Advisory Board but also with respect to other assessment sources (e.g. Academic Program Review). Academic Program Review The Academic Program Review is an assessment mechanism introduced by the Provost’s Office in 2000. The term “program review” is slightly misleading because the review might focus on a single program but it could focus on all programs within a department. Regardless of its scope, all program reviews include a self study, one or more external reviewers, a formal report on the findings by the external reviewer, and a response to this report by faculty (the Curriculum Committee or a designated subcommittee). When a program review is scheduled, the responsibility for carrying it forward is with the Dean’s Office. The latest CS Academic Program Review took place is Spring 2001 and encompassed the BS in CS as well as the other computer science programs in the Seidenberg School, including the MS in CS. The two-day on-site visit was conducted by Dr. Rachelle Heller, a computer science professor from George Washington University who spent two days on site. Relative to the BS in CS curriculum, the report advised that students should receive more experience with professional, GUI development tools and software 25
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Page 3 and 4: B.1.A.2. Describe how your program'
Page 5 and 6: faculty members engaged with indust
Page 7 and 8: significant social, ethical, legal
Page 9 and 10: • "very good with hands-on work,
Page 11 and 12: Computer Science Program Outcomes a
Page 13 and 14: The nine mechanisms yielding inform
Page 15 and 16: Student Opinion Survey The "Student
Page 17 and 18: Summative Assessment The Summative
Page 19 and 20: averages run between 80% and 85%. S
Page 21 and 22: During the current school year, abo
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Page 27 and 28: B.1.A.8. Indicate how your student
Page 29 and 30: B.1.B. Student Attributes Our stude
Page 31 and 32: B.1.C.2. Attach as an appendix copi
Page 33: B.1.D. Documentation B.1.D1. Descri

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

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