The fulltime CIS faculty. Standing (l to r): Stuart Monroe, Mark Segall, George Garman,. Richard Socash, Janos Fustos, Joseph Morrell, John Landry, Miguel Bustamante, Gerard Morris and Laszlo Pook. Seated (l to r): Morgan Jennings, Biswadip Ghosh, Abel Moreno, Charles Mawhinney and Kathryn Marold. Not pictured: Wayne Haga and Norman Pence.

Metro State’s Computer Information Systems (CIS) program has become one of the first of only a small number of CIS programs in the country to have earned accreditation from ABET, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. CIS joins the College’s computer science and three engineering technology programs (civil, electrical and mechanical) as ABET-accredited programs.

“It was a team effort,” said Department Chair Abel Moreno. “All 16 of the department’s full-time faculty participated in varying degrees.”

ABET is composed of four accreditation commissions: applied science, computer, engineering and technology. It began accrediting information systems programs in 2002-03. As of October 2006, only 20 of an estimated 1,000 or more programs in the United States had earned accreditation. The University of Nebraska at Omaha is the only other institution in the western U.S. with ABET accreditation.

Two years of work
The process took two years and included producing an almost one inch-thick, 8½ by 11 self-study report, 15 binders crammed with information about CIS courses and a site visit.

One of the difficult aspects to the project was that ABET does not allow accredited programs to share their self studies. “There are guidelines, but no examples,” said Professor Chuck Mawhinney, who served as editor of the self study.

Mawhinney also shared the copies of the course binders, representing a huge amount of work as the requirement is that a report must be done on every course that has been taught two semesters. Each report must include everything from the syllabus, to all homework assignments, to all quizzes and tests, with three examples of student work in each category.

The department began the accreditation process in fall of 2004 and the self study and all other materials were submitted to ABET in June2006. The site visit followed in the fall. School of Business Dean John Cochran received the approval letter from ABET Aug. 20.

“Dr. Moreno and the faculty of the CIS Department are to be commended for their exceptional efforts in the accreditation process and for receiving external validation of the quality of the program,” Cochran said.

“In the end, it’s about the students,” said Professor Joe Morrell. “But the biggest benefit was the self study, to look at ourselves. It’s the chance to review and document your department.”

Moreno added that as a result of the self study, the department made a program change and streamlined the curriculum so that there’s a nice flow through the program. “We also became more aware of oral presentations and the method for evaluating them.”