The Student News Site of University of Central Missouri

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The Student News Site of University of Central Missouri

Muleskinner

The Student News Site of University of Central Missouri

Muleskinner

UCM's Computer Information Systems program reaccredited

By CASSIE SLANA
Senior Writer
(WARRENSBURG, Mo., digitalBURG) — The University of Central Missouri Computer Information Systems and Analytics Department received its program reaccreditation Aug. 24 from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.
ABET accreditation includes identifying student outcomes, coming up with an assessment process, going through the assessment process, putting together a self-study and sending the study to the ABET Computing Accreditation Commission. UCM’s CIS program is one of 40 accredited programs worldwide, according to abet.org.
Kerry Henson, assistant professor of CIS at UCM, said ABET got started as an accreditation board for engineering programs and has extended over the years into computing.
“They have three accrediting areas that this commission works with – information systems, information technology and computer science,” Henson said.
Someswar Kesh, department chair and professor of CIS, said not only do they have the accreditation through ABET, but another accreditation through the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
“It tells about the quality of the program because ABET accreditation in the field is not easy to get,” Kesh said. “(It tells) about the quality of the students, the quality of the faculty, and the quality of the program in general.”
Kesh said the program is one of 10 schools in the U.S. to have earned both AACSB internal accreditation as well as ABET. He said UCM is also the only school in Missouri to receive both accreditations in computing.
Henson said the program was initially accredited two years ago. He said the three-year process included a campus visit to sample course materials and student work. Following the meetings, they make recommendations.
“There were some concerns with the growth in the graduate programs and the ability of our staff to keep up with it,” Henson said. “So, in the reaccreditation process that was the issue that had to be addressed. It was addressed by bringing on some additional faculty.”
Henson said CIS faculty meet every month to assess student results, what is going right and wrong, and to refer to the ABET report to make sure they maintain focus on quality in both undergraduate and graduate programs.
“We keep up with the evaluations that we do to evaluate feedback from the students and from our advisory board, and see what kind of curriculum changes we need to make and feed that and continue that process,” Henson said.
ABET will return to UCM in the fall of 2019 for reassessment.

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UCM's Computer Information Systems program reaccredited