Assessment of Undergraduate
Programs
Neeraj Mittal
Department of Computer Science
The University of Texas at Dallas
Mission Statement
The mission of the Department of Computer
Science is to prepare undergraduate and graduate
students for productive careers in industry,
academia, and government by providing an
outstanding environment for teaching, learning, and
research in the theory and applications of
computing. The Department places high priority on
establishing and maintaining innovative research
programs to enhance its education quality and make
it an important regional, national and international
resource center for discovering, integrating and
applying new knowledge and technologies.
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Undergraduate Programs Offered
Bachelors in Computer Science (CS)
 Bachelors in Software Engineering (SE)

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BACHELORS IN
COMPUTER SCIENCE
PROGRAM
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Program Educational Objectives
(PEOs)
Students should have a successful, longlived, computer science based career path
 Students should meet the needs of
industry or academia
 Students should contribute to, and/or
lead, computer science based teams
 Students should actively pursue
continuing (lifelong) learning

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Program Learning Outcomes
(PLOs)
An ability to apply knowledge of computing and
mathematics appropriate to the discipline
b) An ability to analyze a problem, and identify and
define the computing requirements appropriate to
its solution
c) An ability to design, implement and evaluate a
computer-based system, process, component, or
program to meet desired needs
d) An ability to function effectively on teams to
accomplish a common goal
e) An understanding of professional, ethical, legal,
security, and social issues and responsibilities
f) An ability to communicate effectively with a range
of audiences
a)
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Program Learning Outcomes
(PLOs) (Contd.)
An ability to analyze the local and global impact of
computing on individuals, organizations and society
h) Recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage
in, continuing professional development
i) An ability to use current techniques, skills, and tools
necessary for computing practices
j) An ability to apply mathematical foundations,
algorithmic principles, and computer science theory
in the modeling and design of computer-based
systems in a way that demonstrates comprehension
of the tradeoffs involved in design choices
k) An ability to apply design and development
principles in the construction of software systems
of varying complexity
g)
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BACHELORS IN
SOFTWARE
ENGINEERING PROGRAM
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Program Educational Objectives
(PEOs)
Students should have a successful, longlived, software engineering based career
path
 Students should meet the needs of
industry or academia
 Students should contribute to, and/or
lead, software engineering based teams
 Students should actively pursue
continuing (lifelong) learning

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Program Learning Outcomes
(PLOs)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics,
science, and engineering
An ability to design and conduct experiments, as
well as to analyze and interpret data
An ability to design a system, component, or
process to meet desired needs within realistic
constraints such as economic, environmental,
social, political, ethical, health and safety,
manufacturability, and sustainability
An ability to function on multidisciplinary teams
An ability to identify, formulate, and solve
engineering problems
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Program Learning Outcomes
(PLOs) (Contd.)
An understanding of professional and ethical
responsibility
g) An ability to communicate effectively
h) The broad education necessary to understand
the impact of engineering solutions in a global,
economic, environmental, and societal context
i) A recognition of the need for, and an ability to
engage in life-long learning
j) A knowledge of contemporary issues
k) An ability to use the techniques, skills, and
modern engineering tools necessary for
engineering practice
f)
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Additional Outcomes
1)
2)
3)
4)
An ability to analyze, design, verify, validate,
implement, apply, and maintain software
systems
An ability to appropriately apply discrete
mathematics, probability and statistics, and
relevant topics in computer science and
supporting disciplines to complex software
systems
An ability to work in one or more
significant application domains, and
An ability to manage the development of
software systems
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CHANGES MADE TO
THE PROGRAMS
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Changes Made

Added two required courses:
◦ CS 3376: C/C++ Programming in a UNIX
Environment
◦ CS 4485: Computer Science Project
 Industry projects
 Entrepreneurship education
Several new application domains added in
the SE degree
 Senior Design Day at the end of every
semester

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Changes Made (Contd.)


Aligned course learning outcomes (CLOs) of
CS 2305: Discrete Mathematics for Computing I
and CS 3305: Discrete Mathematics for
Computing II
Separate programming courses for nonmajors:
◦ CS 1335: Computer Science I for Non-Majors
◦ CS 2335: Computer Science II for Non-Majors


Tutoring programs scaled up
Many pre-requisite and co-requisite changes
to ensure that students don’t get out of
touch (e.g., lose touch with programming)
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New Ideas
Freshman experience class: ECS 1200 to
improve retention; help improve graduation
rates
 Mentoring program; each Professor mentors
3-5 students
 Add a course on “System/Algorithm
Implementation”
 Turn one of the programming-centered
courses (operating systems?) into a very
intensive course which takes students to
their breaking point

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