Hello Beth,

 

I apologize for the long delay in getting the information you requested.

 

First, attached is the ABET accreditation document you requested. This document lists accreditation criteria for all engineering programs alphabetically.

 

Second, your question about replacing BISC 302 with BISC 207 is an important one.

1)      Actually, this INCREASES the required biology credits to 4 credits from 3. Previously, students were only required to take BISC 302. While BISC 207 and BISC 208 are prerequisites for BISC 302, the instructor for BISC 302 allowed our students into this course without these two classes with the understanding that students would have to do more background reading on their own to make up for any deficiencies.

 

2)      The biology important for environmental engineers will be taught in BISC 207 (formerly only the 3-credit BISC 302, unless students selected the bio-tech concentration), CIEG 436 Water and Wastewater Treatment, and CIEG 337 Environmental Engineering Laboratory. Portions of  the texts used for CIEG 337 and CIEG 436 include microbial aspects of environmental engineering. Biological treatment reactors and biological growth are studied in hands-on labs in CIEG 337. Given the constraints in credit hours for the major, we believe we have adequate coverage of biology in our curriculum.

 

3)      Finally, to provide a clearer justification for replacing BISC 302 with BISC 207 I asked Dr. Dan Cha to put together the attached document.  This document provides additional rationale (in blue text) for why we believe BISC 207 will be a valuable addition to our curriculum.

 

I hope this information is helpful. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I will try to give a speedier response next time.

 

Best wishes,

 

Paul

 

 

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Paul T. Imhoff, Ph.D., P.E.
Associate Professor
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716

Phone: 302-831-0541
Fax: 302-831-3640
E-mail: imhoff@udel.edu
Webpage: www.ce.udel.edu/~imhoff/
Environmental & Water Resources Engineering at UD: www.ce.udel.edu/ewre/

 

From: Beth Morling [mailto:morling@psych.udel.edu]
Sent: Wednesday, December 16, 2009 2:40 PM
To: Imhoff, Paul T.
Cc: Karren Helsel-Spry; Beth Ann Morling
Subject: Revised Major(s) in Environmental Engineering

 

Dear Dr. Imhoff,

I am chair of the University Undergraduate Studies Committee, and we met today to consider your proposal to change the curriculum for the Bachelor of Environmental Engineering.

 

When s the committee discussed your proposal, we found that some members wanted further information and justification from your department on two issues.

 

First, we appreciate that ABET accreditation presents clear guidelines for what Engineering majors should contain, and certainly ABET requirements provide excellent rationale for curriculum changes.  However, as a point of detail, our committee would like to see actual text from ABET in which the guidelines are outlined—perhaps a scan of the relevant page, or a more full excerpt from an appropriate website?  (We require such documentation from most other majors and colleges as well, when they cite accreditation boards.)

 

Second and more specifically, some members of our committee were concerned that the rigor of the major might have been decreased by replacing BISC302 with BISC207.  For one thing, this reduces the number of BISC credits in the major from (at least) 11 to only 4.  Second, some committee members wanted more justification for why an environmental engineering major would require (what they see as) a rather minimal exposure to Biology.  We were not so much questioning your faculty’s judgment about its curriculum—but we were looking for a more complete rationale.  Why is your faculty sure that the BISC207 course covers adequate exposure to biological issues? 

 

If you would like to meet with the committee, that is fine; however, it is also okay with me if you email me with supplemental materials or explanations (even a few sentences is sufficient in the case of the second point).  You can call me if you want to talk about any of these questions—we do want to help you move in a positive direction with your major revisions! 

 

Thanks for reading this far—be in touch as needed!  (x8377)

 

Beth

 

 

 

Beth Morling, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Psychology

University of Delaware

Newark, DE  19716

302.831.8377

 

Fall 2009 Office Hours:  Tues 1-3, Fri 11:15 to 12:15

 

Advisement Home Page for Undergraduates:

http://www.psych.udel.edu/advisement/index.php