Computer science accreditation: the advantages of being different

Outcome-based learning, as embraced by the CAC criteria for accrediting computing programs, requires by its very nature the active, on-going participation of faculty in the assessment process. This paper will describe a means of involving faculty at the earliest stages of development in a comprehensive assessment plan without making undue demands of their time or fostering the anxiety that oftentimes accompanies implementation of the assessment process. The proposed process takes advantage of the flexibility of the CAC criteria.