Accreditation of Engineering Degree Programmes

1
Accreditation of Engineering Degree
Programmescurrent requirements and future
challenges

• Rob Best
• Pro Dean - Dept Engineering Science Built
  Environment, LSBU
• ECUK Conference
• IMarEST, 14th October

2
A Professional Engineering Institution Viewpoint

• CURRENT REQUIREMENTS
• Role of IChemE
• Need for Standards of academic formation
• Need for Rigour
• The Learning Outcome Assessment challenge
• Benefits to the Profession
• Imparting value our philosophy

3
Accreditation - the Role of IChemE

• To promote, foster and develop the general
  advancement
• of the science of chemical engineering in all
  its branches ...
• To uphold the status of the Institution by
  requiring standards
• of knowledge and experience approved by IChemE

• CURRENT REQUIREMENTS
• Role of IChemE
• Standards of academic formation
• Rigour
• Learning Outcome assessment
• Benefits to the Profession
• Imparting value our philosophy

4
IChemE Accreditation Award

• Master Level
• Recognising degrees of the highest international
  standards that provide
• advanced chemical engineering knowledge and
  skills
• Bachelor Level
• Recognising mainstream Bachelor degrees that
  provide solid academic
• foundation in chemical engineering knowledge and
  skills

• CURRENT REQUIREMENTS
• Role of IChemE
• Standards of academic formation
• Rigour
• Learning Outcome assessment
• Benefits to the Profession
• Imparting value our philosophy

5

Chemical Engineering Knowledge and
Understanding
Critical Components
DESIGN
BREADTH
DEPTH
CORE

• CURRENT REQUIREMENTS
• Role of IChemE
• Standards of academic formation
• Rigour
• Learning Outcome assessment
• Benefits to the Profession
• Imparting value our philosophy

6
Chemical Engineering Knowledge and
Understanding
Critical Components

• CURRENT REQUIREMENTS
• Role of IChemE
• Standards of academic formation
• Rigour
• Learning Outcome assessment
• Benefits to the Profession
• Imparting value our philosophy

7

• CURRENT REQUIREMENTS
• Role of IChemE
• Standards of academic formation
• Rigour
• Learning Outcome assessment
• Benefits to the Profession
• Imparting value our philosophy

Benchmark Thresholds


Accreditation Threshold Level (Learning Outcome)
Second Cycle
First Cycle
Foundation
Breadth
Foundation
Bachelors
Depth
Master
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(No Transcript)
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Learning Outcomes Required from a Chemical
Engineering Degree Programme

• CURRENT REQUIREMENTS
• Role of IChemE
• Standards of academic formation
• Rigour
• Learning Outcome assessment
• Benefits to the Profession
• Imparting value our philosophy

10
Accreditation Levels Minimum Credit Allocation
Guidance Credit Basis European Credit Transfer
System (ECTS)


Master Level Bachelor Level Further Learning to Master Level
Underpinning Mathematics and Science 20 20
Core Chemical Engineering 85 85
Engineering Practice 10 10
Design Practice 10 10
Embedded Learning (SHE, Sustainability) Sufficient, clear demonstration Sufficient, clear demonstration Sufficient, clear demonstration
Embedded Learning (Transferable Skills) Sufficient, clear demonstration Sufficient, clear demonstration Sufficient, clear demonstration
Advanced Chemical Engineering - Depth 30 30
Advanced Chemical Engineering - Breadth 15 15
Advanced Chemical Engineering Practice 10 10
Advanced Chemical Engineering Design Practice 5 5
Total IChemE Minimum Specified Content 185 125 60

• CURRENT REQUIREMENTS
• Role of IChemE
• Standards of academic formation
• Rigour
• Learning Outcome assessment
• Benefits to the Profession
• Imparting value our philosophy

11
Learning Outcomes Required from a Chemical
Engineering Degree Programme

• Embedded Learning (Sustainability SHE
  Ethics)
• Knowledge and ability to handle a variety of
  societal, ethical
• and commercial aspects of chemical engineering
• - include health and process safety
  sustainable
• development commercial planning
• process plant economics ethics standards
• Material is built upon and reinforced throughout
  the degree

• CURRENT REQUIREMENTS
• Role of IChemE
• Standards of academic formation
• Rigour
• Learning Outcome assessment
• Benefits to the Profession
• Imparting value our philosophy

12
Rigour - General Considerations.

• Are the entry qualifications profiles of students
  satisfactory?
• Are learning outcomes clearly defined and
  appropriate?
• Is programme structure and content appropriate ?
• Are the resources in place to deliver the
  learning outcomes?
• Are learning outcomes achieved to appropriate
  standards?
• Are there significant changes happening that
  impact programme delivery?

• CURRENT REQUIREMENTS
• Role of IChemE
• Standards of academic formation
• Rigour
• Learning Outcome assessment
• Benefits to the Profession
• Imparting value our philosophy

13
Learning Outcomes

• Specific information regarding Learning Outcomes
  in
• Underpinning Science Maths
• Core Chemical Engineering
• Advanced Chemical Engineering
• Engineering Practice
• Design Practice
• etc
• are found in IChemEs published Accreditation
  Guidance
• www.icheme.org/accreditation

• CURRENT REQUIREMENTS
• Role of IChemE
• Standards of academic formation
• Rigour
• Learning Outcome assessment
• Benefits to the Profession
• Imparting value our philosophy

14
The Challenges of Learning Outcome Assessment

• Blooms Taxonomy proposes that Knowing is
  composed of 6 successive hierarchical levels
• How do we as accreditors recognise a Master level
  or Bachelor set of outcomes?
• Valuable guidance on assessing outcomes in
  engineering is available from the Engineering
  Subject Centre

Evaluation Ability to judge value of material for a given purpose
Synthesis Ability to put parts together
Analysis Ability to breakdown information into its components
Application Ability to use learned material in new situations
Comprehension Ability to understand and interpret learned information
Knowledge Ability to recall or remember facts without necessarily understanding them

• CURRENT REQUIREMENTS
• Role of IChemE
• Standards of academic formation
• Rigour
• Learning Outcome assessment
• Benefits to the Profession
• Imparting value our philosophy

15
Benefits to the Profession

• Recognition
• Accreditation process adds value to everyone - to
  students, graduates, to host departments, to
  faculty, and to international profession
  including employers
• International benchmarking
• Our Testimony
• gt 160 Chemical Engineering degrees at
• gt 40 Chemical engineering education
  providers
• in 14 Countries

• CURRENT REQUIREMENTS
• Role of IChemE
• Standards of academic formation
• Rigour
• Learning Outcome assessment
• Benefits to the Profession
• Imparting value our philosophy

16
Imparting Value Our Philosophy

• To assure discipline specific standards of
  academic formation are attained
• To enrich review of the discipline against high
  and consistent standards
• To share and disseminate educational best
  practice
• To develop a network of educational professionals

• CURRENT REQUIREMENTS
• Role of IChemE
• Standards of academic formation
• Rigour
• Learning Outcome assessment
• Benefits to the Profession
• Imparting value our philosophy

17
Accreditation of Engineering Degree
Programmescurrent requirements and future
challenges

• Neil Atkinson
• Director - Qualifications and International
  Development, IChemE
• ECUK Conference
• IMarEST, 14th October

18
A Professional Engineering Institution Viewpoint

• FUTURE CHALLENGES
• Massification of education
• Mobility
• PBL Student Centred Learning
• Qualifications Proliferation Life Long Learning
• Inconsistent definitions of Academic Formation
• Supporting Employers with the talent pipeline
• Costs

19
Massification of Education

• Impacts of changes to the range, character and
  content of
• secondary education provision eg introduction
  of Diplomas
• Impact of the need for increased provision of
  foundation
• learning (numeracy scientific)
• Clarity re when higher level engineering
  education begins
• (entry standards start point)
• Impact of increasingly delayed choice within
  degrees re
• selection of major engineering discipline
• The disappearance of disciplines within
  Schools!
• The disappearance of industrial practitioners!

• FUTURE CHALLENGES
• Massification of education
• Mobility
• PBL Student Centred Learning
• Qualifications Proliferation
• Life Long Learning
• Inconsistent definitions-Academic Formation
• Supporting Employers-Talent Pipeline
• Costs

20
Mobility

• How should accreditors deal with ECTS credits
  and
• mobility?
• how do we ensure that the sum of the parts
• always meet the demands required of the whole
  
• for exemplifying academic formation
  standards?
• and Conversion degrees?
• How should accreditors deal with 1st cycle
  degrees or
• their worldwide equivalents that dont
  contain sufficient
• design? eg Melbourne model Bachelors?
• The issue of the (arguably discordant)
  Washington Accord
• until such time as graduate standards
  harmonise on
• Master level academic formation

• FUTURE CHALLENGES
• Massification of education
• Mobility
• PBL Student Centred Learning
• Qualifications Proliferation
• Life Long Learning
• Inconsistent definitions-Academic Formation
• Supporting Employers-Talent Pipeline
• Costs

21
Problem Based LearningStudent Centred Learning
Traditional Student Centred
Tutor fountain of knowledge Passive role Tutor led Taught to syllabus Learning fixed to classroom Didactic Tutor as facilitator Active role Partnership Agreed syllabus Not restricted to time, pace or place Interactive, using range of methods

• SCL is driving institutions to develop 21st C
  approaches to
• learning, a strategy for broadening
  participation and has
• clear tangible benefits....
• But how should educators and accreditors
  respond?

• FUTURE CHALLENGES
• Massification of education
• Mobility
• PBL Student Centred Learning
• Qualifications Proliferation
• Life Long Learning
• Inconsistent definitions-Academic Formation
• Supporting Employers-Talent Pipeline
• Costs

22
Qualifications Proliferation Life Long
Learning

• LLL has become a necessity for our economies
• (the knowledge explosion)
• A rapidly expanding provision of diverse routes
  to
• professional qualification offers
  opportunities for
• accreditors to further aid employers and
  their
• engineer/technician employees
• This routes create new demands on accreditors
  and
• requires development of new skills eg
  unpicking the
• increasingly blended academic formation and
  vocational
• training in relation to work based programmes
  leading to
• professional status
• What is the best role of accreditors for such
  programmes?

• FUTURE CHALLENGES
• Massification of education
• Mobility
• PBL Student Centred Learning
• Qualifications Proliferation
• Life Long Learning
• Inconsistent definitions-Academic Formation
• Supporting Employers-Talent Pipeline
• Costs

23
Inconsistent Definitions of Academic Formation
for Professional Engineers

• The international dimension and the issue of
  the
• (arguably discordant) Washington Accord.....
• until such time as graduate standards
  harmonise on
• Master level academic formation
• How should accreditors/PEIs best deal with
  this?
• ......especially when employers who rightly
  demand
• consistent standards are often multinational

• FUTURE CHALLENGES
• Massification of education
• Mobility
• PBL Student Centred Learning
• Qualifications Proliferation
• Life Long Learning
• Inconsistent definitions-Academic Formation
• Supporting Employers-Talent Pipeline
• Costs

24
Supporting Employers -
Qualified Talent Pipeline

• Securing and retaining enough engineers of the
  right quality is a top issue facing companies.
  Our key role is to ensure the talent pipeline is
  working in the short, medium and long term
• Accreditation activities will continue to be
  necessary to
• help employers make sense of the qualifications
  maze
• Distance learning
• Vocational learning
• CPD
• Position qualifications/combinations of
  qualifications
• Approved company training (eg WBFL to Master
  level) etc

• FUTURE CHALLENGES
• Massification of education
• Mobility
• PBL Student Centred Learning
• Qualifications Proliferation
• Life Long Learning
• Inconsistent definitions-Academic Formation
• Supporting Employers-Talent Pipeline
• Costs

25
Charged Costs ( Realised Value)
Value to Stakeholders
Future
Today

• FUTURE CHALLENGES
• Massification of education
• Mobility
• PBL Student Centred Learning
• Qualifications Proliferation
• Life Long Learning
• Inconsistent definitions-Academic Formation
• Supporting Employers-Talent Pipeline
• Costs

Charged Costs
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Some Conclusions

• Accreditation by PEIs provide clear benefits to
  engineers
• and hence their employers - through clear
  definition of
• discipline specific output standards
• The process of accreditation is valuable to
  educators
• particularly for sharing of best practice
• Recognition of academic formation issues do lie
  ahead as
• international educational structures evolve
• The key challenges of massification of
  education and the
• growth of the knowledge economy (with
  consequential
• rapid introduction of new LLL and work based
  educational
• formats) requires a response from
  engineering accreditors
• in order to best aid employers seeking to
  address skills
• pipeline issues

• CURRENT REQUIREMENTS
• Role of IChemE
• Standards of academic formation
• Rigour
• Learning Outcome assessment
• Benefits to the Profession
• Imparting value our philosophy

• FUTURE CHALLENGES
• Massification of education
• Mobility
• PBL Student Centred Learning
• Qualifications Proliferation
• Life Long Learning
• Inconsistent definitions-Academic Formation
• Supporting Employers-Talent Pipeline
• Costs