Transcript EAB’s University-level Activities EAB Meeting Moshe Kam and C. W. Hickman San Juan, PR – 14 February 2009

EAB’s University-level
Activities
EAB Meeting
Moshe Kam and C. W. Hickman
San Juan, PR – 14 February 2009
1
A Quick Historical Overview

EAB divides its activities into…
Pre-university, University-level, Postuniversity (continued education), and Public
Education

For approximately 15 years (1990-2004)
the university-level activities were limited
to…


Accreditation in the US (through ABET)
Education about accreditation outside the US

With an “ABET flavor”
2
Recent trends… EAB has…

Changed the direction of its involvement with ABET (US)

Increased its level of activity in non-US accreditation


Developed on-line tools for university-level students and
constituencies of the accrediting bodies
Mobilized student branches for outreach to pre-university
students


Entered the arena of policy in accreditation, standards
education, first professional degree in engineering
3
Recent trends… EAB has…




Started working on model curricula and trends in
engineering education
 Especially retention
Developed assessment tools for technology programs
(US)
Supported the Technical English Program and plans to
expand it
Developed a Standards Education program for university
students
4
Accreditation in EAB
 Accreditation Policy Council
 Committee on Engineering Accreditation Activities
 Committee on Technology Accreditation Activities
 Committee on Global Accreditation Activities
5
Activities within ABET
(US Accreditation)
IEEE (through its predecessors)
has worked within ABET
(ECPD) since 1932
6
Who coordinates IEEE’s ABET
activities?

Coordinated by EAB:

Engineering and Engineering Technology
accreditation (through ABET)

Electrical and Computer Engineering and Engineering
Technology and a few other sub-disciplines


Including Systems Engineering
Coordinated by the IEEE Computer Society

Computer Science, Information Technology
(through CSAB)
7
What is missing in our ABET
portfolio?


IEEE involvement in accreditation of
programs in Biomedical Engineering
An on-going issue that requires action
8
ABET support: key statistics



IEEE is responsible for approximately 750
programs exclusively
IEEE Responsible for additional 300 programs
with ACM and AIS
Next largest association is ASME


with 450 programs
Approximately 350 active IEEE volunteers
are involved
9
ABET Support: Finances

IEEE pays directly to ABET about
$300,000/year


Payments to ABET continue to grow



ASME pays about $200,000
Some relief was observed after the financial model
was ‘tweaked’
The number of programs in Computer Science and
IT is growing
EAB and the Computer Society spend
additional $500K-700K on US accreditation
10
IEEE and ABET
11
Selected Topics of Discussion,
Change, and Potential Action

ABET’s governance

ABET’s financial model and long-term prospects

International Accreditation

Travel Policy

“Criteria 2 and 3” and assessment

Systems Engineering

Accreditation at the BS and MS levels simultaneously

Accreditation of programs that use non-traditional
delivery
12
Accreditation Outside
the United States
Committee on Global
Accreditation Activities
13
CGAA: Mission and Scope


To identify and meet the accreditation needs
of the profession, by assisting in the
establishment, operation, development and
implementation of accrediting bodies and
accreditation procedures in engineering,
computing and technology (ECT) worldwide.
To coordinate transnational accreditation
activities on behalf of the IEEE, including
assistance to existing accrediting bodies,
development of new accrediting bodies, and
education about ECT accreditation.
14
Key themes


Local accrediting bodies
Organization and operation by local
IEEE volunteers


And volunteers of other
engineering/computing association
Minimal use of accreditation bodies from
outside the local region
15
2009 Members
Name
Section
Region
Role
Moshe Kam
Philadelphia
2
Chair
Enrique Alvarez
Peru
9
Member
Ernesto CuadrosVargas
Chandrabhan
Sharma
Peru
9
Member
Trinidad and
Tobago
9
Member
Eric Tappert
Lehigh Valley
2
Xiaoxun Zhu
Xi’an
10
APC
Chair
Member
16
Where do we operate now?




China: “Working Group on Education in China”
and cooperation with CAST
Peru: ICACIT
Uruguay: terminology and program structure
issues
The Caribbean: new accrediting body for
programs taught in English (CACET)
17
CHINA
18
International Accreditation: China

In 2006 we established an accreditation
working group in China


Face-to-face meeting in November 2006
2007 Activities

A major workshop on engineering accreditation in
cooperation with CAST


A translation of ABET accreditation materials into Chinese
was completed by EAB
Meetings with decision makers in various ministries
19
2007 Workshop (Beijing)

40 attendees

Most are program evaluators in training



IEEE: Bruce Eisenstein, Michael Lightner,
Moshe Kam
Engineers Ireland: Don McCloy
Meetings at the Ministries of Personnel,
Construction and Education
20
Ministry of Education
Beijing 2007
21
22
Beijing 2007
Bruce Eisenstein speaks
Note the Engineers Ireland
Logo
23
2008 Activities

An accreditation workshop with CAST and the
PRC Ministry of Education


240 attendees


Beijing, 22 March 2008
All fields of engineering
A 4-hour event narrated by Mike Lightner and
Moshe Kam
24
Key observations from
the 2008 workshop


Attendees wanted to know how the ABET
system works
…but also what elements are difficult,
expensive, time consuming


Concern about the volume of work associated
with ABET-style accreditation visits
Desire to examine models that are not purely
outcome based
25
Post-workshop requests

CAST requested that we help Chinese
program evaluators observe ABET visits
in 2008


We coordinated the effort with ABET
Visits took place during Fall 2008
26
2009 Status

China is getting ready to apply to become
a provisional member of "Washington
Accord“

Target is June 2009

Pending issues:



Several internal organizational issues
Role of "Center for Engineering Education"
formed in Tsinghua University.
Issues related to Taiwan
27
"International Engineering Education
Conference" on 21-22 October 2009









Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society
Society of Automotive Engineers of China
Chinese Society for Electrical Engineering
China Electro-technical Society
China Instruments and Control Society
Chinese Institute of Electronics
China Computer Federation
China Highway & Transportation Society
Chinese Society for Corrosion and Protection
28
"International Engineering Education
Conference" on 21-22 October 2009

Invited speakers are at a high level




including ministers and presidents
Representatives from 12 Washington Accord
members and 5 provisory members
A round table seminar and a “Beijing
Statement”
IEEE expressed interest in sending delegates to
attend and give a keynote address
29
PERU
URUGUAY
30
International Accreditation: Peru

IEEE has been providing on-going assistance to the
Peruvian accrediting body ICACIT


In December 2006 we have provided the first non-US
EAB training for program evaluators in Peru



ICACIT was formed in the early 2000s
Instructional material developed
Mario Gonzalez prepared and delivered
We provided a complete translation of ABET materials
into Spanish

We are also maintaining a website for ICACIT
31
Training session for Peruvian program
evaluators, December 2006
Lima, December 2006
32
Activities in Peru in 2007


First Draft of the governance documents
and structure of ICACIT
A second training workshop for program
evaluators in Arequipa


Mario Gonzalez prepared and delivered
Planning with the leadership of ICACIT
toward the first independent visit
33
Arequipa, December 2007
34
Arequipa, December 2007
35
Planned Activities in 2008

Accreditation manuals

Engineering, Technology, Computing

Appointment of 20 Program Evaluators

Staffing of the accreditation committees

The first series of independent accreditation
visits by ICACIT should take place in 2009
36
Actual Activities in 2008


ICACIT and ABET have entered into an
agreement that involves joint visits and
prolonged parallel accreditation of
Programs in Peru by both bodies
IEEE has withdrawn for the time being
from any further activities in Peru

With the exception of structure/terminology
issues (to be discussed later)
37
Visit to Uruguay
(November 2008)


The IEEE Uruguay Section was visited in
2008 to determine needed services from
EAB
In the course of the visit, several
perennial issues were raised:


Structure, length and content of engineering
programs in South America
Terminology of program names and
descriptors
38
Planned Activities in 2009: Develop
2010 Engineering/CS summit






Framework for a 2010 workshop on
Engineering and Computer Science
programs in South America:
Structure
Organization
curricular content
Titles
Potential for new accreditation alliances
39
Workshop in 2010 Q2

A combination of….






invited talks
existing program reviews
tutorials on programs in Europe, the US
and Asia
position papers and policy proposals
Action item for follow-up
40
THE CARIBBEAN
41
Caribbean Accreditation Council for
Engineering and Technology
42
Scope

English speaking Caribbean

An effort requiring 3-6 years


and the consent and participation of all major
constituencies
A collaboration of…



Academic institutions and the faculty
Industry, especially employers of engineers
and technologists
Governmental bodies and regulators
43
Desired Final Outcome


A fully functional stable accrediting body
operating wherever there is a higher
education institute in the Caribbean
Membership of the accrediting body in
the Washington Accord
44
Activities so far

Preliminary review of goals and desired
outcomes


Meeting of representatives from Englishspeaking programs in the Caribbean


September 2007, Trinidad
Stakeholder meeting


April 2007, UWI, Trinidad
7-8 April 2008, Puerto Rico
Meeting with CARICOM

October 2008, Guyana
45
CACET’s Founding Meeting (1)



On 7-8 April 2008, San Juan PR
Hosted by IEEE Educational Activities Board
(EAB)
Name of the accrediting agency Caribbean
Accreditation Council for Engineering and
Technology (CACET)
46
CACET’s Founding Meeting (2)

Twenty seven (27) leaders of governmental accrediting
agencies, licensing bodies, universities, and
professional associations




Representing seven (7) English-speaking countries in
the Caribbean
A joint declaration establishing the Council as part of
CARICOM.
IEEE was represented by Moshe Kam, Chandrabhan
Sharma, and Pedro Ray
47
Meeting with CARICOM

Meeting with CARICOM in October 2008
(Guyana)


Agreement in principle to accept CACET as a
recognized accrediting body for the Caribbean


PM of Guyana and Secretary General of CARICOM
For the time being CACET is managed from the UWI
Additional organizational activities and
meetings in 2009


Preparation of CACET’s accreditation
manual and procedures
PEV training in Q4 2009
48
OTHER PLANNED ACTIVITIES
49
Additional Action Items




Cooperation with IFEES
Meeting planned with EUR-ACE and
leaders of the Efta initiative in the
Caribbean
Exploration of 2010 accreditation
workshop in Region 8 (Budapest)
Exploration of needs in Vietnam and in
Swaziland and Malawi
50
Planned 2009 Activities
Title
Where
When
Caribbean (CACET)
CACET next-steps T&T or Guyana 2Q 2009
meeting
CACET draft
Multiple (via
1-2Q
document
mail)
2009
preparation
CACET PeV
Puerto Rico
3rd or 4th
training
Q 2009
South America
Eng&CS workshop TBD
2Q 2010
51
Type
Planning
Policy
development
Training
Planning
Planned 2009 Activities
Title
Where
When
Type
Region 8
accreditation
workshop
Budapest
2Q 2010 Planning
Cooperation with
IFEES
Budapest
St. Petersburg
Oct 09
May 09
China’s
Accreditation
conference
Beijing
October Keynote
2009
Address
Meetings with
TBD
TBD
EUR-ACE
Efta Accreditation
initiative

52
Workshops and
planning
meetings with
accrediting
bodies
Informational
meetings
On line tools:
For university students
For constituencies of accrediting bodies
TryEngineering.org
Accreditation.org
TryNano.org
53
Accreditation.org

A new IEEE portal devoted to accreditation of
academic programs in engineering, computing
and technology

Provides an overview of accreditation

Lists accrediting bodies worldwide



Lists all the programs they accredit
Provides links and contact information
Provides accrediting body search by country
54
More on the Site

Provides information on accords and mutualrecognition agreements


Allows search of accredited programs



Including original text and interpretation
Similar to “University Search” on
TryEngineering.org
Provides links to articles and reviews on
accreditation
www.accreditation.org
55
TryNano.org




TryNano.org is a resource for students,
their parents, their teachers and their
school counselors.
Users can explore nanomaterials, and
learn about different applications of
nanotechnology.
There are also spotlights of different
companies that apply nanotechnology to
products and processes.
http://www.tryengineering.org/nanotest/
56
Mobilizing University Students for
Pre-University Outreach
57
The Original Vision of TISP
58
Increasingly the TISP instructors
are younger…
59
60
Policy Papers
Accreditation
First Professional Degree in
Engineering
Standards Education
61
Accreditation – Policy Paper
62
IEEE Policy Paper on Accreditation
Purpose






Guide IEEE volunteers and staff members in their
activities in the area of accreditation
Inform other organizations of IEEE’s views and
aims in the area of accreditation
Provide a vision for the progress and development
of accreditation
Remind all constituencies that IEEE’s policies and
aims are significantly different than current
practices
Policy paper was approved by the IEEE BoD
in November 2007
63
Highlights


Recognition of plurality of accreditation
methods
Vision of increasingly IT-dependent process




Transition to continuous non-dramatic processes
Rejection of overly complicated process
requirement
Support of local accreditation bodies and
rejection of permanent reliance on foreign
accrediting agencies
Strong emphasis on ethics and human rights
64
The First Professional Degree in
Engineering
65
Background


IEEE was requested to provide its official
position on the First Professional Degree in
Engineering
Possible designations

A Bachelor of Science or equivalent



Four-year program
A Master of Science or equivalent
A Bachelor-plus

E.g., B.Sc. Plus 30 semester credits
66
Adopted Policy



Explains that continuing education should be
an integral part of the career plans of most if
not all engineers
Elaborates on the needs of different groups of
engineers for education beyond the first
degree
Concludes that current practices are sufficient

e.g., traditional 4-year Bachelor of Science degree
in the US
67
Adopted Policy (2)



“IEEE does not believe that a mandatory,
across-the-board requirement for more formal
education for engineers is warranted, beyond
the FPD currently decreed by tradition and
practice”
Explains the reasons for this conclusion
Makes general comments on the evolution of
the ECT curriculum
68
Next…
IEEE Policy on the Role of
Standards in ECT Education
69
Development of Model Curricula
And related certification and
assessment tools
70
Model Curricula

The work plan of EAB calls for development of
model curricula in three areas:






Biometrics
Systems Engineering
Biomedical Engineering
Significant progress in the area of Biometrics
Beginning of work on Systems Engineering
Not much done yet on Biomedical Engineering
71
Model Curriculum in Biometrics

Working group consisting of IEEE and nonIEEE participants



Leading experts in the field
Leader: Evangelia Micheli-Tzanakou
Currently developing


Body of Knowledge for an IEEE certification
program
Model curricula for a Major and a Minor in
Biometrics Engineering
72
Increasing Student Retention
73
http://www.realworldengineering.org/
“Real World Engineering Projects”

Projects that will lead to a new resource for
faculty who teach first year electrical engineering
(EE), computer engineering (CE) and computer
science (CS) students
These projects should:

Focus students on Real World problems with
solutions that benefit society

Get students excited about their own, original
creative solutions

Increase student retention through personal
satisfaction and accomplishment
74
75
Selected Projects

Manipulating Everyday Objects With Prosthetic Hands


Error Correction Codes for Wireless Communication
Systems


Jeff Gibbons, Collins County Community College, TX, USA
Solid State Lighting for the Developing World


Sami Khorbotly, Ohio Northern University, USA
Using Engineering to Save the Planet - One Ear at a Time


Chris Macnab, the University of Calgary, Canada
Loren Wyard-Scott from the University of Alberta, Canada
Smarter Vehicles

Leyla Nazhandali, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
University, USA
76
Selected Projects

Audio Forensics: Solving a Crime using Digital
(Audio) Signal Processing


Power Electronics/System: A Look at Renewable
Energy


Taryn Bayles, the University of Maryland Baltimore County,
USA.
HCI Alternatives using the Nintendo Wii


Jennifer Murdoch and others from the University of Victoria,
Canada.
Gautam Srivastava and others from the University of
Victoria, Canada.
Feedback Controlled Brushless DC Motor

Stephen Williams from the Milwaukee School of
Engineering, US.
77
Assessment Tool for Programs in
electrical, electronic, and
computer engineering technology
Cooperation with SME
78
Cooperation with SME on an
assessment tool


We have cooperated with the Society of Manufacturing
Engineers (SME) in creating standardized assessment
tests for electrical, electronic, and computer
engineering technology students.
The motivation was to make such tests the 'nationallynormed' assessment tools for technology students
and programs

Project was guided by ECETDHA leaders

Paid for by IEEE

Developed, distributed and managed by SME
79
The Technical English Program
80
Technical English Program



An effort to increase Technical English literacy
of students in countries where English is/was
not taught as second language
Currently operational in St. Petersburg, Russia
EAB wishes to expand to other countries in
Eastern Europe and to South America

Pilot will start in October 2009
81
Education about Standards
A Joint EAB/SA effort
82
83
Standards Education Portal
http://www.ieee.org/web/education/standards/index.html








Standards Education
Tutorials
Case Illustrations
Student Application Papers
Standards Reference Directory
Glossary
Announcements
Additional Resources
84
Summary

Accreditation
 In the US (ABET) and
in South America, the
Caribbean and China


Standards Education
First-year EE, CE and
CS projects


On-line tools:
Accreditation.org,
TryNano, TryEngineering



Technical English
Program
Model Curricula


EET assessment tools
Policy Papers
85
Mobilizing students for
TISP
Questions or Comments
86