Analytical thinking and complex problem solving are the fundamental attributes of engineering. On the other hand, driven by the expectations of the 21st century, several attributes including critical thinking, creativity, reasoning, informed decision-making, as well as social skills like collaboration, negotiation, management, leadership, etc., and individual attributes like cognitive flexibility, life-long learning, etc., have become important for the engineering profession. Therefore, the next-generation engineers need to be not only the individuals equipped with the technical knowledge and skill-sets, but also the professionals and leaders capable of leading the change. In this regard, the transformative power and approach required when providing education to the engineers of the future stem from the student/learning-centered education, rather than the instructor-centered one.
In today’s world, where the importance of being local and international actors contributing to a sustainable society is increasing, and expectations of the 21st century are re-shaping the engineering profession and education, international quality assurance of the engineering education, in other words accreditation, adds value and strength to all constituents of higher education.
Determination of well-defined targets by the higher education institutes to prepare graduates with technical and professional skills enabling them to meet the needs and expectations of the industry/business world, as well as establishment of assessment and evaluation practices, are the main foci of the criteria and processes of the ABET accreditation. Accordingly, ABET accreditation is considered as an indication that a higher education program prepares graduates who are upholding a strong profession-related educational background ready to join the work-force, capable of leading innovation and new technological developments, and able to contribute to the welfare and development of the society.
Educational quality assurance, in other words accredited programs, provide distinctive attainments to all constituents of higher education; to the students, the higher education institutes, the business world, and to the entire society that we are contributing to. Following are some of those distinctive attainments exemplified through ABET accreditation:
Students:
Since ABET accreditation is globally considered as a reliable standard in the business world, being a student of an ABET-accredited program provides the students the confidence about the education they receive and the fundamentals of the profession they acquire, and therefore build up/improve their self-confidence about being the professionals of the future. Students who prefer to enroll in an accredited program make one of the most meaningful investments for themselves in regard to their future career.
Program constituents and higher education institutes:
The primary attainment of the programs and higher education institutions provided by quality assurance and accreditation, which are acquired after intense preparations and evaluations, is that these processes are unfolding the data and strategies that might be utilized to optimize the education-learning experiences offered to the students while preparing them for their future careers. Being an indication of decisiveness of the institutions and their performances in providing a quality education, accreditation fosters best-practices in education and prioritize continuous improvement (sustainability of quality) by nature.
In particular, the ABET accreditation adds value to the contributions of the higher education institutions that they provide to their constituents, as it indicates that (i) the education offered has an internationally recognized quality, (ii) the instructors and the other internal constituents are directly involved in the assessment-evaluation and continuous improvement processes, and (iii) the fundamental criteria are the student/learning-centered education and the student/learning attainments.
The profession and the society
The criteria for reviewing a program while preparing its graduates to a profession are developed and kept up-to-date by direct involvement of the experts from the professional societies and academia. Moreover, the ABET accreditation review process is carried out by those professionals. Involvement of the voluntary experts of the profession links the accreditation review process directly with the profession and the industry, and provides an opportunity to reflect the current and future needs and expectations of the employers, the industry, and the society to the technical education necessary to prepare the graduates for the profession.
ABET and Accreditation in Numbers
ABET: a nonprofit, non-governmental, organization with ISO 9001:2015 certification; an international accreditation agency that accredits college and university programs in
· applied and natural science (ANSAC), computing (CAC), engineering (EAC), and engineering technology (ETAC).
· 4 commissions : broadest one: EAC (Engineering Accreditation Commission)
· 1932 / 1936 : establishment / first national accreditation (historically accredited programs in the USA)
· 1990’s : “Substantial equivalency” for the programs outside the USA
· 2022 data : 40 countries, 895 higher education institutes, 4564 programs
· More than 2200 voluntary experts (academicians, professionals from industry, etc.)
Ebru DULEKGURGEN
ITU IAC – Institutional Accreditation Coordinator (ABET EAC reviews)