Session T4G
Panel Session - Reflections on International Accreditation John Impagliazzo, Edwin C. Jones, Theodore A. Bickart, J.T. (Tom) Cain, Susan E. Conry, and Mazen O. Hasna
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[email protected] Abstract - Program accreditation in computing, engineering, and technology has many international dimensions. Governments around the world have established agencies or commissions to monitor accreditation activities and professional societies and agencies have undertaken the task over many years. In the 2007-2008 academic year, ABET has stayed its “substantial equivalence” designation and has now engaged in formal accreditation activities beyond the United States. This panel seeks to explore and to present first-hand information regarding the issues and complexities surrounding international accreditation activities and report on their experiences in doing ABET international accreditation. Several panel members, many of whom serve on ABET committees that address these matters and have conducted international accreditation visits, will comment on their experiences, within confidentiality limits. The presentation will focus on the philosophical as well as the practical aspects of accreditation activities outside the United States. Index Terms – Accreditation, ABET, International activities. OVERVIEW Program accreditation in computing, engineering, and technology has many dimensions and it is experiencing many dynamics. Governments worldwide have established agencies or commissions to monitor accreditation in these areas and in other fields of specialization. Professional societies and agencies in many countries have undertaken the challenge of developing avenues for quality assurance in undergraduate and graduate education. This panel seeks to explore and to present first-hand information regarding issues surrounding international accreditation activities, particularly from the ABET point of view. This is particularly relevant as ABET has now set aside its “substantial equivalence” designation and has begun to engage in actual accreditation beyond the United States. The panelists will present a spectrum of diverse experiences. Panel members will focus on the philosophical as well as the practical aspects of accreditation activities outside the United States. They will also address their experiences in participating in international accreditation over the past academic year.
Considering the current dynamics occurring within international accreditation circles, the panel is timely and appropriate. The panelists have extensive experience with accreditation at the international level and they intend to convey their understanding of the pertinent issues on the subject. Approximately one-half of the presentation time will be devoted to audience participation through questions and open dialogue. PANELISTS John Impagliazzo (Panel Co-Moderator) Professor Impagliazzo is currently a member of the ACM Education Board and is editor-in-chief of the ACM publication inroads - the SIGCSE Bulletin. He served as a principal co-author and editor of the Computer Engineering Report (CE2004) and was an active participant on the task force that produced the Computing Curricula 2005 Report (CC2005). Currently, John is an Associate Editor of the Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Engineering, by the Wiley publishing company. John chaired the ACM Accreditation Committee for twelve years and serves as an expert for various countries regarding curricula, assessment, accreditation, and related activities. He served as accreditation team chair and program evaluator for ABET and CSAC and has led or participated on visiting teams for about fifty computing-related programs worldwide. He helped develop the accreditation process in Estonia, led the first accreditation team in computing there, and assisted countries such as Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Chile, and New Zealand. Edwin C. Jones (Panel Co-Moderator) Professor Jones served as an IEEE Education Society officer including two years as president. He served as editor-inchief of the IEEE Transactions on Education and has held virtually every office in the Education Society. He also serves as an emeritus member of the IEEE Committee on Engineering Accreditation Activities. His honors and awards include: Fellow, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; Fellow, American Society for Engineering Education; Fellow, American Association for Advancement of Science; Fellow, Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology; IEEE Centennial Medal, 1984; ASEE Centennial Medal, 1993, IEEE Millennium Medal,
978-1-4244-1970-8/08/$25.00 ©2008 IEEE October 22 – 25, 2008, Saratoga Springs, NY 38th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference T4G-1
Session T4G and ABET’s Linton E Grinter Distinguished Service Award. He has extensive experience with international accreditation activities. He has served as a consultant and as a team chair on numerous program visits worldwide. These include countries such as Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Oman. He will convey his decades of experience and show how these experiences may benefit the current dynamics in international accreditation activities. Theodore A. Bickart Professor Theodore Bickart served in senior administrative positions in his academic career and is a fellow of the IEEE, ASEE, and ABET. He is a program reviewer for the EAC of ABET and conducted substantial equivalency reviews internationally. He served as the ASEE representative on the EAC, has long contributed to the work of the IEEE Educational Activities Board (EAB), and chaired the IEEE Committee on Engineering Accreditation Activities. He chaired the IEEE Accreditation Policy Council and championed the first comprehensive changes to ABET Engineering Criteria 2000. He is the recipient of the IEEE EAB 1999 Meritorious Achievement Award in Accreditation Activities. He was a reviewer and team chair for the Commission for Academic Accreditation in the United Arab Emirates. He was a consultant to institutions in and outside the US in many countries, including Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Mexico, Peru, Germany, and Thailand. J. T. (Tom) Cain Professor Cain’s professional service includes serving as president of IEEE. He is co-founder and past president of CSAB and a past ABET program evaluator for both domestic and international programs. He served as chair of the Accreditation Policy Council (APC) of the IEEE EAB and founder and past chair of the APC Committee on Global Accreditation Activities (CGAA). He has organized workshops on engineering and computer science on accreditation in South America, Central America, and Western and Eastern Europe; these activities have resulted in the creation of several accreditation bodies. He also assisted in the creation of the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) in India. He has helped found and is presently a board member for the new accrediting body in Peru, Instituto de Calidad en Acreditación de las Carreras de Ingeniería y Technologia (ICACIT). He is an IEEE Fellow and a CSAB Fellow. He will discuss his experiences in the area of international accreditation. Susan E. Conry Professor Conry has been active in accreditation across a spectrum of disciplines. In activities related to computer science accreditation, she has served as program evaluator, as Commissioner of CSAC, as a member of the CSAC Executive Committee and as chair of CSAC prior to the
integration of CSAB with ABET. She has also been active in engineering accreditation that included service on the IEEE Committee on Accreditation Activities. She was recipient of the 2005 IEEE Educational Activities Board Meritorious Achievement Award in Accreditation Activities. Dr. Conry was appointed to the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET representing CSAB, and subsequently was elected to the Executive Committee of the EAC of ABET. She has been involved in substantial equivalency evaluations of programs conducted by INTAC of ABET on three continents. Dr. Conry has been designated Fellow of the IEEE, ABET Fellow, and CSAB Fellow. She will discuss her experiences from the perspective of her broad experience in the area. Mazen O. Hasna Dr. Hasna is Associate Dean at Qatar University, the national university of the state. Prior to his current appointment, he was the head of the Electrical Engineering Department, a position he held for two years. He published more than twenty papers, mostly in IEEE conferences and journals. He is a senior member of IEEE and has become an ABET IDEAL scholar. He is also a founding member for the Society of Qatari Engineers, and is a member of the board of trustees of the IEEE Gulf Education Society. Dr. Hasna is in charge of accreditation activities within the College of Engineering and he has led the preparation for the ABET “substantial equivalency” visit in 2004 for the EE department, which resulted in a successful conclusion. Currently, Dr. Hasna is leading the effort to prepare the College and its seven programs for an official ABET accreditation visit planned to take place in 2010. He will discuss accreditation experiences from his point of view. AUTHOR INFORMATION John Impagliazzo, Professor, Department of Computer Science, Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York USA
[email protected] Edwin C. Jones, University Professor Emeritus, Iowa State University and 3M Fellow and Adjunct Professor, University of St Thomas, St Paul, MN,
[email protected] Theodore A. Bickart, President Emeritus, Colorado School of Mines,
[email protected] J.T. (Tom) Cain, Professor Emeritus, University of Pittsburgh,
[email protected] Susan E. Conry, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Clarkson University,
[email protected] Mazen O. Hasna, Associate Dean, College of Engineering, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar,
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978-1-4244-1970-8/08/$25.00 ©2008 IEEE October 22 – 25, 2008, Saratoga Springs, NY 38th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference T4G-2
