EWAEP-3

THIRD EUROPEAN WORKSHOP ON

ASSESSMENT AND ACCREDITATION OF ENGINEERING PROGRAMMES

Darmstadt, 26 January 2001

 

 

Giuliano Augusti:

From EWAEPs to ESOEPE: past, present and future

Draft Saved 21/01/01 23.33 Printed 00/00/00 0:00 AM

 

Thanks to our hosts, who offered to organize this Third EWAEP…..

And thanks to the signatories and Steering Committee of ESOEPE

I want just to introduce briefly this Workshop, and point out the points that in my view should be tackled today and in the near future.

To do this, I need a little history.

The idea of EWAEPs originated within Working Group 2 of H3E

See Appendix A (Illustrate contents of Transparency)

A fact: insufficient contacts …..

The general idea of EWAEPs was to facilitate mutual contacts and develop exchange of information between Academic world, Professional Societies, Quality Assurance bodies, Accreditation Boards,

and thus work toward a bottom-up approach for mutual international recognition of engineering educational programmes and professional qualifications.

In fact, within wg2 of H3E we had become aware that the existing great variety of engineering formations in Europe (increasing and not at all decreasing due to actual needs of the labour market and facilitated by the "deregulation" within the Member States) lead to two apparently opposite things:

First, an increased need to know what each degrees and qualification is about, i.e. the maximum transparency of course aims and contents: this could be achieved only through some form of "certification" or "accreditation", with a strong prerequisite of "quality assurance".

Second, the impracticability to suggest any form of overall European Accreditation System, before the significance of each degree and professional role is made clear over the whole Europe, and an appropriate "grid" of qualification is created.

In fact, the National systems of Engineering formations are still far from the "harmonization" described in the "Sorbonne Declaration" of 1998 (as indeed was recognized, at least in part, by the "Bologna Declaration" of 1999).

Rather, we opted for the "bottom-up" approach, and in this very realistic outlook we have worked: as I have summarized at the end of my Lecture at the SEFI 2000 Conference in Paris last September:

…the need for international recognition of engineers’ qualifications appears evident. In the long range, an European "accreditation system" must be created, and it is essential that it be based on mutual trust.

The way to approach this final objective, however, does not appear to be the establishment of a single European "accreditation body", but rather to promote and facilitate increasing contacts and agreements between National bodies, and thus build up gradually a consensus, perhaps starting with mutual recognition of accreditation bodies, and agreements between countries of similar systems and cultural background. In the end, the system might look more like an European "Washington Accord" than an "European ABET".

Something is indeed moving in this respect.

In my talk at the SEFI 2000 Conference I had stated

All other current international accreditation initiatives that I have heard of are not "European", but essentially regard English-speaking countries, beyond the frontiers of the EU. They are clearly inspired by the British approach, that keeps clearly separate "accreditation of educational programmes" from "professional licence", and facilitated by similar educational systems, consistent with this approach. …

Now, I know of at least two other agreements for mutual recognition of engineering qualifications, namely:

I hope we shall hear some information on these agreements later.

I have kept alive contacts along these lines also after the official closure of H3E; in the end these contacts have lead in September 2000 to the signature of an agreement

……… to set up, for a tentative period of three years, the " European Standing Observatory for the Engineering Profession and Education" (ESOEPE).

See Appendix B

As we can read on the transparency, the Preamble to the ESOEPE Agreement states formally that:

In a discipline which must change constantly to satisfy the demands of our technology-based society, the diversity of engineering degree programmes within Europe is a source of great strength. Nevertheless, as professional engineers become more mobile, society seeks greater assurance of the quality and relevance of provision of engineering programmes: hence, some form of "accreditation" becomes a must.

Hence, the ESOEPE agreement

…… is intended to build confidence in systems of accreditation of engineering degree programmes within Europe. It is not intended to harmonise engineering programmes nor accreditation procedures, but simply to assist national agencies and other bodies in planning and developing such systems. It would also facilitate systematic exchange of know-how in accreditation and permanent monitoring of the educational requirements in engineering formation.

More specifically, the purposes of ESOEPE are to:

facilitate the free exchange of information and provide an effective communication channel for those bodies and individuals throughout Europe concerned with educational and professional standards in Engineering. Such bodies may include government departments, non-government professional organisations, Universities and their Associations, employers and their Associations.

Six Associations have signed the Agreement (through their Representatives indicated in [brackets]) in Paris on 9 September 2000, namely:

One of the main aims of EWAEP3 is to gather new members of ESOEPE and to suggest a programme of activities:

the main tool of ESOEPE has already been individuated in a website on which existing information should be made available …..

Then, in my view, EWAEPs have exhausted their mission:

from now on, there will be ESOEPE-promoted meetings and Workshops ….

We shall have the first General Assembly of ESOEPE tonight, at the end of EWAEP3, and nominate the Steering Committee ……

As you have seen, all signatories of ESOEPE are so far professional associations or accreditation bodies, except the sixth, which is an Academic Network.

See Appendix C (for an up-to-date description of E4, see the web site <www.ing.unifi.it/tne4>)

E4 is the follow up of H3E, but intends to be more project-oriented:

its aims will be pursued by "pilot projects"

Activity 2 will include examples of accreditation practice……

I hope to be able to develop the idea that Werner Weber presented at the first EWAEP

Appendix D

The essential point is to be able to give the proper recognition to all types and branches of engineers, with the appropriate differences.

In my personal view, given the variety of engineering courses and roles, this is an essential requisite of an European system, not satisfactorily solved by many existing National systems nor by the FEANI system:

on this point, I would like to spur a lively debate in the coming months.

 

What is happening in the meantime over the world in relation to accreditation and recognition?

The EJEE is publishing a series of papers

Appendix E

I like to quote some items from some of these papers:

We will now listen to three examples of accreditation systems being proposed or implemented, with different aims:

 

 

APPENDIX A

Thematic Network

H3E Higher Engineering Education for Europe

Working Group 2: Quality and Recognition in HEE

(operative: January 1997-July 1999)

Documents produced:

Quality and Recognition in Engineering Education:

Chap.1: Review of EU engineering educational systems

(Rapporteurs: Brian Tuck & Alan Howe, Nottingham)

Chap.2: Quality Assurance and Quality Assurance

(Rapporteur: Muzio Gola, Torino)

Chap.3: Accreditation and Recognition

(Rapporteur: Giuliano Augusti, Roma)

Quality and Quality Assurance: A proposal for a formalised procedure for achieving good quality teaching of engineering in European universities

(Rapporteur: John Sparkes, Hemel Hempstead)

Recognition and Accreditation of Higher Engineering Education in Europe

(Rapporteur: Günter Heitmann, Berlin)

Workshops organized:

1: The Hague, 3-5 December 1998

2: Paris, 17-19 June 1999

follow-up: EWAEP3: Darmstadt, 26 January 2001

wg2 Documents and EWAEP Proceedings will be soon be again available on the web on the site of the new

Thematic Network "Enhancing Higher Engineering Education in Europe" (E4).

APPENDIX B

European Standing Observatory for the

Engineering Profession and Education

(ESOEPE)

Preamble

In a discipline which must change constantly to satisfy the demands of our technology-based society, the diversity of engineering degree programmes within Europe is a source of great strength. Nevertheless, as professional engineers become more mobile, society seeks greater assurance of the quality and relevance of provision of engineering programmes: hence, some form of "accreditation" becomes a must.

This agreement is intended to build confidence in systems of accreditation of engineering degree programmes within Europe. It is not intended to harmonise engineering programmes nor accreditation procedures, but simply to assist national agencies and other bodies in planning and developing such systems. It would also facilitate systematic exchange of know-how in accreditation and permanent monitoring of the educational requirements in engineering formation.

Purposes

Founding Members [and signing representatives]

 

APPENDIX C

E4 ….

Activities ……

 

APPENDIX D:

TENTATIVE LIST OF QUALIFICATION ATTRIBUTES

Qualification Attribute QA

Amount

Measure ?

Level

Measure ?

1

appropriate knowledge of Mathematics and Science and the ability to apply this knowledge effectively to engineering problems

    

2

knowledge of industrial technical practise

    

3

knowledge of the relevant theoretical engineering subjects and the ability to apply this knowledge effectively to engineering problems

    

4

knowledge of industrial engineering practice

    

5

R & D Competence

    

6

managerial know how and skills

    

7

the ability to work in teams*

    

8

the ability to communicate effectively*

    

9

the ability of effective documentation

    

10

command of English as professional work and communication medium of the engineer**

    

11

an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility*

    

12

Interdisciplinary knowledge and the ability to apply this knowledge effectively to engineering problems *

    

13

understanding of the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context *

    

14

awareness of the need for, and an ability to engage in self-responsible life-long *

    

15

the ability to work, communicate and co-operate in an international environment*

    

16

understanding of the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context based on a broad education*

    

17

. . .

    

18

. . .

    

19

. . .

    

* derived from ABET Criteria 2000 ** proposed by H3E-wg3

EWAEP – The Hague - 05 December 1998 (drafted by Werner Weber RWTH Aachen)

Appendix E

European Journal of Engineering Education (SEFI)

Papers on Trans-national Recognition and Accreditation

of Engineering Programmes

Updated 22 January 2001

In print (Vol.26, No.1, March 2001 ??)

In print (Vol.26, No.3, September 2001 ??)

Forthcoming (provisional titles):