Journal of Engineering, J. Engg. Sc. Mgmt. Ed. Vol-5 Issue-II (467–471) Science & Management Education

An Overview of International Engineering Accords with special reference to Rajesh Kumar Dixit1 , Manisha Pathak2 1National Institute of Technical Teacher’s Training and Research, Bhopal( M.P.), India. 2 Govt. Geetanjali Girls Post-graduate College, Bhopal(M.P.), India. Article History : Received 15th March 2012 Revised 23th May 2012 Accepted 25th June 2012 Abstract : The Washington Accord is an agreement dating from 1989 that provides for the mutual recognition of engineering education programmes that are accredited by its signatories. This paper provides an overview of international Engineering Accords with special reference to Washington Accord. This paper discusses features of Washington Accord, signatories of Accord and Graduate Attributes of a Graduate of a Washington Accord Accredited Programme. The paper also refers to a Research Study carried out to study impact of Graduates Attributes.

Keywords: Washington accords, International Engineering attributes, Graduate attribates

I– INTRODUCTION educational requirements are satisfied through an accredited engineering education programme. In the second stage, the Technical Education is broadly defined as “Education which engineer follows a process of training, experience and further is mainly to lead participants to acquire the practical skills, learning required for professional registration. The purpose know-how and understanding, and necessary for employment of undergraduate engineering education is to develop 4 in a particular occupation, trade or group of occupations . In fundamental scientific and engineering knowledge, knowledge India, Technical Education covers courses and programmes in specific to a discipline and essential attributes to enable the engineering, technology, management, architecture, town graduate to continue learning and to develop competencies planning, pharmacy and applied arts & crafts, hotel required for independent practice and licensure. 5 management and catering technology. The formal technical Several accrediting bodies for various levels of engineering/ education system operates at three levels. technical qualifications have developed outcome based criteria • Certificate level course through ITIs/ITCs for evaluating programmes so as to have mutual recognition • Diploma level courses through polytechnics of qualifications. Similarly, many engineering associations/ • Degree level programmes through Engineering Colleges/ registering bodies have developed competency based standards NITs/ IITs and such other degree granting institutions. for registration for mutual recognition of competence. Engineering is the discipline and profession of applying II– INTERNATIONAL ACCORDS6 scientific knowledge and utilizing physical resources in order to design and create materials, structures, machines, devices, There are six international agreements governing mutual systems, and processes that realize a desired objective and meet recognition of engineering qualifications and professional specified criteria under constraints. Engineering is basically a competence. creative activity that helps in fulfilling demand of engineering 2.1– Agreements covering tertiary qualifications in goods and services needed by individuals, society and nations. engineering Engineering involves the application of mathematical and There are three agreements covering mutual recognition in natural sciences and a body of engineering knowledge, respect of tertiary-level qualifications in engineering: technology and techniques to design and create solutions to The Washington Accord signed in 1989 was the first, it human problems in the context of society, environment, and recognises substantial equivalence in the accreditation of ethics within the constraint of project management cost, quality qualifications in professional engineering, normally of four and time. years duration. The development of a professional engineer or for that matter The commenced in 2001 and recognises any engineering/ technical professional consists of two substantial equivalence in the accreditation of qualifications important stages. In the first stage, a set of predominantly in engineering technology, normally of three years duration. © NITTTR, Bhopal, India, All rights reserved (467) J. Engg. Sc. Mgmt. Ed. Vol-5 Issue-II (467–471) The is an agreement for substantial equivalence and to encourage the implementation of best practice. For in the accreditation of tertiary qualifications in technician example, observation of other signatories’ accreditation engineering, normally of two years duration. It commenced in processes is encouraged outside the formal monitoring visits. 2002. Comparability of accreditation systems and mutual recognition 2.2– Agreements covering competence standards for of graduates is based on the principle of substantial equivalence. practising engineers Substantially equivalence means achieving outcomes that whilst The other three agreements cover recognition of equivalence not individually identical to those of the standard or exemplar at the practising engineer level i.e. it is individual people, not of that standard, taken cumulatively achieve the same overall qualifications that are seen to meet the benchmark standard. outcome. In other words, Substantial equivalence means that The concept of these agreements is that a person recognised in two educational programmes, while not meeting a single set of one country as reaching the agreed international standard of criteria in detail, are both acceptable as an education base that competence should only be minimally assessed (primarily for prepares their respective graduates to enter training and local knowledge) prior to obtaining registration in another experience toward registration in a jurisdiction. Substantial country that is party to the agreement. equivalence relates to the output of degree programmes rather than their detailed internal structures. The oldest such agreement is the APEC Engineer agreement 3.1– Signatories of Washington Accord which commenced in 1999. This has Government support in the participating APEC economies. The representative Signatories have full rights of participation in the Accord; organization in each economy creates a “register” of those qualifications accredited or recognised by other signatories engineers wishing to be recognised as meeting the generic are recognised by each signatory as being substantially international standard. Other economies should give credit equivalent to accredited or recognised qualifications within its when such an engineer seeks to have his or her competence own jurisdiction. recognised. The Agreement is largely administered between engineering bodies, but there can be Government representation Signed in 1989 by: and substantive changes need to be signed off at governmental • United States represented by Accreditation Board for APEC Agreement level. Engineering and Technology (ABET) The Engineers Mobility Forum agreement commenced in 2001. • - represented by Engineers Canada It operates the same competence standard as the APEC Engineer • -- represented by Engineering Council UK agreement but any country/economy may join. The parties to the agreement are largely engineering bodies. There are • - represented by Institution of Engineers Australia intentions to draw EMF and APEC closer together. • Ireland- represented by Engineers Ireland The Mobility Forum agreement was • - represented by Institution of Professional signed by participating economies/countries in 2003. The Engineers New Zealand parties to the Agreement have agreed to commence establishing Signed in 1995 by a mutual recognition scheme for engineering technologists. • (China) - represented by Hong Kong Institution of Engineers Signed in 1999 by III– WASHINGTON ACCORD • - represented by Engineering Council of South The Washington Accord (WA) is concerned with degree Africa programmes that provide the academic foundation for the Signed in 2005 by practice of engineering at the professional level7 . The • Japan - represented by Japan Accreditation Board for signatories to the WA are national accrediting bodies for Engineering Education engineering programmes. The Accord reflects agreement between signatories on several principal matters. First, Signed in 2006 by signatories accept that the criteria, policies and procedures used • Singapore - represented by Institution of Engineers, by fellow signatories are comparable. Second, that the Singapore accreditation decisions rendered by one signatory are acceptable Signed in 2007 by to the other signatories. Third, Each signatory will make every • Chinese Taipei - represented by Chinese Taipei: Institute reasonable effort to ensure that the bodies responsible for of Engineering Education registering or licensing professional engineers to practice in • its country or territory accept the substantial equivalence of Korea - represented by Accreditation Board for Engineering engineering academic programs accredited by the signatories Education of Korea to this agreement. Fourth, signatories agree to exchange Signed in 2009 by information on their respective criteria, policies and procedures • - represented by Board of Engineers Malaysia (468) An Overview of International Engineering Accords with special reference to Washington Accord : Dixit et al Signed in 2011 by develop outcomes-based accreditation criteria for use by their • Turkey – represented by MUDEK respective jurisdictions. Also, the graduate attributes guide Signed in 2012 by bodies developing their accreditation systems with a view to seeking signatory status. Graduate attributes are defined for • Russia – represented by Association for Engineering educational qualifications in the engineer, engineering Education of Russia technologist and tracks. The graduate 3.2– Provisional Members attributes serve to identify the distinctive characteristics as well Organisations holding provisional status have been identified as areas of commonality between the expected outcomes of the as having qualification accreditation or recognition procedures different types of programmes.8 that are potentially suitable for the purposes of the Accord; 4.2– Some common terms used in defining graduate those organisations are further developing those procedures attribute and competency profiles with the goal of achieving signatory status in due course; The graduate attributes has been organized using twelve qualifications accredited or recognised by organisations holding headings, where each heading identifies the differentiating provisional status are not recognised by the signatories characteristic that allows the distinctive roles of engineers, • Bangladesh - Represented by Board of Accreditation for technologists and technicians to be distinguished by range Engineering and Technical Education information. For each attribute, statements are formulated for • Germany - Represented by German Accreditation Agency engineer, engineering technologist and engineering technician for Study Programs in Engineering and Informatics using a common stem, with ranging information appropriate • India - Represented by National Board of Accreditation to each educational track. For example, for the Knowledge of of All India Council for Technical Education Engineering Sciences attribute: • Pakistan - Represented by Pakistan Engineering Council Common Stem: Apply knowledge of mathematics, science, engineering fundamentals and an engineering specialization • - Represented by Institution of Engineers Sri … Lanka Engineer Range: … to the solution of complex engineering IV– GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES problems. Engineering Technologist Range: … to defined and applied (The term graduate does not mean any level of qualification engineering procedures, processes, systems or methodologies. but just exit level of qualification) Engineering Technician Range: … to wide practical The signatories to the Washington Accord recognized the need procedures and practices. The resulting statements are shown to describe the attributes of a graduate of a Washington Accord below for this example: accredited program in the beginning of this millennium. The For detailed expression of complex, broadly defined and well signatories to the Sydney Accord and the Dublin Accord defined problems and engineering activities refer http:// recognized similar needs in 2003. The need was recognized to www.ieagreements.org/GradProfiles.cfm distinguish the attributes of graduates of each type of programme to ensure fitness for their respective purposes. Graduate knowledge profile, attribute profile and competence Therefore, three sets of graduate attributes and three profile can be accessed at http://www.ieagreements.org/ professional competency profiles for graduates of three different GradProfiles.cfm accords was developed on a single basis. The Graduate V– IMPACT OF GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES/ABET Attributes and Professional Competencies were adopted by the EC 20009 signatories of the five agreements in June 2005 at Hong Kong A three year study titled “Engineering Change: A Study of the as version 1.1. Version 2 was approved at the Kyoto IEA Impact of EC2000” was carried out by ABET to assess whether meetings, 15-19 June 2009. post-EC2000 engineering graduates any better prepared to enter 4.1– What are Graduate Attributes the profession than were their pre-EC2000 counterparts of a Graduate attributes form a set of individually assessable decade ago? outcomes that are the components indicative of the graduate’s Some of the major findings of the report are given below: potential to acquire competence to practice at the appropriate • Changes in Emphasis in Programmes level. The graduate attributes are exemplars of the attributes According to program chairs and faculty members, expected of graduate from an accredited programme. Graduate engineering program curricula changed considerably attributes are clear, succinct statements of the expected following implementation of the EC2000 criteria. Although capability, qualified if necessary by a range indication few programs reduced their emphasis on the foundational appropriate to the type of programme. The graduate attributes topics in mathematics, basic science, and engineering are intended to assist Signatories and Provisional Members to science, both program chairs and faculty members report

(469) J. Engg. Sc. Mgmt. Ed. Vol-5 Issue-II (467–471) increased emphasis on nearly all of the professional skills persist even after adjusting for an array of graduate and and knowledge sets associated with EC2000 Criterion 3.a- institutional characteristics. k. Three-quarters or more of the chairs report moderate or • Differences in Learning Outcomes significant increases in their program’s emphasis on The largest differences between 1994 and 2004 graduates communication, teamwork, use of modern engineering are in five areas: Awareness of societal and global issues tools, technical writing, lifelong learning, and engineering that can affect (or be affected by) engineering decisions, design. Similarly, more than half of the faculty respondents applying engineering skills, group skills, and awareness of report a moderate to significant increase in their emphasis issues relating to ethics and professionalism. The smallest on the use of modern engineering tools, teamwork, and difference is in graduates’ abilities to apply mathematics engineering design in a course they taught regularly. and sciences. Despite that small but statistically significant • Changes in Teaching Methods difference, this finding is particularly noteworthy because EC2000’s focus on professional skills might also be expected some faculty members and others have expressed concern to lead to changes in teaching methods as faculty members that developing the professional skills specified in EC2000 seek to provide students with opportunities to learn and might require devoting less attention to teaching the science, practice their teamwork, design, and communication skills. math, and engineering science skills that are the foundations Consistent with that expectation, half to two-thirds of the of engineering. This finding indicates not only that there faculty report that they have increased their use of active has been no decline in graduates’ knowledge and skills in learning methods, such as group work, design projects, case these areas, but that more recent graduates report slightly studies, and application exercises, in a course they teach better preparation than their counterparts a decade earlier. regularly. The evidence suggests that implementation of EC2000 is • Assessment of Student Performance not only having a positive impact on engineering education, but, overall, that gains are being made at no expense to the EC2000 also requires that engineering programs assess teaching of basic science, math, and engineering science student performance on the a-k learning outcomes and use skills. the findings for program improvement. Program chairs • report high levels of faculty support for these practices. More Conclusions of the study than 75 percent of the chairs estimate that either more than The weight of the accumulated evidence collected for half or almost all of their faculty supported continuous Engineering Change indicates clearly that the improvement efforts, and more than 60 percent report implementation of the EC2000 accreditation criteria has moderate to strong support for the assessment of student had a positive, and sometimes substantial, impact on learning. Faculty corroborated this finding: Nearly 90 engineering programs, student experiences, and student percent of the faculty respondents report some personal learning. Comparisons of 1994 and 2004 graduates’ self- effort in assessment, and more than half report moderate to reported learning outcomes show 2004 graduates as significant levels of personal effort in this area. For the measurably better prepared than their counterparts in all most part, moreover, faculty members do not perceive their nine learning areas assessed. The greatest differences in assessment efforts to be overly burdensome: Nearly 70 student learning before and after EC2000 are in recent percent think their level of effort was “about right.” graduates’ better understanding of societal and global issues, • Differences in Student Experiences their ability to apply engineering skills, group skills, and understanding of ethics and professional issues. Compared to their 1994 counterparts, and after taking differences in graduates’ and institutional characteristics VI– INDIA’S MOVE TOWARDS OUTCOME BASED into account, 2004 graduates reported: ACCREDITATION Ø More active engagement in their own learning; Ø More interaction with instructors; India has become provisional member of Washington Accord since 2007 and has moved towards Outcome based Graduate Ø More instructor feedback on their work; Attributes latest version is shown in Appendix III. Ø More time spent studying abroad; Ø More international travel; VII– CONCLUDING REMARKS Ø More involvement in engineering design competitions; In the last decade there has been an increase in the number of and institutions offering technical Education in the country. Ø More emphasis in their programs on openness to Unfortunately, the quality of education and training in many diverse ideas and people. leaves lot to be desired. Quality assurance in education Although they tend to be small, seven of 10 statistically particularly in the case of technical education training significant differences between pre- and post-EC2000 graduates institutions have become necessary in view of workforce (470) An Overview of International Engineering Accords with special reference to Washington Accord : Dixit et al mobility and international accords. There is no alternative to [4]. International Engineering Alliance: Educational Accords accreditation programmes and institutions. The task at hand Rules & Procedures: International Educational Accords, is huge, however, the way NBA has reformed accreditation Washington Accord 1989, Sydney Accord 2001, Dublin process and made it outcome oriented, that is the way to go Accord 2002, http://www.ieagreements.org/ forward. An accreditation system for VET is also very much Rules_and_Procedures.pdf (6 June 2011), Accessed 19 need of the hour. It is hoped that it will be realized through June 2012) improving infrastructure, improving quality of trainer and [5]. International Engineering Alliance: “Graduate Attributes developing National Vocational Qualification Framework. and Professional Competencies”, Version 2- 18 June 2009, accessed at http://www.ieagreements.org/GradProfiles.cfm References on June 19, 2012 [1]. Atchoerena, D. Delluc, A. (2001) Revisiting Technical [6]. L. R. Lattuca , P.T. Terenzini, and J.F. Volkwein, and Vocational Education in Sub - Saharan Africa: an “Engineering Change: A Study of the Impact of EC 2000.” update on trends innovations and challenges. Paris Baltimore, MD: ABET, Inc., 2006. http://www.abet.org/ engineering-change/. [2]. AICTE Act of Govt. of India, 1987 [3]. www.wasingtonaccord.org (Accessed on 19th June 19, 2012)

(471)