Int. J. Engng Ed. Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. 154±157, 2000 0949-149X/91 $3.00+0.00 Printed in Great Britain. # 2000 TEMPUS Publications.

Accreditation of Engineering Degree Courses in *

IR P. K. KWOK Secretary & Director General, The Hong Kong Institution of , 9/F Island Centre, No. 1 Great George Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. E-mail: [email protected] The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, is a statutory body, accrediting all engineering degree programs in Hong Kong for Corporate Members and within the Washington Accord. This paper illustrates the Hong Kong accreditation system and explains how it works to achieve the international standards of quality assurance required by the Accord. It attempts to elaborate on the recent developments in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and explores its relationship with engineering practice in the neighboring economies. At the end of the paper, the author submits his views on the interactions between HKSAR and other parts of the world in accreditation activities, including Mainland .

INTRODUCTION the Accreditation Board who would participate in a visit, assess the outcome of the visit and make IN THE LATE 1980's, accreditation bodies for recommendations to the Accreditation Board. This in various English speaking provided for a check and balance mechanism countries agreed to accept that their accreditation where the recommendations were made by the systems were largely equivalent and the Washing- assessor rather than the Visiting Team Chairman. ton Accord was signed between the USA, , This system was proved very successful in main- the , Ireland, and New taining objective decision-making. Zealand in 1988. Under the Washington Accord, In 1994, the HKIE withdrew its membership as each signatory recognizes the engineering degrees an affiliate body in the Engineering Council, accredited by other signatories of the Accord. In United Kingdom with the eminent change of the early 1990s, the HKIE began to look into the sovereignty. The HKIE had to take over respon- possibility of joining the Washington Accord and a sibility for accreditation of engineering courses in Working Party on Accreditation was formed in Hong Kong. In December 1994 the HKIE Council 1992 to prepare the groundwork for the establish- passed the resolution that Engineering Degree ment of an accreditation board. Courses accredited prior to 31 December 1994 In June 1993 the Accreditation Board was would continue to be recognized by the HKIE established with full efforts made in preparing whereas new courses would require accreditations the criteria and procedures for accreditation activ- by the Accreditation Board after 1 January 1995. ities. In devising the HKIE accreditation system, In addition, re-accreditation of courses would be the following key issues were perceived by the required on expiry of the validity of accreditation. Accreditation Board: Therefore, the HKIE was ready to undertake accreditation of engineering degree programs to 1. The necessity of setting up general engineering satisfy the academic requirements for Corporate criteria against discipline-specific criteria. Membership of the HKIE and the Washington 2. The need of a check and balance mechanism in Accord. the decision-making system. In June 1995, the HKIE signed the Washington As the engineering programs offered by univer- Accord in Dublin, which was subsequently ratified sities in Hong Kong were not significantly large by the other signatories. In 1997, a comprehensive in number, the Accreditation Board considered review of the experience gained in the first cycle a general engineering approach. For discipline- of accreditation was made. The accreditation specific issues in accreditation, the Accreditation criteria and procedures were improved. Faculty- Board decided that discipline experts should be based visits were established which enhanced the involved in the accreditation exercises and overseas efficiency of accreditation operation. experts from various disciplines should be invited from time to time to supplement local expertise. In accreditation decision making, an assessor system THE ACCREDITATION SYSTEM was adopted. An assessor had to be a member of The accreditation system of the HKIE is * Accepted 30 October 1999. managed by the Accreditation Board and it is the

154 Accreditation of Engineering Degree Courses in Hong Kong 155 policy-setting and decision-making authority problems and for learning of engineering per- governing the operations of the whole system. formance and concepts. Engineering design and The key elements of the system includes the synthesis is an important element in an engin- Accreditation Board, the accreditation criteria eering programme and due emphasis must be and the accreditation polices and procedures. given in a programme. The HKIE believes the project work could coordinate all subject The Accreditation Board matters in a programme and students should It is the policy of the HKIE to develop and perform an appropriate group project to prac- maintain an accreditation system at international tice human relationship skills in project manage- level. Also, as Hong Kong is an international city ment. Its assessment should be an important situated at a cross road between East and West, factor in the final award. Hong Kong must adopt the best practice in engin- . Complementary studies provide students with eering education and training in the region. The an appreciation of wider issues relevant to a Accreditation Board consists of 18 members with professional which may include public three from overseas. The membership of the health and safety, presentation and protection of Accreditation Board is drawn from academe and the environment, law and finance, management industry with a balance of affiliations in covering and economics, and communications and pres- most disciplines in the HKIE. The Accreditation entations. On completion of the programme, Board serves as the governing body in the accred- students should appreciate the role of the pro- itation system. Currently, there are two com- fessional engineer in society and the responsibil- mittees under the Board, the Accreditation ities towards the profession, employers, clients Committee for Higher Diploma Programs and and the public. the Accreditation Committee for Computer Science Programs. Accreditation for Computer 3. Academic staff. Academic staff responsible for Science Programs is a service provided by the delivering of an engineering programme should HKIE to universities and does not relate to its be well qualified and actively involved in membership nor the Washington Accord. research, development and scholarly activities. In addition, they are expected to be involved The accreditation criteria in the institutional activities, thus avoiding The accreditation criteria set by the HKIE is in isolation from the current practice. line with other signatories of the Washington 4. Students. Intake standard and procedures are Accord. The criteria are a general engineering considered important. The HKIE requires a criteria rather than discipline-specific criteria. It university to submit its intake requirements provides an expectation to engineering programmes and the actual intake analysis for visiting not only in curriculum but also in programme team's consideration. The HKIE expects engin- aims and objectives, academic staff, students, eering programmes to attract a high proportion resources and facilities, quality assurance systems of the most able students. In addition, student's and programme development and amendments performance on examinations, assignments and [1]. projects should be properly monitored. A summary of the key elements in the criteria is 5. Resources and facilities. The provision of engin- shown below: eering programmes rely on an adequate pro- vision of supporting human, administrative and 1. Aims and objectives of engineering programmes. teaching resources including information ser- It is expected that a university should demon- vices, laboratories, computing facilities, finance strate how its programmes could meet the and so on. Adequate provisions should be aims and objectives and how they could available to the programmes. respond to further advances and developments 6. Quality assurance system. The HKIE believes of the engineering technology. that an independent quality assurance system 2. Curriculum requirements. The HKIE expects an such as independent external examiner system engineering programme to include around 16% or equivalent is essential to maintain the aca- mathematics, 60% engineering subjects and demic standards of engineering programmes. In 20% complementary studies: addition, it is also important that quality assur- . Mathematics included in a programme must ance mechanisms are in place in different levels attain a level to facilitate prediction and of the operations in an engineering programme. analysis of all engineering situations within the 7. Programme development and amendments. It is programme. expected that from time to time there will be . Engineering subjects must include engineering evolutionary changes to a programme within science and technology subjects which support a the period of its accreditation. The university programme of a particular discipline. Lab- concerned should inform the HKIE of major oratory and field work must be employed to curriculum changes. The Accreditation Board support teaching whereas students are expected may then consider any subsequent actions to acquire adequate computer capability to including initiation of a visit or request of a analyse, simulate and resolve engineering written report. 156 I. Kwok

Accreditation polices and procedures produced the first cohort of graduates. Pro- visional accreditation provides an indication 1. Pre-visit arrangement. Accreditation is per- to both the university and prospective formed in the form of a visit. A visit is initiated students that the program is well structured at the request of a university about six months and has good possibilities of receiving full before the date of the visit. The Secretariat will accreditation. confirm the visit date and make arrangements 2. Accreditation for a period of up to five years. The with the university. The Accreditation Board Board may grant full accreditation for a period chairman appoints the members of the visiting of five years. Alternatively, it may grant full team, based on a database of visitors, on accreditation for a term of less than five years, nomination by the University, on input from either to bring it in line with the accreditation the Secretariat and other Board members. cycle of the programs of a university, or to Emphasis is given to forming a balanced team monitor developments in a program in relation in terms of the background and disciplines of to the conditions, requirements or concerns the members. An accreditation submission which have been raised as a result of the format is available to the university seeking accreditation process [2]. For a newly developed accreditation, and this forms the basis upon program, a full accreditation exercise is which it compiles the submission(s) [2]. mounted, at a time agreed with the university, 2. The visit. The visit normally spans three days. after the first cohort of students has gradu- The first evening is devoted to a pre-visit team ated. Full accreditation, if granted, will be meeting at which the visiting team chairman retrospective to cover the first cohort of and assessor appointed by the board will dis- graduates [2]. cuss with the visiting team members issues 3. Accreditation refused or withdrawn. If a pro- arising from their review of the documentation. gram is substantially at variance with the HKIE The second morning is devoted to reviewing key criteria, then accreditation can be refused or issues such as the quality assurance system of withdrawn. Such a decision is serious and the the university and the department(s), curricu- Accreditation Board will work with a university lum content, and the quality of intakes and of to try to avoid it. In the event of a decision by graduates. The second afternoon is devoted to the Accreditation Board to refuse or terminate reviewing students, graduates and the facilities accreditation of a degree program, the univer- of the program(s). The third day is devoted to sity concerned has the right to appeal to the student work review and conclusion of the visit. President of the HKIE to review the decision At the end of the visit, an oral report of [2]. observations made is conveyed to the Dean/ 4. Consistency of decisions. The vice-chairman of staff of the program(s) under review [2]. the Board has the formal role for seeing that 3. Quality assurance. The visiting team chairman accreditation decisions across programs and is responsible for preparing the report after a universities are consistent. The Board formally visit with the support of the HKIE secretariat. discusses and considers the question of consis- This report is circulated to visiting team mem- tency in its decision-making process [2]. bers for comment before the finalized report is submitted to the university. The visit report and the response from the university are sent to RECENT DEVELOPMENTS the Accreditation Board for deliberation. One characteristic of the HKIE accreditation system Faculty-based visits is that an Assessor is responsible for monitoring As far as is practicable, the HKIE intends to the visit and he/she, in consultation with the group different programs of a faculty in an accred- Visiting Team Chairman, is formally respon- itation visit and performs accreditations on a sible for preparing the recommendations to the faculty basis. This could significantly save time Accreditation Board. The Assessor must be a and efforts of both the HKIE and the universities. Member of the Accreditation Board who is In this respect, the HKIE through the experience familiar with the policy and procedures of the gathered in the past years has trained sufficient Board. This provides a check and balance number of visiting team chairmen who would have mechanism wherein the Assessor objectively the expertise in handling faculty-based visits. assesses the process and helps to determine the outcome of the visit [2]. Credit-based system In recent years, universities in Hong Kong have Accreditation decision started to adopt a credit based-system to the Having received the recommendations from the curricula structure of their programs. During this Assessor, the Accreditation Board will enter into transition period, a university in its submissions the decision-making process with four options: for accreditation has to submit information of the 1. Provisional accreditation. Provisional accredita- curricula structure on a credit-based and a com- tion may be granted to programs which are parison to existing curricula. The visiting team, under development and which have not yet in assessing credit-based curricula has to take Accreditation of Engineering Degree Courses in Hong Kong 157 additional checks, such as credit units taken by the the Education and Examination Committee of the students and the policy on credit transfer. HKIE using the accreditation criteria.

Domain of engineering During accreditation exercises, certain occasions INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER PARTS OF have been occurred when there are different views THE WORLD and opinions on the domain of engineering. One example was a computer science program which Hong Kong is an international city and it is intended to seek accreditation from the HKIE and always eager to assimilate the best practice from the Accreditation Board had to decide whether a different parts of the world. Regular liaison with computer science program is an engineering Washington Accord countries are made, including program. Subsequently, it was decided by the observation and participation of accreditation Accreditation Board that a computer science visits, decision-making meetings, Washington program is not an engineering program. In this Accord meetings and other accreditation activities. respect, the Accreditation Board maintains a close The current accreditation system of the HKIE has relationship with other signatories of the Washing- adopted the best practice from other signatories ton Accord to keep breast with latest practice and which are relevant to the local environment of current trends in accreditation. Hong Kong. The use of faculty-based visits has enabled a highly efficient system to be run with minimum resources while the use of an assessor ACCREDITATION AND ENGINEERING system has provided a check and balance mechan- PRACTICE ism in the accreditation decision making. Both of them were adopted from practices of other sig- Accreditation provides quality assurance on natories. The recent trend of engineering accred- engineering graduates in Hong Kong. Thus, the itation appears to move towards output-based academic requirements of the potential profes- accreditation, for example the ABET 2000 Criteria sional engineers are properly secured. The HKIE which is output based [3]. The HKIE is keeping a then provides structured training programs to close watch on the development for other sig- these engineering graduates. On completion of natories, with a view to making any necessary the training programs, these graduates will be improvement in future. required to acquire responsible experience and to In addition, liaison between the HKIE and take professional assessment of the HKIE before institutions in the mainland and in other they could be qualified as Corporate Members. economies has been very active. The HKIE is Accreditation of engineering programs forms willing to share its expertise in accreditation and the objective yardstick to evaluate the academic professional practice to institutions in the main- standards for Corporate Members in the HKIE. land and in the region. However, the HKIE is Other academic results are then evaluated based fully aware that the current system in other upon the accreditation criteria of the HKIE. For places is still very different from Hong Kong and example, an engineering graduate from countries their institutions may not be able to directly other than the Washington Accord signatories will adopt the HKIE practice without substantial have his/her academic qualifications assessed by modifications.

REFERENCES

1. Professional Accreditation Handbook, Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (1997). 2. Annual Report, 94/95, 95/96, 96/97, 97/98, Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, Accreditation Board. 3. USA Engineering Criteria 2000, Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (1996).

Ir P. K. Kwok is the Secretary and Director General of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) with extensive experience and leadership in professional practice and public administration in engineering in the region. He served the government of Hong Kong for nearly thirty-five years, started as an assistant engineer and retired as the Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services commanding a workforce six thousand strong. Before joining the HKIE, he worked four years with a public company in Hong Kong working on development projects in the PRC.