A Solution to the Problem of Registration of Engineering Technologists

A Solution to the Problem of Registration of Engineering Technologists Donald W. Yates and J. William Rayjr Louisiana Tech University Abstract The bridge between engineering activity and implementation activity is now filled with a mixture of engineers and technology-oriented assistants. Because This paper advocates the creation of a registered of the trend in engineering education, this activity must engineering technologist. This is based on the fact that be staffed increasingly in the future from sources other engineering technologists are involved in the practice of than the science oriented engineering curricula. engineering as defined by law but do not have the full training required to be registered engineers. Other Into this vacuum moved the four year engineering programs which produce registered paraprofessionals technologist program. are discussed. Support for this is developed in this In 1965, the McCallick Report[4] established the paper. concept of a four year technology degree as opposed to a It is based on two major premises. First, a gap has two year technician degree. The title technologist was to developed between the registered engineer and the be used to distinguish graduates of the four year tradesman/engineering support staff. Next, the gap technology programs from both two year associate degree involves the practice of engineering as typically defined technicians and four year engineering graduates. by Louisiana Statute RS-37-682. This gap needs to be Professional societies struggled with the four year filled with a registered engineering technologist by engineering technology graduate (often referred to as a virtue of the job requirements and the training received batchelor of engineering technology BET or batchelor of by engineering technologists. science in engineering technology BSEET). In 1985, the Task Committee on the Involvement of Engineering Background and Introduction Technicians and Technologists in the Society recommended to the ASCE Board of Directors a strategy of allow associate member status to BET graduates or In the late 1950’s, the ASEE Committee on alternately non-voting affiliate member status. Other Evaluation of Engineering Education advocated a reform professional societies have had similar discussions. of engineering education in a document that became Graduate schools also have a broad response when known as the Grinter Report. The reform was to two dealing with BET graduates. Some treat the degree as a track the existing structure into engineering science and non-engineering degree and require the same applied engineering. The engineering science curricula remediation as a graduate in arts or sciences. Other were to concentrate on mathematical analysis and design programs make no distinction or require only some while the applied engineering curricula were to retain mathematics and capstone courses. and develop implementation and laboratory skills. The BET acceptance by industry is also widely Schools adopted this system, as evidenced by the variable. Some industries make no distinction between reductions of laboratory courses and increases in analysis the degrees, others restrict BET’s to craft positions. The courses. Wolf[1] reported laboratory and studio courses response is even variable within a company. One plant in Mechanical Engineering being reduced by 30% to or division will bring BET’s straight into engineering 90% while analysis courses increased from 2.9 to 14.7%. positions while another division will specifically exclude Informal studies of catalogues at Louisiana Tech, them. This phenomena has been noticed by both authors Louisiana State University and Texas A&M indicate this and placement personnel based on industrial contacts. trend occurred in other engineering disciplines too. Schools soon abandoned the applied engineering track due to customer resistance Weese[2]. This causes a Lack of Distinguishment is a Root Cause lack of applied engineers to soon develop. In 1975, Gigliotti[3] stated: Weese[2] presents a strong case that the BET programs need to distinguish themselves from the engineering programs by addressing areas that will develop them into stand-alone programs, working in association with engineering and technician programs. He indicates that “just glomming-on to engineering [standards]” will produce a distinct program but not a It should be noted that ABET is using the same distinguished one. terminology used by many medical areas in making the This problem of distinction is demonstrated by the distinction between technician and technologist widely held belief that the technology degree is just a dependent upon education. “watered down” version of the engineering degree. ABET further defines the scope as follows: Industry has no place for the BET graduate in their organizational charts although most industries have jobs Engineering problems require solutions of that can only be filled byBETs. varying degrees of complexity and are constrained by both technical and non-technical considerations. As The Problem has Already Been Solved the technical leader, the engineer determines the policy basic to technical solutions and exercises responsibility to society in the non-technical Other areas, specifically health care, have already dimensions. The technician and the technologist work solved the problem of technologists. For example, in a in many functional and responsive ways to execute the medical laboratory, the distinction between the applications designed by the engineer.[5] technician, the technologist and the pathologist is well defined. This is due to two factors. First is a well Using these as guidelines, it should be possible to defined scope of practice. The responsibilities and analyze an area and determine into which scope a task authorities are set forth for each level. The second factor should fall. Using a controls system as an example, the is certification and registration. Each person working design of the system would be beyond the scope of the within a scope of practice must be certified or registered technologist and the technician. The development of the by an outside body to have been trained to that level. software (configuration) would be within the scope of Another example is the relationship between the either the engineer or the technologist since both have physician, the registered nurse, the practical nurse and had the necessary computer science and math courses. the orderly. Here, for example, the scope of practice The development of technical drawing would lie within mandates that only a physician or nurse can start in the scope of all three. intravenous fluids or that only a physician can order medications. A further refinement of the scope of practice of This system is used by areas other than health care. engineering technologists can be found in the Within the educational community, administrators, requirements for professional registration of the various teachers and paraprofessionals work within defacto state boards. Using Louisiana’s law as an example, the scopes of practice that are enforced by certification applicable passages are: bodies. “Engineer” or “professional engineer” shall mean a Engineering Technology Scope of Practice person who, by reason of special knowledge and ability to apply the mathematical, physical, and engineer sciences and the principles and methods of engineering The first step in development of a distinguished analysis and design, acquired by an engineering technology degree will be to develop a scope of practice. education and engineering experience, is qualified to A consensus among academics, industry, accreditation practice engineering as such term is hereinafter defined and registration bodies will be needed. Perhaps a good as evidenced by his registration as such by the board[6] starting point is the existing definition of engineering technology as used by ABET. It is: Engineering is further defined as: Engineering technology is that part of the The practice of engineering shall mean responsible technological field which requires the application of professional service which may include consultation, scientific and engineering knowledge and methods combined with technical skills in support of engineering investigation, evaluation, planning, designing, or activities; it lies in the occupational spectrum between inspection of construction in connection with any the craftsman and the engineer at the end of the public or private utilities, structures, machines, spectrum closest to the engineer. The term “engineering equipment, processes, works or projects wherein the technician” is applied to the graduates of associate public welfare, or the safeguarding of life, health, and degree programs. Graduates of baccalaureate property is concerned or involved, when such programs are called “engineering technologists.”[5] professional service requires the application of engineering principles and the interpretation of engineering data.[6] Boldface authors A Proposal Specifically not mentioned in the above definition are implementation and maintenance, which are the It is the opinion of the authors that it is now time to applied engineering areas covered by engineering take the next step in the distinguishment of the four year technology. engineering technology programs. Using the health care The various professional societies have similar profession as a guide, we would like to see similar documents that define the scope of engineering practice. programs, certification and registration implemented

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