Analysing the accreditation of engineering education in South Africa through Foucault’s panopticon and governmentality lenses

Using Foucault’s power concepts of the panopticon and governmentality as analytic and heuristic tools, this study reveals insights into how accreditation creates power networks in the quality assurance of higher education graduates in South Africa. The study draws on 11 in-depth interviews with academics from the Faculty of Engineering at a university of technology, and comprehensive documentary analysis, as the main sources of data to demonstrate that quality assurance is not neutral or apolitical, but legitimises the positions of those with power through accreditation. This study establishes that the Engineering Council of South Africa epitomises the centred power of a panopticon surveillance system through its various supervisory mechanisms, such as site visits. On the other hand, there is clear evidence of governmentality notions in which the locus of power has been decentralised and internalised in the governed by giving them autonomy and responsibilities in certain aspects of the engineering curriculum. This study has important theoretical and practical implications for the field of higher education and the circulation of professional qualifications. Caution must be taken to ensure that the curriculum is not narrowly centred on the interests of the powerful labour market but responsive to other societal and student needs.     

高等教育国际质量保证和认证的模式

在高等教育国际化的今天,各国政府、团体或者学校都寻求一个广泛认可的高等教育质量保证和认证模式。本文对Dirk Van Damme提出的四种模式做了介绍和评价。即1从现有的国家质量保证和认证系统和机构中分离出来并加强它;2促进跨境质量保证和质量保证及认证的双边认可;3．在国际和全球层面制定质量保证和认证机构的后认证;4建立国际质量保证和认证机制。我们需要根据现实情况来参与高等教育国际质量保证和认证,保护高等教育各利益相关人的权益。完善自己的认证系统。     

Canada’s Industry-University Co-op Education Accreditation System and Its Inspiration for the Evaluation of China’s Industry-University-Institute Cooperative Education

Abstract

The high degree of interest that higher education systems around the world have in employability has driven the profound development of industry-university cooperative education. Canada’s industry-university co-op education system has served as a model for global cooperative education, and its accreditation system guarantees the high quality of cooperative education. Canada’s industry-university co-op education accreditation system is characterized by the authority of the certifying institution, scientific accreditation standards, and operable review criteria. As it continuously improves, it has always embodied the best practices of co-op education. The social environment and administrative mechanisms for Chinese industry-university-institute cooperative education are still immature, and the primary functions of its evaluation system, including monitoring and diagnosis, feedback and regulation, and incentives and guidance, are an important starting point for perfecting the system. In learning from Canada’s accreditation experiences, it is necessary to update the concept of cooperative education, refine evaluation entities, and build a Chinese industry-university-institute cooperative education accreditation system with global vision, to further improve evaluation methods.     

工程教育专业认证中“毕业要求达成度评价与反馈体系”的研究与实践

在工程教育专业认证中,创建科学的"达成度评价与反馈体系"对学生毕业要求能力培养环节的持续改进具有十分重要的指导意义。以天津理工大学机械电子工程专业工程教育专业认证为背景,通过改进现有的达成度评价方法,完善反馈与持续改进机制,体现工程教育专业认证理念,提出了"五评价,三反馈,四改进"的具有反馈机制的闭环毕业要求达成度评价法。以本专业2016届与2017届学生为例,计算毕业要求综合达成度情况,结果体现了专业持续改进效果,具有借鉴意义。     

关于新文科教育专业认证的若干思考

新文科教育的提出可以追溯到2018年。由于新文科的覆盖面极广,因此它的特点与建设途径受到学术界的普遍重视,成为高等教育的研究热点。文章首先分析了新文科产生的背景,然后集中讨论了新文科的专业认证。从国家对教育的管理、专业自身发展和社会对教育质量的期望三个方面论证了开展新文科专业认证的必要性。接着根据与工程教育专业认证的比较,指出了开展新文科专业认证的难点。文章最后就新文科专业认证的标准提出了建议。     

跨国高等教育的质量认证：模式和问题

跨国高等教育质量认证问题牵涉到各国的文化与传统,因而,迄今为止还没有出现一个国际间认可且具有约束力的认证机制。基于不同文化、传统的各国高等教育质量认证机制的巨大差异成为跨国高等教育发展不可愈越的障碍。在克服这一障碍的过程中,形成了跨国高等教育质量认证的四种模式,即基于国家质量认证系统、基于双边或多边认证、基于后认证和基于国际质量认证的认证模式。纵观四种模式,每一种模式都有其特殊的问题,基于双边或多边认证的模式发展最为迅速．而国际性的质量认证模式还不可能成为主流。     

Accreditation in Turkish universities

In Turkey, students are more and more willing to participate in the global free movement of students and of high-skilled labour after their graduation. This is why they request international accreditation from universities. Therefore, accreditation is one of the parameters that play an important role in students' university selection. On the other hand, Turkey is aiming to be a European Union member. This imposes institutional legal and civil arrangements and harmonization. Also, the general trend of globalization dictates requirements from university graduates that are answered in best business practice in which accreditation is a major component. In this paper, accreditation efforts to achieve international recognition for Turkish universities are discussed. For this purpose information on higher education is given. Attempts for accreditation on licensure through FEANI is explained. Accreditation on department programmes by ABET (USA) and by an engineering institution (UK) are discussed and their similarities are pinpointed. Also, a Turkish, British and World Bank quality assessment pilot project for education and research is discussed.     

国际医学教育认证的发展与现状

医学教育认证作为医学教育质量的外部审核机制,其理念和做法已得到广泛认同。国际社会通过加强国际和区域间合作、建立和完善国家级认证体系、召开国际性论坛和研讨会、提供认证相关的培训项目、建立全球性的信息数据库等一系列举措,着力推进认证工作的规范开展。由于不同国家和地区在认识、资源和政策导向等方面的差异,全球医学教育认证制度和体系仍然呈现多元化的格局,认证效果也受到政治因素的影响和政策的制约,有待进一步规范。     

Identifying administrators’ and faculty’s perspectives regarding CAEP accreditation in a College of Education: A Q methodology research

In higher education, accreditation involves an external quality review process that scrutinizes universities, colleges, and educational programs to ensure that the education provided meets acceptable quality levels. Often considered the gold standard for institutions, the accreditation process originated in the US and quickly moved beyond American borders. Specifically, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) has moved to provide ‘legitimacy’ to universities in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. Using Q methodology, this study examines faculty and administrators' perceptions regarding CAEP accreditation of a College of Education (CED) in the GCC. The results identify an apparent discrepancy among participants’ perceptions regarding the CAEP accreditation’s advantages and disadvantages, procedures and requirements, and impact on faculty and administrators’ workload and agency.     

The accreditation plus model

Summary Evaluation of teacher education became a major thrust of a Center for Excellence in teacher education when the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) established the project in 1986. A major accomplishment in the project was realized when the Accreditation Plus Model was amalgamated for the project's evaluation approach. A-Plus! Thorough study of existing evaluation approaches were convincing. No one approach seemed capable of doing the task. At the same time it seems ludicrous to create a new evaluation approach to add to the existing 40 or so models.As an evaluation form, Accrediatation Plus has a long history. It goes back to 1895 when staff members of the University of Michigan tried to determine the quality of secondary schools to decide whose graduates ought to be readily admitted into the University of Michigan. At the start (in the late 1890s), accreditation focused on program evaluation. The evaluation need in the work of the Center for Teacher Education Evaluation was the same—the quality assessment of education programs.The idea of eclecticism moves in the same general direction. By recognition that accreditation is not the be all and end all in evaluating teacher education programs, the Center keeps open the use of any/all the existing models in an application of the Accreditation Plus Model. Eclecticism means selecting what appears to be the best in various doctrines, methods, or styles. It also means being composed of elements drawn from the various sources. In selecting A-Plus as the evaluation approach for the project, we capitalize on a long and effective history supplemented by the best of the current crop.Figure 1 represents the evaluation of teacher education using the accreditation approach. It describes the model's components and in some places, the relationships of those elements. The Center's staff is working to detail further the elements of the accreditation approach to evaluation. Questions and comments are welcomed as we move further with this work.now on Sabbatical     

Counselor Education,Program Accreditation and Counselor Credentialing in Turkey

The purpose of this article is to examine counselor education and the current state of affairs regarding program accreditation and counselor credentialing efforts in Turkey. The paper considers the Turkish education and higher education systems, followed by a brief history of counseling and current counselor education in Turkey and, finally, discusses accreditation and credentialing processes in the country. Attention to these matters and, in particular, standardization and restructuring of undergraduate and graduate counseling programs is considered increasingly important for the development of counseling in Turkey.     

Teacher education accreditation in Turkey: The creation of a culture of quality

Turkey's experience in developing and piloting accreditation criteria and national standards for teacher education is examined. The full implementation of an accreditation process for teacher education programs was not completed within the time of the development project. However, the effort to do so encouraged the formation of a ‘quality culture’ in the faculties of education. The paper discusses what took place and analyses the later response of teacher educators to the introduction of accreditation criteria and the way in which they were introduced. Educators largely welcomed national standards and accreditation, but wished to have flexible means of implementation.     

强化教育质量保证:若干教育认证评估方法的探析与比较

教育认证评估是强化教育质量保证、促进学校可持续发展的重要措施.教育认证评估有多种方式,目前国内尚无完善的、规范的教育认证评估标准体系和专业认证机构.中国的教育认证评估有待于借鉴国际认证评估的经验并进行自我完善.     

Accreditation of engineering programmes: European perspectives and challenges in a global context

The EUR-ACE Socrates-Tempus project (September 2004/March 2006) proposed a decentralized European system for accreditation of engineering programmes in the “Bologna process” area (European Higher Education Area) at the First and Second Cycle (FC and SC) level (but including “Integrated Programmes”, i.e. programmes leading directly to a SC degree). In this system, “national” engineering accreditation agencies would continue to award their accreditation certificates and give them an added European value by the EUR-ACE quality label, recognized by all participating agencies: this rather novel way of international accreditation will create a consistent accreditation system of engineering education at the continental scale.

A non-profit Association (ENAEE) has been established for support and supervision of the EUR-ACE system, and is now working, thanks also to two new EC-supported projects, in order to make the EUR-ACE proposals operational and award the EUR-ACE labels.

The background, present status and perspectives of the EUR-ACE system is presented in detail in this paper.     

Measuring the Impact of Professional Accreditation on Student Experiences and Learning Outcomes

This research uses a conceptual model to examine the influence of a change in accreditation standards on a representative national sample of 203 engineering programs at 40 institutions. Based on data collected from more than 140 program chairs, 1,200 faculty, 4,300 graduates of 2004, and 5,400 graduates of 1994, the study investigates the differential impact of the change in accreditation standards on programs reviewed in different years during the period of transition. Despite significant variation across most of the measures and groups in 1994 (before the introduction of the new accreditation criteria), the 2004 evidence demonstrates a surprisingly uniform level of student experiences and outcomes. These findings suggest that engineering accreditation is beginning to accomplish its quality assurance goals. This is a revised version of a research paper presented at the meeting of the Association for Institutional Research, May 17, 2006, Chicago, IL.     

Engineering ethics education in the USA: Content,pedagogy and curriculum

Interest in engineering ethics education developed significant momentum in the USA as the 20th century drew to a close. Nevertheless, nearly 80% of engineering graduates are not required to take ethics-related courses. The content of engineering ethics education consists of 'microethical' issues focusing on individual professional responsibility and 'macroethical' issues dealing with the development of technology. The pedagogical framework of engineering ethics education has evolved primarily toward utilization of case studies and codes of ethics, in some instances supplemented by an introduction to moral theory. Substantial progress has been made in the development of case materials, including highprofile cases, everyday cases, quantitative cases and cases highlighting 'good works'. Cases are widely disseminated in textbooks and online. Online resources include interactive case studies and a rich variety of other ethics-related materials. Prominent curriculum models in the USA include a required course in engineering ethics, ethics-across-the-curriculum projects, and integration of engineering ethics and science, technology and society material. Changes in accreditation criteria for US engineering schools will potentially elevate the prominence of instruction in engineering ethics and the societal context of engineering. Many challenges remain, most notably the need for US engineering faculty to accept greater responsibility for engineering ethics education.     

工程教育认证背景下土木工程专业毕业设计的改革探索

毕业设计是高校本科教育最重要的实践环节。毕业设计因其涉及内容的综合性,是认证考核评价的一个重要指标,毕业设计的质量对学生的毕业要求达成度具有重要影响。为提升土木工程专业毕业设计的教学质量,文章基于工程教育认证的要求,详细分析了当前毕业设计开展中所存在的主要问题,进而提出了相应的优化改革措施。     

Design of the curriculum for a second-cycle course in civil engineering in the context of the Bologna framework

This paper describes the design of the curriculum for a Master of Engineering programme in civil engineering at University College Dublin. The revised programme was established to meet the requirements of the Bologna process and this paper specifically considers the design of a new, second-cycle master's component of the programme. In addition to considering the content required to meet the learning outcome specified by the professional accreditation body, the paper presents details of attempts to move from a traditional instructor-centred model to a student-centred model of education in order to promote reflective (deep) learning. Although the paper presents a model curriculum for a civil engineering programme, the holistic approach to curriculum design outlined, which considers the organisation, sequence and evaluation strategies adopted, is applicable to all subject areas in higher education.     

美国高等教育认证制度的变革趋势研究（下）

由大学协会主导的美国高等教育认证制度在世界上几乎是独一无二的。作为一种“公共产品”,美国高等教育认证制度的内在逻辑要求其从由高等教育机构组成的“独立”的治理结构（Governance）发展成为其他利益相关者可以参与的共同的治理结构。2005年,由美国时任教育部长发起了一轮以认证制度为核心的高等教育改革,本文试图通过对改革进程的详细记录和解读,阐释上述逻辑在美国特有的文化传统和政治体制下的展示方式。改革的失败似乎表明,由于高等教育对学术自由的特殊依赖性,美国社会更倾向于选择不把高等教育认证制度纳入公共管理范畴。     

美国高等教育认证制度的变革趋势研究（上）

由大学协会主导的美国高等教育认证制度在世界上几乎是独一无二的.作为一种"公共产品",美国高等教育认证制度的内在逻辑要求其从由高等教育机构组成的"独立"的治理结构(Governance)发展成为其他利益相关者可以参与的共同的治理结构.2005年,由美国时任教育部长发起了一轮以认证制度为核心的高等教育改革,本文试图通过对改革进程的详细记录和解读,阐释上述逻辑在美国特有的文化传统和政治体制下的展示方式.改革的失败似乎表明,由于高等教育对学术自由的特殊依赖性,美国社会更倾向于选择不把高等教育认证制度纳入公共管理范畴.