CAFEO 31

Building Blocks for Quality in

Engineering Education

[An Australian Experience]

Paul Mitchell FIEAust CPEng APECEngEngineers Australia

FOCUSSING ON

GRADUATE OUTCOMES

A basis for the design and delivery of engineering education

Outcomes Based‘Top-Down’ Educational Design,

Review and Delivery

• Underpinned by a clear specification of program objectives and targeted graduate outcomes

• Tracks the delivery of targeted outcomes for all graduates through:

systematic learning experiences, and

structured assessment

INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT

International Engineering Alliance (IEA)

Revisions endorsed by IEA in 2009:

• Exemplar developments track changing international directions and standards in engineering education AND engineering practice

• Common knowledge and attribute targets differentiated across 3 Accords

• Complexity and uniqueness of problem solving is a key differentiator

• Revisions strengthened the emphasis on: research and investigation,

breadth of engineering application context,

creativity and innovation,

codes and standards,

impact of practice and sustainability,

health and safety

Stage 1 Competency Standard as a Generic Framework

• EA maintains Stage 1 Competency Standard as a statement of competency required for entry to practice

• Separate Standard in place for Professional Engineering, Engineering Technologist and Engineering Associate

• Stage 1 Competency Standards are generic and compliant in each case with the IEA Graduate Attributes Exemplar, and

• Educators expected to use the generic framework to develop a specification of graduate outcomes unique to each program discipline

Evolution of the Outcomes Based Approach in Australia

• 1996 - National Review of Engineering Education declared 10 Generic Attributes for graduates and demanded that the accreditation system focus on delivery of these essential outcomes

• 1999 - EA responded with an Accreditation Policy focusing on delivery of the Generic Attributes and a totally revised accreditation approach

• 2004 - Engineers Australia extended the Generic Attributes of its Stage 1 Competency Standards to identify essential capabilities for entry to practice

• 2004 – Revision of Accreditation Management System to integrate the Stage 1 Competencies as a generic template for specifying graduate outcomes

• 2011 – Launch of revised Stage 1 Competency Standards following extensive consultation review process

• 2011 Onwards –Education providers required to report for each program on how the graduate outcomes specification and educational design processes map to the generic Stage 1 Competencies

ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA

ACCREDITATION SYSTEM EXPECTATIONS

Learning Design and Delivery

• Clear specification of program objectives and ‘big-picture’ graduate outcomes, that are unique for each program specialisation and compliant with the generic competency standard, published by Engineers Australia

• Systematic, ‘top-down’ approach to learning and assessment design

• Individual learning experiences, learning outcomes and assessment measures mapped against the graduate capabilities specification, and

• Quality systems which track the aggregation of learning and assessment to ensure delivery of graduate outcomes in each individual student

Developing the Specification of Program Outcomes

IEA Exemplar – Graduate Attributes

Stage 1 National Generic Competency Standards

SPECIFICATION OF PROGRAM OUTCOMES

• Educational objectives

• Targeted graduate capabilities

Technical skills & knowledge

Engineering application skills

Underpinning skills and knowledge

Stakeholder input and benchmarking

Outcomes Based QA

Program specific - educational outcomes

specification

Educational design and review process Mapping and tracking aggregation of learning outcomes and assessment

Academic UnitLearning outcomes

Learning activities

Assessment systems

Closing the loop on learning outcomes, learning activities and assessment measures

Student input & feedback

Student Performance trends

Industry stakeholder input & feedback

STAGE 1 COMPETENCY STANDARDS

A Generic Framework for Educational Design

Purpose

The Stage 1 Competency Standards clearly serve multiple functions:

• Underpin the direct competency assessment process for judgment on entry to the profession

• Provide a generic template for setting a program outcomes specification and the ‘top-down’ educational design process undertaken by engineering educators, and

• Provide the graduate outcomes framework for the Engineers Australia accreditation system

Stage 1 – Competency Standards- a Basis for Entry to Practice

For individual assessment:Self analysis of education training and career episodes through a Competency Demonstration Report – then assessed

OR - Alternatively

STAGE 1 Competency is automatically assumed:

[For a graduate of an accredited engineering training program]

Generic Nature of Stage 1 Competency Standards

• A framework of graduate outcomes appropriate to all disciplines

• Need to be supplemented with details: underpinning knowledge and skills

advanced technical knowledge and skills

engineering application abilities, and be

• Unique to the field of practice In order to derive a full specification of graduate

outcomes for a particular program specialisation

EXPLORING THE STAGE 1 STANDARDS

Role Descriptions – Mature Practising EngineerProfessional Engineer Engineering Technologist Engineering Associate

Responsibility for engineering projects and programs in the most far-reaching sense.

Bringing knowledge to bear from multiple sources to solve complex problems - optimising social, environmental and economic outcomes over the full lifetime of a project.

Addressing policy, risks, limitations, economics; the advance of technologies and the science of engineering; devising and updating Codes and Standards.

Work is intellectual in nature through research, innovation, creativity and change - breaking new ground in an informed and sustainable manner.

Team leadership and progression to senior management.

Operate within a broadly defined technical environment, but with wide ranging functions and responsibilities.

High level expertise within a specialist field, equivalent to that of the Professional Engineer, but not expected to exercise the same breadth of perspective or responsibilities as the Professional Engineer.

Application of current and emerging technologies, often in new contexts, and application of established principles in the development of new practice.

Responsibility for projects, services, functions or facilities. Delivering sustainable solutions and practices over a whole of systems life cycle. Intimate understanding of applicable Codes and Standards.

Team leadership and progression to senior management and possibly employing Professional Engineers as appropriate.

Practical application of skills and knowledge within a well-defined technical field – selecting, installing, testing and monitoring; operation and maintenance; managing and supervising.

Knowledge of practical facilities, installations, plant and equipment sometimes superior to that of the Professional Engineer or Engineering Technologist.

Expertise in the interpretation and application of Standards and Codes of Practice. Certifying quality of engineering work.

Through specific training, may develop high levels of specialist expertise in aspects of design and development. Foundation skills and knowledge sufficient to migrate across a range of application contexts.

Team leadership and progression to senior management and possibly employing Professional Engineers and Engineering Technologists as appropriate.

Competency Elements and Indicators of Attainment

Comparing Standards for the three Occupational Categories

• Element themes are common to each Standard but differentiated in specific wording, and

• Attainment indicators are clearly differentiated between occupational categories

Knowledge and Skill Base

Science foundations and engineering fundamentals

Enabling mathematics, computer and information sciences

Specialist knowledge – discipline specific

Discernment of knowledge development and research directions – discipline specific

Contextual knowledge

Contemporary engineering practice knowledge

Engineering Application Abilities

Engineering method

Engineering technique, tools and resources

Engineering design

Conduct and management of projects

Professional/Personal Skills, Values and Attitudes

Ethics and professional accountability

Communication

Creativity and innovation

Use and management of information

Self-reflection, management of self, conduct

Team skills and leadership

Indicators of Attainment

• Set the standard of performance expectation, with careful use of action verbs to discern level

• Must be interpreted in a holistic sense by all stakeholders, and

• Provide the key performance expectation for the accreditation assessment process

ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA

ACCREDITATION IMPLICATIONS OF

STAGE 1 COMPETENCY STANDARDS

New Programs

• Outcomes specification and educational design processes developed from 2011 are to be under- pinned by the new Stage 1 Competency Standards, and

• Targeted graduate outcomes will satisfy the generic requirements of these new Standards

Outcomes Based Accreditation

• The Competency Standards set out a generic framework of targeted graduate outcomes that must underpin the accreditation process

• The accreditation processes cannot directly measure individual graduate capability

• The accreditation criteria have been construed as the essential indicators, and

• Holistic judgment rather than a ‘step by step audit’ of the delivery of outcomes in graduates

Expectations of Education Provider

• Program specific objectives and graduate capabilities specification, fitting generic standards for graduate outcomes

• Systematic, ‘top-down’ approach to education design and review

• Tracking individual learning outcomes and assessment measures

• Engagement of the whole teaching team with the ‘big picture’

• Input from students and external stakeholders

• Diversity of learning experiences and assessment processes - including exposure to professional engineering practice, and

• Dissemination of education philosophy to all stakeholders

Basis of Accreditation

• Accorded to individual programs, not schools or faculties

• Only to programs delivering graduates ready for practice

• Encourages diversity and innovation

• Outcomes focussed - assures delivery of competencies

• Providers have in place education systems, performance indicators, measures and overall quality strategies, and

• Evaluates rather than prescribes curriculum, educational methodology, policies, processes and practices

The Engineers Australia Accreditation System - In Summary

• CRITERIA FOCUSSED ON DELIVERY OF DESIGNATED OUTCOMES Compliant with the Stage 1 Competency Standards

• NON PRESCRIPTIVE On curriculum, educational methodology, policies

• SYSTEM REGULATED By the profession and monitored by international accords within the IEA framework

• VOLUNTARY Not compulsory Provides pathways for partnerships between providers and EA for continuous improvement.

• REQUIRES PROVIDERS To access external references in setting objectives, graduate outcomes and

performance indicators

To implement an outcomes based approach to educational design and assessment

To have quality systems for tracking outcomes, maintaining standards, for engagement with stakeholders and for continuous improvement

THANK YOU