Engineers Canada
Engineers Canada
 

CEEA-ACEGDelegates from across Canada recently gathered at the University of British Columbia for the Canadian Engineering Education Association’s (CEEA-ACEG) 2018 conference, which was held from June 3 to 6, 2018. The conference theme was “Building Foundations for Student Success,” which offered a broad opportunity to discuss themes around pedagogy, diversity, accreditation, and more.   

As a gold sponsor to the conference, Engineers Canada was invited to set up a booth, which provided a great chance for us to speak with accreditation stakeholders one-on-one. People asked questions about the accreditation process and the improvements we’re making to it, and were particularly keen to know more about changes to technology and training that are coming down the pipeline. We also welcomed a number of new subscribers to our Accreditation Improvement Program (AIP) monthly update, which is intended to provide information on AIP activities on an ongoing basis. 

CEEA-ACEG“We see conferences such as this as excellent opportunities to engage with individuals playing a variety of roles in the accreditation process at the program level,” says Lynn Villeneuve, Manager, Accreditation for Engineers Canada.  

“These are people who work tirelessly to deliver world-class engineering education in Canada.”  

In addition to the Engineers Canada booth, on June 6, Wayne MacQuarrie, Chair, Accreditation Board, along with Villeneuve, and Mya Warken, Accreditation Program Specialist, delivered a well-attended 90-minute workshop titled “What you need to know for your upcoming CEAB accreditation visit.”  Workshop topics included an overview of the CEAB accreditation process, recent changes to CEAB interpretive statements 7 and 13, and advice on the availability of an updated sample site visit schedule. 

The workshop also highlighted the Accreditation Board’s February 10, 2018 decision that outcomes assessments should place a greater focus on GA/CI processes and less focus on assessment results. Participants provided feedback on the feasibility of demonstrating GA/CI criteria compliance through the documentation of their GA/CI outcomes assessment processes, as opposed to relying solely on data. This led to lively group discussions around the proposed guidance and ways that the Accreditation Board can improve communication between visiting teams and higher education institutions.  

“These discussions are so valuable,” notes Villeneuve. “The feedback we received during the workshop will be shared with the Accreditation Board and will inform our ongoing work to improve the accreditation visit process for all those involved.” 

Notably, the messages in this workshop was similar to those delivered by CEAB at the 2018 regional GA/CI symposia held across the country this spring, which means that the information has now reached over 150 individuals at a variety of institutions. A copy of the slides shared during the CEEA workshop can be accessed here. We will be refining this presentation and supporting materials and will offer a webinar in early 2019 for those programs interested in learning more.  

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