The Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) held their 169th meeting on February 6. Highlights from the meeting include:
- A decision that all 2021/2022 accreditation visits will be conducted virtually. The ongoing pandemic restrictions on travel, physical gatherings, and on-campus activities continue to be a barrier to in-person accreditation visits. While conservative, this decision offers the benefit of certainty for all of those involved in the accreditation visit process.
- Approval for the CEAB’s Required Visit Materials Working Group to consult with stakeholders on their report’s recommendations. The group is recommending changes to the materials submitted by the program to the visiting team, addressing workload concerns expressed by the institutions while ensuring visiting teams have access to the information they need to conduct their reviews. The consultation will commence later this spring and will seek feedback from institutions, regulators, Engineering Deans Canada, and previous visiting team members. The group’s final report will be considered by the CEAB at their September meeting.
- Updates from Engineering Deans Canada (EDC), the Canadian Federation of Engineering Students (CFES), and the Canadian Engineering Qualifications Board.
- Status updates from working groups with mandates established by the 2021 CEAB workplan.
On February 7, the CEAB hosted their annual meet-and-greet between visiting team chairs and program officials for the 2021/2022 visit cycle. The meeting included a presentation by the CEAB chair highlighting recent changes to accreditation criteria, documentation, policies, and/or procedures, and described how the visiting teams will approach the virtual visit format. Participants then met in small groups to plan their upcoming visits.
