Engineers Canada logo

Data management system

Selecting and implementing an improved data management system will ensure that the technical side of accreditation and the Enrolment and Degrees Awarded Survey run optimally. Stakeholders for each of these will benefit from reduced administrative workload and a system that can more effectively accommodate changes to accreditation criteria and the Enrolment and Degrees Awarded Survey. This system will benefit multiple stakeholder groups: 

  • Higher education institutions (HEIs) and volunteers will enjoy an easier means to input data and perform other tasks
  • Engineers Canada will have a more robust, flexible, scalable, and sustainable capability to conduct the accreditation of engineering programs at HEIs
  • All stakeholders will benefit from reduced operational risk associated with existing systems, databases, and spreadsheets, as well as a reduction in duplicate data entry.

News on the data management system

October 2019

Findings of Tandem user survey

This summer we sent out a feedback survey to gauge the experience users had using Tandem to complete the Enrolment and Degrees Awarded Survey. The survey went to the more than 60 people at 42 HEIs who used Tandem this year, with 33 responding. In general, responses to the system were positive. We also gained valuable feedback on what we can do to improve things going forward.

September 2019

Resources report in development

Our annual resource reports are on target for delivery to HEIs in the fall. These reports comprise one of the major outputs from the Enrolment and Degrees Awarded Survey, providing institutions with a useful overview of programs in their region and nationally, which helps them with planning and resource allocation.

September 2019

Advisory Committee confirms calculation requirements

At our System Advisory Committee meeting in August, members confirmed that the calculations we’ve designed for the Tandem system back-end will meet the accreditation criteria for quantifying curriculum content. Our review with the committee also resulted in a requirement clarification, new ideas for the system help sections, and a confirmation that all the calculation options were reflective of the applicable accreditation criteria. All in all, this marks another significant step in the process of moving accreditation data entry to the Tandem system.

September 2019

Discovery sessions continue with Armature

This month we continued our discovery conversations with Armature, which are focused on exploring the best configuration of the Tandem system so it will meet our accreditation needs. Areas of functionality currently being examined are the request for accreditation, accreditation questionnaire, and the visit team set/up selection process.

August 2019

Bringing accreditation into Tandem: Quantifying curriculum content

On Tuesday, August 20, Engineers Canada facilitated a session between the AIP Data Management System Advisory Committee and Armature (our data management system vendor). The purpose of the session was to confirm that Armature’s description of Engineers Canada’s accreditation calculation requirements was reflective of the accreditation criteria and accurately quantifies curriculum content for engineering programs. This is an important early step in preparing Tandem to be used for the accreditation process.

See all program updates