A Model for Assessment and Incremental Improvement of Engineering and Technology Education in the Americas
Maria Mercedes Larrondo-Petrie · 2004
The European Union has strengthened the economy of its member nations through, not only establishing a standard for money, but also a standard for recognition of engineering education. The Americas need the latter standard to permit an engineer to practice across national frontiers, and strengthen the economy of the Americas. Having such a standard would allow engineering institutions to form a consortium to offer or accept distance learning courses originating from recognized institutions. A first step toward having a Union of the Americas for recognizing engineers, is moving towards a mechanism for assessment and recognition of engineering institutions. In the United States, this accreditation is done by Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc (ABET), which also evaluates international educational credentials and certifies equivalence to ABET accredited programs to international institutions. This evaluation results in accreditation or no accreditation. This paper proposes a new model for assessment and incremental improvement of engineering and technology education in the Americas, called the Engineering and Technology Education Capability Maturity Model. The proposed model classifies an engineering educational program as being in one of five levels: initial (or chaos), repeatable, defined, managed or optimized. Achieving Level 5 would indicate that the program is ready to undergo ABET or similar accreditation. The Latin American and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering Institutions (LACCEI) could be a vehicle for accepting this model, facilitating communications among peer institutions at the same level, providing expertise from institutions one or more levels higher to assist in the improvement of engineering and technology programs, and providing the recognition of engineering institutions required to form viable distance learning consortiums and true research and academic collaboration among member institutions.