Articles

Outcome-based education (OBE) is a paradigm in which instructional and assessment/ evaluation are explicitly designed for ensuring the attainment and mastery of predefined learning outcomes. OBE is now the underlying paradigm followed by global accreditation efforts such as the Washington Accord (ratified in 1989). The shift to OBE is so pronounced that some education experts identify the shift to outcome-based education and accreditation as one of the top 5 major changes of the last 100 years.

The Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) is adopting specific criteria for accrediting engineering programs. It is the responsibility of the institution seeking accreditation of an engineering program to demonstrate clearly that the program meets the following criteria: Students, Program Educational Objectives, Program Outcomes and Assessment, Professional Component, Faculty, Facilities, Institutional Support and Financial Resources, and Program Criteria.

Engineering education accreditation bodies that advocate on international and national scales provide formal recognition programs that meet or exceed certain criteria. These bodies and their memberships are summarized for the purposes of understanding their function, scale and interrelatedness.

The Washington Accord is one of seven mutual recognition agreements managed by the International Engineering Alliance. Signatories to the Washington Accord recognize the substantial equivalency of programs accredited by the signatory bodies. Signatories to the Washington Accord agree to make every reasonable effort that licensing bodies in respective countries recognize this substantial equivalency. Despite 25 years of the Washington Accord, only a minority of US state licensing boards acknowledge the Washington Accord in their statutes.