2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Stakeholders’ Perceptions about an Undergraduate Engineering Program Accreditation Process in Ecuador: Exploratory Work in Progress

Presented at Multidisciplinary Engineering Division (MULTI) Technical Session 1

The accreditation committees from ABET are guided by a self-study proposed by this organization to learn about the strengths and limitations that engineering programs face when seeking accreditation. According to ABET, the self-study provides information on whether the academic program meets the criteria and policies. One of the requirements must describe whether the program educational objectives meet the needs of the program's constituents. The constituents are represented by an advisory committee board, which may include (not limited to) employers of the graduates, graduates, and faculty members. This board is able to suggest changes to the program educational objectives according to the industry needs. The program assessment process uses inputs from the advisory committee board to assess the student outcomes. Thus, the advisory committee becomes an important part of the assessment process.
This work in progress paper seeks to explore further the different viewpoints that these diverse stakeholders on the advisory committee have on this process. We focus on an engineering program at a university in Ecuador which recently completed an ABET-based accreditation. The study draws on qualitative interviews conducted with different stakeholders who served on this advisory committee, which include an industry employer, a recent graduate, and a faculty member. The interview focuses on how they perceive the process and the accreditation awarded, their opinions of its usefulness and engagement, and how they think it affected the situation of employability of recent graduates in a three-year period. Based on these findings we draw conclusions that support a critical understanding of the accreditation process when it takes place in settings beyond the USA.

Authors

V. Sanchez Padilla http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3205-388X Virginia Tech [biography]

V. Sanchez Padilla (Member, IEEE) received a master's degree in telecommunications engineering from George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA, and a master's degree in productivity and quality management from the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, Guayaquil, Ecuador. Currently, he is a doctoral student in the Engineering Education Department, College of Engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA, where he is the recipient of the Pratt Fellowship. He collaborated as an adjunct lecturer in the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, Guayaquil, Ecuador, with previous positions as an analyst and consultant for telecommunications service providers. He holds certifications in fieldbus networks, wireless network administration, and ISO 9001 certified auditing. His research interests include engineering science education, technology management, and wireless network systems. Memberships include ASEE, IAENG, IEEE TEMS, and IEEE EdSoc.
Dr. Jennifer M. Case Virginia Tech [biography]

Jennifer Case is Head and Professor in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. She holds an honorary position at the University of Cape Town. Her research on the student experience of learning, focusing mainly on science and engineerin
Dr. Homero Murzi http://orcid.org/https://0000-0003-3849-2947 Virginia Tech [biography]

Dr. Homero Murzi (he/él/his) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. Homero is the leader of the Engineering Competencies, Learning, and Inclusive Practices for Success (ECLIPS) Lab where he leads a team focused on doing research on contemporary, culturally relevant, and inclusive pedagogical practices, emotions in engineering, competency development, and understanding the experiences of traditionally marginalized engineering students from an asset-based perspective. Homero’s goal is to develop engineering education practices that value the capital that traditionally marginalized students bring into the field and to train graduate students and faculty members with the tool to promote effective and inclusive learning environments and mentorship practices. Homero has been recognized as a Diggs Teaching Scholar, a Graduate Academy for Teaching Excellence Fellow, a Global Perspectives Fellow, a Diversity Scholar, a Fulbright Scholar, a recipient of the NSF CAREER award, and was inducted into the Bouchet Honor Society. Homero serves as the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Chair for the Commission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (CDEI), the Program Chair for the ASEE Faculty Development Division, and the Vice Chair for the Research in Engineering Education Network (REEN).
Albert Espinal http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2619-2752 Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, Guayaquil, Ecuador

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