A Proposal for a National Frame of Reference for the Accreditation of Engineering Programs in Tunisia

Autor/inn/en	Khelifi, Adel; Khlifi, Slaheddine; Khelifi, Nabil; Essaieb, Hamdi
Titel	A Proposal for a National Frame of Reference for the Accreditation of Engineering Programs in Tunisia
Quelle	In: Quality Assurance in Education: An International Perspective, 28 (2020) 4, S.255-275 (21 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0968-4883
DOI	10.1108/QAE-02-2020-0013
Schlagwörter	Accreditation (Institutions); Engineering Education; Higher Education; Program Effectiveness; Evaluation Criteria; Academic Standards; Quality Assurance; Models; Foreign Countries; Tunisia + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Accreditation; Institution; Institutions; Akkreditierung; Staatliche Anerkennung; Institut; Ingenieurausbildung; Hochschulbildung; Hochschulsystem; Hochschulwesen; Qualitätssicherung; Analogiemodell; Ausland; Tunesien
Abstract	Purpose: This study aims to propose a national frame of reference for the accreditation of engineering programs (EPs) in Tunisia. It uses as a benchmark the structure used by the world's leading accreditation systems such as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and Commission des Titres d'Ingénieur. It provides a comprehensive framework for academic institutions to evaluate the performance of their programs. In addition, it suggests the procedures, steps and timeline for the application process and defines the required documents that should be submitted. Design/methodology/approach: The study analyzes the standards applied by well-established accreditation agencies such as ABET, Commission Titre Ingenieur and European Accredited Engineer, studies the perceptions of academicians who participated in six workshops and uses the results of surveys and interviews to characterize their opinions about accreditation. A sample population of 146 faculty members, experts and policymakers from 23 different higher education institutions in Tunisia, who had participated in the workshops mentioned above, was solicited to participate in the survey. The opinions of 51 respondents who responded to the survey were analyzed. This methodology led to the establishment of a proposed national frame of reference for accreditation of EPs. Findings: Analysis reveals that the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MHESR) provides authorization ("habilitation") to institutions allowing them to offer their educational program. However, it is inaccurate to consider this procedure as accreditation because it is more of a licensure process. In addition, the MHESR grants the "habilitation" to those institutions that successfully apply. The National Authority for Assessment, quality assurance and accreditation Instance Nationale de l'Evaluation, de l'Assurance Qualité et de l'Accréditation (IEAQA) is not involved in this process, which makes the latter's role trivial. Practical implications: This frame of reference will help the MHESR to evaluate the EPs based on a comprehensive analysis of well-established accreditation systems, to improve its "habilitation" process by splitting it into two parts as per international practice, namely, licensure and accreditation and to make the existence and role of the IEAQA much clearer. Originality/value: This study is the foremost study to propose a comprehensive frame of reference for accrediting EPs in Tunisia. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01