BZU Holds Seminar on Quality of Education for Faculties of Engineering and Information Technology - News

Thirty faculty members from the Faculties of Engineering and
Information Technology drawn from nine Palestinian universities participated in
a seminar on quality control in engineering and information technology education,
in accordance with the specifications of the Accreditation Board for
Engineering and Technology (ABET), an international organization for the
accreditation of the programs of engineering, computing, technology and applied
science.

The seminar was held on 16 July 2011 at BZU and included Dr.
Hani Ammar, professor at the University of West Virginia in the United States,
and Dr. Khaled Shuaib who is the Vice Dean of the Faculty of Information
Technology at the University of the United Arab Emirates.

In his opening address, the Vice President for Academic
Affairs at BZU, Dr. Adnan Yahya, highlighted the importance of this seminar,
which he described as "close to his heart," recalling his previous
experience in reviewing and evaluating programs for engineering, computing and
information technology in Palestinian universities. He discussed ways of benefitting
from the standards imposed by ABET and emphasized the value of learning from
the experiences of those Arab universities that have applied for accreditation (some
of which have received accreditation and others of which are still in the
process). Of particular note, ABET enhances the quality of education and benefits
graduates, enabling them to respond to needs in the engineering and technology
sectors.

Dr. Hani Ammar spoke about the requirements for applying for
ABET accreditation, including the clarity of the desired objectives of the
tutorial, which are measured 3 to 4 years after graduation. He discussed outputs
that must be met by graduating students, and consistency of course learning
outputs with program learning outputs. Additionally, Dr. Ammar discussed the
need for a regular process for measurement and continuous improvement, which
should include the participation of those interested in identifying objectives
and measurable outputs: faculty and students as well as those companies and
organizations that hire graduates.

Finally, Dr. Khaled Shuaib presented the practical
experience he gained through his work at the Faculty of Information Technology
at United Arab Emirates University, which began years ago in the phases of planning
and preparation for accreditation by ABET.

 
This was followed by faculty questions and discussion, particularly about the
practical benefits of accreditation and its costs, as well as the impact of
accreditation on the teaching process.

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