Accreditation of Engineering Programs in Turkey: MÜDEK Initiative ABET Campus Visit October 10-13, 2004 Istanbul Technical University

ABET Campus Visit, October 10-13, 2004, Istanbul Technical University 2 How it all started MÜDEK : An initiative for accreditation of engineering programs in Turkey First impressions & way ahead Outline

ABET Campus Visit, October 10-13, 2004, Istanbul Technical University 3 How It All Started: A Brief History of Accreditation of Engineering Programs in Turkey

ABET Campus Visit, October 10-13, 2004, Istanbul Technical University 4 Stage 1: ABET Evaluations 1994: 2 eng. programs from METU applied to ABET and obtained “Substantial Equivalency” status : 41 engineering programs from 4 universities (METU, Bilkent, Boğaziçi Univ., ITU) obtained “Substantial Equivalency” from ABET

ABET Campus Visit, October 10-13, 2004, Istanbul Technical University 5 ABET Evaluation TURKEY + KKTC Total (2003) Universities470 Engineering Faculties 1187 Program types2048 No. of programs41506 ABET Evaluation vs Potential Need

ABET Campus Visit, October 10-13, 2004, Istanbul Technical University 6 Jan 2001: Engineering Deans Council (Mühendislik Dekanları Konseyi-MDK) established o Deans of engineering faculties in state & private universities in Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC). o 87 members as of 2003 Jan 2002: Engineering Deans Council (MDK) decision for establishing National Accreditation System for Engineering Education May 2002: Engineering Evaluation Board (Mühendislik Değerlendirme Kurulu-MÜDEK) formed by MDK STAGE 2: National System for Accreditation of Engineering Programs

ABET Campus Visit, October 10-13, 2004, Istanbul Technical University 7 MÜDEK An Initiative for Accreditation of Engineering Programs in Turkey

ABET Campus Visit, October 10-13, 2004, Istanbul Technical University 8 MÜDEK (Mühendislik Değerlendirme Kurulu) Engineering Evaluation Board A non-governmental initiative for accrediting engineering programs in Turkey Initiated by Engineering Deans Council on May 2002 An independent body which periodically renews a portion of its members by itself

ABET Campus Visit, October 10-13, 2004, Istanbul Technical University 9 Objectives: Develop and run a detailed program for evaluating (accrediting) engineering programs of MDK member faculties which grant “engineering degree” to their graduates Main Tasks: Evaluation (accreditation) of engineering programs Selection and training of evaluators Providing information and training to program chair persons and staff members on program evaluation Reviewing and updating the program evaluation criteria MÜDEK Engineering Evaluation Board

ABET Campus Visit, October 10-13, 2004, Istanbul Technical University 10 MÜDEK Membership Total of 8 members o 4 academicians o 1 TMMOB (Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects) representative o 1 KalDer (Turkish Society for Quality) representative o 2 industry representatives Voluntary duty MDK members may not be MÜDEK members 2 years serving term (max. 3 consecutive terms) 3 of the members: chairman, assistant chairman (chairman elect), previous chairman

ABET Campus Visit, October 10-13, 2004, Istanbul Technical University 11 MÜDEK Evaluations Non-governmental Voluntary Outcomes based objective accreditation criteria Self-assessment: Self-study by the institution and program Peer-review (Evaluation Teams) On-site evaluation Periodic re-evaluation (maximum 6 yrs.)

ABET Campus Visit, October 10-13, 2004, Istanbul Technical University 12 MÜDEK Evaluation Criteria 1.Students 2.Program Educational Objectives 3.Program Outcomes and Assessment 4.Professional Component 5.Faculty 6.Facilities 7.Institutional Support and Financial Resources 8.Program Specific Criteria

ABET Campus Visit, October 10-13, 2004, Istanbul Technical University 13 Evaluation Team Evaluation Team Evaluation Team MÜDEK MÜDEK Organization Training Working Group

ABET Campus Visit, October 10-13, 2004, Istanbul Technical University 14 MÜDEK Evaluation Teams One TEAM is formed for each faculty running the programs to be evaluated. TEAM LEADER has to be a MÜDEK Member At least one EVALUATOR for each program to be evaluated

ABET Campus Visit, October 10-13, 2004, Istanbul Technical University 15 MÜDEK Program Evaluators Program evaluators are selected among people known for their competency in their specialty areas. Program evaluator candidates have to attend program evaluator training workshops. Program evaluators serve on a voluntary basis. MDK members cannot serve as program evaluators. Teams are formed from a pool of evaluators. Conflict of interest issues are addressed during the appointment of evaluators to teams.

ABET Campus Visit, October 10-13, 2004, Istanbul Technical University 16 Typical Evaluation Cycle Jan : Institutions express intent for evaluation Jan-Aug: Institutions prepare and submit self-study reports for programs to be evaluated Sept-Oct: Teams formed & evaluations start Nov-Dec: Site visits (3 days) Jan-Feb: Teams prepare evaluation reports March-June: MÜDEK concludes evaluation process and takes accreditation decisions

ABET Campus Visit, October 10-13, 2004, Istanbul Technical University (eval. completed) 2004 (eval. in process) 2005 (expected) No. University2 16 No. of Eng. Faculties216 Types of Eng. Programs 6310 No. of Eng. Programs7321 MÜDEK Evaluation Activities

ABET Campus Visit, October 10-13, 2004, Istanbul Technical University 18 MÜDEK Training Events Evaluator Training Workshop (ABET-ASME), January 2003 Evaluator Training Workshop, September 2003 Training Workshop for Deans and Dept. Chairs, January 2004 Evaluator Training Workshop, September 2004 A total of 38 trained evaluators from 14 engineering disciplines o 16 from ITU o 13 from METU o 2 from BU o 3 from Bilkent Univ. o 1 from Sabancı Univ. o 1 from Marmara Univ. o 2 from industry

ABET Campus Visit, October 10-13, 2004, Istanbul Technical University 19 First Impressions & Way Ahead

ABET Campus Visit, October 10-13, 2004, Istanbul Technical University 20 First Impressions MÜDEK evaluation process is viewed as a vehicle for genuinely increasing quality of engineering education Self Study Report (process) acts as an important tool for o continuous quality improvement in engineering programs o motivating constituencies External evaluation results are considered as o constructive feedback for quality improvement o leverage for resource allocations needed for these improvements

ABET Campus Visit, October 10-13, 2004, Istanbul Technical University 21 What is Next? MÜDEK needs to be institutionalized (association) MÜDEK needs to be recognized as the national accreditation body for engineering programs (by governmental authorities) MÜDEK has to seek international recognition (e.g., Washington accord)

ABET Campus Visit, October 10-13, 2004, Istanbul Technical University 22 MÜDEK THANK YOU