Accreditation of Engineering Programs in Turkey: MÜDEK Initiative A. Erbil PAYZIN Member, Engineering Evaluation Board (MÜDEK) Universities and Changing Patterns of Governance March , 2004 Istanbul

Universities and Changing Patterns of Governance, March , 2004, Istanbul 2 How it all started MÜDEK : An initiative for accreditation of engineering programs in Turkey First impressions & way ahead Outline

Universities and Changing Patterns of Governance, March , 2004, Istanbul 3 How It all Started: A Brief History of Accreditation of Engineering Programs In Turkey

Universities and Changing Patterns of Governance, March , 2004, Istanbul 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

Universities and Changing Patterns of Governance, March , 2004, Istanbul 5 ABET Evaluation TURKEY + KKTC Total (2003) Universities470 Engineering Faculties 1187 Program types2048 No. of programs41506 ABET Evaluation vs Potential Need

Universities and Changing Patterns of Governance, March , 2004, Istanbul 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

Universities and Changing Patterns of Governance, March , 2004, Istanbul 7 MÜDEK An Initiative for Accreditation of Engineering Programs in Turkey

Universities and Changing Patterns of Governance, March , 2004, Istanbul 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

Universities and Changing Patterns of Governance, March , 2004, Istanbul 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

Universities and Changing Patterns of Governance, March , 2004, Istanbul 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

Universities and Changing Patterns of Governance, March , 2004, Istanbul 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.)

Universities and Changing Patterns of Governance, March , 2004, Istanbul 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

Universities and Changing Patterns of Governance, March , 2004, Istanbul 13 Evaluation Team Evaluation Team Evaluation Team MÜDEK MÜDEK Organization Training Working Group

Universities and Changing Patterns of Governance, March , 2004, Istanbul 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

Universities and Changing Patterns of Governance, March , 2004, Istanbul 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 can not 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.

Universities and Changing Patterns of Governance, March , 2004, Istanbul 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

Universities and Changing Patterns of Governance, March , 2004, Istanbul (eval. in process) 2004 (expected applications) No. University24 No. of Eng. Faculties24 Types of Eng. Programs 67 No. of Eng. Programs 713 MÜDEK Evaluation Activities

Universities and Changing Patterns of Governance, March , 2004, Istanbul 18 First Impressions & Way Ahead

Universities and Changing Patterns of Governance, March , 2004, Istanbul 19 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

Universities and Changing Patterns of Governance, March , 2004, Istanbul 20 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)

Universities and Changing Patterns of Governance, March , 2004, Istanbul 21 MÜDEK THANK YOU