Professional Accreditationand the
Institution of Chemical Engineers
Neil Atkinson
Director of Qualifications(IChemE)
Tempus Project
Moscow January 2010
Outline…
What is IChemE? Professional Accreditation The Bologna Process Accreditation & Learning Outcomes The process Course design (and course advice)
The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE)
Founded in 1922 An international professional membership organization The leading Qualifying Body for professional chemical
engineers in the world The only organization to award Chartered Chemical
Engineer status.
‘Chartered Chemical Engineer’ our professional qualification
Quality Academic Formation
Quality Professional Formation
PROFESSIONAL
PEER REVIEW
CharteredChemical Engineer *
* MIChemE- can optionally take professional registration as CEng
What IChemE does…
IChemE represents chemical, biochemical and process engineering professionals worldwide.
Promoting competence (e.g. through qualifications) With a commitment to sustainable development Advancing the discipline for the benefit of society Supporting the professional development of members. Accreditation of key education institutions worldwide
(chemical engineering degrees)
Membership
30,000 members in 120 countries
tce magazine tce onlinenews
Online database Specialist publications
Policy Advice E-Webinars
Journals Subject Groups
Student resources Conferences
Process Safety resources CPD
Whynotchemeng Corporate partnership
Training courses Company training
Extensive Member Services: e-enabled
Our International Strength comes through Partnership
Maximising benefits to our profession - through alliances with
– Industry Associations (eg CICM - Malaysia; CIESC – China)
– Pan Engineering Institutions (eg EA - Australia; IES – Singapore)
– Qualifications Providers and with Regulators (eg ECUK; Universities worldwide)
– Chemical Engineering Institutions (eg SAIChE - South Africa; IIChE - India)
– Kindred Societies (eg RSC; RAE - UK, RACI – Australia)
– ...and increasingly Key Employers
Outline…
What is IChemE? Professional Accreditation The Bologna Process Accreditation & Learning Outcomes The process Course design (and course advice)
Professional Accreditation
Assessment of university courses (degree programmes) to determine whether they provide the necessary academic formation for graduates to become Chartered Chemical Engineers
Provides a common standard or ‘benchmark’ for all courses that are accredited
Increasingly, this is an International Standard
Accrediting Bodies
Many countries have accrediting bodies for ‘engineering’ but only IChemE (since 1944) accredits Chemical Engineering courses
IChemE accredits 168 programmes in 13 countries
France Hungary Ireland Spain The NetherlandsUnited Kingdom
United Arab EmiratesWest Indies
AustraliaChinaMalaysiaNew ZealandSingapore
Benefits of Accreditation
Promotes, fosters and develops the general advancement of chemical engineering
Upholds the status of the discipline by requiring standards of knowledge and experience recognised throughout the world
Benefits universities – a globally significant group that are accredited (share best practice)
Benefits students – degree is easily recognised in many parts of the world and graduates can go on to become chartered engineers.
Outline…
What is IChemE? Professional Accreditation The Bologna Process Accreditation & Learning Outcomes The process Course design (and course advice)
Bologna Process (mobility of students)
The European Commission Recommendation on the European Qualifications Framework came into effect April 2008. It urges Member States to adopt the EQF by 2010.
The Bologna process has received significant attention from countries far beyond Europe, such as New Zealand, Australia and USA.
The Bologna process is being seen as a development of some form of international standards in higher education.
Much of the attention from non-European countries has been directed towards the qualifications framework, credits and quality assurance standards.
IChemE Accreditation Guidance is compatible with ‘Bologna Process’.
Outline…
What is IChemE? Professional Accreditation The Bologna Process Accreditation & Learning Outcomes The process Course design (and course advice)
Accreditation & Learning Outcomes
since 2000 IChemE accreditation has been based on the assessment of LEARNING OUTCOMES.
This ensures delivery of threshold standards while stimulating and encouraging innovation in curriculum design.
It avoids an overt focus on Entry Standards
It avoids too much emphasis on the curriculum
What are Learning Outcomes?
Statements of the knowledge, skills, and understanding acquired through a student's participation in an educational activity.
They are essentially an expression of the competencies you expect your graduates to have after completing the course.
Examples of Good Learning Outcomes
A student who has successfully completed this module will be able to:
– Explain hydraulic behaviour in a packed column (2nd year separation processes)
– Determine the economic viability of specified process plant (3rd year Process Economics)
– Devise a flowsheet to separate non-ideal solvent mixtures by distillation (4th year Separation Processes)
– Conduct an initial evaluation of the potential for cleaner technology options in a fine chemicals manufacturing process (4th year Waste Minimisation)
– Conduct an initial life cycle assessment of a product (4th year Risk Assessment & Reliability)
Examples of Poor Learning Outcomes
A student who has successfully completed this module will be able to:
– Solve problems in fluid dynamics (1st year Fluid Dynamics)
– Improve understanding of some of the key aspects of physical chemistry introduced in the first year chemistry syllabi (2nd year Chemical Reaction Engineering)
– Understand 2nd year thermodynamics (2nd year Thermodynamics)
– Learn about unit operations (2nd year Separation Processes)
IChemE Learning Outcomes categories:
Underpinning Science & Maths; Core Chemical Engineering; Advanced Chemical Engineering; Engineering Practice; Design Practice Safety, Health & Environment Ethics & Sustainability Transferable skills
More specific information regarding Learning Outcomes can be found in IChemE’s published Accreditation Guidance.
Outline…
What is IChemE? Professional Accreditation The Bologna Process IChemE Accreditation & Learning Outcomes The process Course design (and course advice)
IChemE Accreditation Process Approach
IChemE brings academics and industrialists together to understand and anticipate changing needs and to assess course provision. It seeks to:
– establish that graduates have acquired appropriate knowledge and practice to meet the academic requirements for membership grades of the IChemE (e.g. Chartered Chemical Engineer)
– provide for mutual international recognition of degree programmes at benchmarked standards
– stimulate improvement in chemical engineering education by encouraging new and innovative approaches to taught curricula
IChemE routinely works alongside local engineering organisations and regularly conducts joint visits
Assessment Criteria:
The IChemE assesses degree programme content against set published Guidelines (based upon ‘Learning Outcomes’ criteria)
Ensures that the Chemical Engineering Department has, and will continue to have, adequate staff and physical resources to conduct the degree programme to the required standard.
Chemical Engineering Knowledge and Understanding
Critical Components:
DESIGNBREADTHDEPTHCORE
Accreditation & the Chartered Chemical Engineer
qualification
Accreditation Level
(Learning Outcome)
Quality Academic Formation
Quality Professional Formation
PROFESSIONAL
PEER REVIEW
CharteredChemical Engineer *
* MIChemE- can optionally take professional registration as CEng
IChemE Accreditation Level
Master LevelRecognising degrees of the highest international standards that provide advanced chemical engineering knowledge and skills
Bachelor LevelRecognising mainstream Bachelor degrees that provide solid academic foundation in chemical engineering knowledge and skills
Exemplifying Academic formation for MIChemE is Master Level
Quality Academic Formation
Accredited Routes : Exemplifying Academic Formation for Chartered Chemical Engineer
Bachelor eg BEng (Hons) Master eg MSc
Integrated Master eg MEng, some BE
Bachelor eg BEng (Hons) Work Based Further Learning
FIRST CYCLE DEGREE SECOND CYCLE DEGREE
1.
2.
3.
Bachelor Level Master LevelAccreditation:
General Considerations….
Are the entry qualifications profiles of students satisfactory?
Are learning outcomes clearly defined and appropriate?
Is programme structure and content appropriate ? Are the resources in place to deliver the learning
outcomes? Are learning outcomes achieved to appropriate
standards? Are there significant changes happening that impact
programme delivery?
Need for demonstration of adequate resources including: Staff
– number, quality, professional engagement– technical and administrative support
Laboratories – teaching and research - range, quality, quantity, modernity of
equipment Library
– availability of recommended texts, relevance of texts & periodicals, search facilities
Computing & information management facilities – access, availability, quality, support services, range of languages,
software packages and support
Teaching Resources
Safety/Safety Culture
IChemE requires students to be instilled with appropriate attitudes to Safety, Health & Environment (SHE) and minimum core process safety knowledge.
Departments must therefore demonstrate appropriate safety cultures and practice of operation.
Appropriate records/documentation of hazard assessment and controls on lab equipment and processes are also expected.
Summary
Brings together assessment of ALL that has relevant impact on a Department’s capability to successfully deliver the academic formation of a chemical engineering student
Qualitative, by design, yet takes account of ALL relevant quantitative information
Quality Assured (trained Assessors, Committee normalised, independent, academic & industrial participation)
Provides thorough & formal feedback to the Department with suggestions for programme improvement where appropriate
Outline…
What is IChemE? Professional Accreditation The Bologna Process IChemE Accreditation & Learning Outcomes The process Course design (and course advice)
Learning Outcomes Required from a Chemical Engineering Degree Programme
Underpinning Mathematics and Science Core Chemical Engineering Engineering Practice Design Practice Embedded Learning (SHE, Sustainability) Embedded Learning (Transferable Skills) Advanced Chemical Engineering - Depth Advanced Chemical Engineering - Breadth Advanced Chemical Engineering Practice Advanced Chemical Engineering Design Practice
Bachelor
Master
IntegratedMaster
Underpinning Mathematics & Science(s)
Students’ knowledge and understanding of mathematics and science should be of sufficient depth and breadth to underpin their chemical engineering education, to enable appreciation of its scientific and engineering context, and to support their understanding of future developments. It is expected that this underpinning material should be taught in an engineering context and, where appropriate, a chemical engineering context
Should lay the foundations for understanding more applied fundamental courses when studied.
Core Chemical Engineering
The main principles and applications of chemical engineering. Students must be able to handle problems in fluids and solids
formation and processing. They must be able to apply chemical engineering methods to the analysis of complex systems within a structured approach to Safety, Health and Sustainability.
e.g.:– thermodynamics & process analysis– chemical, physical and biochemical conversion and transformation
processes– transfer and separation processes– process systems engineering and control– Core safety
Engineering Practice
The practical application of engineering skills, combining theory and experience, together with the use of other relevant knowledge and skills.
Must include practical exercises and laboratory sessions
Design Practice (Portfolio)
The creation of a process, product or plant to meet a defined need.
The application of engineering principles to the solution of a practical process engineering problem:
– requires conceptual exploration – develops an integrated systems approach– encourages the application of chemical engineering principles to
solve problems– encourages students to demonstrate creative & critical powers by
making choices in areas of uncertainty– encourages the development of communication and other
transferable skills
Embedded Learning (Sustainability & SHE)
Knowledge and ability to handle a variety of societal, ethical and commercial aspects of chemical engineering:– include health and process safety; – sustainable development; commercial planning;– process plant economics; ethics; standards
Material is built upon and reinforced throughout the degree
Embedded Learning (General Transferable skills)
The curriculum must ensure that students develop a range of transferable skills that will be valuable in a wide range of situations to the conduct of their chemical engineering practiceSkills are developed, built upon and practised throughout the degree
e.g: Skills in communications time management
team working inter-personal presentations
Minimum Credit Allocation Guidance
Credit Basis:
European Credit Transfer System (ECTS)
Master Level
Bachelor Level
Further Learning
to Master Level
Underpinning Mathematics and Science 20 20 Core Chemical Engineering 85 85 Engineering Practice 10 10 Design Practice 10 10 Embedded Learning (SHE, Sustainability) Sufficient, clear demonstration
Embedded Learning (Transferable Skills) Sufficient, clear demonstration
Advanced Chemical Engineering - Depth 30 30 Advanced Chemical Engineering - Breadth 15 15 Advanced Chemical Engineering Practice 10 10Advanced Chemical Engineering Design Practice 5 5Total IChemE Minimum Specified Content 185 125 60
1 year =
approx 60
ECTS
Advanced Chemical Engineering Content & Outcomes
Master level (Advanced) courses are characterised by learning outcomes that represent knowledge and understanding beyond that which would normally be associated with Bachelor (Basic) programmes.
Advanced material can only be taught after Basic material. Therefore it is very unlikely that there will be ‘Advanced’ material in 1st or 2nd year.
Advanced (depth) material in subject X should have a pre-requisite of Basic material in subject X
If a subject can be taught directly from a textbook it is probably NOT Advanced.
Categories of Advanced Chemical Engineering
Advanced – Depth is more likely to be associated with concepts and phenomena (e.g. advanced mass transfer, advanced process control)
Advanced – Breadth is more likely to be associated with applications (e.g. polymer technology, nuclear technology).
Research projects provide Advanced – Engineering Practice rather than Advanced – Depth.
Advanced – Design involves the innovative, creative aspects of design synthesis.
Guidance on Curriculum
IChemE encourages diversity of chemical engineering education and welcomes innovation:
Provided the Learning Outcomes are met for a– ‘Minimally Constraining Core’ in Chemical Engineering– Departments are encouraged to develop their own
specialisms and emphasis.
IChemE recognises the value of study of subjects such as languages, law, management studies etc and allows such content to be included within the curriculum.
SUMMING UP
Neil Atkinson
Accreditation as a Partnership
Provides international benchmarking Sharing best practice in chemical engineering education and
teaching Peer Recognition IChemE accreditation is of value to Departments (qualification
& ongoing contribution within an international community of practice).
IChemE accreditation is of value to their Students (exempting qualifications & access to IChemEonCampus etc).
In return IChemE derives value from access to academic communities and students as members and as contributors to the chemical engineering profession.
Thank you
IChemE is strongly appreciative of this unique opportunity:
to explore how we might make a positive contribution to the quality and development of the chemical engineering profession in Russia.
and share how educators here might also enrich IChemE’s contribution to the international chemical engineering community as a whole.