Programs will be considered for accreditation if they are offered by an institution of higher learning approved by UGC/BUET/UETs/DTE which have graduated at least two batches of students.
Accreditation is not to be accorded to the Institution as a whole, but to a Program, viz. Four year undergraduate degree program. Educational programs leading to degrees rather than institutions, departments, or degrees are accredited. In order for a program to be accredited, all routes to completion of the program must satisfy the appropriate criteria.
Programs to be considered for accreditation by BAETE are programs that embrace engineering, technology & computing. All programs shall include sound foundations in science and mathematics. Presently BAETE accreditation shall be limited to Engineering and Technology programs only.
Programs accredited by BAETE are those leading to the professional practice of engineering.
When a multi-campus institution presents programs for accreditation, each campus will be considered as a separate institution in the evaluation process.
The title of an accredited program must be properly descriptive of the content of the program and be shown on the graduating student's transcript and in the institution's literature. An institution may not use the same program title to identify both an accredited program and a non-accredited program. Although the selection of program titles is the prerogative of the educational institution, the proliferation of program titles is discouraged because different titles for essentially the same programs are confusing or misleading to the public, including students, prospective students, and employers.
All engineering programs must include the word "engineering" in the program title (with the exception of naval architecture programs).
All engineering technology programs must include the word "technology" as the final noun in the title. Preferred program titles would include the words "engineering technology".
A program is an organized educational experience that consists of a cohesive set of courses or other educational modules sequenced so that reasonable depth is obtained in the upper-level courses. A definite stem should be obvious in the program and, again, depth should be reached in pursuing courses in the stem. Furthermore, the program should develop the ability to apply pertinent knowledge to the practice of the defined area of the program. A program must also involve the broadening educational objectives expected in modern post-secondary education.
Engineering programs may be accredited at either the basic or advanced level. Accreditation at the advanced level requires compliance with the general basic level criteria, the general advanced level criteria, and appropriate program criteria. The choices of level of accreditation (either basic or advanced), the degree awarded, and the length of the program are left to the institution. A program may be accredited at only one level in a particular curriculum at a particular institution.
Engineering technology programs shall be accredited at the baccalaureate degree level only.
Computing programs are only accredited at the baccalaureate degree level.
Broad programs that will prepare a student to take advantage of as many different career opportunities as possible are encouraged. Further, programs which omit instruction in a significant portion of a subject in which a professional in a particular field may reasonably be expected to have competence should not be accredited.
Evening and off-campus programs may be accredited as integral with the regular on-campus day program if they follow the same curriculum, use the same or equivalent laboratory facilities and equipment, and are subject to the same supervision and control of academic standards. The institution must demonstrate that evening and off-campus programs are conducted to the same standards of subject matter coverage and rigor of student work and grading.
It is desirable to minimize the number of specially designated programs to be considered for accreditation.
Recognizing the value of innovation and experimentation in educational programs and the possibility that such programs may have difficulty meeting specific quantitative criteria, innovative or experimental programs will be evaluated, on request, on the basis of their demonstrated ability to satisfy the intent of the appropriate criteria and to produce graduates fully qualified to enter the practice of the appropriate discipline. Programs are encouraged to adopt innovative procedures and approaches that meet the criteria and that improve the program.
An institution that wishes to have any or all of its appropriate programs considered for accreditation may communicate directly with BAETE. Arrangements will then be made for securing information by a self-study questionnaire and for an evaluation by a visiting team. It is suggested that an institution contemplating an accreditation evaluation for the first time contact BAETE prior to making the formal request.
The accreditation process is voluntary. Institutions are invited to submit programs without persuasion or pressure. Programs are considered for accreditation action only at the written request of the institution.
An evaluation visit will be carried out and initial accreditation will be granted only if at least two batches of students have graduated from a program prior to the on-site visit. If it is determined that the program followed by these graduates is essentially the same as that reviewed, then accreditation may be extended to the graduates of the program in the academic year prior to the visit.
An institution that wishes to have any or all of its appropriate programs considered for accreditation may communicate directly with BAETE. Arrangements will then be made for securing information by a self-study questionnaire and for an evaluation by a visiting team. It is suggested that an institution contemplating an accreditation evaluation for the first time contact BAETE prior to making the formal request.
The accreditation process is voluntary. Institutions are invited to submit programs without persuasion or pressure. Programs are considered for accreditation action only at the written request of the institution.
An evaluation visit will be carried out and initial accreditation will be granted only if at least two batches of students have graduated from a program prior to the on-site visit. If it is determined that the program followed by these graduates is essentially the same as that reviewed, then accreditation may be extended to the graduates of the program in the academic year prior to the visit.
Considerable latitude in the choice and arrangement of subject matter in the curriculum is allowed. While the qualitative factors are more important than the quantitative assignment of credit hours to any particular area, the general principles outlined in the criteria will be checked closely by analyzing each particular curriculum. The coverage of basic information rather than the offering of specific courses is the important criterion.
Methods for delivery of instruction and their use are developing, and ways for evaluating the learning accomplishment are evolving as well. When a course offered as part of a program employs a method for delivery of instruction that differs from the more frequently encountered methods, e.g., lecture, discussion, laboratory, there must be a provision for evaluating the learning accomplishment to ensure that educational objectives are met.
Any program accredited by BAETE must offer primarily an engineering curriculum with or without some modifier in its title. Therefore, the prime considerations in evaluating any engineering curriculum are: (1) that it is considered satisfactory as an engineering curriculum regardless of any modifying word or phraseology used in the title, and (2) that the curriculum or curriculum option merits the designation of the modifier. If a program title is identified with one or more of the fields for which program criteria have been approved, that program must also meet the requirements of any relevant program criteria.
As used in the criteria, the word shall or must indicate definite obligatory requirements that the BAETE expect as a minimum to be met for a program to be accreditable. The word should indicate more permissive recommendations that may have an effect on accreditation. The word may is permissive.
Evaluations are conducted to verify that the program under review is in compliance with the appropriate accreditation criteria. The evaluation of a program will include assessment of both qualitative as well as quantitative factors in the process leading to an accreditation decision.
Self-Study Report An institution's educational programs will be initially evaluated on the basis of data submitted by the institution to BAETE in the form of a Self-Study Report. The Self-Study Report must include information about day and evening programs, all incorporated options, and off-campus offerings.
On-site Visit The Self-Study Report will be supplemented by an on-site visit by a carefully selected team representing BAETE and its Participating Bodies. The purpose of the on-site visit is three-fold:
It should assess factors that cannot be adequately described in the Self-Study Report. The intellectual atmosphere, the morale of the faculty and the students, the stability and continuity of the faculty and the students, the caliber of the staff and student body, and the outcome of the education offered as evidenced by the character of the work performed are examples of intangible qualitative factors that are difficult to document in a written statement.
For analysis prior to the visit, the institution will have provided the team with a random selection of graduates' transcripts from each of the programs under evaluation.
The visiting team should help the institution assess its strong as well as its weak points.
The team should examine in further detail the material compiled by the institution and relating to:
- Auspices, control, and organization of the institution and of the college or division housing the program.
- Educational programs offered and degrees conferred.
- Maturity and stability of the institution and of the individual educational programs.
- Basis of and requirements for admission of students.
- Number of students enrolled in both the institution and university as a whole and in the individual educational program.
- Teaching staff and teaching loads.
- Physical facilities - the educational plant devoted to the educational program.
- Finances - investments, expenditures, and sources of income.
- Curricular content.
- Representative samples of student work that reveal the spectrum of educational outcome. In order to make a qualitative evaluation of a program, it is necessary that the institution exhibit teaching materials such as course outlines and textbooks for all courses required for graduation. Sufficient examples of student work in technical, mathematics, and science courses must be available to the visiting team for the entire campus visit The examples should show a range of grades for assignments, including homework, quizzes, examinations, drawings, laboratory reports, projects, and samples of computer usage in technical courses. Examples must also be presented to demonstrate compliance with the requirement for student competence in written and oral communications.
- Records of employment of graduates and, as appropriate, passage rates on nationally normed examinations to evaluate placement and performance in terms of the goals stated for each program.
- Student support services appropriate to the educational and career needs of the students. These include registration; tutoring; career and academic advisement; library, computing, and laboratory resources; and additional services appropriate to the institution's and program's mission and educational objectives. Student services must be sufficient to support the program, and there must be evidence of their use.
- Clearly stated expectations for learning and student
achievement appropriate to the mission and educational
objectives of the institution and program. Academic
policies relating to student, such as admissions,
probation, dismissal, grievances, and graduation
requirements must be fair, equitable, and published. If
academic policies for the program are different from or
in addition to the institution's, those differences must
be clearly stated. The criteria used by faculty to
evaluate student work must be equitable, consistently
applied, and clearly articulated to students, faculty,
and staff.
The on-site visit team will examine all incorporated day, evening, option and off-campus offerings.
A comprehensive review is required to establish or continue the periodic accreditation of a program. A comprehensive review addresses all applicable criteria and consists of
- the review of a Self-Study Report prepared by the institution,
- an on-site review by an evaluation team, and
- the preparation of a report by the evaluation team.
Comprehensive reviews must be conducted for each accredited program at intervals no longer than six years for continuous accreditation. Such comprehensive reviews will be conducted simultaneously for all accredited programs under the purview of the appropriate BAETE team and are known as a general review.
Interim reviews may occur between the periodic general reviews when weaknesses or deficiencies are noted in a prior review. An interim review will focus only upon the concerns, weaknesses, and deficiencies noted in the prior review. An interim review includes the preparation by the institution of a report that addresses the concerns, weaknesses, and deficiencies noted in the prior review. An interim review may include a focused on-site evaluation depending upon the nature of the concerns, weaknesses, and deficiencies noted in the prior review.
Program Evaluators will generally be selected on the basis of program to be considered, from a list of qualified evaluator by the BAETE.
The evaluation of an Interim Report provided by an institution in response to an Interim Report action will be performed by the Team Chair of the visiting team with the help of his team members.
An evaluation team may include observers at the discretion of the Team Chair and the institution.
A Draft Statement to the institution will be prepared for each evaluation conducted. This statement should contain a distinct section for each program evaluated. A Draft Statement will be provided to the unsuccessful institutions. The institution will have an opportunity to submit a due process response to this draft statement. The draft statement will be revised to correct errors in fact or observation and any other information provided by the institution prior to the accreditation action. This revised statement will be the Final Statement to the institution.
The statement to the institution will generally include statements of the following types:
Statements of fact - example: This program has five full-time faculty members whose primary commitment is to the program.
Statements of compliance - example: The curriculum satisfies the applicable criteria.
Statements of concern - A concern indicates that a program currently satisfies a criterion; however, the potential exists for the situation to change such that the criterion may not be satisfied.
Statements of weakness - exampleA weakness indicates that a program lacks the strength of compliance with a criterion to ensure that the quality of the program will not be compromised. Therefore, remedial action is required to strengthen compliance with the criterion prior to the next evaluation.
Statements of deficiency - A deficiency indicates that a criterion is not satisfied. Therefore, the program is not in compliance with the criteria.
Statements of observation -An observation is a comment or suggestion which does not relate directly to the criteria being used for evaluation but is offered to assist the institution in its continuing efforts to improve its programs.
The institution will have a fourteen-day period following the visit in which to respond to feedback provided by the evaluation team to the institution during the visit.
Each visiting team is selected, on the basis of the programs to be considered, from lists of qualified evaluators provided by BAETE.
The team's factual findings are presented orally to the institution's chief executive officer or designee and such faculty personnel as he or she wishes to assemble. The opportunity is presented at this time for the correction of factual errors in the team's observations.
The visiting team reports its preliminary findings and recommendations in writing to the appropriate Sectorial Committee for editing and transmission to the BAETE (the Board). A Draft Statement will be prepared by the visiting team and submitted for review to the unsuccessful institution on approval of the Sectorial Committee. The resulting Final Statement will be submitted for review by the full membership of BAETE.
Between the time of the visit and the meeting of the Sectorial Committee, the responsible administrative officer of the institution may submit to the Committee any supplemental information which he or she believes may be useful to the Committee in its consideration and appraisal of the visiting team's report. With reference to formal responses from institutions to the Draft Statements, the Committee will retain a flexible attitude but, in general, will base its accreditation actions on the status of the respective programs at the time of the on-site visit The primary purpose of the response is to correct errors of fact or observation that were made at the time of the visit. Shortcomings existing at the time of the visit are considered to have been corrected only when the correction or revision has been made effective during the year of the visit and is substantiated by official documents signed by the responsible administrative officers. Where action has been initiated to correct a problem but has not yet taken full effect, or where only indications of good intent are given, the effectiveness of the corrective action, e.g,, such as the employment of a new faculty member, the addition of new course work, the provision of additional funding or new equipment, must be evaluated by the appropriate Committee at the time of the next scheduled visit or interim report.
Such matters of broad institutional function as administration, student personnel services, library, arts and sciences, etc., are considered only with respect to services rendered to the programs being evaluated and are reviewed with different emphasis within institutions with regional accreditation versus those without such accreditation. When an institution not holding regional accreditation is visited, these areas are examined in depth within BAETE policy.
The final decision on accreditation rests with the BAETE, which acts on the recommendations made to it by the visiting team, the Sectorial Committee and on consideration of the institution's response to the Draft Statement or, in the case of actions based on Interim Reports, on the institution's report.
Accreditation of a program is granted for a specific period, usually two or six years. The term of accreditation is subject to review for cause at any time during the period of accreditation.
Accreditation is granted if current conditions are judged to be meeting or exceeding the minimum requirements. If, for any reason, the future of a program appears precarious or definite weaknesses exist, the accreditation will be granted for a shorter period, usually two years. Factors which might limit the period of accreditation include uncertainty as to financial status, uncertainty due to nature of administrative organization, a need for addition to or improvement in staff or equipment, a new or changing curriculum, undue dependence on a single individual, etc.
If an evaluation indicates that the future of a program appears precarious or that definite weaknesses or deficiencies exit, accreditation may be granted for a shorter period of time followed by an interim review.