25 November 2018 – Member News www.theiet.org/volunteers Meet two of the IET’s international accreditors... Dik Morling Dik Morling retired from his role as Head of the Department of Engineering at the University of Westminster five years ago. But he hasn’t put his feet up. He is often called upon as an IET volunteer accreditor and accreditation advisor, principally in India. Following an initial review (a paper exercise), any HE institution new to IET accreditation will receive an advisory visit, to help it prepare for accreditation. As an accreditation advisor, Dik interacts closely with HE providers’ staff in India, effectively becoming their “critical friend”. “I encourage them to move away from the chalk-and-talk approach, where students simply learn and then regurgitate facts in exams,” he said. “Today’s engineering students must be able to applythosefacts,analyse,becreativeandmake decisions. I emphasise that HE providers must keep developing and improving their courses, incorporatingthelatestengineeringdevelopments and teaching approaches, to improve students’ overall learning experience. I also make it clear that all accredited programmes must cover the ethical, environmental and societal responsibilities of a professional engineer.” Sean Wellington Sean Wellington is Associate Dean – Strategy and Development in the Faculty of Technology, Design and Environment at Oxford Brookes University. He has been volunteering in a variety of roles for more than 20 years, including as an IET academic accreditor since 2003. “I have been involved in many IET accreditation assessment visits, including in Oman, UAE, Trinidad and Tobago, Mauritius and Singapore,” said Sean. “The staff at the IET are very supportive – they handle all the logistics and work closely with the overseas HE providers to make sure all submissions arrive on time. “Typically, the assessment panel for an international visit includes two or three academic accreditors. We do a huge amount of preparatory work ahead of the visit: reviewing documentation, collectively identifying the areas we’ll need to explore and preparing a detailed agenda for discussion. “During the accreditation visit, we spend two or three days at the university, meeting students, academic staff and employer representatives, to find out more about the programme we’re assessing. We also look at samples of staff work and major projects. “It’s very important for us to maintain an open mind, because although the university we’re assessing may be doing something different from the norm, it could well be that this aspect of the course is entirely appropriate. “The fundamental question, of course, is whether or not graduates from the course achieve the learning outcomes defined in the Engineering Council’s AHEP [Accreditation of HE Programmes] standard.” Katherine Bunting, IET Academic Accreditation Manager, said: “Accreditation is such a vital part of how the IET can help shape the engineers of tomorrow. Without the dedication and expertise of our volunteer accreditors this activity would not be possible. As engineering continues to develop more and more into an international industry, the IET is seeing a growth in demand for international accreditation. This enables us to help lead curriculum development and ensure engineering academic standards are maintained around the world.” To find out more about academic accreditation by the IET, please visit www.theiet.org/ac-accreditation Professor Sean Wellington CEng FIET (left) and Professor Dik Morling on a trip to Chennai, India, in August IET accreditation is a globally recognised and highly respected benchmark. It is awarded to higher education (HE) programmes offering a high-quality learning experience that equips students with the appropriate skills and knowledge for a successful engineering career. This quality assurance process contributes to the engineering sector worldwide, helping to drive economic development and growth. We asked two experienced IET volunteers to explain how their international accreditation activities are helping to increase the flow of highly capable graduates entering the engineering sector.