Title: Continual improvement assessments based on the ABET accreditation process: overcome challenges implementing the management system

Authors: Abdel-Rahman Al-Qawasmi; Abdullah Almuhaisen; Iskander Tlili

Addresses: Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering, Majmaah University, Al-Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia ' Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering, Majmaah University, Al-Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia ' Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, Majmaah University, Al-Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia

Abstract: Reducing the unemployment rate, achieving economic growth and bridging the gaps between industries' needs and engineering graduate skills, are the three long-term drivers of engineering education performance which are becoming gradually competitive. To overcome the engineering education weakness issue, different approaches are being considered including programs accreditation to have the greatest potential within engineering education. Recently, decision makers and researchers reconsider assessment and improving engineering accreditation process using different management tools. In this study, a new management material based on quality standard of National Commission for Academic Accreditation and Assessment (NCAAA) and Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) was developed and tested. Results have shown a noteworthy improvement on the performance of faculty assessment courses and on the overall quality process. The present work demonstrates that the proposed quality management system (QMS) contributes to a substantial decrease of waste of time made by a faculty member to organise and assess their course along the entire semester and an increasing percentage in around 60% of faculty members involved in continuous quality improvement through proposed QMS.

Keywords: quality management system; QMS; assessment and improvement; student learning outcomes; SLO; key performance indicator; KPI; articulation matrix; courses outcomes; ABET.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCEELL.2021.118295

International Journal of Continuing Engineering Education and Life-Long Learning, 2021 Vol.31 No.4, pp.501 - 516

Received: 13 Jan 2019
Accepted: 18 Nov 2019
Published online: 20 Oct 2021 *

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