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.