Impact of the Application of International Quality Processes on Engineering Education at Universities in Sri Lanka
Publication: Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 138, Issue 3
Abstract
Globally, the delivery of engineering degree programs and accreditation processes for benchmarking the quality of engineering education have been improved with introduction of the Washington Accord. This paper highlights the overview of engineering education conducted by the national universities in Sri Lanka and the impacts of the application of international quality processes on their delivery. Currently, three national universities offer highly competitive engineering education in Sri Lanka—the University of Peradeniya, the University of Moratuwa, and the University of Ruhuna. The University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL) have been working together with these universities to assure the relevance and the quality of engineering education. After the Washington Accord, several notable actions have been employed to ensure quality engineering education, including the institutional and subject reviews carried out between 2005 and 2009 by UGC, the introduction of an improved accreditation process in 2006, and the initiatives towards international recognition by IESL in 2007. As a result, IESL currently holds provisional status in the Washington Accord and has become a member of the Engineering Mobility Forum.
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Acknowledgments
The author thanks Prof. Ron Ayers, Prof. David Dowling, and A/Prof. John Worden of the Faculty of Engineering and Surveying, University of Southern Queensland, Australia for their valuable comments and particularly for their help in reviewing this manuscript.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 138 • Issue 3 • July 2012
Pages: 193 - 197
Copyright
© 2012. American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 10, 2011
Accepted: Oct 3, 2011
Published online: Oct 6, 2011
Published in print: Jul 1, 2012
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