Supported by the USAID-sponsored BUILD-IT Alliance, three U.S. accreditation specialists experienced in ABET evaluation visited two of BUILD-IT’s academic partners to conduct practice evaluations. A practice evaluation is a crucial step on a university’s path to accreditation, as it gives the departments’ staff experience complying with experienced program evaluators. The insights uncovered from the practice evaluations will guide the universities’ preparations for actual evaluations in the coming year.
Practice Evaluation Kicks off at IUH
At Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City (IUH) the follow-up practice evaluation visit focused on six ABET-targeted computing and engineering technology programs. Throughout the two-day visit the US-based academics leading the evaluation reviewed IUH’s preparedness for a real evaluation and prescribed proactive measures to assure that their six programs meet ABET’s quality standards. The evaluators inspected the evidence IUH shared in its ABET self-study and will prepare a report detailing how IUH’s departments can meet ABET’s expectations. Closing two full days of inquiry, IUH’s new rector affirmed their commitment to achieve ABET accreditation and set out to follow the experts’ recommendations. Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City is preparing for their anticipated official ABET visit in the fall of 2020.
Traveling on to Dong Nai province, the experts led a 2-day initial program consultation at Lac Hong University. Assessing two programs’ ABET preparedness, the experts conducted interviews with Lac Hong University’s industry partners and alumni to decipher the programs’ ability to meet local industries’ needs. After reviewing Lac Hong University’s self-study reports, the visiting experts encouraged the two programs to push forward on all criteria; especially continuous improvement processes. To drive home the university’s efforts to become ABET accredited, BUILD-IT offered to bring the evaluators back to Lac Hong University for a follow-up visit in May 2020.
BUILD-IT is eager to support these universities as they move the needle on program quality through ABET recognition. To learn more about the USAID BUILD-IT Alliance’s efforts to transform Vietnamese higher engineering education follow us on Facebook and https://builditvietnam.org/
ABET experts review automation lab at LHU
Why is ABET important?
ABET accreditation assures confidence that a collegiate program has met standards essential to prepare graduates to enter critical STEM fields in the global workforce. Graduates from an ABET-accredited program have a solid educational foundation and are capable of leading the way in innovation, emerging technologies, and in anticipating the welfare and safety needs of the public. For more on ABET accreditation please read on at https://www.abet.org/accreditation/