Resumen de The role of accreditation in promoting quality assurance of technical education
This paper first examines the nature and scope of quality, and the different perceptions aboutquality, particularly as it applies to engineering education. The factors promoting quality intechnical institutions are briefly reviewed, and the requirements of and expectations from engineersand engineering administrators in order to face the challenges of the next millennium areenumerated. Beginning with the pioneering efforts of ABET, USA, accreditation has establisheditself worldwide as the principal mechanism for quality assurance in technical education, and moreand more countries are coming under the umbrella of the Washington Accord. The majordifferences between accreditation and recognition, in the Indian context, are brought out.Accreditation involves a two-stage process, self-assessment and peer evaluation; the essentialcharacteristics of each are highlighted. Some recent ABET initiatives and Indian experiences arediscussed
