M. Shahidul Hassan

We live in an era of rapidly advancing technology and unpredictable job markets. The influence of artificial intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of Things (IoT), and 3D printing is profoundly transforming industries, businesses, services, and everyday life. This technology-dominated society underscores the urgent need for a highly qualified educated populace with generic (employable) skills more than ever before. Consequently, the responsibilities of engineers have expanded into new territories. Engineering applies scientific and technological discoveries to design and improve structures, machines, and systems, blending creativity, critical thinking, innovation, and problem-solving to address challenges and enhance life. The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is fundamentally different from the previous three industrial revolutions, demanding a new set of skills and knowledge for engineering employment.

To address the current needs of graduates, William Spade proposed a new educational model known as Outcome-Based Education (OBE). This model, which emphasises the results of education rather than the process, gained widespread adoption in universities abroad, replacing the Input-Based Traditional Education (TE). OBE shifts the focus from the teaching process to the learning outcomes, highlighting what students are expected to achieve by the end of their educational journey. In TE, universities provide qualified teachers, state-of-the-art classrooms, laboratories, and well-equipped libraries, expecting students to learn and pass examinations successfully. In TE, there is no system to assess whether students acquire employable skills. TE follows a teacher-centred approach, where the course teacher is the primary source of information, relying heavily on lectures, memorisation, and rote learning. In contrast, OBE adopts a student-centred approach, focusing on achieving specific learning outcomes, skills, and competencies. While still providing quality resources and infrastructure, universities under the OBE framework emphasise facilitating learning and supporting students in achieving outcomes. Students actively participate in their education, engaging with the material and demonstrating their competencies through various assessments. While examinations are still used to assess knowledge and skill acquisition, OBE strongly recommends projects, internships, open-ended tasks, and capstone projects. By prioritising outcomes, universities aim to better prepare students for the complexities of the modern world, ensuring they possess the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in their careers and personal lives.

International accreditation bodies accept Outcome-Based Education (OBE) as a criterion for evaluating engineering programmes. Numerous international accreditation bodies exist, including the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ), New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA), European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), Accreditation Board for Engineering Education of Korea (ABEEK), Engineering Australia, and the National Board of Accreditation of India. In the USA, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) is a non-profit quality assurance organisation focused on college, university, and professional programmes in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines. By recognising the substantial equivalency of accredited undergraduate programmes, the Washington Accord facilitates mutual recognition of graduates’ academic qualifications, allowing them to meet the entry requirements for engineering practice in any signatory jurisdiction. Membership in the Washington Accord signifies international recognition of a country’s quality of undergraduate engineering education and serves as a pathway to global standards.

The Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) has made a commendable effort to connect with the global engineering community. In 2003, IEB established the Board of Accreditation for Engineering and Technical Education (BAETE) as a non-profit independent body to accredit undergraduate engineering programmes offered by both public and private universities. From its inception, the visionary members of the board and IEB leaders have diligently worked towards achieving international recognition for BAETE as an accreditation body. To attain full signatory status with the Washington Accord (WA), BAETE resolved to accredit programmes based on OBE and adopted OBE in 2017, integrating the twelve Washington Graduate Attributes into its accreditation manual. Notably, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has recently urged universities to adopt OBE for both engineering and non-engineering programmes. This significant shift can be attributed to BAETE’s influential role in persuading universities to embrace OBE, particularly in their engineering programmes.

After years of dedicated effort and coordinated initiatives, BAETE qualified to submit a self-assessment report to the International Engineering Alliance on September 14, 2021, for consideration as a full signatory of the Washington Accord. On June 12, 2024, during the International Engineering Alliance Meetings, IEB-BAETE was formally inducted into the Washington Accord. This prestigious recognition will undoubtedly encourage universities to implement OBE by understanding and embracing its core principles.

Universities in Bangladesh continue to rely on traditional lecture-based teaching. To foster life-long learning and skill acquisition, they need to adopt alternative methods such as project-based and problem-based learning, flipped classrooms, and experiential learning. Without these changes, universities will struggle to instil generic skills, critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, entrepreneurship, communication skills, and innovation in their students. Universities must review and update their curricula to enhance students’ knowledge in technology and skill acquisition.

Now, any engineering programme accredited by BAETE, IEB holds more value both nationally and internationally as BAETE is a full signatory of the Washington Accord. It is hoped that universities in Bangladesh will take the responsibility of updating their curricula and introducing alternative teaching methods.

_____________________________________

The writer is Former Professor, BUET and Member of BAETE, IEB.

Email: [email protected]