Case Study – UCC

1. Case Study – UCC Accred: BE degree in Civil Engineering QA: Dept of Civil & Environmental Eng

2. J Philip O’kane PhD CEng Professor of Civil Engineering (1845) Head of Department of Civil & Env Eng Former Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, UCC and NUI

3. In 2000 Combined QA & Accred With Elec Eng • IEI recommendations for continued accreditation of our 3rd level degree • Up-grade labs! • Reported under-resourcing to Dept of E&Sc in 2 ex 25 • Strategic plan 2000-2005, on our own! • UCC QA Office not satisified with combination • No self-assessment • No QA of 4th or 5th levels

4. In Last Week of May 2005 Back-to-back QA & Accred • Separated from Elec & Microelectronic Eng • IEI • Red book! • UCC QA office • Stable procedures • All QA docs on the UCC intranet!

5. IEI Accred in Late May 2005 • Red book - 2004! • Training to meet the red book – oct 2004 • Chair of accred panel at CIT – jan 2005 • Chair of accred panel at NUIG – mar 2005 • Accred of IEI by washington accord • Univ of missouri at rolla • Univ of newfoundland at st. Johns • Univ of hong kong • Success!

6. IEI Accred in Late May 2005 • Deadline for submission of docs • mid April 2005 • Begin • January 6 • Declare emergency • Engage with the process • Run as fast as possible • Aim to set the national standard! • Relational database of docs • Deliver both hardcopy and CD • Useful for other purposes • our website, recruiting new staff and students, publicity …

7. Contents of CD ROM, now on our website!

8. Structure of Documentation.doc • This folder contains the following sub-folders. • MainDocument –main accreditation document and appendix G. • NavigationalTool – this folder contains three sub-folders. YearMatrices with the learning modules on a year by year basis. LearningOutcomesMatrices - with programme areas y-by-y basis.BookofModules - all the module descriptions. • MultimediaHomoFaber virtual exhibition and supporting • Academic Papers on curriculum.

9. Working backwards from final year, each year matrix shows how modules CE4001, CE4002 … deliver all 6 programme outcomes in the six learning areas. For example, the learning outcomes for module CE4001 determine the hits in the matrix below. Each module entry is hot-linked to the book of modules.

10. YearMatrix for final year

11. LearningOutcomeMatrix

12. The four Books of Modules

13. CE4001

14. CE4001

15. CE4001

16. CE4001

17. Textbooks - mandatory Johnston, S., Gostelow, P., Jones, E. and Fourikis, R. ENGINEERING AND SOCIETY An Australian Perspective. ISBN 0 06 312145 X. Harper Educational, Pymble, NSW. 1995. Venables, J. Communication Skills for Engineers and Scientists ISBN 0852954557. Institution of Chemical Engineers, London. 2002

18. Web sites http://www.irishplanninginstitute.ie/index.jsp http://www.pleanala.ie/conduct.html http://www.umsl.edu/~rkeel/280/soconstr.html http://www.iei.ie/ethics/codeofethics.pasp Related texts Engineering and Society Ferguson, Eugene S. Engineering and the Mind’s Eye ISBN 0-262-06147-3. MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass. 1993. Latour, Bruno Science in Action – How to follow Engineers and Scientists through Society. ISBN 0-674-79291-2. Harvard University Press. 1987.

20. The QA Exercise All staff elect a Chair who is not the Professorial Head of Department. All staff elect a small committee for the QA exercise. The HOD is a member of the committee.

21. Staff, student, graduate and employer Questionnaires • The primary objective is to enable the gathering of views on all aspects of the work of the department and, in particular, any suggestions for improvement. Self-assessment!

22. Benchmarking • Within ireland • None relevant! • Position not accepted by the QA office • Asked the professorial head to do it • Outside ireland • RAE procedure in the UK • Extern examiners from MIT • Professor of structural engineering from the TU helsinki

23. Chair of Dept QA Committee • Writes the internal QA report • New mission statement • Summary of self-assessment reports • Recommendations • Primary document for external QA panel

24. Accred and QA Exercises • Complementary • Best done back-to-back • Prepare in 2.5 months • Defend in 1 week • Use IT for maximum continuity • Accred far more significant than QA • Problem of credibility of recommendations

25. The Dialectic of the Universities • Contradictions • Must balance the books • Cannot charge undergraduate fees • State grant in decline • Must pay national wage agreements • Non-EU students pay fees and displace Irish students

26. The Dialectic of the Universities • Contradictions • Professors must • Lead academically • Follow Governing Body • Not show independence of thought & action • Not mention ethics • Raise money to balance the books

27. In a room under the standsof the University of Chicago's sport stadium. Enrico Fermi [1901-1954]

28. A small neutron source was placed on the floor. Then more and more graphite pieces were put on it, all of which contained a little uranium ball. Control rods of cadmium were inserted to absorb neutrons. It went critical – chain reaction of slow neutrons – December 2, 1942 Health & Safety?

29. The "suicide squad", with borated water filled pails SCRAM, "Safety Control Reserve Axed Man". The “great and good”