Improving Quality Assurance with CDIO Self-Evaluation

Abstract

The main goal of the Nordic project Quality Assurance in Higher Education was to develop and implement a self-evaluation model in the participating Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) to support their quality assurance work and continuous curriculum development. Furthermore, the project aimed at strengthening the cooperation of HEIs in quality assurance (QA) and disseminating good practices of QA. The framework of development is based on the CDIO approach and the CDIO self-evaluation process. The main results are a detailed definition of the self-evaluation process, well-documented self-evaluations of the participating degree programmes, and the identification of the main development areas and actions in each participating degree programme. Furthermore, the project has increased the partners’ understanding of other partners and their challenges. Finally, quality assurance has been enhanced in each participating programme and new ideas and support for quality assurance work in other higher education institutes have been produced.

The CDIO-FCDI-FFCD Rubrics for Evaluation of Three-Cycle Engineering Programs

“…The degree of compliance of three-cycle engineering programs with the CDIO/FCDI/ FFCD Standard 1 is determined with the use of a 6-point scale based on the criteria presented in the Rubric (Table 3). Similar Rubrics (Tables 6, 8, 10,12,14,16,18,20,22,24,26) are used to determine the degree of compliance of three-cycle engineering programs with other standards (Tables 4, 7,9,11,13,15,17,19,21,23,25). There is a documented evidence that the CDIO/FCDI/FFCD principle is the context of the Bachelor/Master/ Doctor program and is implemented in all years of the program 3…”

“…Some of them actively use the CDIO Standards for the modernization of engineering programs and share their experience with foreign colleagues [4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. Universities that implement the CDIO Standards use Rubrics both for self-evaluation of the programs as a whole and for selfassessment of the curriculum elements ensuring the achievement of intended learning outcomes by students [11][12][13][14][15].…”

Collaborative quality enhancement in engineering education: an overview of operational models at a programme level

“…In 2009, four Scandinavian universities decided to use self-evaluation to promote deep formative collaboration. The collaboration initiated an international Quality Assurance in Higher Education project (Kontio et al 2012). This project focused specifically on self-evaluation.…”

Using accreditation criteria for collaborative quality enhancement

“…In previous projects [29,30] a closed group of institutions have self-evaluated and been paired. The sharing of good practice has thus been based solely on the two institutions participating in the cross-sparring.…”