On-line Quality Assurance and EUR-ACE Accreditation of Engineering Programmes in Mediterranean Area

MEDACCR aims at setting up and implementing an on-line Quality Assurance (QA) and an accreditation system of Engineering Study Programmes (ESPs) in the Mediterranean Area, and more precisely in Algeria, Jordan and Tunisia, consistent with the EUR-ACE Framework Standards and Guidelines (EAFSG), also in order to promote transparency and comparability of the ESPs of the Partner Countries (PCs) at national and international level.Accreditation will be subordinated to the fulfilment of the same conditions required for the award of the EUR ACE label: consistency of the programme learning outcomes (PLOs) with the EUR-ACE programme outcomes and implementation of an effective QA system consistent with the ESG.Main steps and outputs, results and/or products of the first year of activity will be:- definition of Standards and Guidelines for the Accreditation of PCs’ ESPs (SGAESP) in English and French;- design and production of the software for the on-line documentation of the ESPs’ QA;- identification and training of the academic and administrative staff of the ESPs to be accredited;- identification/creation of national accreditation agencies for the EUR-ACE accreditation of ESPs.The second year will be devoted to the definition of the accreditation process and procedures, training of the assessors of the national accreditation agencies and carrying out of trial accreditations of the involved ESPs.Revision of the accreditation material, process and procedures on the base of the results of the trial accreditations and EUR-ACE accreditation of the involved ESPs will be the main activities of the third and last year.Trial and EUR-ACE accreditations will be carried out jointly by EU authorized agencies partners of the project and national accreditation agencies.The impact envisaged is the promotion of the EUR-ACE accreditation of PCs’ ESPs, thanks also to the recognition/recommendation of EUR-ACE accreditation at national level by Ministries of Higher Education.