The Academy of Sciences of I. R. of IranIranian Journal of Engineering Education1607-2316135020110901Global movement for engineering education accreditationGlobal movement for engineering education accreditation13170610.22047/ijee.2011.706FAHossen MemarianProfessor of Geo- Engineering, College of Engineerings, University of TehranJournal Article20110502Engineering is an international activity, thus engineering education should be considered as an international affair as well. From the beginning of the present century, progression of engineers outside their own country, study of higher education or finding jobs, has stood out as an undeniable fact. With this taken into consideration, the education acquired by engineering students should have a minimum standard. During the last two decades, an international movement has been established for the review of engineering education, accreditation of its outcomes, and making the accreditation systems in different countries converge to a more or less unique standard. A common element in almost all these systems is shifting the education focus from education inputs (what the university presents) to education outputs or outcomes (what the students have acquired). Therefore, a list of minimum outcomes expected from an engineering graduate has been determined. In addition to having the necessary knowledge in mathematics, sciences and engineering fundamentals, ability to design and execute engineering operations, the list also emphasizes on the skills such as effective communication and teamwork, and positive attitude toward constant education and professional ethics. Agreement on the basic outcomes of engineering education has provided the essential basis for achieving a homogenous accreditation model in the international level. In the present paper, after a review of engineering education accreditation procedures in various countries and in the international level, suggestions to promote Iran’s place in this international movement are proposed.Engineering is an international activity, thus engineering education should be considered as an international affair as well. From the beginning of the present century, progression of engineers outside their own country, study of higher education or finding jobs, has stood out as an undeniable fact. With this taken into consideration, the education acquired by engineering students should have a minimum standard. During the last two decades, an international movement has been established for the review of engineering education, accreditation of its outcomes, and making the accreditation systems in different countries converge to a more or less unique standard. A common element in almost all these systems is shifting the education focus from education inputs (what the university presents) to education outputs or outcomes (what the students have acquired). Therefore, a list of minimum outcomes expected from an engineering graduate has been determined. In addition to having the necessary knowledge in mathematics, sciences and engineering fundamentals, ability to design and execute engineering operations, the list also emphasizes on the skills such as effective communication and teamwork, and positive attitude toward constant education and professional ethics. Agreement on the basic outcomes of engineering education has provided the essential basis for achieving a homogenous accreditation model in the international level. In the present paper, after a review of engineering education accreditation procedures in various countries and in the international level, suggestions to promote Iran’s place in this international movement are proposed.The Academy of Sciences of I. R. of IranIranian Journal of Engineering Education1607-2316135020110901Accreditation process of Iran’s engineering education programsAccreditation process of Iran’s engineering education programs336170710.22047/ijee.2011.707FAHossen MemarianProfessor of Geo-Engineering,College of Engineering, University of TehranJournal Article20110502Professional ability can be considered as a complex relationship between the three concepts of knowledge, skill, and attitude. Therefore, an engineering education program should educate graduates, who in addition to having enough knowledge of engineering concepts, also have skill and ability in communication, teamwork, self-learning and have the right attitude toward the social, economical, and environmental contents of engineering and continuous education. In order to assess the graduates’ preparedness to encounter the realities of the job market, every engineering education program, in addition to its defined objectives, should have a system for assessment of the program’s outcomes; i.e., to what extent those objectives were fulfilled. In Iran, despite the considerable increase in the number of educational institutions and diversity of course programs within the last two decades, a similar attention has not been paid to the independent assessment of educational programs and their products, i.e., the graduates. Following the establishment of the Engineering Education Association of Iran in 2009, executing a mechanism for accreditation of Iran’s engineering education programs became a priority in the action plan. With this mindset, the Organization for Accreditation of Iran’s Engineering Education is founded. The target accreditation process of this organization consists of two phases of internal and external assessment. Internal assessment is conducted by the educational institution and according to the predefined criteria. External assessment is conducted by the accreditation organization, and measures the amount of engineering education outcomes and program’s quality improvement with the consideration of the internal assessment report. This paper presents a mechanism for the execution of the accreditation process of Iran’s engineering education programs, including internal and external assessments.Professional ability can be considered as a complex relationship between the three concepts of knowledge, skill, and attitude. Therefore, an engineering education program should educate graduates, who in addition to having enough knowledge of engineering concepts, also have skill and ability in communication, teamwork, self-learning and have the right attitude toward the social, economical, and environmental contents of engineering and continuous education. In order to assess the graduates’ preparedness to encounter the realities of the job market, every engineering education program, in addition to its defined objectives, should have a system for assessment of the program’s outcomes; i.e., to what extent those objectives were fulfilled. In Iran, despite the considerable increase in the number of educational institutions and diversity of course programs within the last two decades, a similar attention has not been paid to the independent assessment of educational programs and their products, i.e., the graduates. Following the establishment of the Engineering Education Association of Iran in 2009, executing a mechanism for accreditation of Iran’s engineering education programs became a priority in the action plan. With this mindset, the Organization for Accreditation of Iran’s Engineering Education is founded. The target accreditation process of this organization consists of two phases of internal and external assessment. Internal assessment is conducted by the educational institution and according to the predefined criteria. External assessment is conducted by the accreditation organization, and measures the amount of engineering education outcomes and program’s quality improvement with the consideration of the internal assessment report. This paper presents a mechanism for the execution of the accreditation process of Iran’s engineering education programs, including internal and external assessments.The Academy of Sciences of I. R. of IranIranian Journal of Engineering Education1607-2316135020110901Quality culture and its role in achieving desirable universities PerformanceQuality culture and its role in achieving desirable universities Performance637270810.22047/ijee.2011.708FAAbbas BazarganProfessor,University of TehranJournal Article20110623Quality culture, which is a sub-set of organizational culture, helps continuous quality enhancement. As such, quality culture at the university level, is defined as a collection of beliefs, attitudes, values and norms that academic members ,managers and administrators share; and common activities that they participate in to achieve university’s quality assurance. Quality culture is composed of two aspects: (a) psychological/ cultural, (b) structural / official processes for quality improvement. Psychological aspect of quality culture may be considered at the individual and collective level. Furthermore, official processes for quality improvement includes : definition of quality , modeling, constructing /selecting measuring instruments, data collection and analysis, quality judgment, preparing reports and finally acting upon the changes towards improving and quality assurance. Based on the above, this article first reviews the sort of beliefs, values, attitudes, and expectations that academic members, managers and administrators of a university should share and common activities that they are supposed to participate in, at the university level, in order to achieve continuous quality improvement. In the second part of the article, the need for apprehension of quality by academic members and their commitments towards quality education and research at the departmental level, through internal quality assessment and external quality assurance are discussed. Furthermore, the structural /managerial aspect of quality culture is analyzed. Finally, the processes of propagating quality culture at the university level, with emphasis on engineering departments, are considered.Quality culture, which is a sub-set of organizational culture, helps continuous quality enhancement. As such, quality culture at the university level, is defined as a collection of beliefs, attitudes, values and norms that academic members ,managers and administrators share; and common activities that they participate in to achieve university’s quality assurance. Quality culture is composed of two aspects: (a) psychological/ cultural, (b) structural / official processes for quality improvement. Psychological aspect of quality culture may be considered at the individual and collective level. Furthermore, official processes for quality improvement includes : definition of quality , modeling, constructing /selecting measuring instruments, data collection and analysis, quality judgment, preparing reports and finally acting upon the changes towards improving and quality assurance. Based on the above, this article first reviews the sort of beliefs, values, attitudes, and expectations that academic members, managers and administrators of a university should share and common activities that they are supposed to participate in, at the university level, in order to achieve continuous quality improvement. In the second part of the article, the need for apprehension of quality by academic members and their commitments towards quality education and research at the departmental level, through internal quality assessment and external quality assurance are discussed. Furthermore, the structural /managerial aspect of quality culture is analyzed. Finally, the processes of propagating quality culture at the university level, with emphasis on engineering departments, are considered.The Academy of Sciences of I. R. of IranIranian Journal of Engineering Education1607-2316135020110901Teaching – learning specifications in higher educationTeaching – learning specifications in higher education739070910.22047/ijee.2011.709FASana SafariPhD Higher Education Management,Shahid Beheshti UniversityJournal Article20110816Higher education institutions confront many chances and challenges like increasing expectations on quality of higher education programs, economic and social conditions, technology changes, student population mobility and changeable paradigms in teaching and learning methods. These issues challenge the traditional methods of academic society. In this context, there is an obvious need for improvement of performance of faculty members. Engineering education emphasize on acquisition of knowledge rather than paying attention to the development of skills and attitudes. Improvement of faculty members performance not only needs expertise in special scientific field but also knowing other skills like learning psychology, evaluation methods, managing and organizing educational processes and so on. In this paper, based on research results, the following questions were answered: 1- what is the concept of teaching and learning? 2- What are the components of teaching – learning process? 3- How much is the significance of components in teaching – learning process?Higher education institutions confront many chances and challenges like increasing expectations on quality of higher education programs, economic and social conditions, technology changes, student population mobility and changeable paradigms in teaching and learning methods. These issues challenge the traditional methods of academic society. In this context, there is an obvious need for improvement of performance of faculty members. Engineering education emphasize on acquisition of knowledge rather than paying attention to the development of skills and attitudes. Improvement of faculty members performance not only needs expertise in special scientific field but also knowing other skills like learning psychology, evaluation methods, managing and organizing educational processes and so on. In this paper, based on research results, the following questions were answered: 1- what is the concept of teaching and learning? 2- What are the components of teaching – learning process? 3- How much is the significance of components in teaching – learning process?The Academy of Sciences of I. R. of IranIranian Journal of Engineering Education1607-2316135020110901Investigating difficulties and challenges of university administrators in developing academic branches and increasing research quality and productivity at industrial and non industrial universities(a qualitative study)Investigating difficulties and challenges of university administrators in developing academic branches and increasing research quality and productivity at industrial and non industrial universities(a qualitative study)9110371010.22047/ijee.2011.710FAMohammad Hassan PardakhtchiAssociate professor, Higher Education Management, Shahid Beheshti UniversityAkbar Faraji ArmakiPh.D Student, Higher Education Management , Shahid Beheshti UniversitySaeed HasanzadehPh.D Student, System and Productivity Engineering, Science and Industry UniversityJournal Article20111102Globalization and knowledge-oriented economic development have brought about basic changes in the structure and responsibilities of higher education all over the world. The value of nations mostly depends on their easily accessibility to the management and government rather than material resources. Effective education causes the improvement of scientific foundation; therefore, it plays a significant role in the future development. The strategic thought makes the organizations ready to confront and conform to future conditions successfully. The strategic programs would give a clear picture of moving from the status quo to more favorable situation and provide a better understanding of the environment. So it helps the organization perform more effectively. Thus, it is important to evaluate the organization competitive environment and its strategic position in the strategic planning. The university inputs are finance, building, equipment, program, facilities and human resources and its process includes education, research and providing services, keeping and transferring cultural heritage and technology; its outputs are experts and specialists in innovation, invention, scientific discoveries, production and expansion of knowledge boundaries. However, it does not prepare the effective research conditions because of the inefficiency of academic systems for better output. The old tradition of writing pamphlets is governing the educational system and because of the lack of a well-organized system and wrong policies, university environment is changing into a traditional educational one without productivity. This qualitative research was conducted through structured interviews with experts. Its aim was to identify barriers of effective academic planning and quality and productivity.Globalization and knowledge-oriented economic development have brought about basic changes in the structure and responsibilities of higher education all over the world. The value of nations mostly depends on their easily accessibility to the management and government rather than material resources. Effective education causes the improvement of scientific foundation; therefore, it plays a significant role in the future development. The strategic thought makes the organizations ready to confront and conform to future conditions successfully. The strategic programs would give a clear picture of moving from the status quo to more favorable situation and provide a better understanding of the environment. So it helps the organization perform more effectively. Thus, it is important to evaluate the organization competitive environment and its strategic position in the strategic planning. The university inputs are finance, building, equipment, program, facilities and human resources and its process includes education, research and providing services, keeping and transferring cultural heritage and technology; its outputs are experts and specialists in innovation, invention, scientific discoveries, production and expansion of knowledge boundaries. However, it does not prepare the effective research conditions because of the inefficiency of academic systems for better output. The old tradition of writing pamphlets is governing the educational system and because of the lack of a well-organized system and wrong policies, university environment is changing into a traditional educational one without productivity. This qualitative research was conducted through structured interviews with experts. Its aim was to identify barriers of effective academic planning and quality and productivity.The Academy of Sciences of I. R. of IranIranian Journal of Engineering Education1607-2316135020110901Scientific status of Iran: case study of industrial engineering research (based on articles indexed in international scientific databases)Scientific status of Iran: case study of industrial engineering research (based on articles indexed in international scientific databases)10512271110.22047/ijee.2011.711FAMohammad Reza Zare BenadkokiMSc,in Industrial Engineering , Information Center, Yazd University0000-0002-6010-7892Mohammad Saleh OwliaAssociate Professor of Industrial Engineering , Yazd UniversityJournal Article20110308Industrial engineering is one of the relatively new fields among engineering disciplines which has developed during recent years. This is true for Iran as well and this discipline has rapidly grown during the last decade. Studying the status of Iran regarding Industrial Engineering could facilitate identifying appropriate strategies for its future consideration. For this purpose, 87150 papers related to industrial engineering, published in the recent 50 years, were selected from 54 refereed journals. The required data including the name of countries relating to these papers were recorded in a database. The published papers during this period analyzed according to the geographical areas. The results showed that the majority of published papers were from North America, East Asia and West Europe. The ranking of Iran on the basis of cumulative data was 22. Then the number of articles published during the last 15 years was compared with neighboring countries the results indicate that Iran has the second position during the last years. In terms of growth rate, Iran has improved its position in recent years with the highest ranking in the region.Industrial engineering is one of the relatively new fields among engineering disciplines which has developed during recent years. This is true for Iran as well and this discipline has rapidly grown during the last decade. Studying the status of Iran regarding Industrial Engineering could facilitate identifying appropriate strategies for its future consideration. For this purpose, 87150 papers related to industrial engineering, published in the recent 50 years, were selected from 54 refereed journals. The required data including the name of countries relating to these papers were recorded in a database. The published papers during this period analyzed according to the geographical areas. The results showed that the majority of published papers were from North America, East Asia and West Europe. The ranking of Iran on the basis of cumulative data was 22. Then the number of articles published during the last 15 years was compared with neighboring countries the results indicate that Iran has the second position during the last years. In terms of growth rate, Iran has improved its position in recent years with the highest ranking in the region.The Academy of Sciences of I. R. of IranIranian Journal of Engineering Education1607-2316135020110901• Analyzing barriers in blended learning development from the opinion of faculty case study: Ramin & Razi University• Analyzing barriers in blended learning development from the opinion of faculty case study: Ramin & Razi University12313671210.22047/ijee.2011.712FAHorieh MoradiMSc,Ramin Ahvaz UniversityGholamhossen KaramiMSc.Shiraz UniversityMasoud BijaniAssistant Professor, Islamic Azad University, BorojerdJournal Article20110328The main purpose of this study is to analyze Ramin Agricultural & Natural Resources University and Razi University College of Agriculture faculty perceptions about the barriers of the utilization of blended learning.Whole population are 110 including all faculty of the Ramin and Razi University. By using stratified proportional random sampling 75 subject were selected for the study. For the data collection, a structured questionnaire is used. Data was collected by the use of a questionnaire whose its validity (Face validity) is obtained by a panel of experts and university professors. Reliabilities measured by Corunbach Alpha test (α=0.81) which showed the reliability of the questionnaire. Factor analysis is used to reduce and classify variables consisting the barriers of the utilization of blended learning. The results of the factor analysis showed that faculty perceptions about barriers utilization of blended learning could be classified into four categories including: personal barriers, infrastructure barriers, economical barriers and lack of management and organizational skills. There are four factors explaining 54.16 percentage of variables total variance.The main purpose of this study is to analyze Ramin Agricultural & Natural Resources University and Razi University College of Agriculture faculty perceptions about the barriers of the utilization of blended learning.Whole population are 110 including all faculty of the Ramin and Razi University. By using stratified proportional random sampling 75 subject were selected for the study. For the data collection, a structured questionnaire is used. Data was collected by the use of a questionnaire whose its validity (Face validity) is obtained by a panel of experts and university professors. Reliabilities measured by Corunbach Alpha test (α=0.81) which showed the reliability of the questionnaire. Factor analysis is used to reduce and classify variables consisting the barriers of the utilization of blended learning. The results of the factor analysis showed that faculty perceptions about barriers utilization of blended learning could be classified into four categories including: personal barriers, infrastructure barriers, economical barriers and lack of management and organizational skills. There are four factors explaining 54.16 percentage of variables total variance.