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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Educ.
Sec. STEM Education
Volume 9 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2024.1405653
This article is part of the Research Topic Decolonizing the STEM Higher Education View all articles

A Streamlined and Adaptive Approach for Accrediting a French Education System Program by ABET-EAC

Provisionally accepted
Abdelwahed Barkaoui Abdelwahed Barkaoui *Radouane Ouldasine Radouane Ouldasine *Soufiene Bettaibi Soufiene Bettaibi Brigitte Jamart-Gregoire Brigitte Jamart-Gregoire Ahmed Ezbakhe Ahmed Ezbakhe
  • International University of Rabat, Salé, Morocco

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    In recent times, there has been a notable increase in the demand for accreditations, driven by their essential role in recognizing diplomas, elevating the quality of higher education, facilitating student mobility, enabling the pursuit of multiple degrees, and influencing university rankings. This surge in demand reflects the evolving landscape of higher education in a world that is becoming progressively interconnected and competitive. This paper presents a comprehensive methodology for accrediting study programs in French higher education institutions worldwide that are seeking the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) accreditation. ABET accreditation is a globally recognized organism of quality for education programs in engineering, computer science, and related fields. The methodology proposed in this paper focuses on aligning ABET's requirements and standards with the specific context of the French Education System (FES). It provides clear guidelines and practical steps for higher education institutions to effectively navigate the accreditation process. The methodology covers the verification of existing study programs, identification of areas for improvement, implementation of corrective actions, and continuous progress monitoring. It emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement and aligning programs with the Program Educational Objectives (POEs). Concrete examples and best practices are shared to illustrate successful implementation of the methodology developed based on the example of the engineering college programs at our university. The results obtained in this case study demonstrate the applicability and effectiveness of this approach within a specific educational context. The approach presented in this contribution can serve as a model for other countries seeking to adapt ABET accreditation requirements to their own higher education systems, further promoting diversity and openness. This reinforces the credibility of the methodology and paves the way for its use in other institutions and programs that operate within similar systems.

    Keywords: STEM higher education, Abet accreditation, French education system, continuous improvement, Quality Assurance

    Received: 23 Mar 2024; Accepted: 26 Jun 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Barkaoui, Ouldasine, Bettaibi, Jamart-Gregoire and Ezbakhe. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Abdelwahed Barkaoui, International University of Rabat, Salé, Morocco
    Radouane Ouldasine, International University of Rabat, Salé, Morocco

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.