Quality assurance framework for civil engineering education

Today's civil engineering graduates must display a wide range of skills to be successful in their careers and organisations. Increasing demand on their ability to work in a multidimensional environment has forced the academics and educators to rethink and restructure the way civil engineering education is being imparted at various colleges and universities. Emphasis has now shifted from a highly technical oriented programme of study to a systems approach. By the same token, stakeholders are demanding more rigorous methodologies to provide confidence that higher education programmes are producing graduates who are of the highest quality. To have graduates of superior quality, universities and departments require systems and procedures that have adequate mechanisms in the form of a structured framework for quality assurance. The Department of Civil & Structural Engineering at the Hong Polytechnic University has, therefore, formulated a framework that essentially includes items such as the departmental mission, services provided, internal customers, regular feedback, and action for continuous improvement. It is expected that such a quality assurance framework will provide confidence to stakeholders of our commitment to highest standards in civil engineering education in preparing our graduates to meet the challenges of the next century.