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This text provides a global perspective on the past, present and future of quality assurance in engineering education. In it, experts from fifteen countries share their experience and insights.

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With the rapid globalization of higher education as well as related changes in social, political, economic, and other conditions over the last 25 years there have been ever increasing expectations for higher education, in general, and Engineering Education, in particular. These expectations are often expressed in terms of the need for Quality Assurance locally, regionally, and globally. In some cases, there is a long tradition of independence and self-regulation of higher education institutions and programs. In other contexts, there has been c- siderable governmental regulation and disciplinary direction over time. The authors in this volume represent essentially all continents and 15 different countries. The common issues that they raise and their accounts of past, present, and future ch- lenges provide a snapshot of the current state of Quality Assurance in higher edu- tion and Engineering Education. This volume begins with an overview of the history and background of Quality Assurance in higher education and Engineering Education over the last century. The discussion of the historical, philosophical, political, and social background of Quality Assurance sets the stage for the other chapters. Following this broad brush stoke introduction, in the next part of the book, authors describe the general issues and challenges facing Quality Assurance in the twenty-first century from both regional and national perspectives. These authors have extensive experience in the area of Quality Assurance and have observed its growth and develop first hand over many years.

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Overview/History.- The Background of Quality Assurance in Higher Education and Engineering Education.- Issues and Challenges (Global/Regional Perspectives).- Quality Assurance in European Engineering Education: Present and Future Challenges.- EUR-ACE: The European Accreditation System of Engineering Education and Its Global Context.- Toward Consensus Global Standards for Quality Assurance of Engineering Programmes.- Quality Assurance in the Preparation of Technical Professionals: The ABET Perspective.- Issues and Challenges (Country/Institutional Perspectives).- Quality Assurance in Engineering Education and Modernization of Higher Education in Russia.- Quality Assurance in Vietnam´s Engineering Education.- Quality Assurance for the Engineering Paraprofessional in Thailand.- Quality Assurance in Higher Education in Chile: National and Engineering Dimensions.- Quality Assurance of Engineering Education in Sweden.- Assessment of Engineering Education Quality: An Indian Perspective.- Quality Issues Facing Malaysian Higher Learning Institutions: A Case Study of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.- Quality Assurance in Engineering Education in the United States.- Quality Assurance in Engineering Education: An All-round Perspective.- Engineering Education Quality Assurance: The Essential Pillar of Higher Education Reform in Lithuania.- General Approaches and Techniques.- Using a Measure of Student Holistic Development for Quality Assurance.- CDIO and Quality Assurance: Using the Standards for Continuous Program Improvement.- Using Soft Systems Thinking to Confront the Politics of Innovation in Engineering Education.- Real-Time Quality Control Methods in PBL-based Engineering Education.- Enhancing the Quality of the Engineering Student Experience.- Taxonomies of Engineering Competencies and Quality Assurance in Engineering Education.- Future Direction.- Internal and External Quality Assurance Approaches for Improvement and Accountability: A Conceptual Framework.

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