CDIO- The Framework for Outcome-based Engineering Education for Accreditation: A Case Study of Thai Industrial Engineering Program

Abstract

The recent movement of Thai engineering education and accreditation is a shift from content- to outcome-based. With the aim to achieve an accreditation by the Thailand Accreditation Body of Engineering Education (TABEE) and an international recognition, the objective of this paper is to share how the industrial engineering (IE) program of Thailand’s Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi (RMUTT) has applied the Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate (CDIO) framework to transitioning from the content- to outcome-based curriculum. For the methodology, the learning outcomes in the CDIO Syllabus were mapped to the Thailand Qualification Framework (TQF)’s engineering curriculum requirements and to TABEE Criterion 3 (learning outcomes and assessment). The mapping was to portray their complementary nature. To this end, the CDIO implementation in accordance with the 12 CDIO Standards was undertaken and the details elaborated. The rubric-based CDIO and TABEE self-evaluations were carried out and the results translated into actions for continuous improvement. The 4-5 rubric scores from 2013-2018 suggesting that the successful CDIO implementation contributes to the concurrent fulfillment of the TQF and TABEE learning outcomes.