Quality assurance of engineering education at King Abdulaziz University

In the paper, the authors aim to highlight the efforts undertaken regarding quality assurance of engineering education at King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jiddah, Saudi Arabia. All the 12 degree programmes of the Faculty of Engineering were accorded substantial equivalency status by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) in 2003, and the next round of evaluation is due in 2009, according to the ABET EC-2000. Besides the continuous improvement procedures dictated by the EC-2000, a number of other measures for quality improvement have been implemented over a period of time, such as curricula development, a five-year strategic plan (2005-2010), active/cooperative learning in the classrooms and an increased commitment of resources to improve laboratories, computer facilities and other support services. Enhanced cooperation is being established with industries/organisations by constituting standing administrative arrangements in line with the theme of this Conference, which is Reinforcing Partnership it? Engineering Education. Conclusions are outlined based on the experiences gained during the process of improvement and quality assurance in engineering education.