CACEI’s history
The
CACEI is the first accrediting body established in Mexico and performs a function of great importance since it contributes to improving the quality of engineering education. CACEI provides timely, pertinent, and objective information, greatly valued by educational institutions, students, faculty, graduates, employers, and parents for decision-making.
The objective of CACEI is to support Mexican society in promoting social development, based on the education of Engineers and
Técnico Superior Universitario (TSU - Senior Technician Engineers). They graduate from relevant educational programs recognized
by their quality. Its importance lies in that the future of nations is associated with its integration into the global knowledge
society and that graduates of higher education institutions must fight positions in a local, national, and international context.
Accreditation is a process created to promote educational programs' quality and relevance, seeking to meet the minimum international standards recognized for high-quality engineering programs. Also, the culture of continuous improvement of academic programs is promoted in higher education institutions (HEIs), incorporating global trends for the education of engineers.
The accreditation process carried out in Mexico is voluntary. However, CACEI considers the criteria and standards internationally accepted by accrediting bodies like those belonging to the Washington Accord and those established by the Consejo para la Acreditación de la Educación Superior (COPAES - Council for the Accreditation of Higher Education).
The accreditation is carried out with peer evaluators from the academic and productive sectors around the country, trained in CACEI’s evaluation methodology, and their performance is permanently evaluated. CACEI currently has a registry of 1,540 evaluators.
Decisions on the quality of educational programs evaluated are collegial. CACEI, with the information provided to HEIs, aims to support
decision-making related to improving them and thus give them objective and relevant elements leading to the generation of an improvement
plan with goals, targets, those responsible for them, defined strategies, and programming to guide the attention of the recommendations and
therefore the continuous improvement of their engineering programs.
The reference frameworks for the evaluation for accreditation purposes were designed at different times, the 2018 version for Engineering programs in 2017 and the 2021 version for TSU in 2020. In both cases, all efforts were through collaborative teamwork, with the support of the different collegial bodies involved in CACEI’s decision-making.
For the 2018 CACEI’s Reference Framework in the international context (MR2018), the responsibility for its design was in charge of representatives of the Academic Committee made up of all the members of the Accreditation Committee, of the Comisiones Técnicas de Especialidad (CTE - Discipline Technical Commissions); as well as the General Assembly of Associates of CACEI and COPAES, seeking the representativeness of all the HEI’s educating engineers. The Academic Committee aimed to design a framework incorporating international trends and standards established by the Washington Accord and the requirements of the General Framework for Accreditation Processes of Higher Education Academic Programs 2016 of COPAES. The Framework and the methodological process followed by CACEI were evaluated by two internationally recognized engineering accreditation bodies: the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) of the United States of America and the Canadian Engineers Accreditation Board (CEAB) from Canada. Both issued recommendations that have already been incorporated into the document.
In designing the 2021 Reference Framework for Técnico Superior Universitario programs, the different collegiate instances participating in the decision-making of CACEI collaborated. The responsibility was in charge of representatives of the Academic Committee formed by members of the TSU Discipline Technical Commission and representatives of CACEI and the Coordinación General de Universidades Tecnológicas y Politécnicas (CGUTyP). The Academic Committee designed a reference framework incorporating international trends and standards set by the Dublin Accord and the requirements set out in the General Framework for Accreditation Processes of Higher Education Academic Programs 2016 of COPAES.
Chronology
1989
*The higher education authorities adopt the strategy of establishing an evaluation mechanism: The National Commission for the Evaluation of Higher Education (CONAEVA). The main objective is to know what is the academic status of higher education institutions.
1993
*The National Association of Faculties and Schools of Engineering (ANFEI) issues a statement in which it expresses the need to create an organization that carries out the accreditation processes of engineering programs in Mexico. Simultaneously, within the framework of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), in the part related to the mobility of engineers, the negotiating group for this aspect makes a similar proposal.
1994
*The first accrediting body is founded in Mexico this year: The Engineering Education Accreditation Council (CACEI).
1995
*For the jurisdictions of Canada, the United States of America and the United Mexican States, the NAFTA Forum, as negotiating body, signed on June 5 of this year, a Mutual Recognition and Registration of Professional Practice of Engineering, in accordance with the Free Trade Agreement, subsequently approved by the NAFTA Authorities. This document, drafted by the negotiating group made up of the Canadian Council for Professional Engineering Practice (CCPE), the United States Council for International Engineering Practice (USCIEP) and the Mexican Committee for the International Practice of Engineering (COMPII), mentions the need for Mexico to have an accrediting body for engineering programs.
1996
*In this year the first processes began, accrediting the first four programs.
2001
*The accreditation processes for Technology Programs begin.
2005
*The first Higher University Technician programs are accredited (UNESCO Level 5B).
2010
*The first thousand accreditation processes are reached.
2013
*The frame of reference was changed to a results-based approach.
*The statute of the Council was reformed.
*A functional analysis was carried out, which resulted in a new organizational structure, with a focus on processes.
*The organization and procedures manuals were updated.
*The evaluation system was designed and implemented on the CACEI computer platform.
2014
* The self-evaluation system was designed and implemented, integrating it into the evaluation system.
*More than 1,500 peer reviewers were trained to apply the new Reference Framework 2014.
*In the second semester, the first 24 evaluations began with the Reference Framework 2014.
*The Frame of reference was updated for the accreditation of study programs at the Higher Technical University level (TSU), which has been operating since 2015.
*The signing of the agreements with QUALITAS and ANECA was carried out.
2015
*Celebration for the XX anniversary.
* Application to join the Washington Accord.
*CACEI is evaluated by ABET and CEAB, accreditation bodies of the United States of America and Canada, members of the Washington Accord, for admission to the International Agreement. From which the application was obtained.
*Defense of the application for CACEI to join the Washington Accord at the International Engineering Alliance (IEA) event held in Turkey.
*Creation of the Technical Commission for Business Management Specialty.
*Carrying out the pilot program to obtain the ANECA EUR-ACE Seal for six engineering programs belonging to three state public universities.
2016
*CACEI recognition as a provisional member of the Washington Accord.
*Recognition as a member of the Ibero-American Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (RIACES).
*Obtaining the EUR-ACE Seal of the six programs of the Autonomous Universities of Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí and Yucatán.
*Signing of the Lima Agreement with Latin American accreditation bodies.
*Development and approval of the Reference framework in the international context for the accreditation of engineering programs (MR-2018).
2017
*In the Engineering Technical Advisory Commission, the CACEI presents the "Analysis of the requirements and evaluation processes of engineering, in the system of recognition of acquired knowledge of the Secretarial Agreement 286", which is unanimously approved.
*The operation of CACEI's Comprehensive Accreditation Management System (SIGA) begins, which covers the comprehensive accreditation process in accordance with the 2018 Reference Framework for the evaluation of educational programs for accreditation purposes in a context of international standards.
*CACEI organizes a Symposium on accreditation and the second International Forum: "Accreditation and professional qualification in engineering in Latin America and the Caribbean", with the participation of distinguished Mexican and foreign academics and professionals with international recognition.
*As part of the piloting of the 2018 Reference Framework, the first 14 engineering educational programs are evaluated based on the MR-2018. Subsequently, another 29 programs are evaluated.
*In the Engineering Technical Advisory Commission, the "Procedure for the Appointment and Updating of Collegiate Experts" is presented and approved. In this process, CACEI participates actively.
*CACEI assumes the presidency of the Lima Agreement for the period 2017-2018.
2018
*Starts the evaluation of educational engineering programs for accreditation purposes with the CACEI 2018 Reference Framework in the international context.
*CACEI participates in the International Forum on Quality Assurance in Higher Education (RIACES).
*The CACEI-ANECA Agreement (EUR-ACE® Seal) is renewed.
*CACEI participates in the International Panel of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
*In London, at the Annual Meeting of the International Engineering Alliance (IEA), of which the Washington Accord (WA) is a part, the CACEI presents its work report and the plenary session of this meeting approves it. The signatories of the WA elect the team of Reviewers who, during the second semester of 2018, will observe the accreditation processes of four programs and how they are ruled on, as the last requirement to evaluate in order to, if approved, move from the status of provisional member to permanent member of the WA.
*The Academic Committee for the admission of CACEI to the Dublin Accord (DA) is installed, for the internationalization of TSU programs.
2021
*From October 25 to 29, the virtual visit of the Verification Team of the Washington Agreement, made up of Drs. Paul Sharratt, representative of the Institution of Engineers Singapore (IES - Singapore) and coordinator of the team; Erbil Payzin, representative of Mühendislik Egitim Programlari Degerlendirme ve Akreditasyon Dernegi (MÜDEK – Turkey) and Daoxu Chen, representative of China Association for Science and Technology (CAST – China), who interacted with CACEI managers and staff and observed the evaluation processes of six engineering programs attached to four HEIs.
2022
*On April 19, the Academic Committee responsible for designing the CACEI 2025 Reference Framework (MR-2025) is installed, based on the new version of Graduation Attributes and Professional Competencies, approved by the signatories of the International Engineering Alliance on June 21, 2021. This Committee met for the first time from April 19 to 21.
*On July 1, 2022, in the framework of the IEAM 2022 virtual meeting, Dr. Elizabeth Taylor, President of the Washington Agreement (WA) informs CACEI, A.C. have been accepted as a Signatory (full member) of the WA.
*CACEI participates in the XIX RIACES General Assembly, held in Cartagena, Colombia, from September 5 to 7. The central theme was “Evaluation, an instrument for quality assurance in distance and online PEs".
*CACEI participates in the IEAM 2022 follow-up meeting, held in Killarney, Ireland, from October 2 to 6. The central theme was the Activity program to implement the new version of the Graduation Attributes and Professional Competencies, approved by the signatories of the International Engineering Alliance on June 21, 2021.
2023
*On January 12 and 13, the first workshop related to the 2025 Reference Framework, “2025 Reference Framework: A Guide for its implementation”, will be held at the facilities of the University Center for Exact Sciences and Engineering (CUCEI) of the University of Guadalajara.
*From January 23 to 26, Dr. Paul Sharratt, representative of the Institution of Engineers Singapore (IES - Singapore) and coordinator of the Washington Agreement Verification Team, paid a face-to-face visit to CACEI. On Monday the 23rd, he met with CACEI management personnel to review the implementation plan of the 2025 Reference Framework. On the 24th and 25th, he observed the workshop "2025 Reference Framework: A Guide for its Implementation", to inform the Committee Directive of the Washington Agreement on training strategies for higher education institutions (HEIs) and evaluators that CACEI is developing to emphasize the relevance of graduation attributes and educational objectives.