Glossary

The following terms are used throughout the accreditation process.

Aligned Programs: A category of accreditation defined as two or more technician or two  or more technology programs with at least 80% common courses overall and at least 67% common in the final year.

Canadian Technology Accreditation Criteria (CTAC): The set of general and discipline learning outcomes used by TAC, PPAs, educational institutions for accreditation, certification and program development respectively.  

Course Learning Outcome: A statement found in course outlines (or alternatively in the documentation for assessments such as projects, tests or assignments) that describes significant and essential learning that students have achieved and can reliably demonstrate at the end of a course.

Discipline Learning Outcomes:  A set of learning outcome statements for each technician and  technologist discipline.

Dublin Accord: Signatories of the DublinAccord are committed the deveopment and recognition of good practice focused on the mutual recognition academic programs/qualifications for engineering technicians. 

Educational institution (EI):  A college or polytechnic institute or polytechnic university where students are enrolled in an engineering technology or applied science program.

General Learning Outcomes: A common set of learning outcome statements for each technicians and  technologists.

Governance and Audit Council (GAC):  A group within Technology Accreditation Canada that is responsible, among other things, for the appeals stage of the accreditation process.   

International Engineering Alliance (IEA): A global not-for-profit organization, comprising members from 41 jurisdictions within 29 countries, which establishes and enfroces internationally bench-marked standards for engineering education and expected competence for engineering practice through educational accords and competance agreeements. 

Joint Programs: A category of accreditation defined as one technician and a one technology program with at least 80% common courses in the first year of a one year technician and a two year technology program or the first two years of a two year technician and a three year technology program. 

Learning Outcome:  A statement which describes significant and essential learning that students have achieved and can reliably demonstrate by the end of a course or program. 

Learning Outcome Indicator (LOI): A measurable action which illustrates, defines and clarifies the level of performance expected by a student to achieve a learning outcome. 

National Accreditation Components (NAC): The set of standards by which an engineering technology or applied science program is measured against for the purposes of national program accreditation.   

Provincial Professional Association (PPA):  A member based, not-for-profit, organization which certifies engineering technology and applied science technicians and technologists. 

Program Options: A category of accreditation defined as  a standard program with a fast track or accelerated option or a program with one or more “majors” or “streams” in the final year. Co-op is considered an option if not mandatory and students take some different courses. 

Standard: A category of accreditation defined as a stand alone technician or technology program.

Sydney Accord: Signatories of the Sydney Accord are committed the deveopment and recognition of good practice focused on the mutual recognition academic programs/qualifications for engineering technologists. 

Technology Accreditation Canada (TAC):  An autonomous, not-for-profit, national accreditation body.

Technology Professionals Canada (TPC): An alliance of engineering technology professional associations (Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Sakatchewan) which represent approximately 85% of engineering technology and applied science professionals in Canada.

Technology Report (TR):  A document which describes the process or results of engineering technology or applied science related research that students submit in the final year of their technologist program.