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University Coursework as an Alternative to a Professional Certification Exam

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Conference

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Baltimore , Maryland

Publication Date

June 25, 2023

Start Date

June 25, 2023

End Date

June 28, 2023

Conference Session

College Industry Partnerships Division (CIP) Technical Session 1

Tagged Division

College Industry Partnerships Division (CIP)

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

13

DOI

10.18260/1-2--44553

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/44553

Download Count

129

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Paper Authors

biography

Courtney Wright INCOSE

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Ms. Courtney Wright is the Program Manager for the International Council on Systems Engineering's (INCOSE's) Certification Program. She has over twenty years of experience in systems engineering, particularly in US Department of Defense and government agencies.

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biography

Morenikeji Araloyin Binghamton University

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Morenikeji Araloyin is a systems engineer and PhD student in Systems Science at Binghamton University, New York. He has a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a master’s degree in Systems Engineering. His research interests include complex systems, cyber-physical systems, and system dynamics.

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Abstract

The International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) offers three levels of individual credentialing, two of which require participants to pass a standardized test. INCOSE's Academic Equivalency (AcEq) Program allows university coursework to replace the standardized test. The standard test is offered only in English and is a timed, multiple-choice test. AcEq assessments may be offered in any language, any assessment format, and need not be timed. INCOSE sets the requirements for a university to apply for its courses to be recognized with AcEq. Once AcEq is recognized, students who do well in those courses are credited with having met the knowledge requirement. The students must still apply for certification through the standard path. The process of applying for AcEq involves a university documenting how their course (or courses) assess students against INCOSE’s testing objectives. Describing how they assess knowledge is challenging for faculty members who are more accustomed to documenting teaching and content delivery. INCOSE does not require that universities teach the content within the recognized course(s). This allows for thesis or final project courses, often taught to a wide range of undergraduate students, to qualify for AcEq. Academic Equivalency was designed to offer an alternate path for assessment in languages other than English, in countries outside the United States and Western Europe. Despite that intent, fourteen of the fifteen academic equivalencies are in the United States. The champions of these programs typically pursue AcEq as a way to provide structure to their courses. Though only a small portion of AcEq-qualifying students pursue and retain their INCOSE certification after graduation, INCOSE and systems engineering faculty members find value in having standardized content presented to future engineers. Success is not measured only in certifications but also in exposure to knowledge.

Wright, C., & Araloyin, M. (2023, June), University Coursework as an Alternative to a Professional Certification Exam Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--44553

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