By Kara Haberbosch
The Darden College of Education's Industrial Technology program was recently fully accredited by the Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineers (ATMAE), a leading accreditation agency which focuses on technology and engineering programs. Industrial Technology is one of many programs offered through the Department of STEM Education and Professional Studies. The program, which prepares technical and/or management-oriented professionals for employment in business, industry, education, and government, offers students a Bachelor of Science degree and can be completed on campus or online.
According to Dr. Petros Katsioloudis, department chair and associate professor of STEM education and professional studies, the accreditation process took approximately two years to complete. Katsioloudis, who served as the program leader and was responsible for managing and facilitating the accreditation process, said the process could not have been completed without the help of a team of faculty, including Dr. Karina Arcaute, assistant professor of STEM education and professional studies, Dr. Phil Reed, professor of STEM education and professional studies, and Dr. John Ritz professor of STEM education and professional studies.
Accreditation is a sign of quality, said Katsioloudis. "Getting an accreditation is not an easy task, it requires a lot of work. Accreditation forces you to maintain the quality of your program and continue its growth," he said.
During the first year, the team worked closely with a consultant from ATMAE to develop a report that outlined the course materials, student objectives and all other content related to the program. The report was strenuous, said Katsioloudis, taking the full year to complete and contained approximately two hundred pages worth of content.
After submitting the report, the accreditation team came to Old Dominion University to review the STEM labs in the new education building and interview faculty, students, alumni, and advisory board members involved with the program. There were 21 standards the program had to satisfy, such as course quality, job acquisition and degree completion, just to name a few. The program satisfied all standards to receive full accreditation.
Katsioloudis said there are already multiple programs in the department that are fully accredited. "Now with the Industrial Technology program added to that list, we hope that two other programs will soon follow," he added.