The College of Information and Communications Technology (CICT) underwent its Philippine Computer Society (PCS) Information and Computing Accreditation Board (PICAB) International Accreditation last November 24-26, 2022. This is a significant milestone in the history of University of Batangas as it marks the institution’s first-ever International Accreditation visit.
The CICT Bachelor of Science in Information Technology program was evaluated by the PICAB Accreditation Team. The mandate of the said accrediting body is to gauge the Outcomes-Based Education of IT Programs offered in Philippine educational institutions. It determines if an IT program of a school adheres to the international standards set by the prestigious Seoul Accord, to which PICAB is currently recognized as a Provisional Signatory.
The Seoul Accord is an international accreditation agreement for professional computing and information technology academic degrees, between the bodies responsible for accreditation in its signatory countries established in 2008. Australia, Canada, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States are signatories as of 2016. Ireland, New Zealand, Mexico, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Malaysia are among the provisional signatories. This agreement mutually recognizes the signatory agencies’ tertiary level computing and IT qualifications.
PCS was recognized as the only qualified entity to represent the country for membership in the Seoul Accord as it conforms to the strict Seoul Accord requirement of an organization having individual IT practitioners as members. To further comply with the Seoul accord standards, PCS enlisted the help of various reputable IT Professional organizations namely the Computing Society of the Philippines (CSP), the Philippine Society of IT Educators (PSITE) Foundation, and the Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA). Furthermore, PICAB is now seeking recognition as a full signatory to the Seoul Accord.
The PICAB Team focused its accreditation on nine criteria namely Program Educational Objectives, Student Outcomes, Curriculum, Students, Faculty, Facilities, Institutional Support, Industry-Academe Linkage and Community Oriented Programs and Program Improvement.
During the visit, the PICAB Team started evaluating the BSIT program by initially conducting a tour of program facilities which included the computer laboratories and the Learning Resource Center. A comprehensive review of the BSIT course materials immediately followed. The succeeding days were scheduled for verification of evidence and interview with the College Dean, Department Chair, the Faculty, Selected School Administrator and Head of Offices and Program students. The PICAB Team allotted the last day of the visit for deliberation and announcement of their initial findings.
The official findings of the PICAB Accreditation will be released by August 2023.