ECO Canada Launches First National Environmental Program Accreditation
March 3, 2008, Calgary - ECO Canada is excited to introduce a new initiative — the development of a national accreditation system for post-secondary environmental education programs. Once the accreditation system is up and running, universities and colleges will be able to participate voluntarily—submitting their existing environmental programs for evaluation against national standards developed by and for industry.
“This is exciting for post-secondary institutions because it will allow them to show potential students that their program and its courses have met a rigorous national standard. Programs that are accredited will also be more enticing for students who want to be certain they will get jobs when they graduate. It’s a win-win situation for educational institutions, students, and industry,” says Kristin Crane, Manager of National Environmental Accreditation with ECO Canada.
The establishment of the national accreditation system will span three years—from current pre-development research to the implementation and evaluation phase in 2010. Presently, research into accreditation best practices and an assessment of the needs of post-secondary environmental education institutions is underway. Once this research is finished, the process to build the accreditation system and its policies and procedures will begin. Pilot testing of the accreditation system is expected to take place in the fall of 2009, followed by implementation in late 2010.
“We’ve been in discussions with educational institutions in Canada about developing this type of project for five years. They are very clear on how accreditation will set their programs apart and align what their students are learning with the demands of industry. It’s also obvious to them that this could potentially be very positive for enrolment in their programs,” says Crane.
A national steering committee comprised of members representing Canadian colleges, universities, and technical institutes, including members of the Canadian College Environmental Network (CCEN) and Canadian University Environmental Science Network (CUESN) as well as industry, provincial and federal government representatives, and those with formal accreditation experience are all participating in the project.