Assessment
Be ready when reviewers ask for evidence.
Accrediting bodies increasingly ask programs to show, with evidence, that graduates achieve defined outcomes, which is exactly what an OBE system is built to produce.
An important distinction
OBE is the practice. Accreditation is the judgement.
OBE describes how a program is designed, delivered and improved. Accreditation is a decision made by an accrediting body, against its own published criteria, after its own review.
Adopting OBE does not by itself confer accreditation, and no software platform (including OBE Studio) is endorsed by, or a substitute for, an accrediting body’s process.
What reviewers typically look for
- Outcomes that are published, measurable and aligned to the mission.
- A curriculum map showing where each outcome is developed.
- Assessment evidence tied to specific outcomes, with stated thresholds and targets.
- Records of review and improvement actions, and their effect.
General guidance only. Always work from the current criteria of the body concerned.
Who does what
Regulators, accreditors and agreements
Government regulator
CHED
Commission on Higher Education, Philippines
- Sets policies, standards and guidelines for Philippine higher education institutions.
- CMO No. 46, s. 2012 establishes outcomes-based and typology-based quality assurance.
- CMO No. 37, s. 2012 sets standards for establishing an OBE system in HEIs offering engineering programs.
Engineering accreditation, Philippines
PTC
Philippine Technological Council
- Accredits engineering programs through its Accreditation and Certification Board for Engineering and Technology (PTC-ACBET).
- Admitted as a provisional Washington Accord signatory in 2013; approved as a full signatory in 2024.
Program accreditation, India
NBA
National Board of Accreditation, India
- Accredits technical and professional programs in India using an outcome-based framework of PEOs, POs and PSOs.
- Became a permanent signatory of the Washington Accord in June 2014.
Program accreditation, international
ABET
ABET, United States
- Accredits college and university programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering and engineering technology.
- Its criteria include defined student outcomes and continuous improvement. A founding signatory of the Washington Accord (1989).
The Washington Accord
An agreement between accreditors, not an accreditor
The Washington Accord, signed in 1989, is a multilateral agreement among bodies that accredit engineering degree programs. Signatories recognise each other’s accredited programs as substantially equivalent, supporting the mobility of engineering graduates.
It does not accredit programs or institutions itself. Recognition applies to programs accredited by a signatory body, under the terms of that body’s membership.
Where alignment helps
Because signatories share a common benchmark of graduate attributes, programs that keep their outcomes, mappings and evidence connected are better placed to answer reviewers’ questions, whichever body is asking.
OBE Studio supports mapping course outcomes to POs, PSOs or ABET student outcomes, so the same evidence can be organised around the framework a program reports against.
Continue the guide
Turn this into practice today.
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