Tier Classification System
and the Self-Tiering Assessment Report. Please click here to download the TCS.
The Tier Classification System (or TCS) for Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) is established and implemented as a mechanism to classify HEIs, whose engineering programs are submitted for accreditation under PTC, into two (2) categories or tiers (Tier I and Tier II) for the following purposes:
a) To identify those HEIs which have proven robust capability and institutional autonomy balanced with public accountability to deliver accredited engineering programs consistently to the standards of international recognition bodies, such as the Washington Accord, over time;b) To provide feedback and guidance to all HEIs intending to submit their engineering and technology programs for accreditation under PTC CASEE and for international recognition.
Under the TCS, HEIs are assessed and evaluated based on three (3) major criteria, namely:
c) Quality Leadership, Quality Commitment and Strategies
An institution submitting its engineering programs for accreditation under PTC CASEE shall be assessed and evaluated under the TCS prior to proceeding with the program accreditation process. The TCS is only for the intended purposes as stated here in above.
Accredited engineering programs of a Tier I HEI will be eligible for recognition under the Washington Accord while engineering programs of Tier II HEI may be accredited under PTC CASEE for continuous quality improvement purposes only while the HEI prepares to meet Tier I criteria.
Assessment and evaluation of an HEI shall be based on current information as well as historical data of performance of the institution.
Self-Tiering Assessment Report or STAR
The STAR is an essential part of the pre-qualification process which give the HEI’s the opportunity to reflect on how it measures up to the tier criteria and gather the key documentation and evidences to demonstrate compliance to the said criteria. The STAR normally provides a substantial portion of the evidences upon which the tier classification of the HEI shall be based. It is important that the report provides clear and sufficient information and that its contents are corroborated by documentary and/or oral evidences.
The STAR has three purposes:
• To identify the strengths and weaknesses of the HEI, identify the opportunities and threats it faces, and propose specific actions to address them; and
• To provide a starting point for the reviewer’s work.
Therefore, the STAR should not be only descriptive, but analytical, evaluative, and synthetic.