The Canadian Council of Professional Engineers

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• The Canadian Council of Professional Engineers
• Providing leadership which advances the quality
  of life through the creative, responsible and
  progressive application of engineering principles
  in a global context

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Todays Presentation

• The engineering profession in Canada
• Accreditation and Software Engineering
• National Guidelines for Licencing
• One provinces experiences

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Presenters

• Digvir Jayas, P.Eng.
• Chair, Canadian Engineering Qualifications
  Committee and Associate Vice-President (Research)
  at the University of Manitoba
• Gillian Pichler, P.Eng.
• Director, Registration at the Association of
  Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of
  British Columbia (APEGBC)
• Pieter Botman, P.Eng.
• Volunteer with APEGBC and independent consultant
• Deborah Wolfe, P.Eng.
• Director, Education, Outreach and Research at the
  Canadian Council of Professional Engineers

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Engineering in Canada

• There are 160,000 registered professional
  engineers in Canada
• Canadas system for the formation of an engineer
  is world renowned
• Canada is the 3rd largest exporter of engineering
  services in the world

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A Self-governing Profession

• Section 92 (13) of the Constitution Act, 1867,
  places professions under provincial and
  territorial jurisdiction.
• Delegation to professions - self-governance
• Licencing, discipline and enforcement
• Associations/ordre formed to protect the public
  and govern the profession
• Legislative framework established
• No industrial exemption all those practising
  engineerng must be registered

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The Practice of Engineering(CCPE Definition)

• The practice of Professional engineering means
  any act of planning, designing, composing,
  evaluating, advising, reporting, directing or
  supervising, or managing any of the forgoing,
• that requires the application of engineering
  principles, and
• that concerns the safeguarding of life, health,
  property, economic interests, the public welfare
  or the environment.

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Canadian Council of Professional Engineers

• federation of 12 provincial and territorial
  associations, representing more than 160,000
  professional engineers
• represents the profession at the national and
  international levels
• accredits university engineering educational
  programs
• prepares national criteria and guidelines

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CCPE, continued . . .

• under the Federal Trade-marks Act, the CCPE is
  the owner of the official marks engineer,
  professional engineer and engineering
• the CCPE has the right and duty to protect the
  public from the misuse of the words engineer
  and engineering

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CCPE Structure

• Board of Directors
• Standing Committees
• Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board
• Canadian Engineering Qualifications Board
• Canadian Engineering Resources Board
• Canadian Engineering International Board

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Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board

• 1965 - CEAB established. In 2002, 220 programs in
  35 engineering schools accredited (including
  three software engineering programs).
• Objective To ensure Canadian engineering
  education programs meet or exceed standards
  acceptable for professional registration/licensure
  in the Canadian provinces and territories.
• Purpose of Accreditation to identify those
  engineering programs that meet the criteria for
  accreditation.

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General Considerations

• applies to bachelor degree programs
• program must include engineering in the title
• all options and electives are examined
• CEAB curriculum content must be met by all
  students (minimum path)
• faculty teaching courses which are primarily
  engineering science and engineering design are
  expected to be professional engineers in Canada

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Benefits of Accreditation

• creditability for program
• graduates meet academic requirements for
  professional registration
• international recognition of engineering
  credentials
• uniform quality of engineering programs
• fosters self examination and continuous
  improvement
• improvement or elimination of engineering
  programs which do not meet standards

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Criteria For Accreditation

• Quantitative and Qualitative evaluation
• Accredited engineering programs must contain not
  only mathematics, sciences and engineering
  content requirements, but they must also develop
  communication skills and an understanding of the
  environmental, cultural, economic and social
  impacts of engineering on society and the concept
  of sustainable development

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Accreditation of Software Engineering Programs

• CEAB criteria are non-discipline specific
• CEAB developed a sample software engineering
  program that met criteria
• Held a workshop for all team chairs and software
  engineering program visitors in year of first
  visits (Fall 2000)
• Each software engineering program included two
  visitors one from industry and one from academia
• Consistency report following decisions

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Undergraduate Degrees Offered University of
Ottawa Example

• Undergraduate Studies Program Titles
• Chemical Engineering Environmental Engineering
  Option Engineering Management And
  Entrepreneurship Option Combined Program In
  Chemical Engineering/computing Technology
  Combined Biochemistry / Chemical Engineering
  Program In Biotechnology Civil
  EngineeringEnvironmental / Water Resources
  OptionStructural And Geotechnical Engineering
  OptionEngineering Management And
  Entrepreneurship OptionCombined Program In Civil
  Engineering And Computing Technology

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Undergraduate Degrees Offered Example

• Undergraduate Studies Program TitlesMechanical
  EngineeringCombined Program In Mechanical
  Engineering / Computing TechnologyEngineering
  Management And Entrepreneurship OptionSchool Of
  Information Technology And Engineering -
  Site-Computer EngineeringComputer
  ScienceElectrical EngineeringSoftware
  Engineering

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University of Ottawa Software Engineering
Curriculum (Accredited)

• The program prepares students for work on all
  types of software from real-time to business
  systems, with special emphasis on
  telecommunications software. The program also
  emphasizes communication and presentation skills,
  working in teams, management techniques and
  entrepreneurship. Students in the program work on
  industrially relevant software projects. They are
  taught how to use metrics to assess the quality
  of software and their own personal productivity.
• The program was reviewed and will be mentored on
  a continuing basis by executives of leading
  software companies - members of the Industrial
  Advisory Board of SITE

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University of OttawaSE Program

• First Year
• Principles of Chemistry
• Technical Report Writing
• Engineering Mechanics
• Fundamentals of Engineering Computation
• Calculus I
• Fundamentals of Software Design
• Introduction to Electrical and Computer
  Engineering
• Calculus II
• Introduction to Linear Algebra
• Fundamentals of Physics for Engineers
• Physics Laboratory for Engineers

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University of OttawaSE Program

• Second Year
• Data Structures
• Engineering Economics
• Computer Architecture I
• Logic for Computing
• Software Design II
• Three credits of electives 1
• Introduction to Business Management
• File Management
• Elements of Discrete Mathematics
• Probability Statistics for Engineers
• Software Design III
• Three credits of electives 1

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University of OttawaSE Program

• Third Year
• Computer Architecture II
• Design and Analysis of Algorithms I
• Database Management Systems
• Introduction to Telecommunications Systems and
  Services
• Software Development for Large-Scale Systems
• Three credits of electives 1
• Operating System Principles
• Professional Software Engineering Practice 2
• Advanced Object Oriented Analysis and Design
• Analysis and Design of User Interfaces
• Telecommunications Software Engineering
• Three credits of electives 1

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University of OttawaSE Program

• Fourth Year
• Security in Computing
• Software Project Management
• Software Engineering Project (first part) 3
• Nine credits of electives 1
• Real-Time Systems Design
• Higher Layer Network Protocols
• Software Quality Engineering
• Software Engineering Project (second part) 3
• Six credits of electives 1

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National Guidelines for Licencing

• Candidate Types
• CEAB grads
• CEAB recognized grads (MRA and SE)
• Non-CEAB recognized grads
• Related-discipline grads

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Canadian Engineering Qualifications Board

• Mandate
• to provide guidelines for admission standards for
  the practice of engineering
• to provide a syllabus for examinations for
  candidates other than CEAB graduates to ensure
  that they meet the educational requirements for
  licensure
• to encourage the adoption of common standards for
  professional engineering registration in Canada
• to act in a co-ordinating role on matters of
  professional practice

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CEQB

• National guidelines on professional engineering
  qualifications
• National guidelines on standards of practice,
  continuing competence and ethical conduct
• Common Professional Practice Exam
• Examination syllabus and list of international
  engineering institutions
• Environmental practice and issues
• Mobility agreement

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Requirements for licensure

• Academic
• Experience
• Professional Practice Exam
• Language
• References

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Academic Assessment

• CEAB accredited or recognized program
• Confirmatory Program
• Examination Program

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Experience Evaluation

• application of theory
• practical experience
• management of engineering
• communication skills
• social implications of engineering

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Professional Practice Examination

• 3 hour examination
• Professionalism
• Engineering Law

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Language

• French in Quebec, French or English in New
  Brunswick, English in all other jurisdictions

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References

• technical competence in the application of
  engineering principles and theory
• ability to exercise professional judgment
• ability to communicate effectively in the
  language of the jurisdiction
• ability to work on a team
• character

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Role of Associations

• setting standards (academic, experience,
  references) for admission to the profession and
  issuing licences to those who qualify
• enforcement activities for those practising
  engineering who are not licensed or those
  claiming to be engineers who are not licensed
• investigation of complaints against Members

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Role of Associations, continued...

• discipline activities against members who perform
  incompetently, breach the Code of ethics, code of
  conduct
• preparation of guidelines relating to various
  practice issues for the benefit of the public or
  the membership
• continuing competency programs

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History of Licencing in B.C.

• 1998 Chairman of leading aerospace company
  challenged APEGBC to recognize software
  engineering as true engineering
• Forum held with representatives from industry,
  academia, IEEE, CCPE, to explore issues and
  propose the way forward

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History of Licencing in B.C.

• Issues Identified
• Majority of practitioners are not professional
  engineers because
• Have engineering degrees, but do not feel that
  practice is professional engineering
• Have computer science or other degrees but have
  moved into engineering
• Profession had failed to recognize software
  engineering as true engineering

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History of Licencing in B.C.

• Issues Identified
• Large sector of practitioners in applied
  computer science software and hardware
  engineering
• Designs affect public interest and safety
• Many P.Eng. Practitioners registered through
  computer and electrical practice software
  engineering however

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History of Licencing in B.C.

• Issues Identified
• Failure of profession to recognize software
  engineering resulted in formation left to
  employers, learned societies, individuals
• Marketplace does not recognize value of
  registering practitioners, qualified or not
• Evolution resulted in lack or professional
  engineers as mentors, traditionally required for
  registration
• Marketplace has strong support system of
  professional development and certification

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History of Licencing in B.C.

• Issues Identified
• Profession would need to make a major commitment
  to develop strategies that recognize that a
  community and practice had established, with
  certification bodies and infrastructure germane
  to its practitioners
• Strategies would need strong support within the
  industry and present a value proposition to
  practitioners

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History of Licencing in B.C.

• Task Force Established
• Responsibilities
• Develop Qualification Process
• Develop Professions Message to Industry and the
  Public
• Partner with Local Firms, Industry Support
  Groups, and Industry to ensure full professional
  commitment to registered practitioners

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History of Licencing in B.C.

• Task Force
• Developed White Paper for publication on website
  for feedback from industry groups, current and
  potential members
• Developed Qualifications Process including
  academic and experience requirements
• Received Councils approval to establish Software
  Engineering as a discipline and established a
  pilot applications process in April 1999 (no
  application fee)
• Advertising on web site, press releases, industry
  publications, industry meetings
• Established Computer Software Engineering
  Division as Member Interest Group

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History of Licencing in B.C.

• Task Force
• Consultation Liaison/Involvement with other
  Bodies
• Members in Industry
• BC Technology Industries Association
• IEEE Computer Society
• SWEBOK
• Texas State Board for Engineers

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History of Licencing in B.C.

• 69 applications received
• First software engineer registered September 2000
• Feedback prolific with mixed opinions
• No intention of becoming registered versus
• Finally someone is taking action to formally
  regulate standards of practice
• Those seeking registration
• Didnt feel they would have qualified (or been
  interested in qualifying) before software
  engineering recognized
• Other disciplines who had moved into software
  engineering and wished professional recognition
• Computer Science/Math graduates needing
  professional recognition to differentiate their
  qualifications from others

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History of Licencing in B.C.

• Evaluation of Applicants
• Recognized
• Non-traditional, growing discipline
• Continuing evolution of knowledge, technology and
  theory
• Combination of academics, in-house training,
  professional development and experience make up
  qualification whole
• Lack of P.Eng. References in some, but
  surprisingly few, cases
• Software Engineering Syllabus and first
  Experience Guidelines used as Guidelines
• Interviews used as a tool in many cases
• Details of evaluation written up for each
  applicant, to ensure consistency of evaluation

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APEGBC Criteria Software Engineering Experience

• Include, but extend general requirements for
  satisfactory Engineering experience
• Basic software knowledge assumed
• Requires Breadth and Depth
• Should demonstrate increasing level of
  responsibility, usually multiple roles

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APEGBC Criteria SW EnggExperience Capability
Areas

• Software requirements management
• Elicitation, capture, tracing
• Analysis, specification, validation
• Software design and construction
• Architecture Views, patterns, components
• Design methods, modeling, notations...
• Implementation methods and tools

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APEGBC Criteria Experience Capability Areas
(cont.)

• Software quality and testing
• Defect metrics, assessment of quality,Conformance
  to requirements
• Testing methods
• VV
• Software assets management
• Configuration Management
• Change Control
• Release Management

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APEGBC Criteria Experience Capability Areas
(cont.)

• Software project management
• Different lifecycle models,
• Estimation and metrics
• Risk management
• Software process engineering
• Process metrics
• Software process improvement
• Process engineering

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Criteria Experience in optional capability areas

• Safety-critical systems
• Transportation, nuclear industry, biomedical,
  etc.
• Legal issues
• Licencing, IP, etc...
• Security privacy, authentication, etc.
• Telecommunications
• Human factors, ergonomics

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Exclusions Not Software Engineering

• Network design or management
• System administration
• Just use of software
• Multimedia design
• Pure technology investigation
• Work lacking software elements
• Work lacking engineering duties or responsibility

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Evaluating SW Engineering experience - pragmatics

• 4 years is needed but may be insufficient!
• Evaluate experience within applicants
  environment (terminology, standards)
• Look for an awareness of standards technologies,
  and current best practices
• Above all, demonstrate application of principles,
  and understanding of many engineering trade-offs

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History of Licencing in B.C.

• Computer Software Engineering Division
• Main focus is professional development
• Professional Development Streams at Annual
  Conference for past two years (2000 and 2001)
• Partner with other groups (INCOSE, IEEE) for this
  purpose

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History of Licencing in B.C.

• Current Picture
• Of 19,000 members and members-in-training
• 31 Registered as Software Engineers
• 200 Registered as Computer Engineers
• Other practitioners in Electrical Engineering
• For Example, those who list their industry
  segment as Software Development, list their
  Primary Expertise as
• 103 Computer Software
• 11 Systems/Systems Integration
• 10 Telecommunications
• 6 project management 5 Information systems
• 4 Administration/Management 2 Microelectronics
• 2 Electromechanical systems

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History of Licencing in B.C.

• Current Picture
• Other industry segments represented, including
• Communication Telecommunication
• Computer
• Education
• Electrical/Electronic
• Systems Integration
• Utilities