ACCREDITATION MANUAL

of the

NATIONAL COMPUTING EDUCATION ACCREDITATION

COUNCIL

Established by the

HIGHER EDUCATION COMMISSION OF PAKISTAN

Second Edition, December 2023

NCEAC SECRETARIAT, OFFICE #14, BLOCK N, HEC, H -8/1 ISLAMABAD PAKISTAN

www.nceac.org.pk
 Chairman’s Message
National Computing Education Accreditation Council (NCEAC) is the Regulatory Body to undertake
multiple tasks; one of these is to regulate the conduct of computing education through accreditation in
the country. The Council is committed to offering accreditation of computing programs, which is highly
beneficial for students, their parents, employers and society. Over the past one decade, the Council has
made significant progress that has been shared with all stakeholders on a regular basis. As an
organization, NCEAC emerged as a highly reputed name for accreditation amongst the Pakistani society.
The Council also expanded the accreditation frontiers and has accredited 359 programs at 295 Institutions
countrywide. As a result, various formats/proformas used in the assessment process have been revised
and updated accordingly. A major achievement in this regard is the publication of the second edition
(updated version) of Accreditation Manual in September 2023. It has also incorporated all aspects of the
accreditation process. It is expected that this manual will provide guidelines to institutions and other
stakeholders to meet the required quality assurance standards.
We believe in a quality accreditation system. The accreditation of computing programs is of a
specialized nature. Therefore, the Council has trained a record number of new Program Evaluators (PEs)
during the past 10 years. The training of PEs is a regular feature and continued even during the COVID-19
pandemic through an online system. It is my pleasure to state that in addition to our growing accreditation
activities, we are also experiencing an increase in the numbers of PEs. These PEs are vital to the
accreditation process and play an important role in making field-audit visits successful. We are thankful
to them.
In addition to roles of the NCEAC and PEs during the accreditation process, we are also engaging
faculty and administrators of the institutes seeking accreditation. The roles of the faculty and
administrators of the accrediting institutes are crucial. They are the people who are preparing the global
technology professionals of tomorrow. The Council maintains a strong liaison with them and offers
various training and consultation sessions to strengthen their capacity. Further, the Council has also
involved stakeholders from the computing industry and national bodies related to computing and IT at
various stages of the accreditation process from development of curriculum to the making of policies. The
Council offers a significant number of slots in the General Council to industry. The Council also discussed
the possibility of encouraging experts from the industry to be PEs and teach courses at the university with
relaxation on the qualification for experienced individuals.
I also want to draw your attention to the new developments by making the accreditation process
highly streamlined through this second addition of the accreditation manual. The process has now
incorporated all characteristics of the Outcome Based Education System in an academic manner. The
newly developed process of accreditation is also very close to the Seoul Accord’s recommendations. I take
pride that the NCEAC has started the effort for attaining the signatory status for Pakistan under the Seoul
Accord. I request everyone to support our mission to produce top class computing graduates who can
serve the society in the best possible manner.
We couldn’t have prepared this manual without the incredible work and dedication of our team
at the NCEAC secretariat and members of the General Council, who are committed to making a difference
in the computing education students receive at institutions around the country. I will remiss if I did not
specifically mention the focused and untiring efforts of Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ali Maud, Prof. Dr. Jamil
Ahmad, Prof. Dr. Shoab Ahmad Khan, Hafiza Sumaira Hafeez, and Usama Ali in updating the manual.
Thank you all.

Prof. Dr. Syed Mansoor Sarwar

Chairman NCEAC
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION TO ACCREDITATION
1.1 Introduction 4
1.2 Accreditation of Computing Programs 4
1.3 Objectives 5
1.4 Scope 6
1.5 Need for Accreditation 6
1.6 Provision of Accreditation in HEC Act 2002 7
1.7 Composition and Constitution of the Council 7

1.8 Functions of the Council 7

1.9 Accreditation Standards Committee (ASC) 8

1.10 Program Evaluators (PEs) and Accreditation Inspection Committee (AIC) 9

1.11 Institutions Eligible for Seeking Accreditation 9
1.12 Types of Accreditation Visit 9
1.13 Appeal Cases 10
1.14 Accreditation Fee 10

CHAPTER 2 - ACCREDITATION PROCESS

2.1 Introduction 11
2.2 Online Submission of Self-Assessment Report (SAR) 11
2.3 Qualifying Requirements 13
2.4 Field Audit Visit 13
2.5 Visit Schedule and Date 13
2.6 Composition of AIC 13
2.7 Role of AIC Convener 14
2.8 Duration of Visit 14
2.9 Plan of Activities on the First Day of Visit 14
2.9.1 Plan of the Visit 14
2.10 Responsibility of The Institute during the Accreditation Process 16
2.11 Responsibilities of Institutional Stakeholders 16
2.11.1 The Institutional Accreditation Committee 16

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 2.11.2 Head of Program under accreditation 16
2.11.3 Teachers and Support Staff 17
2.11.4 Presence of Students and Alumni of the Program 17
2.12 Provision for Withdrawal 17
2.13 Reporting by AIC and Grant of Accreditation 17
2.14 Accreditation Categories 18
2.15 Zero Visit Recommendation 18
2.16 Accreditation Letter to the Institute 18

CHAPTER 3 - STANDARDS AND CRITERIA

3.1 Introduction 19
3.2 Standards and Criteria 19
3.2.1 Criterion 1 - Program Objectives (POs) 19
3.2.2 Criterion 2 – Graduate Attributes (GAs) 20
3.2.2.1 Definitions Associated with the Graduate Attributes 20
3.2.2.2 Common Range and Contextual Definitions Associated with the 20
Graduate Attributes
3.2.2.3 Graduate Attributes 21
3.2.3 Criterion 3 – Curriculum and Learning Process 23
3.2.3.1 Duration, Content of the Curriculum and Graduation Requirement 23
3.2.3.2 Assessment of GAs 23
3.2.3.3 Lab Work 23
3.2.3.4 Design Projects 24
3.2.3.5 Final Year Design Project 24
3.2.3.6 Internship Program 24
3.2.4 Criterion 4 - Students 24
3.2.4.1 Admission Criteria 24
3.2.4.2 Annual Intake 25
3.2.4.3 Transfer of Students 25
3.2.4.4 Academic Counseling 25
3.2.4.5 Career and Student Wellness Counseling 25
3.2.4.6 Class Size (Theory) 25
3.2.4.7 Class Size (Practical) 26
3.2.4.8 Semester Academic Load 26
3.2.4.9 Completion of Courses and Student Feedback 26

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 3.2.4.10 Participation in Competitions 27
3.2.4.11 Student Performance Evaluation 27
3.2.4.12 Community Service 27
3.2.5 Criterion 5– Faculty 27
3.2.5.1 Faculty Classification 27
3.2.5.2 Faculty Requirements 28
3.2.5.3 Maximum Load of Faculty 3.2.5.4 29
3.2.5.5 Minimum Faculty Load 3.2.5.6 29
3.2.6 Criterion 6–Facilities and Infrastructure 29
3.2.7 Criterion 7–Institutional Support and Financial Resources 30
3.2.8 Criterion 8–Steps to Improve Quality 30
3.2.9 Criterion 9–Industrial Linkages 30

CHAPTER 4 - GUIDELINES FOR SELF ASSESSMENT REPORT (SAR)/ ACCREDITATION

APPLICATION
4.0 Introduction to SAR/ Application filing on AAS 31
4.1 SAR/ Application Filing and Processing 33
4.2 Program Objectives 34
4.3 Graduate Attributes (GAs) 34
4.5 Students 35
4.6 Faculty and Support Staff 36
4.7 Facilities and Infrastructure 36
4.8 Institutional Support and Financial Resources 37
4.9 Steps to Improve Quality 37
4.10 Industrial Linkages 37
4.11 Addendum “A” 37
4.12 Addendum “B” 38

Annexure A 39
Annexure B 45

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 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION TO ACCREDITATION
1.1 Introduction
Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan was established on 11th September 2002
by promulgation of Ordinance LIII OF 2002. HEC as per Article 10 Sub-Section 1(e) has been
authorized to set up national or regional evaluation councils or authorize any existing council or
similar body to carry out accreditation of programs by giving them appropriate ratings. The
Commission shall help build the capacity of existing councils or bodies in order to enhance
reliability of the evaluation carried out by them.
Since Computing had emerged as a major academic discipline and a professional field in
Pakistan, numerous educational institutions were offering degree programs in computing related
areas both in the public and private sectors. It had, therefore, become essential that an
internationally acceptable and industrially viable set of standards and criteria may be evolved.
Degree awarding institutions (DAIs) offering computing programs would be required to follow
these standards and criteria to ensure quality computing graduates. HEC recognizing this need
tasked the National Curriculum Revision Committee (NCRC) constituted for Computing programs
to initiate work on setting computing standards to be followed by DAIs. Computer Science/
Computing NCRC carried out the necessary spade work in 2003 and 2004. The NCRC, in its
recommendations, suggested a comprehensive mechanism to grant accreditation to computing
related degrees/disciplines in Pakistan.
Considering the recommendations of NCRC, HEC established the National Computing
Education Accreditation Council (NCEAC) February 16, 2005. This was the first council to be
established by HEC for accreditation of academic programs offered in the country.
The Council ensures that the computing education being imparted to students is of high
quality and meets the minimum standards prescribed by HEC. Accreditation by NCEAC is
mandatory for every computing program offered by any public or private University/DAI in
Pakistan. It is also mandatory for the affiliated colleges associated with any University/DAI.
1.2 Accreditation of Computing Programs
Improving the quality of computing education requires regular review, guidance, and
quality improvement mechanisms. Accreditation process is considered an effective instrument
to achieve these goals.
Accreditation protects and promotes the interest of all stakeholders, namely parents,
students, faculty, academic administrators, employers, and taxpayers. It serves to provide
information to:
 Parents and prospective students that a program is meeting minimum standards.
 The faculty and administration of the DAI about the program’s strengths and
weaknesses and of ways to improve the program.
 Employers that graduates are prepared to begin professional practice.
 Taxpayers that their funds are rightly spent; and

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  The public that graduates are aware of public health and safety considerations.
In view of the above benefits, HEC has given the following policy guidelines to NCEAC and
DAIs offering computing programs.
a. Accreditation shall be a mandatory process for all relevant academic programs offered by
public and private sector institutions. The incentives for obtaining such accreditation shall
include enhanced recognition in the computing community and prospective students.
b. All institutions in Pakistan, which grant a Recognized Computing Qualification, must apply
to the Council to have such qualification accredited.
c. Accreditation will be carried out under the umbrella of HEC and via the National
Computing Education Accreditation Council.
d. The Council shall publish a list of Accredited Programs as prescribed.
e. The Recognized Computing Qualifications granted by institutions recognized by the
respective authorized bodies outside Pakistan shall also be recognized by the Council as
per need in case of Pakistani graduates of a computing program.
f. Every institution in Pakistan which has an Accredited Program shall furnish such
information as the Council may, from time to time, require as to the courses of study and
examination to be undergone in order to obtain such Recognized Computing
Qualification.
g. The Council shall appoint such number of Program Evaluators (PEs) as it may deem
requisite to attend at any or all of the examinations held by the institutions in Pakistan
for the purpose of granting Recognized Computing Qualifications which are accredited or
in respect of which accreditation has been sought.
1.3 Objectives
The main objective of the accreditation system developed by NCEAC is to ensure that the
institute possesses certain facilities including the minimum required number of faculty to offer
degree program in computing. This helps prospective students to gain confidence about the
quality of education they can expect to receive at a particular university. It is a process to assure
quality in degree programs in educational institutions. It would require an educational institution
or program to meet defined standards or criteria.
Accreditation is useful for the following purposes:
 Guidance to DAIs for Improvement
 Ease Transfer of students between universities
 Recognition of Qualifications
 Increase Employer Confidence
The detailed objectives of the accreditation process are as follows:
a. To ensure the value-addition in transforming students admitted to the program into
capable computing professionals.
b. To ensure that graduates of the computing accredited programs achieved all attributes

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 set by the NCEAC.
c. To ensure that the graduates of computing accredited programs possess all necessary
technical skills required by the job market.
d. To ensure that the quality of resources at the institute which offers computing accredited
programs, are up to the mark to award degree in computing disciplines.
e. To ensure that the curriculum of accredited computing programs is designed and
executed as per NCEAC standards and criteria.
f. To ensure continuous improvement in the computing programs through accreditation
and re-accreditation process.
1.4 Scope
Currently, NCEAC accredits the ten following degree programs: (listed in alphabetical
order):
a. BS Artificial Intelligence (4 Years)
b. BS Bioinformatics (4 Years)
c. BS Computer Science (4 Years)
d. BS in Computer Engineering (4 Years)
e. BS Cyber Security (4 Years)
f. BS Data Science (4 Years)
g. BS Information Systems (4 Years)
h. BS Information Technology (4 Years)
i. BS in Multimedia and Gaming (4 Years)
j. BS Software Engineering (4 Years)
1.5 Need for Accreditation
The need and demand for accreditation of computing programs in Pakistan has arisen
because of the expansion in the number and diversity of educational institutions offering
computing programs. The main objective of the computing accreditation system is to validate
and certify the quality and standards, which are used to award degrees in computing disciplines.
The following benefits are associated with accredited degree programs.
Since higher education is a global phenomenon, the process of accreditation is crucial for
national and international recognition of our computing programs. Further.
a. NCEAC is a national body established by HEC recognized body for Higher Education
Accreditation of Computing in Pakistan. It shall be responsible for the accreditation of
educational programs leading to degrees in the discipline of computing.
b. Its endorsement and certification shall be valued and drawn on by professional and
technical societies, by employers, and by the institutions themselves for self-appraisal
and improvement.
c. NCEAC shall run and execute the accreditation programs on behalf of HEC under its

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 guidance and instructions.
1.6 Provision of Accreditation in HEC Act 2002
As mentioned in the introduction that HEC as per the article 10 Sub-Section 1(e) has been
authorized to set up national or regional evaluation councils or authorize any existing council or
similar body to carry out accreditation of programs by giving them appropriate ratings.
HEC has made it mandatory through public notices that a degree in the computing domain
will not be attested if awarded by an institution offering a non-credited program.
NCEAC has taken steps to facilitate DAIs in getting their computing programs accredited.
It has formulated policies, procedures, trainings, and guidelines that will facilitate DAIs in
accreditation of their computing programs.
1.7 Composition and Constitution of the Council
The Council consists of the following members, who have been nominated by the
Controlling Authority in the first and subsequent instances namely:-
a. The Chairperson.
b. The Vice-Chairperson.
c. A Representative of Higher Education Commission (ex-officio).
d. A Representative of Ministry of Science and Technology (ex-officio).
e. A Representative from Ministry of Information Technology and
Telecommunication (ex-officio).
f. One Representative each from Provincial Education/Information Technology
Departments (ex-officio).
g. Four members from leading software industry in the following manner (ex-officio):
i. Chairman Pakistan Software Export Board.
ii. President Pakistan Association of Software Houses.
iii. Two representatives from the software industry preferably with a strong
academic background.
h. Six members, being computing professionals.
1.8 Functions of the Council
a. To organize and carry out a comprehensive program of accreditation of computing
programs leading to degrees.
b. The NCEAC shall propose policies, procedures, and criteria or may suggest changes
or revisions of the same for Accreditation.
c. The NCEAC shall administer the accreditation process based on the approved
policies, procedures, and criteria.
d. The NCEAC shall approve the list of evaluators to participate in the process of
accreditation of academic programs.
e. The NCEAC shall constitute Accreditation Inspection Committee (AIC) for the
evaluation of relevant academic programs for accreditation. AIC (to be constituted
from the approved list of evaluators) shall make recommendations to NCEAC. The
final decision of the accreditation or necessary action will be made by NCEAC.

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 f. Procedures and decisions on all appeals with respect to accreditation actions shall
be the responsibility of the NCEAC.
g. Accreditation decisions will be based exclusively on the suitable criteria, policies,
and procedures as approved by NCEAC.
h. To publish a list of Recognized Computing Qualifications/programs.
i. To promote intellectual development and understanding of subject areas that
impact accreditation activities in the computing profession.
j. To prepare, print and publish criteria for the teaching of, and training in Computing
and its applications.
k. To collect, index and publish information on any or all aspects of computing, its
teaching applications, its applications and uses to industry and to maintain or
support any library, bureau, database or information system conducive to this end.
l. To select program evaluators (PEs).
m. To train and assess program evaluators (PEs).
n. To assist academic institutions in planning their educational programs for
accreditation.
o. To identify to the public, prospective students, student counselors, parents,
educational institutions, professional societies, potential employers, governmental
agencies, and state licensing or certification boards of specific programs that meet
minimum criteria for accreditation.
p. To provide guidance for the improvement of the existing educational programs and
development of future programs leading to the computing profession.
q. To stimulate the improvement of computing education in Pakistan.
r. To develop Accreditation Policies and Processes
s. To develop Guidelines and Procedures for PEs.
t. To develop Guidelines and Procedures for Programs and Institutions
u. To develop Guidelines for Selection of Evaluators
v. To identify and develop Guidelines for Ensuring “No Conflict of Interest”
w. To develop Program Evaluator’s Training Manual Self Study Questionnaire
x. To develop Forms and Templates
y. To collect information and statistics on accreditation of higher education of
Computing and its respective Institutions as it may deem fit and may cause it
published.
1.9 Accreditation Standards Committee (ASC)
The main function of the Accreditation Standard Committee (ASC) is to review reports
received from the Program Evaluators (PEs) after a field visit. The ASC consists of the following
members. All these members are also members of the General Council as mentioned above.

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 a. The Chairperson.
b. The Vice-Chairperson.
c. A Representative of Higher Education Commission (ex-officio).
d. Two Representatives from Software Industry.
e. Six Members of Computing Professionals.
1.10 Program Evaluators (PEs) and Accreditation Inspection Committee (AIC)
The General Council of NCEAC approves the appointment as PE. The criteria for selection
of PE is as under:
a. PhD degree in computing or a related discipline.
b. At least five years of post-PhD experience.
c. Good professional repute.
d. Taught for at least three years in a NCEAC accredited computing program.
e. Must be residing/working in Pakistan.
During an accreditation visit, an Accreditation Inspection Committee (AIC) is formed with
a convener and member. A PE qualifies to be appointed as Convener if he/she has evaluated at
least four programs on behalf of NCEAC.
The GC of NCEAC may appoint more than one member in AIC if required.
1.11 Institutions Eligible for Seeking Accreditation
Programs will be considered for accreditation if they are offered by an institution of higher
learning in one of the following categories:
 Institutions chartered by Federal or Provincial Governments.
 Institutions affiliated by the chartered universities or degree awarding institutions
(DAIs).
 Institutions offering degree programs under affiliation/collaboration with foreign
universities under the approval from HEC.
 Institutions that operate a branch campus under the direct supervision and control
of the main campus, and conduct program that is substantially equivalent to the one
located on the main campus.
 When a multi-campus institution presents programs for accreditation, each campus
will be considered as a separate institution in the evaluation process.
 Any other Institute recognized by HEC to offer degree programs.

1.12 Types of Accreditation Visit

NCEAC has launched its online Accreditation Automation System (AAS) for accepting Self-
Assessment Report (SAR)/ Accreditation Application of the institute. The AAS is available on the
URL https://accredit.nceac.org.pk.
The following types of accreditation visits are undertaken.
a. Zero Visit: This visit is conducted when an institution decides to launch a computing
program. This visit determines whether the institution has the minimum required

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 resources to launch the computing program. The outcome of the visit is either the DAI is
permitted to launch the program, or it is not permitted to do so. In case of denial of
permission, the reasons are communicated to the institution so that it may remove any
deficiencies for a subsequent confirmatory zero visit.
b. Accreditation and Re-accreditation Visits: Accreditation visit is the visit to accredit a
computing program. It is expected that the institute fulfils all the accreditation
requirements mentioned in the online system before the visit is arranged. It is the
responsibility of institute to apply for accreditation using online system available
https://accredit.nceac.org.pk when students reach to final year (7th semester). Program
seeking accreditation for the first time is required to ensure submission of all required
data as per the guidelines given on the AAS website. A re-accreditation visit is arranged
for programs whose accreditation period has expired. It is the responsibility of the
institute to apply for re-accreditation six months before the expiry of the accreditation
period. Both accreditation and re-accreditation are conducted using the same procedure.
c. Confirmatory Visit: Confirmatory visits are arranged under special circumstances to
urgently address an important shortcoming discovered during the accreditation visit. The
visit can also be arranged if the Council observes any major discrepancies in the
evaluation reports and rejoinder of the Institute. If an institute has reservations on NCEAC
General Council’s decision regarding the outcome of their accreditation, then institute
can apply for confirmatory visit.
d. Change-of-Scope Visit: An accredited program would be required to apply for a Change-
of-Scope visit under the following circumstances:
 An increase in the student enrollment.
 Any change which alters the fundamental aspect of the program such as
nomenclature of the program, addition of new scheme/specialization, change in
the location of the institute and curriculum.
The application for change of scope must be submitted six weeks before the change is
required.
1.13 Appeal Cases
In case there are any grievances, the Institute has the right to make an appeal to the
NCEAC General Council for review. The decision of the General Council on the appeal will be
considered to be final.
1.14 Accreditation Fee
Fee structure of various accreditation visits can be obtained from the NCEAC secretariat
or from the official website www.nceac.org.pk.

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 CHAPTER 2
ACCREDITATION PROCESS
2.1 Introduction
This chapter describes the NCEAC accreditation process. Following steps will facilitate in
successfully submitting the Self-Assessment Report (SAR)/ Accreditation Application.
1. Read the NCEAC Accreditation Manual.
2. Visit NCEAC website for any updated information.
3. Communicate with the Council.
4. Appoint/ designate a senior and experienced faculty member to act as
focal person during the accreditation process.
5. Plan and fulfil requirements of SAR to successfully submit the accreditation
application.
6. Adhere to application filing deadline. It is recommended that re-
accreditation application may be submitted at-least three months before
expiration date of previous accreditation.
7. Adhere to deadlines while launching new programs.
8. Respond to any queries from NCEAC in a timely manner.
2.2 Online Submission of Self-Assessment Report (SAR)
NCEAC has launched its online Accreditation Automation System (AAS) for accepting
SAR/ Accreditation Application of the institute. The AAS is available on the URL
https://accredit.nceac.org.pk. All institutes are required to submit their SAR/ Accreditation
application through AAS. The overall accreditation process is summarized in Figure 1 below:
To proceed, an institute is required to contact NCEAC through e-mail
([email protected]) for creating login and registration of Institute’s Focal Person (FP) in the
AAS. Only one Focal Person shall be registered with NCEAC by an institute. The institute for its
own purposes may appoint a team for entry of information into AAS, but only one login and
password will be provided by NCEAC to the institute for this purpose. The e-mail request for
appointment of FP to NCEAC must be submitted by the Dean/ Director/ Registrar or equivalent
of the institute.
The following information is required to be submitted in the e-mail request:
 For University/ Campus: FP Name, CNIC, Official e-mail, phone number and designation.
 For Affiliated College/ Institute: FP Name, CNIC, Official e-mail, phone number,
designation and copy of current affiliation letter.
After the registration of Institute’s Focal Person (FP), the registered FP will upload and submit
SAR/ Accreditation Application through AAS.

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Figure 1: NCEAC Accreditation Process Flow Diagram

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2.3 Qualifying Requirements
The qualifying requirements are meant to screen out programs that do not meet the core
requirements of the assessment criteria. Failure to meet any one of the qualifying requirements
may disqualify the program from further assessment/process. There are five components of the
qualifying requirements, and a program is expected to have all the five components. These
components are:
a. Applicant institution must satisfy the legal status/requirement of the relevant bodies,
specifying the particular legal arrangements as a Charter/Degree Awarding Institution
(DAI), Constituent or Affiliated institution, or any other type.
b. A minimum of 130 credit hours as per the NCEAC requirements. These 130 credit hours
must be offered over a period of four years (8 semesters). The HEC criteria for the
semester system must be followed.
c. Final year project (minimum 6 credit hours).
d. Full-time computing faculty complying with the standard stated in Chapter 3 of this
manual.
e. Progress on Compliance Report on the last NCEAC-AIC visit observations/General Council
decision.
If a program has met all the qualifying requirements, a detailed assessment of the
program based on the accreditation criteria as explained in the relevant sections will be carried
out.
2.4 Field Audit Visit
The main event in the accreditation process is the field visit which is sometime referred
to as Field Audit Visit. A field audit visit is a comprehensive audit conducted by the Accreditation
Inspection Committee (AIC) of the program which is seeking accreditation. The AIC report is the
major outcome of the visit that is submitted to the Council for evaluation and decision. The report
is evaluated by the Accreditation Standard Committee (ASC) to make a final recommendation
regarding the accreditation of the program.
Types of field visits are described in Chapter-1. The procedure for conduct of all types of
field audit visits is similar.
2.5 Visit Schedule and Date
After Desk audit by NCEAC, Institute proposes multiple possible dates for the visit. NCEAC
constitutes AIC as per the approved rules. The date of the visit is finalized after the mutual
consent of the AIC members, the institute and NCEAC.
2.6 Composition of AIC
For every visit, NCEAC constitutes an Accreditation Inspection Committee (AIC) to conduct
the filed visit and evaluate the program under accreditation. The AIC comprises of the Convener
and one or two Members along with NCEAC Staff. Credentials of the team members are stated
as under:

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 a. AIC Convener
 Senior and experienced PhD level Program Evaluators are appointed as convener
of the AIC. In addition, the AIC Convener is chosen from those who are working in
HEC recognized reputed HEI. Normally, an evaluator with PhD in relevant field
along with experience of minimum 4 accreditation visits is appointed as convener
of AIC.
b. AIC Member
 NCEAC approved Program Evaluator who is serving in HEI and holding a PhD in
relevant field with at least 3 years of Post PhD teaching experience are appointed
as member of AIC.
c. NCEAC Representative
 NCEAC Representative from NCEAC Secretariat.
2.7 Role of AIC Convener
The Convener of the Visiting Team has the overall responsibility for the accreditation visit.
The Convener assigns duties to each team member keeping in view the overall perspective.
He/she is familiar with the accreditation process and gathers in advance earlier reports, if any.
He/she has the responsibility for the preparation of the consolidated team report and its timely
submission for the consideration of the ASC and GC.
2.8 Duration of Visit
Normally, the visiting team requires one or two days on site for field audit visit to
complete the evaluation of a program. The duration may be changed by NCEAC depending on
the scale of the visit.
2.9 Plan of Activities on the First Day of Visit
The Council has approved a comprehensive plan for a one-day visit to inspect the program
under accreditation. NCEAC may, however, increase the duration of the visit to two days to
complete the activities outlined for a one-day visit depending upon the scale of the program(s)
under accreditation. The AIC can make changes to the order of the activities.
The Convener will hold a pre-visit meeting with members in connection with evaluation
of the program, preferably in the evening before the day of the evaluation. The meeting should
focus on the points of concern noted by the team members and exchange of views on the
provided information/AAS Anomaly Reports, and also the progress made on the observations of
previous accreditation visit (if any).
2.9.1 Plan of the Visit
a. Opening meeting of AIC with senior administration of the institution: Convener
will explain aim of the visit and describe the audit process.
b. Presentation by the Head of the Department of program being evaluated and
ensuing discussion. The presentation will cover the following aspects of the
program:
• Program Goals

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 • Curricula
• Faculty
• Student Strength and Admission Policies
• Infrastructure
• Alumni
• Q/A
c. AIC meets the faculty members for around 10 minutes per faculty member and
confirms the following:
• Academic Credentials
• Area of Interest
• Perception about the program, students, and peers
• Opportunities for professional growth
• Research opportunities
• Salary perception
• Teaching Load
d. Infrastructure visit by AIC to verify the following:
 Laboratories
 Library
 Classrooms
 Faculty Offices
e. AIC audits the course folders. If the Institute is maintaining the course folders on
LMS/CMS then hard copies are not required to be prepared. PEs will inspect the
same on LMS/CMS. Course folders are required to contain the following
information:
 Student Attendance Record.
 Course Information and Teaching Plan.
 Copies of examinations conducted along with solutions.
 Record of quizzes and assignments.
 Overall evaluation policy and award of grades.
 Projects record and sample hard copies of project reports.
f. Prayer + Lunch break
g. AIC visits at least two on going classes for 30 minutes each. It carries out
the following activity in each classroom:
 Randomly interviews students and assess their quality and their
computing knowledge.
 It seeks feedback from the students about their perception of
the program and quality of teaching.
h. Filling of Criteria Verification Form (CVF) by AIC. CVF is attached as Annexure “A”.
i. Exit Meeting.
 AIC shares its findings with the Dean/ Head of Institution
without mentioning their recommendations to NCEAC. It briefly

15
 describes the strong and weak areas of the program.
 AIC, if appropriate, gives a general guideline to improve the
program.
j. Post Visit meeting of the AIC members for compilation of Final visit
Report.
k. Submission of final visit report with recommendations through the AAS for
further processing of the Council.
2.10 Responsibility of The Institute during the Accreditation Process
The following are the main responsibilities of the Institute during the accreditation
process:
a. The institution shall arrange an exhibit-room for displaying documents listed in
Annexure “B” of this manual.
b. Ensure availability of teaching staff listed in Self-Assessment Report during AIC
visit.
c. Ensure that all logistic arrangements at the institute (if required) are made.
d. To coordinate with the convener of the Accreditation Inspection Committee to
fulfil any requirements and needs of PEs.
e. Any other requirements which are communicated to institute by the NCEAC.
In addition to the meeting of AIC with head of the program, faculty and students,
following authorities of the institute are expected to be available to AIC team during the field
audit visit.
 Head of the Institute (Vice Chancellor/Rector/Director/Principal)
 Dean of the Faculty concerned.
 Chairperson (Head of the Program)
 Director Quality Enhancement Cell or equivalent
2.11 Responsibilities of Institutional Stakeholders
2.11.1 The Institutional Accreditation Committee
The Institutional Accreditation Committee is formed to assist the conduct of
Program Evaluation and represent the Institutional stakeholders. It is made-up of the
Institutions and is headed by the Head of program or his/her nominee. Its key role is to
organize and facilitate all preparations and logistics arrangements before, during and, if
necessary, after the Program Accreditation.
2.11.2 Head of Program under accreditation:
The Head of Department has the overall responsibility for the coordination and
collaboration of the Institutional stakeholders. Each type of Institutional stakeholders has
specific responsibilities. These are presented below:
a. Share, plan, coordinate and involve all faculty, staff and prospective teachers in
the activities and tasks of preparations required for the Accreditation visit.
b. Facilitate the Institutional Accreditation Committee for all operative and logistic
arrangements for the Accreditation visit.

16
 c. Ensure preparation and availability of documents listed in Annexure “B”.
d. Ensure the presence of all teachers and support staff.
e. Ensure appropriate physical conditions and environment in the department.
f. Coordinate with the Accreditation Inspection Committee to make sure all
requirements and needs are met for the Program Evaluation.
2.11.3 Teachers and Support Staff
The key role of both, the teachers and support staff is to provide reliable and
truthful information. They will also cooperate and support the Head of Program for any
required logistic arrangements.
Their responsibility during the Program Evaluation is to:
a. Be present in the Institute on Program Evaluation dates.
b. Be willing to be interviewed.
c. Be professional while providing information to the AIC team.
d. Assist the Head of Program in arranging documents for evidence or collection by
the Accreditation Inspection Committee.
2.11.4 Presence of Students and Alumni of the Program
The program head is expected to ensure the presence of all students of the
program under evaluation. Selected Alumni of the program are also required to be
present for interview with the AIC. Necessary arrangements may be done for presence of
Alumni and Convener of the AIC may be informed about the time of interview with the
Alumni.
2.12 Provision for Withdrawal
The institutions have the option to withdraw its accreditation application for a program during
the accreditation process by a written request to the Convener of Accreditation Inspection
Committee (AIC), after being informed of its strengths and weaknesses, but before the AIC holds
formal discussion among its members for finalizing its report. However, the accreditation visit
fee will be non-refunded. The purpose of this provision is to enable institutions to improve the
program quality after making the necessary investments and corrections to overcome the
indicated weaknesses, rather than be assigned a ‘Not Accredited’ status. The institution can apply
again for the accreditation of program(s) being withdrawn together with the prescribed fees.
2.13 Reporting by AIC and Grant of Accreditation
a. AIC Report: At the end of the evaluation visit, the AIC meets the Head of program
or Vice Chancellor/Rector to inform him/her about their findings. Subsequently,
the committee submits a comprehensive report through the online system. The
report is communicated by the NCEAC to the Institute for comments with a
deadline for submission of a rejoinder, if required. The comments from the
Institute, if any, and evaluation report are placed on the agenda of the ASC
meeting.
b. The Role of ASC and GC in the Accreditation Process: The ASC examines AIC report

17
 along with the institution’s rejoinder and recommends an accreditation category.
ASC recommendations are submitted to the GC for final approval and endorsement
to finalize the category of a proposed Program of Institute.
2.14 Accreditation Categories
The GC of NCEAC awards either “W”, “X”, “Y” or “Z” category to the program based
on AIC report. The meaning and implication of each category is explained as under:
a. Programs awarded “W” Category will be accredited for a period of four years.
b. Programs awarded “X” Category will be accredited for a period of three years.
c. Programs awarded “Y” Category will be accredited for a period of two years. Programs
earning two consecutive “Y” categories and qualifying for “Y” category for the third time
will be awarded “Z” category.
d. Program being awarded “Z” category will not be permitted further intake of students. All
batches enrolled at the time of AIC visit will, however, be accredited. Such institutes will
have to apply for Zero Visit in case they decide to continue their computing programs.
2.15 Zero Visit Recommendation
The AIC, at the time of Zero Visit, will determine whether the facilities provided by the
institute are in accordance with the NCEAC Standards for the number of students planned in its
annual intake or not. Depending upon the type of deficiencies, the Council may ask the institute
to comply with the observations of AIC and apply for confirmatory Zero Visit or ask it to prepare
and file a fresh application for new zero after removing the deficiencies.
2.16 Accreditation Letter to the Institute
After decision of the GC, NCEAC issues a letter to the institute specifying the type of
accreditation category awarded, any weaknesses and concerns observed as a guideline for the
institute to improve itself and prepare for the future accreditation visit.

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 CHAPTER 3
STANDARDS AND CRITERIA
3.1 Introduction
This chapter describes various standards and requirements for the accreditation of
computing programs. As mentioned in previous chapters, the process of the accreditation
assures the quality of computing degree programs offered by various universities/DAIs.
Therefore, all universities/DAIs who wish to offer computing degree must meet certain defined
standards and requirements. The accreditation will be for programmatic and computing
programs specific. Moreover, accreditation must not to be confused with a certification. In
general, institutions and programs are accredited, and individuals are certified.
3.2 Standards and Criteria
A comprehensive set of standards (given below) have been developed by NCEAC based
on Seoul Accord Document D.5, to facilitate institutes to improve the quality of the computing
degree programs. The strengths, weaknesses, and concerns of the program regarding these
standards are identified during the accreditation process. Each standard is evaluated based on
various requirements. The NCEAC expects that each accredited program must fulfil all these
requirements as per the Council standards.
The standards criteria are listed below, and their detailed description follows:
Criterion-1: Program Objectives (POs)
Criterion-2: Graduate Attributes (GAs)
Criterion-3: Curriculum and Learning Process
Criterion-4: Students
Criterion-5: Faculty and Support Staff
Criterion-6: Facilities and Infrastructure
Criterion-7: Institutional Support and Financial Resources
Criterion-8: Steps to Improve the Program
Criterion-9: Industrial Linkages
3.2.1 Criterion 1 - Program Objectives (POs)
Program educational objectives (PO) are broad statements that describe what
graduates are expected to demonstrate a few years after graduation. It should be ensured
that the program objectives are aligned with the vision and mission of the institution.
Program objectives are based on the needs of the program’s constituencies and are
linked to student outcomes and learning assessment process. The objectives should be
clear, concise, realistic and measurable within the context of the committed resources
and should define the competitive/unique advantage of the program over similar
programs in other peer institutions. A process should be developed to assess the level of
attainment of the program objectives to evaluate effectiveness of the academic program.
It should include feedback from employers, alumni, faculty, and other stakeholders. The

19
evaluation results should be utilized for redefining/improving the program objectives.
The program seeking accreditation must demonstrate that the following are in
place:
a. Well-defined and published Program Objectives.
b. Program’s objectives consistency with the Institute’s mission.
c. Program’s objectives based on the stakeholder’s needs.
d. A process in place to evaluate the attainment of program objectives.
e. Evaluation results used for improvement of the program.
3.2.2 Criterion 2 – Graduate Attributes (GAs)
Graduate attributes are statements that describe the set of skills, knowledge, and
attitude that institute expects from its graduates. The institute monitors its own
performance from the data gathered while evaluating the attainment of GAs by its
graduates. By virtue of this data the institute is able to assess the quality of its graduates
and take steps to carry out necessary improvements in weak areas that are affecting
better attainment of GAs.
GAs defined by NCEAC are in alignment with the Graduate Attributes laid down in
the Seoul Accord document D.5 for computing professionals.
The range qualifier in several attribute statements uses the notion of complex
computing problem, or the notion of complex activity. These designators are defined in
Section 3.2.2.1 and 3.2.2.2 and the full set of graduate attribute definitions is given in
Section 3.2.2.3.
3.2.2.1 Definitions Associated with the Graduate Attributes
a. The practice area of a computing professional is defined both by the area
of computing knowledge and skills, and by the nature of the activities
performed.
b. A computing problem is one that can be solved by the application of
computing knowledge, skills, and generic competencies.
c. Solution means an effective proposal for resolving a problem, taking into
account all relevant technical, legal, social, cultural, economic, and
environmental issues and respecting the need for sustainability.
3.2.2.2 Common Range and Contextual Definitions Associated with the Graduate
Attributes
a. Range of Problem Solving
A Complex Computing Problem is a computing
problem having some or all the following
Characteristic characteristics:
1 Range of conflicting Involves wide-ranging or conflicting technical,
requirements computing, and other issues

20
 2 Depth of analysis required Has no obvious solution, and requires conceptual
thinking and innovative analysis to formulate suitable
abstract models
3 Depth of knowledge required A solution requires the use of in-depth computing or
domain knowledge and an analytical approach that is
based on well-founded principles
4 Familiarity of issues Involves infrequently encountered issues
5 Level of problem Is outside problems encompassed by standards and
standard practice for professional computing
6 Extent of stakeholder Involves diverse groups of stakeholders with widely
involvement and level of varying needs
conflicting requirements
7 Consequences Has significant consequences in a range of contexts
8 Interdependence Is a high-level problem possibly including many
component parts or subproblems
9 Requirement identification Identification of a requirement or the cause of a
problem is ill defined or unknown

b. Range of Computing Activity

A Complex Computing Activity is a computing activity
or project that has some or all of the following
Characteristic characteristics:

1 Range of resources (people, Involves the use of diverse resources

money, equipment,
materials, information, and
technologies)

2 Level of interactions Requires resolution of significant problems arising

from interactions among wide-ranging or conflicting
technical, computing, contextual, or other issues

3 Innovation Involves creative use of knowledge of computing or

domain principles in novel ways

4 Consequences to society Has significant consequences in a range of contexts

and the environment

5 Familiarity Can extend beyond previous experiences by applying

principles-based approaches

3.2.2.3 Graduate Attributes

GA-1 Academic Education: Completion of an accredited program of study designed
to prepare graduates as computing professionals.
Note by NCEAC: Accredited program of study implies a computing program which
fulfills the Higher Education Commission (HEC) National Qualification Framework
curriculum requirements. All courses recommended by HEC’s National Curriculum

21
Revision Committee (NCRC) will be mapped to this attribute.
GA-2 Knowledge for Solving Computing Problems: Apply knowledge of computing
fundamentals, knowledge of a computing specialization, and mathematics,
science, and domain knowledge appropriate for the computing specialization to
the abstraction and conceptualization of computing models from defined problems
and requirements.
GA-3 Problem Analysis: Identify and solve complex computing problems reaching
substantiated conclusions using fundamental principles of mathematics,
computing sciences, and relevant domain disciplines.
GA-4 Design/Development of Solutions: Design and evaluate solutions for
complex computing problems, and design and evaluate systems, components, or
processes that meet specified needs.
GA-5 Modern Tool Usage: Create, select, or adapt and then apply appropriate
techniques, resources, and modern computing tools to complex computing
activities, with an understanding of the limitations.
GA-6 Individual and Teamwork: Function effectively as an individual and as a
member or leader of a team in multidisciplinary settings.
GA-7 Communication: Communicate effectively with the computing community
about complex computing activities by being able to comprehend and write
effective reports, design documentation, make effective presentations, and give
and understand clear instructions.
GA-8 Computing Professionalism and Society: Understand and assess societal,
health, safety, legal, and cultural issues within local and global contexts, and the
consequential responsibilities relevant to professional computing practice
GA-9 Ethics: Understand and commit to professional ethics, responsibilities, and
norms of professional computing practice.
GA-10 Life-long Learning: Recognize the need, and have the ability, to engage in
independent learning for continual development as a computing professional.
In addition to incorporating the graduate attributes (GA-1 to GA-10) listed above as
graduate attributes, the educational institution may also include any additional
outcomes if adopted.
In particular, the program must demonstrate the following regarding GAs:
a. Well-defined and published Graduate Attributes
b. Graduate Attributes linked to the Program Objectives
c. Mapping of Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) of all courses to relevant
Graduate Attributes.
d. Teaching-learning and assessment methods appropriate and supportive to
the attainment of Graduate Attributes
e. Quality of assessment mechanism to evaluate achievement levels for all

22
 the Program.
f. Process in place by which assessment results are applied to further refine
the assessment mechanism and/or redefine the Graduate Attributes, thus
leading to improvement of the program.
3.2.3 Criterion 3– Curriculum and Learning Process
A curriculum and learning process of the computing program should cover the
following essentials:
3.2.3.1 Duration, Content of the Curriculum and Graduation Requirement
a The curriculum should comply with HEC guidelines. It should be spread
over eight (8) regular semesters (summer semester not being counted).
The total degree contents should encompass a course load of 130 credit
hours.
b One credit hour of theory implies 50 minutes of class contact per week
over the duration of the semester and one credit hour of laboratory
implies three contact hours of lab work per week spread over the whole
semester.
c A minimum 2.0 CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) on a scale of 4.0
is required for award of BS/ BSc Computing Degree.
3.2.3.2 Assessment of GAs
Since curriculum courses are mapped to various GAs, the assessment of
Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) provides a direct method of assessment of the
relevant GAs.
Course mapping to GAs is done as per the following:
a. While planning to teach a course, the course instructor proposes a set of
Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) which are usually approved by the
department’s Board of Studies. In case of multiple offerings of the same
course, all offerings of the same course will have same CLOs.
b. CLOs are then mapped to corresponding Graduate Attribute as outlined in
article 3.2.2.3 above. Note one CLO will be mapped to one GA only.
However, multiple CLOs may be mapped to the same GA.
c. A course usually maps to two, three or four GAs. Only FYDP is mapped to
more or all GAs.
In particular, the program must demonstrate the following:
3.2.3.3 Lab Work
The teaching/learning in essential subjects must be supported with sufficient
practical work in the labs for which each program is expected to have its own
dedicated labs. Laboratories should be designed to involve students in Complex
Computing Activity. For this purpose, lab manuals containing all experiments for each
course must be maintained. The labs should be well-equipped with the requisite

23
 computing equipment/machines such as basic components, modules, measuring
instruments, etc.
3.2.3.4 Design Projects
Computing relates to the design of solutions. The students of a computing
program must be encouraged to undertake design projects as an integral part of
every core subject. Such design projects should be geared towards solving complex
problems and complex computing activity.
3.2.3.5 Final Year Design Project
The final-year design project (FYDP) should span over at least two consecutive
semesters, that is, semesters 7 and 8, totaling 6 credit hours. It is the capstone of a
computing program. Undertaking a final year design project is a compulsory
requirement. It should mainly comprise literature search, individual analysis,
formulation of a complex problem and its solution through complex computing
activity.
The FYDP report shall adhere to the best practices and guidelines of report
writing for projects.
3.2.3.6 Internship Program
The program should facilitate and promote cooperative learning through
mandatory supervised internship program of continuous 6-8 weeks duration in a
professional computing organization. The training program should be planned and
agreed upon by both the institution and the host organization. The institution should
receive a report about each trainee indicating the training details, interest shown by
the student, his/her work habits and punctuality. Assessment of internship program
through defined rubrics encompassing respective learning domains shall be
demonstrated.
3.2.4 Criterion 4 - Students
The quality of students admitted, and their academic progression are important
considerations in evaluating the success of a program in achieving its objectives.
3.2.4.1 Admission Criteria
a At least 50% marks in Intermediate/ DAE with Mathematics as a subject or
equivalent 12 years education with Mathematics as a subject are required for
admission in all BS/ BSc Computing Programs except BS/ BSc/ BE Computing
Engineering.
b At least 50% marks in Intermediate Pre-medical (subject combination of
Physics, Chemistry and Biology) or equivalent 12 years education are also
eligible to apply. Such candidates, if admitted, are required to study additional
two Mathematics courses, worth 6 credit hours, during first year of studies at
the institution.
c At least 60% marks in Intermediate/ DAE with Physics, Mathematics and
Chemistry/ CS or equivalent 12 years education with Physics, Mathematics and
Chemistry/ CS are required for admission in all BS/ BSc / BE Computing

24
 Engineering program.
Note: The determination of equivalence and issuance of equivalent marks certificate
up to HSSC level for certificates other than those issued by Pakistan's Boards is the
jurisdiction of the Inter Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC). The following are the
addresses of the IBCC offices:
● IBCC at FBISE Building, H-8/4, Islamabad
● IBCC Regional Office at BISE Building, 86 Mozang Road, Lahore·
3.2.4.2 Annual Intake
This aspect pertains to the number of students admitted considering the
capacity of the program and its allied facilities through an assessment process. The
program intake should be in line with the standards of NCEAC.
3.2.4.3 Transfer of Students
The institute shall develop a clear, documented and well publicized policy on the
transfer of students from other institutions. The policy shall take into account
evaluation of credit equivalence for the subjects studied in an accredited program of
a HEC recognized institution and should be based on justifiable grounds. No more than
a maximum of 50% of the total credit hours required for the degree program should
be transferred. All such cases of student transfer should be intimated to NCEAC for
information and record at the time of acceptance by the institution.
3.2.4.4 Academic Counseling
This aspect pertains to the guidance available to students from teachers through
dedicated office hours beyond scheduled timetable. The office hours must be
publicized by the instructors by posting them on the office doors/noticeboards.
Tutorials, problem-solving and/or help sessions, when planned, should be scheduled,
and made a part of the timetable. RAs and TAs / GAs engaged to provide extra
coaching and/or subject assistance, especially when assisting the main instructor with
a larger class-size, should also maintain specific designated hours for off-class
assistance/counseling. Individual students’ academic progress should be monitored,
and corrective measures taken on a regular basis through well-defined mechanism.
3.2.4.5 Career and Student Wellness Counseling
In addition to the course specific guidance, the institute should have designated
student counselors who would advise and counsel students regarding academic as
well as career matters. A formal orientation session for the newly admitted students
to apprise them about the salient requirements and policies/procedures of the
program is highly desired. The student wellness counselor(s) should also provide
assistance to students in managing their health, financial, stress, emotional and
spiritual problems.
3.2.4.6 Class Size (Theory)
This aspect pertains to the number of students per section for the theory classes.
For all subjects, class size should not exceed 50 students per section. Where the main
subject instructor is an experienced PhD faculty and is being duly assisted by

25
appropriate number of GAs/ TAs/ RAs/ LEs for conducting scheduled Tutorials/Help-
Sessions and/or with advertised office-hours for off-class guidance of the students, a
bigger class size may be justified.
3.2.4.7 Class Size (Practical)
For laboratory sessions, the number of students conducting experiments in the
laboratory at one time should be such as to ensure sufficient practical exposure and
proper guidance / supervision by the GAs/ TAs/ RAs/ LEs. The number of students per
workstation are expected to be limited to 2-3 per workstation; whereas for labs which
are demonstrative in nature, relatively larger number of students per workstation
may be considered reasonable. An adequate number of GAs/TAs/RAs/LEs and
associated staff should be available for effective guidance and help to students during
their practical sessions.
3.2.4.8 Semester Academic Load
This aspect pertains to the number of credit-hours taken by students in each
semester, and the appropriateness of each subject’s workload in consideration of its
credit-hours. Students should not be overburdened with workload that may be
beyond their ability to cope with or may hamper their assimilation of the subject
matter and optimal performance. Academic load in a semester should preferably be
in the range of 15 ~18 credit hours as prescribed by HEC.
3.2.4.9 Completion of Courses and Student Feedback
This aspect pertains to the completion of subject contents as published in the
official program catalog and/or website. All the subject topics as well as the practical
experiments meant to be covered for the course must be completed during the
prescribed time. The information will be gathered by the AIC from the official record,
as well as through feedback and interaction with students.
The course file is an important instrument to monitor and evaluate the
effectiveness of the delivery of the course. A course file must include all relevant data
(such as given below) which could become the basis of evaluation.
a. Course Description including course contents, recommended textbooks,
lecture breakdown, office hours for students, Course Learning Outcomes
(CLOs) and their mapping to GAs, Assessment tools and their weightage,
grading policy etc.
b. Schedule of quizzes/ mid-term tests and final examination.
c. Samples of best, worst, and average answer sheets, along with the question
paper and model solutions of each sessional(s)/ midterm / quizzes/
assignments and final examination.
d. Record of make-up classes for any unscheduled holiday.
e. Breakdown of laboratory experiments pertaining to the course and record
of successful conduct.
f. Record of CLOs assessment and attainment

26
 g. Instructor course feedback form
h. Recommendation and suggestions related to the course for the next session.
3.2.4.10 Participation in Competitions
Students’ participation in national / international exhibitions and/or
competitions not only provides an opportunity to display their projects, exchange
ideas and compete with teams from other institutions but also helps to broaden their
horizon and provides a platform to the program faculty and administrators to
benchmark their program. Winning positions / prizes in such competitions serves to
highlight the strong area of the program and builds confidence in the students. Thus,
the program should encourage and facilitate participation in such competitions /
exhibitions.
3.2.4.11 Student Performance Evaluation
This aspect pertains to the various mechanisms being used for evaluating
students’ performance in the program courses, and their suitability and affectivity for
assessment of the level of achievement of course learning outcomes. This may include
a review of various class assignments, quizzes, research reports, examinations as well
as lab projects and viva-voce. The number and variety of such assessment tools and
their coverage of subject topics in a manner which ensures a reasonably accurate
assessment of students’ level of achievement against various learning outcomes is the
key to monitor students’ progress in a direct manner. It is expected that the program
should demonstrate a minimum number of such class assignments, quizzes, and
examinations for assessment of GAs.
3.2.4.12 Community Service
This aspect pertains to institution’s policy and its facilitation to students to carry
out various community services.
3.2.5 Criterion 5– Faculty
Faculty requirements is the focus of the accreditation process.
As a general guideline, a faculty member is considered to be relevant to the
computing program under accreditation if:
a his/ her 16 years qualification is in a computing discipline, Or
b his/ her terminal degree is in a computing discipline, Or
c his/ her terminal degree is in relevant sciences or engineering and has
academic or professional computing experience.
3.2.5.1 Faculty Classification
a. Dedicated/Fulltime
A faculty member is classified as dedicated/ full-time if he / she has been hired
as a regular / full-time faculty member for the computing program and carries at least
the minimum teaching load in it.

27
b. Shared
A faculty member is classified as Shared if he/ she is employed full time by the
HEI in a program other than the computing program or is employed in the computing
program but does not carry the minimum teaching load in it.
c. Visiting
Teachers, who are not employed by the university on full-time basis but are
invited from the industry to teach courses in the program under accreditation, are
classified as visiting faculty members.
3.2.5.2 Faculty Requirements
Detail about the faculty requirements is given below:
a. NCEAC requires at least seven dedicated full-time core computing faculty
members excluding shared faculty members including at most two full time
Demonstrators/ Teaching Fellows/ Teaching Assistants / Junior Lecturers
to teach four batches (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th year) with each having a
maximum of 50 students.
b. Full-time core computing faculty members must include at least one with
a PhD degree and the remaining (excluding demonstrators) must have 18
years or equivalent degree. The Demonstrators/ Teaching Fellows/
Teaching Assistants/ Junior Lectures must have at least 16 years of
education.
c. For a brand-new program under a newly established department, there
must be at least three (two) full-time core computing faculty members
(excluding demonstrators) at the time of zero visit, including at least one
with a PhD degree. Already established computing programs offered by
one or more departments will apply for a Change of Scope visit in case they
plan to induct additional students under a program with a new
nomenclature. The new program will not admit more than 50 students in
its first batch.
d. For a new program in an existing department that already offers some
computing program(s), the following may be used as a guideline for hiring
full-time core computing faculty for a batch of 50 students.
• 1st year only: Minimum three faculty members
• 1st and 2nd year only: Minimum four faculty members
• 1st, 2nd and 3rd year only: Minimum six faculty members
• 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th year: Minimum seven faculty member
e. It is further clarified that faculty course load is determined by counting all
the courses taught in BS, MS and PhD programs, taught in computing or
other departments. The count also includes courses taught in evening or
weekend programs.

28
 f. Any member of the visiting faculty shall be counted as 0.25 equivalent to
full-time faculty member. Maximum permissible cumulative visiting
faculty credit is equivalent to one full time faculty member.
g. A computing practitioner with 16-years computing degree and minimum
3-years industry experience from a recognized/registered industry may be
hired as a visiting faculty.
3.2.5.3 Maximum Load of Faculty
Maximum of 9 credit hours of course load per semester.
3.2.5.4 Minimum Faculty Load
A minimum of 9 credit hours of course load per year is required for Full-Time
Faculty. However, minimum 6 credit hours of course load is required from faculty
members serving in administrative posts like VC/ Rector/Dean/ Chairpersons/
Directors
3.2.6 Criterion 6–Facilities and Infrastructure
The Council (NCEAC) has defined certain requirements which must be available to the
program at the Institute. However, infrastructure is not limited to the requirements given
below but university/DAIs can add more to the list.
Classrooms:
 Minimum 3 classrooms per 200 students’ batch of 4 sections each of 50 students
must be clearly mentioned as the guiding data for the purpose of filling this
evaluation form.
Labs:
Following categories of labs will be considered at the time of evaluation:
 General Programming Lab(s)
 Systems Lab(s)
 Hardware Lab(s)
The number of hardware stations available should be 1:3 but 1:5 is also acceptable where
students tend to keep laptops.
Library:
 Minimum of 4 computing related books per students should be available.
 At least 5 photocopies of IEEE/ACM transactions/proceedings should be available in
hard copy.
 At least 10 technical Magazines should be available in hard copy.
Other:
 Provision for supporting facilities like transport, hostels, indoor and outdoor sports
facilities for male as well as female students, prayer areas, common rooms etc.
should also be available.

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3.2.7 Criterion 7–Institutional Support and Financial Resources
The institutional support for any degree program is a key to success for the graduates of
the program. Therefore, it is expected that the program is supported by the institute
through financial and administrative resources for the following purposes:
 To ensure quality and continuity of the program.
 To provide an environment by which student outcomes can be attained.
 To attract, retain, and provide for the continued professional development of a
qualified faculty.
 To acquire, maintain, update, and operate infrastructure, facilities and equipment
appropriate to the program.
3.2.8 Criterion 8–Steps to Improve Quality
Imparting quality education should be regarded as a significant and long-term
component of all activities carried out by HEIs. This requires that a Quality Management
Policy must be in place to assure the achievement of Program Objectives and GAs.
Planning, implementation, monitoring and improvement are the essential elements of
any Quality Management Policy, which provides quality assurance confidence to various
stakeholders on the graduates’ demonstrable attributes.
3.2.9 Criterion 9–Industrial Linkages
Computing is an applied field in nature, therefore, linkage between the program and
industry is an essential requirement. For this purpose, following parameter must be
followed by the program seeking accreditation.
 There is an Industrial advisory board/committee.
 There is a formal mechanism for seeking feedback from Industry and its analysis
for the attainment of POs.
 There are opportunities for students to acquire industrial experience via
internship through the institute’s Industry-Liaison office.
 The Design projects are sponsored / supervised jointly by Industry Professionals
and faculty members.
 Faculty members are involved in design / supervision / consultancy role with
the industry in the execution of applied research / design projects that are
relevant to society / industry.

30
 CHAPTER 4
GUIDELINES FOR SELF ASSESSMENT REPORT (SAR)/
ACCREDITATION APPLICATION
4.0 Introduction to SAR/ Application filing on AAS
A Self-Assessment Report (SAR) is an account of the institution’s plan, implementation,
assessment and evaluation of the program under accreditation. It reflects the processes with
results obtained and their analyses used for improvement of quality at all levels of the program’s
activities. The emphasis shall be on the qualitative description of each aspect and criterion, and
how these meet the standards and expectation as set out in this Manual. In other words, this
summary document is a form of Self-Assessment by the institution of its computing program.
NCEAC Accreditation Automation System (AAS) provides a convenient platform to apply for
accreditation and submit necessary information required in completion of the Self-Assessment
Report (SAR) of the program applying for accreditation. This chapter describes the information
required in completion of the SAR and accreditation application. This information is uploaded on
AAS which will generate a SAR for accreditation purposes in the standardized pdf format. The
same would be accessible to the applying institute.
Institutes accessing the NCEAC AAS portal will see the following headings:
a. Dashboard: Statistics of the institute as available with NCEAC from past accreditation
visits and the number of applications received from the institute, if any. The dashboard
also gives the steps to prepare the SAR/ Accreditation Application.
b. Your Profile: Profile of the Focal Person (FP) nominated by the institute.
c. Institute Profile: It has further subheadings of: General Information, Contact
Information and Other Contact Information.
Once this information is provided and saved, the FP will be given access to enter other required
data, complete the SAR and Accreditation Application.
On gaining access to other headings, FP for convenience, may fill the data as per the following
sequence.
4.0.1 Department and Programs: FP has the option to:
i. View Departments.
ii. Add New Department: Name, date of initiation and category of the
department is to be added. In addition, details of the Head of Department are
also to be added.
iii. Add new Program:
 Name of program.
 Type of program.
 Department offering the program.

31
  Session information: Whether single or dual intake per year, whether
offered in morning and evening shifts, or both.
 Total program Credit Hours.
 Program starting date.
iv. View Programs
 View/ Edit Program Objectives (POs)
 Edit or Add POs.
 Map POs with Graduate Attributes (GAs). Ten GAs, as required by Seoul
Accord, have been incorporated in AAS.
4.0.2 Faculty Directory: List of departments added by the FP will be visible. After selecting
the required department, FP will be required to add faculty information as stated in
AAS.
4.0.3 Course Catalog: List of programs added by FP will be visible. On selecting a program,
facility to add courses will be accessible. The following information for each course is
to be provided:
i. Course Name.
ii. State the year of HEC’s NCRC recommended curriculum being followed.
iii. Course Type. That is whether core, elective or supporting.
iv. Select the Linked HEC NCRC recommended course.
v. Credit hours of the course.
vi. Select the GAs being mapped to the course. The mapping of Course Learning
Outcomes (CLOs) to GAs is decided by the course instructor/ department.
Note: Course mapping to GAs is done as per the following:
 While planning to teach a course, the course instructor proposes a set of Course
Learning Outcomes (CLOs) which are usually approved by the department’s
Board of Studies. In case of multiple offerings of the same course, all offerings
of the same course will have same CLOs.
 CLOs are then mapped to corresponding Graduate Attribute as outlined in
article 3.2.2.3 of Chapter 3 of this manual. Note one CLO will be mapped to one
GA only. However, multiple CLOs may be mapped to the same GA.
 A course usually maps to two, three or four GAs. Only FYDP is mapped to more
or all GAs.
Note: Theory and lab portions of a course are treated as separate courses.
4.0.4 Student Directory:
Note: Refer to Article 3.2.4.1 of this manual for NCEAC admission eligibility criterion
and authority to issue equivalent certificates. Institutes are mandated to follow
this criterion.

32
 Two options will be visible. One option is whether the students to be added are
current students and the second option is whether the students to be added have
already graduated.
i. On selecting “Currently Enrolled Students”, programs entered by the institute
become visible. On selecting a program, a button titled “Add new batch/
Entry” will be visible. FP will add the required batch information. After creation
of the batch, the FP has the option to upload an excel file in the specified
format or add individual students. Data uploaded via excel may have
anomalies. Student data with anomalies are shown in “Pending student’s”
column on AAS. FP has the option to edit a pending student and make
necessary corrections.
 Required mandatory fields are Name, Father’s Name, Gender, University
Roll/ Registration Number, Date of admission, Nationality, CNIC/
Passport Number, Date of birth, Mailing address, City, HSSC/ DAE
nomenclature numeric (1: Intermediate/ DAE with Mathematics, 2: “A”
level with Mathematics, 3: Intermediate Pre-medical or equivalent),
HSSC/ DAE total marks, HSSC/ DAE obtained marks.
 Other fields are optional and may be filled by the institute.
ii. On selecting “Graduate Students”, same information is to be filled as outlined
in section 4.1.4.1 with additional information of CGPA earned on graduation.
A student graduating later than his/her own batch may also be specified in
AAS. A submit button must be pressed by FP after entry of the graduating
batch information.
iii. The FP has the option to change the status of data entered for currently
enrolled students to graduated students.
iv. The batches entered by the FP at the time of preparation of SAR/ Accreditation
Application will be shown as “Pending” until the SAR/ Accreditation
Application is submitted by FP to NCEAC. On submission, the status is changed
to “Submitted with Application”. After accreditation, status of “Accredited”
will be added. On marking Graduated by the FP, the status of “Graduated” will
also be visible for the batch.
4.1 SAR/ Application Filing and Processing
a. On selecting this option, FP will see the list of applications submitted or pending
through AAS. An option to select “New Application” will also pop up. FP submitting a
new application will select this option.
b. The program for which accreditation application is to be submitted will be selected by
the FP. Programs added in earlier options will become visible.
c. FP will only be able to choose the type of visit if POs have been added for the program.
d. In case of choice of Accreditation Visit, mandatory information on the batches for
which accreditation is being sought are to be added. Subsequently SAR has to be filled
and submitted.

33
 e. In case of Zero Visit, faculty must be added in Faculty Directory as mentioned in Article
4.0.2. A shortened SAR/ Application must be submitted through AAS where the
related criteria in SAR/ Application Filing will be visible to FP for filling and submission.
The general structure of the Self-Assessment Report shall conform to the following sections. The
institution is advised to provide accurate information as detailed in Chapter 3 of this
Accreditation Manual.
4.2 Program Objectives
a. State the vision and mission of the institution and/or faculty.
b. Describe the process of formulation, improvement and approval of the POs.
c. The POs have already been entered in the “Departments and Programs” Tab by the FP
under “View Programs”. The SAR document generated by AAS will have these POs
listed under appropriate head.
d. Describe how POs are consistent with the vision and mission of the institution and/or
faculty and stakeholders’ requirements and state whether they are approved by the
institution’s statutory bodies.
e. Describe the processes used to evaluate the achievement of POs.
f. Describe how the results obtained from evaluation are being used to improve the
effectiveness of the program.
4.3 Graduate Attributes (GAs)
a. State the university/ HEIs body which has approved the GAs.
b. Describe how the GAs encompass the requirements of Section 3.2.2 of this Manual.
c. Describe the processes used to establish and review the GAs, and the extent to which
the program’s various stakeholders are involved in these processes.
d. The FP has already mapped CLOs to GAs in the “Add new course” option available in
AAS under “Course Catalog”. The SAR document generated by AAS will show the
mapping of Courses to GAs.
e. Describe the data gathered and the results of the assessment of GAs.
f. Explain how the assessment results are applied to further develop and improve the
program.
g. Describe the materials, including students’ work and evidence of complex engineering
problems/ activities, problem-based learning (PBLs), open ended labs (OELs), class
projects (CPs), and FYPD that demonstrate achievement of the GAs.
h. Provide information of Complex Problems/Complex Activity exercised particularly in
Breadth and Depth courses along with few examples indicating relevant domain(s)
towards the attainment of mapped GAs.
4.4 Curriculum and Learning Process
a. Describe if the curriculum is in compliance with program specific HEC curriculum
guidelines, that is, it is spread over 8 semesters covering at least 130 credit hours of

34
 course work. And covers required breadth, depth and content distribution .
b. Describe how does the curriculum provides adequate exposure to Complex Problems
(CPs) and design activities.
c. Describe the available program specific well-equipped labs to supplement theoretical
knowledge/ classroom learning.
d. Describe how lab work and its assessment mechanism supports attainment of the
required skills.
e. State whether Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) are defined for all courses and are
mapped to relevant GAs.
f. Describe if there is any formal involvement of industry in curriculum development /
revision.
g. Describe employment of other aspects (supplementary tools and practices) of student
learning such as tutorial system and seminar / workshops, etc. to enhance student
learning, in addition to regular classroom interaction and lab experimentation.
Minimum expectation is that faculty office hours are announced and adhered to.
h. Describe exposure to cooperative learning through supervised and mandatory
internship program with formal feedback from the employer.
i. Elaborate if sufficient opportunities to invoke intuitiveness and originality of thought
through Problem Based Learning (PBL), Design Projects and Open-Ended labs is
provided to the students.
j. Describe how is Assessment of various learning outcomes (GAs/CLOs) employing
appropriate direct / indirect methods is carried out.
k. Describe whether the Final Year Design projects (FYDP) include complex problems and
design of systems, components or processes integrating core areas and meeting
specified religious, cultural and societal aspects.
l. Describe how the FYDP project deliverables and the reports are graded according to
well-defined mechanism.
4.5 Students
a. State whether the requirements and process for admission of students to the program
and the annual intake are consistent with NCEAC policies.
b. Discuss the policies and processes for credit transfer/ exemption.
c. Discuss mechanism for providing guidance to students on academic, career and
aspects pertaining to wellness, student discipline.
d. Describe mechanism and adherence to the policies dealing with harassment and
plagiarism cases.
e. Discuss students’ workload, class sizes for theory as well as laboratory sessions and
completion of courses.
f. Discuss students’ activities and involvement in student organizations that provide
experience in management and governance, representation in education and related

35
 matters and social activities.
g. Discuss Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to demonstrate students’ performance in
relation to GAs.
4.6 Faculty and Support Staff
a. Discuss the strength and competencies of the academic staff in covering all areas of
the program.
b. Discuss how the overall staff workload enables effective teaching, student-staff
interaction, student advising and counseling, institutional service and research
activities, professional development and interaction with industry.
c. Discuss processes for faculty development, training and retention.
d. Discuss the sufficiency and competency of technical and administrative staff in
providing adequate support to the educational program.
e. Undergraduate faculty course load information is dynamically generated on AAS from
the data provided by the institute in its application. However, FP will link faculty
members to courses being taught in Annexure “A”. Faculty members teaching
Postgraduate course are required to be entered in Annexure “B”.
4.7 Facilities and Infrastructure
The following information is required to be provided on AAS:
a. Number of dedicated lecture rooms.
b. Number of shared lecture rooms.
c. Average size of each lecture room.
d. Instructional facilities provided in lecture rooms.
e. Number of computing laboratories.
f. Average number of computers per laboratory.
g. Average life of PCs in Computing Labs.
h. Nature and level of networking.
i. Specialized lab facilities and hours of their availability.
j. Student to computer ratio during past three years from the date of accreditation
application.
k. Total number of books in the library.
l. Total number of unique titles in the library.
m. State whether library is connected to HEC digital library.
n. State if there is any Library Management System.
o. State if there is access to IEEE/ ACM journals in the library.
p. State the number of computing books and printed technical magazines added to the
library in last three years from the date of application.

36
 q. Reply to other facilities / infrastructure questions listed in the AAS SAR generation
facility.
r. A summary of information on recent improvements and planned improvements in
these facilities.
4.8 Institutional Support and Financial Resources
Reply to financial resources and institutional support questions listed in the AAS SAR
generation facility for the last five years from the date of application.
4.9 Steps to Improve Quality
4.9.1 Discuss the mechanism for the following:
i. Program planning.
ii. Curriculum development.
iii. Curriculum and content review.
iv. Responding to feedback and inputs from stakeholders including industry
advisors, students and alumni.
v. Tracking the contribution of individual courses to GAs.
vi. Tracking outcomes of performance through assessment, including rubrics;
reviewing of POs and GAs to improve quality.
4.9.2 Discuss the implementation plan based on the observations of the last
accreditation visit and the remedial actions taken.
The information required in Sec 4.9.1 -- 4.9.2 should include but is not limited to
the following:
i. Evidence on the participation of faculty members and support staff as well as
students in the improvement of the program.
ii. Evidence on the development of academic staff through opportunities in
further education, industrial exposure, as well as research and development.
iii. Policies, internal processes and practices that are in place at all levels within
the institution relating to the accreditation criteria as stated in Chapter 3 of
this Manual.
4.10 Industrial Linkages
a. Describe the existence of active industry advisory board/ committee and formal
involvement of industry in development and review of POs.
b. Discuss opportunities for collaborative design projects and supervised internship for
students.
c. Discuss different HEI policies to encourage faculty and students to engage with the
industry to have industry-sponsored projects.
4.11 Addendum “B”
a. FP will link faculty members to courses being taught in this Annexure.

37
  Courses whose CLOs have been mapped to GAs in “Course Catalog” Tab will only
be visible. Institutes which have earlier applied to NCEAC for accreditation without
CLOs to GAs mapping are required to submit CLOs to GAs mapping by revisiting
“Course Catalog” Tab to make course information visible.
b. Undergraduate faculty course load information is dynamically generated on AAS only
after the FP has completed linking the courses to faculty members.
c. In addition, courses taught to all sessions under progress during Fall and Spring
semesters and names of faculty members teaching these courses are also to be
included.
4.12 Addendum “B”
Faculty members teaching Postgraduate courses are required to be entered in Annexure
“B”.

ANNEXURE A

38
Acknowledgment: Pakistan Engineering Council’s forms and documents have been used in
preparation of this form.
This form is to be used to record program data and information during the fact finding and evaluation
process. Use the following compliance levels while filling the form:

G Good (Exceeds compliance requirements)

S Satisfactory (Compliant)

C Concern (Complies with room for improvement)

W Weakness (Partially compliant)

D Deficient (Not compliant)

Criterion 1 –Program Objectives (POs)

Evaluate the extent to which the program attains the following elements of the criterion.

Evaluator’s Comments Compliance Level

a. The institution has defined program objectives

(POs) which are consistent with the vision and
mission of the institution.
b. . There is a process in place to evaluate the
attainment of POs and the institution has set
some Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for this
purpose.
c. There is a process in place by which the
institution takes steps to review its program
considering POs attainment.

d. There exists a mechanism that involves alumni,

faculty and industry in formulation and reviewof
POs

Criterion 2 – Graduate Attributes (GAs)

Evaluate the extent to which the program attains the following outcomes of the criterion.

Evaluator’s Comments ComplianceLevel

a Graduate Attributes are clearly defined

encompassing attributes outlined in Section
D.5 of Seoul Accord Document. These have
been adopted by institution’s relevant
statutory body.

b There is a well-defined process for the periodic

review and revision of GAs.

c The institution has mapped its GAs to the POs of

the program.

39
 d There is a documented process for the
assessment and evaluation of GAs attainment?

Criterion-3: Curriculum and Learning Process

Evaluator’s Comments ComplianceLevel

a. Curriculum is in compliance with program

specific HEC curriculum guidelines. It:
1. Is spread over 8 semesters covering at least130
credit hours of course work. And it:
2. Covers required breadth, depth and content
distribution.
Adequate exposure to Complex Problems(CPs)
b. and design activities

c. Availability of program specific well-equipped

labs to supplement theoretical knowledge/
classroom learning.

Lab work and its assessment mechanism

d. supports attainment of the required skills.

e. Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) are defined

for all courses and are mapped torelevant GAs.
Formal involvement of industry in curriculum
f. development / revision.

g. Employment of other aspects (supplementary

tools and practices) of student learning such as
tutorial system and seminar / workshops, etc.
to enhance student learning, in addition to
regular classroom interaction and lab
experimentation. Minimum expectation is that
faculty office hours are announced and
adhered to.

h Exposure to cooperative learning through

supervised and mandatory internship program
with formal feedback from the employer.

Sufficient opportunities to invoke intuitiveness

i and originality of thought through Problem
Based Learning (PBL), Design Projects and
Open-Ended labs.
j Assessment of various learning outcomes
(GAs/CLOs) employing appropriate direct /
indirect methods.

40
k Final Year Design projects (FYDP) include
complex problems and design of systems,
components or processes integrating core areas
and meeting specified religious, cultural and
societal aspects.

FYDP project deliverables and the reports are

l. graded according to well-defined mechanism.

Criterion-4: Students

Evaluator’s Comments ComplianceLevel

a Admission Criteria meets / exceeds minimum

eligibility criteria prescribed by NCEAC
Regulations.
Annual intake is in-line with the maximum
b intake allowed by NCEAC.

c Well documented policy on transfer of

students only from other accredited program
restricting transfer of less than 50% of credit
hours required for the degree.
d Availability of designated student counselors
to advise / counsel students regarding
academic / career matters and provide
assistance in managing their health, financial,
stress, emotional and spiritual problems.
e Manageable class-size (maximum of 50 for
theory classes) and lab groups (2-3 studentsper
workstation for hands-on type experiments,
larger groups may be manageable for
demonstration type)

Manageable semester academic load (i.e. 15-

f 18 credit hours on the average)

Completion of courses as evident from course-

g files and through student feedback

h Students’ participation in national /

international engineering exhibitions and / or
competitions, and facilitation by program for
such participations
i Quality of process to evaluate student
performance and suggest / take corrective
measures
j How the program is inculcating community
services

41
Criterion-5: Faculty and Support Staff

Evaluator’s Comments Compliance Level

Faculty Strength as per NCEAC guidelines.

a

Balanced qualified faculty as specified in

b NCEAC guidelines.

c. Formal mechanism for faculty training and

mentoring on pedagogical skills and outcomes
based implementation methodologies.

d Effectiveness of faculty development program

to ensure their professional growthand
retention.
Faculty workload as specified in NCEAC
e guidelines.

Course files maintained as per NCEAC

f guidelines.

Faculty research, publications and sponsored

g projects from industry/donor agencies, etc.

h Qualified support staff in the program to look

after the administrative functions of the
program and to look after laboratories.

Criterion-6: Facilities and Infrastructure

Compliance Level
Evaluator’s Comments

a Adequacy of teaching and learning facilities,

e.g. classroom environment and availabilityof
various teaching aids, etc.
b Provision of program specific labs (as per
curriculum), workshops, and associated lab
equipment for complementing the class /
theory work.

Adequacy of library resources and facilities.

c

Provision of sufficient computing facilities and

d internet access / resources allocated for the
program.
e Provision and effectiveness of consulting and
career placement services provided to the
students

42
 f Adequacy of support facilities such as hostels,
sports and recreational centers, health care
centers, student centers, and transport
facilities
g. Adequacy of arrangements made / measures
taken to ensure work-place safety (EHS
concerns) in general, and while performing
experiments in the labs. in particular

Criterion 7: Institutional Support and Financial Resources

ComplianceLevel
Evaluator’s Comments

a. Adequacy of institutional financial resources

to ensure program’s sustainability and
meeting of recurring as well as
developmentalrequirements.
b. Evidence of continued financial commitment
in the form of increasing endowment and
recurring /development budget since last
accreditation visit.
Provision of funding for R&D pursuits and
c presentations/publication of research papers

Criterion 8: Steps to Improve the Program

ComplianceLevel
Evaluator’s Comments

a. Documented and institutionalized policies to

review POs, GAs and CLOs after every
semester/ academic year based on previous
years’ experience and feedback.
b. Actions taken / implementation plans worked
out to address the weaknesses identified in
thelast accreditation visit report.
c. Improvement in Faculty Strength /
Qualifications since last accreditation visit, if
required.
Continuation of Faculty Publications, R&Dand
d. Consultancy activities

e. Addition of any new facilities, i.e.

infrastructure, lab equipment, teaching aids,
etc. to assist in the attainment of program
objectives / outcomes, since last
accreditationvisit

43
 f. New initiative(s) taken since last
accreditationvisit including content delivery,
assessment and evaluation processes, etc.)

Criterion 9: Industrial and International Linkages

ComplianceLevel
Evaluator’s Comments

Existence of Industrial Advisory

a. Board/Committee

b. Formal mechanism for seeking feedback from

Industry and its analysis for the attainment of
POs
c. Opportunities for students to acquire
industrial experience via internship and
existence of Industry-Liaison office
d. Design projects sponsored / supervised
jointlyby Industry Professionals and faculty
members
e. Faculty members involved in design /
supervision / consultancy role with the
industry in the execution of applied research
/design project that are relevant to society
/Industry.

44
 ANNEXURE B

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FROM THE COMPUTING

PROGRAM UNDER EVALUATION FOR ACCREDITATION
The following documentation should be available for evaluation by the Inspection
Committee
Curriculum Documentation
The respective BS/ BSc program should be documented in the following manner:
a. Program Objective
b. Program Structure (Core and Electives) as per HEC National Qualification Framework.
c. No of Years
d. Total Credit Hours
e. Program Requirements-Summary of all required courses
f. For each course in the program, a single page course requirements as stated below is required:
i. Brief Course Outline
ii. Structure (Lecture+ Lab)
iii. Credit Hours
iv. Prerequisite
v. Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)
vi. CLOs mapping to Graduate Attributes (GAs)
vii. Weekly planner of Lecture/ Lab contents
viii. Reference Material (Names, Authors, Publisher, Year, and ISBN for each book used)

Curriculum Implementation/ Course Folder

A COURSE FOLDER/FILE will be required for each course of the respective program. The following information is
to be documented in each folder/file:
a. Course Objectives.
b. Course Leaning Outcomes and mapping to GAs.
c. Course Contents.
d. Weekly plan of contents of lectures delivered.
e. Attendance Record.
f. List of Reference Material.
g. Copy of assignments, quizzes, midterms and final examinations.
h. Solution of all assessments tests given in (g) above.
i. Three sample graded assignments, quizzes, midterms and final examination securing maximum,
minimum and average marks.
j. Marks distribution and Grading Model.
k. Comprehensive result of the course
l. Outcomes Assessment
m. Detail of technology involved.
n. Design skills/techniques practiced.
o. Complete analysis of effectiveness of course and level of silks ensured in:
 Technology
 Emerging Development Paradigms
 Pertaining to Industry
 Modeling and Design

Curriculum Implementation/ Lab Component

If course has an additional credit hour pertaining to Lab, then an independent folder/file be maintained to
provide the following:

45
 a. Lab Objectives
b. Course Learning Outcomes and Mapping to GAs
c. Lab Contents
d. Weekly plan of contents of lab lectures delivered.
e. Attendance Record
f. Copy of laboratory handouts given to students
g. List of Reference Material
h. Copy of assignments, quizzes, examinations given in lab
i. Model solutions of all assessments tests given in lab
j. Three sample graded assignments, quizzes, and examination securing max, min and average marks
k. Complete result of the lab
l. Outcomes Assessment
m. Detail of technology involved
n. Design skills/techniques practiced
o. Complete analysis of effectiveness of lab and level of silks ensured in:
 Technology
 Emerging Development Paradigms
 Pertaining to Industry
p. Modeling and Design

Effectiveness of Overall Program: Complete analysis of effectiveness of program and summary of level of skills
achieved in the following domain:
a. Technology
b. Emerging Development Paradigms
c. Pertaining to Industry
d. Modeling and Design

Students Evaluation of Course and Instructor: Record of how students have been evaluating both course and
instructors in particularly all courses taught by the permanent faculty
Class Schedule: Complete Academic Year
Lab Schedule: Complete Academic Year
Final Year Design/ Graduating Project: Summary of all senior design/graduating projects comprising of the
following:
 Scientific areas/applications covered
 Emerging Technologies used
 Correlation with the industrial practices and trends
 Project Reports
 Project Demos

Alumni Data Collection:

a. Statistics on entry and graduation of all students in the respective program
b. Record regarding placement in industry of graduates from the respective program
c. Record of placement of graduates in international and national universities for higher education

Faculty Contracts: A record of offer/contract letters issued to all permanent faculty members

Admission and Eligibility:

a. Admission procedure/policy and eligibility
b. Previous data on admission
c. Student strength and dropout

Annual Budget: A copy of current annual budget

46
 Labs: Complete inventory, schedule and relevant manual of all labs relevant to the respective computing
program
Rules & Regulations, Statutes and Procedures: All approved rules & regulation including the following:
a. Admissions
b. Registrations
c. Examinations
d. Academic probations
e. Discipline
f. Faculty hiring, evaluation and promotion
g. Revision of curriculum

Financial Profile: A survey of total investments made on the program under evaluation since its inception
involving:
a. Human Resource including Faculty Staff, Administrative and Supporting Staff
b. Office Equipment
c. Labs/Technology
d. Infrastructure
e. Library/Books
f. Allied facilities

Meetings/Minutes
a. BOG Meetings/Syndicate Meetings
b. BOS Meeting
c. Departmental Meeting

47