From August 22nd to 23rd, the onsite international accreditation review of OUC’s undergraduate program in marine engineering and master’s program in power engineering was successfully completed by the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEST). The expert panel was led by Professor Yoo Sang Choo from the National University of Singapore, with members including Professor Ivan CK Tam from Newcastle University, UK, and Mr. Jie Kai Ong, Professional Services Executive of IMarEST. 

On the morning of August 22nd, the international accreditation kick-off meeting was held at the Laoshan Campus. Prof. Liu Yong, Vice President of OUC, welcomed the expert panel and expressed gratitude to IMarEST for its support in accrediting the programs. He provided an overview of the general education and the engineering disciplines of OUC, and expressed his hope that this review would deepen the understanding of accreditation principles and improve the cultivation of professional talent and the level of internationalization at OUC. Prof. Liang Bingchen, Dean of the College of Engineering, reported to the expert panel on the college’s disciplinary layout and talent cultivation. Relevant directors from the Department of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering presented the development of the two accredited programs since the last round of international accreditation. The expert panel also engaged in discussions about the aforementioned aspects. 

The expert panel conducted an on-site inspection of the Engineering Training Center and the Dong Fang Hong 3 research vessel. They held discussions with relevant directors and faculty from the colleges, industry representatives, and student representatives respectively. The panel conducted a comprehensive and detailed examination of the general disciplinary building, teaching and research work of the accredited programs.

On the afternoon of August 23rd, the international accreditation feedback meeting was held at the West Coast Campus. The expert panel spoke highly of the achievements of the two accredited programs, recognizing that OUC provides an excellent teaching and research environment, comprehensive infrastructure and an outstanding faculty team for relevant programs. They concluded that the overall building of the two accredited programs was excellent, which has met all the accreditation requirements. The panel also offered suggestions for improvements in areas including curriculum design and laboratory environment.

IMarEST is the world’s largest academic organization in maritime technology worldwide, responsible for authorizing the establishment of educational standards in the fields of marine engineering and maritime science and technology. This review was conducted based on the latest accreditation standards AHEP4 (The Accreditation of Higher Education Programmes, Version 4), published by the UK’s Engineering Council.