Aims and objectives of the degree course

F1: Domain-specific requirements

The final qualifications of the degree course correspond to the requirements made to a degree course in the relevant domain (field of study/discipline and/or professional practice) by colleagues in the Netherlands and abroad and the professional practice.

UT defined the final qualifications for an integral BME programme of 5 years before starting the programme. The original objectives and qualifications were adapted into the

Bachelor/Master programmes.

Recently, as part of the self-evaluation process, UT compared the objectives and qualifications with the newly defined Criteria for Bachelor and Master curricula4_{. These} criteria were helpful to provide a better basis for the objectives and qualifications of the current curriculum and philosophy.

The members of the Educational Committee (OC) whom the Review Committee met stated that it is clear that the objectives were formulated before the study programmes were

established. They further confirmed that the programmes are regularly evaluated and updated. The Committee approves of the sequence in which the BME programmes were developed, starting with the formulation of objectives before creating the programmes.

BME is an engineering discipline focused on integrating engineering skills and knowledge and those of the human life sciences at an academic level.

BME education includes basic general engineering requirements and a thorough understanding of the life sciences.

The main objectives of the Bachelor programme at UT are aimed at: 1. understanding the basics of skills required in the field of BME; 2. knowledge and skills for doing research in BME;

3. basic skills for designing a biomedical product or process; 4. knowledge of a scientific approach;

5. develop intellectual skills;

6. able to co-operate and communicate with others in and outside BME; 7. awareness of the medical and social context.

The main objectives of the Master programme are for students to: 1. specialize in a specific field of BME;

2. generate the knowledge and skills for doing research; 3. learn engineering design;

4. demonstrate knowledge of the scientific method; 5. demonstrate intellectual skills;

6. cooperate and communicate with specialists in the chosen track and other stakeholders; 7. integrate insights in the medical and social context into his or her scientific work. The Committee finds that these objectives comply with national and international academic and professional requirements as stated in the domain-specific frame of reference.

The Committee has noticed that UT is following other international developments in BME. Some attempts have been made to harmonize with European BME programmes:

EAMBES-BIOMEDEA tries to align the ongoing process of accreditation of BME

evaluation standards for engineering programmes. However, no applicable BME standards for a Bachelor or Master programme have been formulated yet.

In the USA, the criteria for accreditation of Bachelor-level Bioengineering programmes are described by the American Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). Another strong influence comes from the Whitaker Foundation that supported the development of BME curricula throughout the USA.

According to ABET “the structure of the curriculum must provide both breadth and depth across the range of engineering topics implied by the title of the programme. The programme must demonstrate that graduates have: an understanding of biology and physiology, and the capability to apply advanced mathematics (including differential equations and statistics), science, and engineering to solve the problems at the interface of engineering and biology; the ability to make measurements on and interpret data from living systems, addressing the problems associated with the interaction between living and non-living materials and systems.”

The Whitaker Foundation also gave a definition of BME: BME is a discipline that advances knowledge in engineering, biology and medicine, and improves human health through cross- disciplinary activities that integrate the engineering sciences with the biomedical sciences and clinical practice. It includes:

1. The acquisition of new knowledge and understanding of living systems through the innovative and substantive application of experimental and analytical techniques based on the engineering sciences.

2. The development of new devices, algorithms, processes and systems that advance biology and medicine and improve medical practice and health care delivery.

The 7 objectives of the BME Bachelor stated above have been elaborated into expected learning outcomes (final qualifications) for this programme:

1. The BME Bachelor graduate is familiar with the basics of existing scientific knowledge and has some skills to increase and develop this through study;

2. The BME Bachelor graduate can, under supervision of a senior researcher, contribute to increasing scientific knowledge.

3. The BME Bachelor graduate is familiar with the steps of the design process and is able to carry them out in a simple situation.

4. The BME Bachelor graduate has a systematic approach characterized by the use of theories, models and coherent interpretations.

5. The BME Bachelor graduate possesses basic intellectual skills such as reasoning, reflecting and forming judgements.

6. The BME Bachelor graduate is able to co-operate and communicate with others in and outside BME.

7. The BME Bachelor graduate is aware that beliefs and methods have origins and that decisions have social consequences in time.

Students with various technological Bachelor degrees can enter the BME Master's

programme. The programme does not intend to achieve the same specific final qualifications for each individual. It aims at achieving an academic Master's level in a specific area of BME which is considered feasible given a certain Bachelor's degree and a matching BME Master track.

The Master graduate is more specialized than the Bachelor graduate is.

The main objectives for the Master's programme described above have been elaborated as learning outcomes (final qualifications) as follows:

1. The BME Master graduate is familiar with existing scientific knowledge in a specific BME field of expertise, and is able to increase and develop this through study

2. The BME Master graduate is able to acquire new scientific knowledge through research. For this purpose, research means: the development of new knowledge and new insights in a purposeful and methodical way.

3. As well as carrying out research, some BME Master graduates will also carry out design work. Especially in the Human Function Technology specialization, this is an important aspect. Design plays a less important role in the Molecular, Cellular and Tissue

Engineering track. Designing is defined here as a synthetic activity aimed at the realization of new or modified artifacts or systems with the intention of creating value in accordance with predefined requirements and desires (e.g. mobility, health).

4. The BME Master graduate takes a systematic approach characterized by the development and use of theories, models and coherent interpretations, exercises a critical attitude, and has insight into the nature of biomedical sciences and technology.

5. The BME Master graduate has skills in reasoning, reflecting, and forming a judgement. These are skills which are learned, or sharpened, in the context of the chosen area of the BME discipline, and which are generically applicable from then on.

6. The BME Master graduate is able to work with and for others. This requires not only adequate interaction, a sense of responsibility, and leadership, but also good

communication with colleagues and other stakeholders. He is also able to participate in a scientific or public debate in Dutch or English.

7. Life sciences and technology are not isolated, and always have a temporal and social context. Beliefs and methods have their origins; decisions have social consequences in time. A BME Master graduate is aware of this, and has the ability to integrate these insights into his or her scientific work.

The Committee finds that the final qualifications (‘learning outcomes’) match the objectives of the BME programme.

During the period of the development and implementation of the BME curriculum, the agreement about the specific requirements for BME evolved at an international level. This resulted in a set of domain-specific requirements accepted by RUG, TU/e and UT. The domain-specific reference document agreed by the universities indicates that they accepted a common ground for their Bachelor's curricula (UT and TU/e).

The domain-specific reference document as agreed by Eindhoven, Twente and Groningen indicates the common ground for their Master's curricula.

The original objectives of the BME programme were discussed at the IEEE BME meeting in Chicago in 1999 and at the BME Education Summit in Washington in 2000.

UT is aware of the requirements of professional practice and actively follows the labour market on BME. A useful source of information for this purpose proved to be Willems & Van den Wildenberg who have done investigations into the labour market (The employment perspective of the biomedical engineer, 1999). They determined that graduates can be employed in health care, education, industry, rehabilitation centres, small medical technology companies

and laboratories, as well as health and/or medical insurance companies, by the government or by suppliers of medical equipment and services.

The Committee finds that the final requirements comply with domain-specific references for BME. The Committee is impressed by the strong vision behind the content and direction of the programmes.

The Committee concludes that the correspondence between the final qualifications of the degree course and the domain-specific requirements exceeds the criteria for accreditation.

Bachelor programme: the score for this Facet is Good Master programme: the score for this Facet is Good

F2: Level

The final qualifications of the degree course correspond to general, internationally accepted descriptions of the qualifications of a Bachelor or a Master.

In the self-evaluation report of UT, the intended learning outcomes (final qualifications) of the Bachelor's programme have been adequately related to the Dublin descriptors (see Appendix 3).

Also, the intended learning outcomes of the Master's programme have been adequately related to the Dublin descriptors in the self-evaluation report (Appendix 3).

The Committee finds that the correspondence between the final objectives of the degree course and the Dublin descriptors for the Bachelor/Master degree level fulfils the criteria for accreditation.

Bachelor programme: the score for this Facet is Satisfactory Master programme: the score for this Facet is Satisfactory

F3: Orientation

The final qualifications of the degree course correspond to the following descriptions of a Bachelor and a Master at universities:

• The final qualifications are based on requirements made by the academic discipline, the international academic practice and, if applicable to the course, the relevant practice in the prospective professional field.

• A University (WO) bachelor possesses the qualifications that allow access to a minimum of one further University (WO) degree course at master’s level as well as the option to enter the labour market.

• A University (WO) master possesses the qualifications to conduct independent academic research or to solve multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary questions in a professional practice for which a University (WO) degree is required or useful.

The Bachelor programme is primarily oriented to preparing for going on to the BME Master's programme.

The achievement of the final qualifications for the BME Bachelor's degree provides the graduate with the academic qualifications to enter not only the BME Master's programme at UT, but also several other Master's programmes at UT and other universities, like:

• BME at TU/e, TUD and RUG;

• Engineering, Industrial Organization & Management, TUD; • Life Science and Technology, TUD;

• Management of Technology, TUD; • Medical Engineering, TU/e;

• Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society, UT.

Furthermore, the Bachelor graduate has access to a number of other Master's programmes of the three technical universities in the Netherlands once a maximum of 30 EC ‘deficiency’ is overcome.

The broad academic programme of the BME Bachelor does not prepare the student for a specific job or occupation, but graduates have been prepared to find their way in society and they can specialize through on-the-job training. They can tackle and solve problems at a junior level, which makes them suitable for a wide range of jobs. However, the job possibilities of Bachelor graduates are not listed explicitly.

In the BSc programme academic skills are primarily being developed through project learning. This type of learning aims at the application of acquired knowledge, understanding and skills, and involves integration of the various sub-disciplines and expert knowledge. Typical of this approach is that the problem is taken as the point of departure. The assignment is open- ended and of a complex nature. Learning to cooperate, to produce a paper, to develop communicative skills and to work thematically plays a central role.

Students in the BME Bachelor's programme learn how to do research adequately in practical lab settings and multidisciplinary projects. The development of academic skills in the Master's programme is aimed at formulating research questions and conducting research

autonomously, as well as communicating and cooperating in a multidisciplinary environment. These are the core target competencies. Independent and active learning is the most

important part of the educational process. The lecturer facilitates and supervises this process. The didactic philosophies and methods of working are not dictated by convention, but appear to be chosen consciously. To that end, both theoretical and practical work forms are linked as much as possible. Finally, in the Master's graduation project, the acquired knowledge and skills are fused. During this project, the supervisor coaches the student in a

'Master/apprentice' type of situation.

The Master's programme is primarily oriented at achieving an academic level in a specific area of BME. It prepares students for entering the labour market, to enrol in a postgraduate education programme or for entering a PhD trajectory.

The job prospects of the BME Master graduate were investigated by Willems and Van den Wildenberg and studied within UT before the implementation of the Bachelor-Master structure. Their study predicted that biomedical engineers could be employed by the private sector, the health care sector and in other areas. For manufacturing companies (mostly

producers of medical devices) and trading enterprises, the following jobs are possible: product manager, sales/relations manager and product developer. Within consultancy, graduates can take up the role of BME experts. In commercial health care, it is assumed that a demand will arise for telecom services such as tele-diagnostics, tele-therapy and tele-monitoring in order to

provide health care at a distance. Because these types of services are relatively new, BME Master graduates can be expected to make an important contribution to their development. Within health care, potential positions for the biomedical engineer are clinical physicist, clinical chemist, medical device engineer and clinical engineer. Because of the increasing application of complex medical equipment, the demand for a new kind of staff position can arise. In this position, the biomedical engineer will act as a link between instrumentation technicians and medical specialists.

Other relevant sectors include the government, medical insurance companies and research institutes. Within medical insurance companies and the government, quality assessment, safety and evaluation of new biomedical techniques provide a potential job market for biomedical engineers. Within research institutes, the Master graduate will do research in areas like e.g. biomaterials, tissue engineering and information technology for diagnostic,

therapeutic and image-processing equipment. Another possibility is to enroll in the

postgraduate degree programmes for clinical physicist or clinical chemist. In order to do so, the student must comply with specific entry requirements.

Being awarded a BME Master's degree provides the graduate with the academic qualifications to enter a BME PhD programme.

The Committee recognizes that the requirements for the possibility of filling these various jobs were built into the BME programme.

The objectives of the Bachelor programme, as described in Facet 1, are found to cover adequately the general academic qualifications which have been described by the UT as follows:

General academic qualifications Bachelor objective

an analytical approach to problem-solving; 1, 5

ability to submit an argument in the exact sciences or humanities to critical

appraisal; 4, 5

analytical and critical way of thinking and ability to apply logical reasoning; 2, 4, 5 ability to independently follow current scientific developments; 1, 4, 7

openness to inter-, multi- and transdisciplinary cooperation; 6

ability to transpose academic knowledge and expertise into social, professional

and economic contexts 3

academically appropriate communicative skills 6

reflection on one’s own style of thought and working methods and readiness

to take the necessary corrective action; 7

acquaintance with the standards of academic criticism; 2, 4, 5

awareness of the ethical, normative and social consequences of developments

in science and technology 7

The objectives of the Master's programme, as described under Facet 1, adequately cover general academic qualifications that have been described by UT as follows:

General academic qualifications: Master objective

an analytical approach to problem-solving; 1, 5

ability to submit an argument in the exact sciences or humanities to critical

appraisal; 4, 5

analytical and critical way of thinking and ability to apply logical reasoning; 2, 4, 5 ability to independently follow current scientific developments; 1, 4, 7

openness to inter-, multi- and transdisciplinary cooperation; 6

ability to transpose academic knowledge and expertise into social, professional

and economic contexts 3

academically appropriate communication skills 6

reflection on one’s own style of thought and working methods and readiness

to take the necessary corrective action; 7

acquaintance with the standards of academic criticism; 2, 4, 5

awareness of the ethical, normative and social consequences of developments

in science and technology 7

The committee finds that the end objectives of the Master's degree course fulfil the criteria as required for accreditation.

Bachelor programme: the score for this Facet is Satisfactory Master programme: the score for this Facet is Satisfactory Assessment of Subject ‘Aims and objectives’

The Committee concludes that the overall score for the Subject ‘Aims and objectives’ is Satisfactory

2.2.2. Programme

F4: Requirements for university degree courses:

The programme meets the following criteria applicable to a degree programme at a University (WO):

• The students acquire knowledge on the interface between teaching and academic research within the relevant disciplines; • The programme follows the developments in the relevant academic discipline(s), as it is demonstrated that it

incorporates current academic theories;

• The programme ensures the development of skills in the field of academic research;

• For those courses for which this is applicable, the course programme has clear links with the current professional practice in the relevant professions.

BME-oriented research at UT is concentrated within the BMTI, the institute of UT where research activities in the medical/biomedical field are brought together. The biomedical groups from the faculties of EWI, CTW and TNW are part of this Institute. In total, the BMTI employs more than 100 researchers including some 40 PhD students. BMTI manages the IBME (the Institute for BME in which the BMTI participates, together with divisions of Delft University of Technology, Leiden University and Radboud University Nijmegen). The research conducted at the BMTI is an important basis for the BME Master's programme because the employees are both BME lecturers and researchers. IBME focuses on four main