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Thoughts On In order that students be taught practical and applicable knowl-
edge, there should be a consistent and constant assessment of
Professional Practice program courses, course content, and suggested course re-
quirements. This assessment should be done by knowledgeable
practitioners of the surveying profession. For ABET accredited
and Education programs, this is often done by an advisory committee mandat-
ed by ABET continuous assessment requirements.
By: Knud E. Hermansen, P.L.S., P.E., Ph.D., Esq. Participation in this advisory committee is usually done by invi-
tation of the program faculty. I will suggest that faculty invita-
Article 10: Professional Partnering with Surveying Programs tions are not always sent to practitioners best able to assess or
This is a follow-up to Article No. 8 & 9 published in the Traverse improve the program content for practical, relevance, and current
Edition 51.1) knowledge. Many are the committees I have seen that seem
to be composed of mostly alumni and retired faculty from the
This is the tenth article I have prepared in the series offering program. This makeup of an advisory committee is like asking
thoughts on professional practice and education. In this article I grandparents, cousins, nieces, and nephews to look for faults in
advocate for a close partnership between professional members the family tree that are to be made public.
and the regional or state surveying programs.
In my experience an advisory committee composed of practi-
In preparing this article, I draw on over thirty years of teach- cal and knowledge members usually provides a great deal of
ing in surveying studies. I have taught courses at Penn State good, practical advice with the added bonus the members can
University, University of Maine, Florida Atlantic University, and be strong outside advocates of the surveying program when
Florida State University. Each is different. All have strengths and the program seeks donations or is thwarting attempts by the
weaknesses. With more than fifty years of practice, I have been university administration to eliminate or modify the program
a member of several state professional societies and national into something useful for the administration but not necessarily
professional societies. I have maintained active professional for the program, the profession, or the employer of the graduate
consultation throughout my careers as an educator and military from the program.
member.
A second method of assuring relevant and practical education
I begin with the premise that I believe a surveying program of the surveying student is to assess and improve the success
should be a professional program. By professional program rate of students and graduates that take the fundamentals of
I mean a program that offers a focused education providing surveying exam. I believe NCEES does a credible job of keeping
graduates with skills that are both practical and applicable - a the contents of the exam consistent with current practice due
program that pointedly leads to a career as a licensed profes- in large part by relying on licensing board members and profes-
sional. Examples of other professional programs at the bachelor sional input. However, if a program does not require students
of science degree level include nursing, accounting, and engi- take the fundamentals of survey exam or use the exam scores
neering. for program assessment, this valuable source of assessment is
wasted.
I believe the focus of a survey program is to provide skilled
graduates able and willing to enter the profession of surveying A much less effective manner of assuring relevant and practical
and take on typical surveying services soon after graduation. education of the surveying graduate is through ABET program
I strongly believe the graduate of a surveying program should accreditation. By not fully lauding and embracing this avenue, I
be knowledgeable enough to begin practicing with competency do not wish to discourage a program from seeking and obtaining
in the profession of surveying upon graduation. The graduate accreditation or disparage ABET accreditation. The program con-
should have the skill set to provide an employer with knowledge tent guidance available under common disciplines listed within
and efforts that will be profitable for the employer’s business. ABET looks at a macro view of the surveying studies rather than
focus on a micro view of professional needs. As an aside, I am
In previous articles, I have spoken about faculty qualifications so not going to argue or encourage ABET take on a micro view by
I will not speak in depth on that topic in this article. Suffice to say discipline.
that knowledgeable, experienced, and qualified faculty are not
always able to stay abreast of what an employer would prefer Rather, I wish to make a point that ABET accreditation does not
that a graduate should know and possess. Many faculty lack assure the program contents of an ABET accredited program are
practical knowledge while often exceling in research knowledge. necessarily offering a relevant and practical education sought
Yet, it is the practical knowledge that is much more important to by the typical employer within the profession. The criteria that
the employer than cutting edge research knowledge. The reason ABET accredited programs undergo continuous improvement
for this disparity in faculty focus is not necessarily the faculty and periodic assessment, often with the aid of an advisory com-
member’s fault. University administrators are apt to focus their mittee, can help considerably with relevant and current knowl-
attention and efforts on increasing the money flowing into the edge if the assessment is taken seriously and aid sought from
university rather than upgrading the knowledge of graduates the profession through advisory committee members. I hope to
leaving the university. For state institutions, much emphasis write more about the benefits and limitations of ABET accredita-
is placed on obtaining research grants. Faculty promotion and tion in another article.
tenure is often tied to research dollars. Hence, faculty focus their
efforts on research rather than practice. Having given my opinion, I now offer advice by suggesting that
yearly evaluation of program courses and course content be
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