Evaluating Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in Accreditation.

The advantages of the current digital evolution foster the responsibility of having technical advancements, applications, and tools reflect the societal needs regarding diversity, equality, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) within disciplines and organizations. These four elements should become part of all accreditation criteria and processes for engineering, computing, and other related programs, where accreditation bodies, higher education institutions, and educators become ready to implement these elements in any new setting. This work continues the discussion of an earlier paper that addresses the meaning of three of these four concepts in the context of accreditation. It also emphasizes the potential benefits for technical professions, future engineers, and the ICACIT accrediting agency. Hence, it is essential not only to integrate diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in higher education study programs and global accreditation criteria but also to seek both quantitative and qualitative methods to evaluate these DEIA elements to ensure all students receive the best possible university education.