The 2025 International Conference on Transformations in Engineering Education (ICTIEE), held in Hyderabad, India, brought together educators, industry leaders and students from around the globe to collaborate and share knowledge. ABET’s ongoing involvement in ICTIEE underscores our commitment to advancing global STEM education through meaningful collaboration.
Organized by the Indo Universal Collaboration for Engineering Education (IUCEE), ICTIEE has served as a catalyst for STEM education reform since its inception in 2014. This year was unique as ICTIEE Executive Director, Krishna Vedula, Ph.D., promoted the conference theme: “We are teaching, are they learning?” ABET Adjunct Accreditation Director M. Kantha Reddy, Ph.D., one of the ABET representatives at the conference, praised the event’s collaborative atmosphere saying, “This conference aids students, faculty and academic leaders, in transforming engineering education by sharing best practices in terms of what they have been doing from their individual institutions as well as the other pillars of engineering education.”
ABET’s relationship with ICTIEE began in 2011 and has grown over the years, contributing to the adoption of outcomes-based education within the Indian education system. This year, we continued our contributions as a sponsor of the event. ABET Chief Executive Officer Michael K. J. Milligan, Ph.D., delivered a keynote address “Empowering Tomorrow’s Innovators: Cultivating Curiosity and Resilience in the GenAI Era,” which explored strategies for equipping students to thrive in a rapidly changing technological landscape. Later in the week, Milligan and ABET Senior Director, Global Communication and Marketing Amanda Grace Taylor, Ph.D., co-hosted a workshop on programmatic accreditation and the assessment of student learning outcomes.
For the first time, ABET expanded our involvement in the IUCEE Annual Student Project Showcase, a pre-conference highlight, with Milligan and Taylor serving as a judge for the final round of project presentations. During the showcase, students present projects addressing the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), providing innovative solutions to global challenges. “They compete based around the Sustainable Development Goals, which is critical to us at ABET because we really are in the business of making the world a better place,” Milligan explained. “The way you can do that with student involvement is to guide them toward those critical areas that need to be addressed.”
Taylor attended the forum and was able to see what the students had produced for the showcase. “I’m amazed by how thoughtfully students are approaching complex challenges from multiple perspectives. At one of the student forums, I heard presentations addressing local farming practices in India, safety concerns at bus stops during the evening hours and monitoring the mental health of college students,” she said. “It’s inspiring to be in a space where real-world problems are being critically considered and addressed.”
Through its enduring partnership with IUCEE, ABET continues to foster a global community of educators and institutions dedicated to improving the quality of engineering education. Vedula conveyed the importance of this partnership, emphasizing the importance of a student outcomes-based approach. “There’s a perfect overlap with ABET’s mission and what we are doing at the conference,” he explained.
ABET’s participation in ICTIEE reflects its broader mission to promote excellence in STEM education and prepare graduates to address complex global challenges. By engaging with international conferences like ICTIEE, ABET strengthens its role as a thought leader in shaping the future of STEM education worldwide.