Engineering and Education: abbreviation, acronyms and links

UCL DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONIC AND ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

HIGHER EDUCATION RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING EDUCATION
Abbreviations and Acronyms with Links

Higher Education and Engineering Education Abbreviations and Acronyms

Alphabetic List

Technical Abbreviations and Acronyms

Michael Thomas Flanagan's Home Page

Home Page

This page contains abbreviations and acronyms, with links, for the following institutions, associations and professional bodies relevant to Higher Education and to Engineering Education, predominately, in the UK and in the Republic of Ireland:

Organisations relevant to Research into Higher Education
Engineering Professional Institutions
Research Councils

Government Departments relevant to Higher Education and Engineering Education
Engineering Bodies relevant to Higher Education
University Associations and Groupings

plus the abbreviations and acronyms of several Higher Education terms

A
AaeE or A²E²	[Australasia]	Australasian Association for Engineering Education http://www.aaee.com.au/
ABET	[USA]	Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology http://www.abet.org/
Access	[England & Wales]	Access to Higher Education http://www.accesstohe.ac.uk/
ACEI	[Ireland]	The Association of Consulting Engineers of Ireland http://www.acei.ie/
ACU	[Commonwealth]	Association of Commonwealth Universities http://www.acu.ac.uk/
AEA	[UK]	Association for Education and Ageing http://www.associationforeducationandageing.org/
AGR	[UK]	Association of Graduate Recruiters http://www.agr.org.uk/Default.aspx
AHRC	[UK]	Arts and Humanities Research Council formerly the Arts and Humanities Research Board (AHRB) http://www.ahrb.ac.uk/
AISHE	[Ireland]	All Ireland Society for Higher Education http://www.aishe.org/
A-level	[England, Wales & NI]	Advanced Level See GCE
ALI	[UK]	Adult Learning Inspectorate - now incorporated into Ofsted and QIA
ALT	[UK]	Association for Learning Technology http://www.alt.ac.uk/
AMS	[Australia]	Accreditation Management System http://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/ieaust/index.cfm?6E4B2E32-F580-52C6-EA25-F543C9B4767E
AoC	[England & Wales]	Association of Colleges http://www.aoc.co.uk/
AONTAS	[Ireland]	AONTAS - The Irish National Association of Adult Education http://www.aontas.com/
AQA	[UK]	Assessment and Qualifications Alliance. One of the UK's largest awarding bodies, formed from the merger of Associated Examining Board (AEB) and the Northern Examinations and Assessment Board (NEAB) in 2000. AQA provides a range of qualifications including GCSE, A level, GNVQ, VCE and Entry Level. http://www.aqa.org.uk
ARCA	[England, Wales & NI]	Adult Residential Colleges Association http://www.arca.uk.net//
ASEE	[USA]	American Association for Engineering Education http://www.asee.org/
AS-level	[England, Wales & NI]	Advanced Supplementary Level See GCE
ASSC	[UK]	Alliance of Sector Skills Councils http://www.sscalliance.org/
ATAS	[UK]	Academic Technology Approval Scheme http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/what-we-do/services-we-deliver/atas/
ATL	[UK]	Association of Teachers and Lecturers http://www.atl.org.uk/
AUC or HEW	[Wales]	Addysg Uwch Cymru Higher Education Wales (HEW) http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/AboutUs/WhoWeAre/Pages/HigherEducationWales.aspx
AUCC	[UK]	Association for University & College Counselling http://www.aucc.uk.com/
AUEE	[England]	Association of Universities in the East of England http://www.auee.ac.uk/
AURIL	[UK & Ireland]	Association for University Research and Industry Links http://www.auril.org.uk/pages/home.php
AUT	[UK]	The former Association of University Teachers part of the merger forming the University and College Union (UCU)
B
BAC	[UK]	British Accreditation Council http://www.the-bac.org/
BBSRC	[UK]	Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/
	[UK]	British Council http://www.britishcouncil.org/
BCS	[UK]	British Computer Society http://www.bcs.org/
BEAI	[Ireland]	Biomedical / Clinical Engineering Association of Ireland / Aontas Innealtóireacht Bithleighis na hÉireann http://www.beai.org/
Becta	[UK]	British Educational Communications and Technology Agency Becta was abolished July 2010. Some functions transferred to the Department for Education. http://www.becta.org.uk/
BERA	[UK]	British Educational Research Association http://www.bera.ac.uk/index.php
BERR	[UK]	Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Merged with DIUS to form BIS in June 2009. also DBERR
Best	[UK]	Better engineering, science, technology RAE central initiative in engineering education. http://www.raeng.org.uk/education/best.htm
BInstNDT	[UK]	British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing http://www.bindt.org/
BIS	[UK]	Department of Business Innovation and Skills Formed from the merger of BERR and DIUS in June 2009. http://www.bis.gov.uk/
BTEC	[UK]	Business and Technical Education Council. A national body which validates vocational courses. http://www.edexcel.com/QUALS/Pages/qual-home.aspx
C
CALL	[UK]	Campaigning Alliance for Lifelong Learning http://www.callcampaign.org.uk/
C&G	[UK]	City & Guilds http://www.city-and-guilds.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/cgonline
CAO	[Ireland]	Central Admissions Office / An LárOifig Iontrála http://www.cao.ie/
CBL
CBL		Case-Based Learning Queen's University, Ontario, Case Based Learning site See also Problem-Based Learning (PBL), Project-Based Learning (PjBL) and Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL). CBL is also used as an abbreviation for Community-Based Learning.
CBL or SBL		Community-Based Learning Community-Based Learning (CBL) is also referred to as Service-Based Learning. Queen's University, Ontario, Service Based Learning site CBL is also used as an abbreviation for Case-Based Learning.
CCEA	[Northern Ireland]	Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment http://www.ccea.org.uk/
CDIO	[International]	Conceive, Design, Implement, Operate [an international movement for the reform of engineering education] http://www.cdio.org/
CEEA	[Canada]	Canadian Engineering Education Association http://ceea2010.preview.appsci.queensu.ca/
CEESI	[UK]	Continuing Education in Electronics Systems Integration Training http://www.ceesi.ac.uk/
CEL	[UK]	Centre for Excellence in Leadership merged with the Quality Improvement Agency (QIA) to form the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIL) in October 2008
CESI	[Ireland]	The Computer Education Society of Ireland / Cumann Ríomh-Oideachais na hÉireann http://www.cesi.ie/
CETL	[England]	Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning http://www.hefce.ac.uk/learning/tinits/cetl/
CG	[Europe]	Coimbra Group http://www.coimbra-group.eu/
CIBSE	[UK & Ireland]	The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers UK: http://www.cibse.org/ Ireland: http://www.cibseireland.org/
CIHE	[UK]	The Council for Industry and Higher Education http://www.cihe-uk.com/index.php
CIWEM	[UK]	The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management http://www.ciwem.org/
CLG	[UK]	Communities and Local Government http://www.communities.gov.uk/corporate/
CMALT	[UK]	Certified Membership of the Association for Learning Technology http://www.alt.ac.uk/cmalt.html
CMU	[UK]	CMU Universities Group (Campaigning for Mainstream Universities) previously Coalition of Modern Universities http://elearning.heacademy.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/Category:CMU_universities
COL	[Commonwealth]	Commonwealth of Learning http://www.col.org/Pages/default.aspx
CORDIS	[EU]	Community Research & Development Information Service http://cordis.europa.eu/
COSHEP	[Scotland]	The former Committee of Scottish Higher Education Principles now the Universities of Scotland
CRA	[UK]	The Centre for Recording Achievement http://www.recordingachievement.org/
CRAC	[UK]	The Career Development Organisation http://www.crac.org.uk/
CSEP	[Commonwealth]	Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan http://www.csfp-online.org/
CST	[UK]	Council for Science and Technology http://www2.cst.gov.uk/
CUC	[UK]	Committee of University Chairs http://www2.bcu.ac.uk/cuc
CUNW	[Wales]	Prifysgol y Gymuned Gogledd Cymru Community University of North Wales http://www.cunw.ac.uk/
D
DBERR or BERR	[UK]	Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Merged with DIUS to form BIS in June 2009.
DCELLS	[Wales]	The Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills http://wales.gov.uk/about/civilservice/departments/dcells/?lang=en
DCMS	[UK]	Department for Culture, Media and Sport http://www.culture.gov.uk/
DCSF	[UK]	Department for Children, Schools and Families http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/
DEL or DELNI	[Northern Ireland]	The Department for Employment and Learning (Northern Ireland) http://www.delni.gov.uk/
DELLS or Dysg	[Wales]	Department of Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills Adran Addysg, Dysgu Gydol Oes a Sgiliau See Department of Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS)
DelPHE	[UK]	Development Partnerships in Higher Education http://www.britishcouncil.org/delphe.htm
DES	[Ireland]	Department of Education and Science / An Roinn Oideachais Agus Eolaíochta http://www.education.ie/home/home.jsp?pcategory=27173&ecategory=27173&language=EN
DfE	[UK]	The Department for Education http://www.education.gov.uk/
DfES	[UK]	The former Department for Education and Skills
DIUS	[UK]	Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills Merged with BERR to form BIS in June 2009.
DWP	[UK]	The Department for Work and Pensions http://www.dwp.gov.uk/
Dysg or DELLS	[Wales]	Adran Addysg, Dysgu Gydol Oes a Sgiliau Department of Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills See Department of Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS)
E
EAB	[UK]	Engineering Accreditation Board http://www.engab.org.uk/
EAIE	[Europe]	European Association for International Education http://www.eaie.org/about/
EARLI	[Europe]	European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction http://www.earli.org/
EBL or IBL		Enquiry-Based Learning University of Manchester Centre for Excellence in Enquiry-Based Learning (CEEBL) site University of Sheffield CILASS Inquiry-Based Learning site Problem, Project and Inquiry-Based Learning Also referred to as Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL). See also Problem-Based Learning (PBL), Project-Based Learning (PjBL) and Case-Based Learning (CBL).
ECA	[UK]	Educational Centres Association http://www.e-c-a.ac.uk/
ECUK	[UK]	Engineering Council UK http://www.engc.org.uk/default.aspx
Edexcel	[UK]	Part of Pearson plc, a major UK examining and awarding body providing a range of qualifications including GCSEs, A levels, BTECs and vocational qualifications. http://www.edexcel.com/Pages/home.aspx
EI	[UK]	Energy Institute http://www.energyinst.org.uk/index.cfm
ELQ	[England]	Equivalent or Lower Qualification Withdrawal of funding for ELQs
EMUA	[England]	The East Midlands Universities Association http://www.emua.ac.uk/
ENQA	[Europe]	European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education http://www.enqa.eu/
EPC	[UK]	Engineering Professors' Council http://www.epc.ac.uk/
EPSRC	[UK]	Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/default.htm
EQF	[Europe]	The European Qualifications Framework http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-policy/doc44_en.htm
ERA	[Australia]	Excelence in Research for Australia http://www.arc.gov.au/era/outcomes_2010.htm
ERC	[Europe]	European Research Council http://erc.europa.eu/
ESIB	[Europe]	The National Unions of Students in Europe - now the European Students’ Union (ESU)
ESRC	[UK]	Economic and Social Research Council http://www.esrc.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/index.aspx
ESU	[Europe]	European Students’ Union http://www.esu-online.org/
ETB	[UK]	Engineering and Technology Board - now renamed EngineeringUK http://www.engineeringuk.com/
ETCI	[Ireland]	Electro-Technical Council of Ireland http://www.etci.ie/
EUA	[Europe]	European University Association http://www.eua.be/Home.aspx
F
FAB	[UK]	Federation of Awarding Bodies http://www.awarding.org.uk/
FE		Further Education
FEC		Further Education College
FEI		Further Education Institution
FENTO	[UK]	The former Further Education National Training Organisation incorporated into Life Long Learning UK (LLUK)
FETAC	[Ireland]	Further Education and Training Awards Council / Comhairle na nDámhachtainí Breisoideachais agus Oiliúna http://www.fetac.ie/
FHE		Further and Higher Education
FTE		Full Time Equivalent
G
GCE	[England, Wales & NI]	General Certificate of Education (A and AS levels) http://www.aqa.org.uk/over/qual/gceas.php
GCSE	[England, Wales & NI]	General Certificate of Secondary Education http://www.aqa.org.uk/over/qual/gcse.php
Go4SET	[UK]	Go4SET - Go for Science, Engineering and Technology http://www.go4set.org.uk/index.html
GuildHE	[UK]	GuildHE previously Standing Conference of Principals (SCOP) http://www.guildhe.ac.uk/ Click here for a list of member institutions.
H
HE		Higher Education
HEA	[UK]	Higher Education Academy http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/
HEA	[Ireland]	Higher Education Academy / An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas http://www.hea.ie/
HEAnet	[Ireland]	HEAnet, Ireland's National Education and Research Network http://www.heanet.ie/
HECSU	[UK & Ireland]	Higher Education Careers Services Unit http://www.hecsu.ac.uk/
HEFCE	[England]	Higher Education Funding Council for England http://www.hefce.ac.uk/
HEFCW	[Wales]	Cyngor Cyllido Addysg Uwch Cymru Higher Education Funding Council for Wales http://www.hefcw.ac.uk/
HEI		Higher Education Institution
HEIF	[England]	Higher Education Innovation Fund http://www.hefce.ac.uk/econsoc/buscom/heif/
HERDA-SW	[England]	Association of Higher Education Institutions in the South West http://www.herda-sw.ac.uk/
HERDSA	[Australasia]	Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia http://www.herdsa.org.au/
HERO	[UK]	Higher Education Research Opportunities in the United Kingdom - HERO site now closed http://www.hero.ac.uk
HESA	[UK]	Higher Education Statistics Agency http://www.hesa.ac.uk/
HESE	[England]	Higher Education South East http://www.hese.ac.uk/
HESDA	[UK]	Higher Education Staff Development Agency Now incorporated into the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education
HE STEM	[England & Wales]	Higher Education Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics National Programme http://www.hestem.ac.uk/
HETAC	[Ireland]	Higher Education and Training Awards Council / Comhairle na nDámhachtainí Ardoideachais agus Oiliúna http://www.hetac.ie/
HEW or AUC	[Wales]	Higher Education Wales Addysg Uwch Cymru (AUC) http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/AboutUs/WhoWeAre/Pages/HigherEducationWales.aspx
HIE	[Scotland]	Highlands and Islands Enterprise http://www.hie.co.uk/
HMIe	[Scotland]	Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education http://www.hmie.gov.uk/
HNC	[UK]	Higher National Certificate In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the HNC is a BTEC qualification. In Scotland the HNC is a Higher National awarded by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA)
HND	[UK]	Higher National Diploma In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the HND is a BTEC qualification. In Scotland the HND is a Higher National awarded by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA)
I
IAgrE	[UK]	The Institution of Agricultural Engineers http://www.iagre.org/
IARU	[International]	International Alliance of Research Universities http://www.iaruni.org/index
IB	[World wide]	International Baccalaureate http://www.ibo.org/
IBL or EBL		Inquiry-Based Learning University of Manchester Centre for Excellence in Enquiry-Based Learning (CEEBL) site University of Sheffield CILASS Inquiry-Based Learning site Problem, Project and Inquiry-Based Learning Also referred to as Enquiry-Based Learning (EBL). See also Problem-Based Learning (PBL), Project-Based Learning (PjBL) and Case-Based Learning (CBL).
ICE	[UK & Ireland]	The Institution of Civil Engineers Main site (UK): http://www.ice.org.uk/ Ireland: http://www.ice.org.uk/Ireland
ICES	[UK & Ireland]	Charterted Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors Main site (UK): http://www.cices.org/ Ireland: http://www.cices.org/ireland.html
IChemE	[UK]	The Institution of Chemical Engineers http://cms.icheme.org/
ICME	[UK]	The Institute of Cast Metals Engineers http://www.icme.org.uk/
ICOS	[Ireland]	Irish Council for International Students http://www.icosirl.ie/
ICS	[Ireland]	The Irish Computer Society http://www.ics.ie/
ICT		Information and Communication Technology
ICT Ireland	[Ireland]	Information and Communications Technology in Ireland http://www.ictireland.ie/
IEBE	[Ireland]	Education Ireland (The International Education Board Ireland) / Bord Oideachais Idirnáisiúnta Éireann http://www.educationireland.ie/
IEE	[UK]	The Institution of Electrical Engineers part of the merger forming the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)
IED	[UK]	The Institution of Engineering Designers http://www.ied.org.uk/
IEI	[Ireland]	The Institution of Engineers of Ireland Operating name: Engineers Ireland http://www.iei.ie/
IELTS	[World wide]	International English Language Testing System http://www.ielts.org/
IET	[UK & Ireland]	The Institution of Engineering and Technology Main site (UK): http://www.theiet.org/ Ireland Network: http://www.theiet.org/local/europe/ireland/
IFE	[UK]	The Institution of Fire Engineers http://www.ife.org.uk/
IGCSE	[UK]	International GCSE http://www.edexcel.com/quals/igcse/Pages/default.aspx
IGEM	[UK]	The Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers http://www.igem.org.uk/
IHEEM	[UK]	The Institute of Healthcare Engineering and Estate Management http://www.iheem.org.uk/index.php
IHEQN	[Ireland]	Irish Higher Education Quality Network http://www.iheqn.ie/home/
IHIE	[UK]	The Institute of Highway Incorporated Engineers http://www.ihie.org.uk/
IHT	[UK]	The Institution of Highways & Transportation http://www.iht.org/
IIE	[UK]	The Institution of Incorporated Engineers part of the merger forming the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)
ILE	[UK]	The Institution of Lighting Engineers http://www.ile.org.uk/
ILTHE	[UK]	The former Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education part of the merger forming the Higher Education Academy (HEA)
IMA	[UK]	The Institute of Mathematics and its Applications http://www.ima.org.uk
IMarEST	[UK]	The Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology http://www.imarest.org/
IMC	[UK]	The Institute of Measurement and Control http://www.instmc.org.uk/
IMechE	[UK & Ireland]	The Institution of Mechanical Engineers Main site (UK): http://www.imeche.org/ Ireland: http://nearyou.imeche.org.uk/euro/rire/
IMI	[UK]	The Institute of the Motor Industry http://www.motor.org.uk/
IMM	[UK]	The Institution of Mining and Metallurgy part of the merger forming The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM³)
INE	[UK]	The Institution of Nuclear Engineers Merged with the British Nuclear Energy Society, in January 2009, to form the Nuclear Institute (NI)
INA	[Ireland]	Irish Nanotechnology Association http://www.nanotechireland.com/
InstRE	[UK]	The Institution of Royal Engineers http://www.instre.org/
IoA	[UK]	The Institute of Acoustics http://www.ioa.org.uk/
IOM	[UK]	The Institute of Materials part of the merger forming The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM³)
IOM³	[UK]	The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining http://www.iom3.org/
IoN	[UK]	The Institute of Nanotechnology http://www.nano.org.uk/index.htm
IOP	[UK]	The Institute of Physics http://www.iop.org/
IPEM	[UK]	The Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine http://www.ipem.ac.uk/ipem%5Fpublic/default.asp
IPHE	[UK]	The Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering http://www.iphe.org.uk/
IRCSET	[Ireland]	Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology / Comhairle Taighde na hÉireann um Eolaíocht, Innealtóireacht agus Teicneolaíocht http://www.ircset.ie
IRCHSS	[Ireland]	Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences / An Chomhairle um Thaighde sna Dána agus sna hEolaíochtaí Sóisialta http://www.irchss.ie/
IRSE	[UK]	The Institution of Railway Signal Engineers http://www.irse.org/
IStructE	[UK]	The Institution of Structural Engineers http://www.structe.org/
IT		Information Technology
IUA	[Ireland]	Irish Universities Association / Cumann Ollscoileanna Éireann http://www.iua.ie/index.html
IUQB	[Ireland]	Irish Universities Quality Board http://www.iuqb.ie/en/homepage.aspx
IVEA	[Ireland]	Irish Vocational Education Association / An Cumann Gairmoideachais in Érinn http://www.ivea.ie/
IWO	[UK]	The Institution of Water Officers See Institute of Water (http://www.instituteofwater.org.uk/)
J
JCP	[UK]	Job Centre Plus http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/
JISC	[UK]	Joint Information Systems Committee http://www.jisc.ac.uk/
L
LERU	[Europe]	League of European Research Universities http://www.leru.org/index.php/public/home/
LFHE	[UK]	Leadership Foundation for Higher Education http://www.lfhe.ac.uk/
LLUK	[UK]	Life Long Learning UK http://www.lifelonglearninguk.org/
LSC	[UK]	Learning and Skills Council http://www.lsc.gov.uk/
LSDA	[UK]	Learning and Skills Development Agency http://www.lsda.org.uk/ Now evolved into the Quality Improvement Agency for Lifelong Learning and the Learning and Skills Network
LSIS	[UK]	Learning and Skills Improvement Service http://www.lsis.org.uk
LSN	[UK]	Learning and Skills Network http://www.lsneducation.org.uk/
LTS	[Scotland]	Learning and Teaching Scotland / Ionnsachadh agus Teagasg Alba http://www.ltscotland.org.uk//
LTSN	[UK]	The former Learning and Teaching Support Network part of the merger forming the Higher Education Academy (HEA)
M
Million+	[UK]	Million+ http://www.millionplus.ac.uk/ Click here for a list of member institutions.
MRC	[UK]	Medical Research Council http://www.mrc.ac.uk/index.htm
N
NAIRTL	[Ireland]	National Acadamy for Integration of Research & Teaching & Learning / Acadamh Náisiúnta um Chomhtháthú Taighde agus Teagaisc agus Foghlama http://www.nairtl.ie/
NARIC	[UK]	National Academic Recognition Information Centre http://www.naric.org.uk/
NATECLA	[UK]	National Association for Teaching English and other Community Languages to Adults http://www.natecla.org.uk/
NATFHE	[UK]	The former National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education part of the merger forming the University and College Union (UCU)
NCCA	[Ireland]	National Council for Curriculum and Assessment / An Chomhairle Náisiúnta Curaclaim agus Measúnachta http://www.ncca.ie/
NCET	[UK]	The former National Council for Educational Technology now the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta)
NCGE	[Ireland]	National Centre for Guidance in Education / An tIonad Náisiúnta um Threoir san Oideachas http://www.ncge.ie/
NCTE	[Ireland]	National Centre for Technology in Education / Ionad Náisiúnta don Teicneolaíocht san Oideachas http://www.ncte.ie/
NCVQ	[UK]	The former National Council for Vocational Qualifications
NCWE	[UK]	The National Council for Work Experience http://www.work-experience.org/
NDLR	[Ireland]	National Digital Learning Repository http://www.ndlr.ie/
NERC	[UK]	Natural Environment Research Council http://www.nerc.ac.uk/
NESTA	[UK]	National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts http://www.nesta.org.uk/
NFER	[UK]	National Foundation for Educational Research http://www.nfer.ac.uk/index.cfm
NI	[UK]	Nuclear Institute http://www.nuclearinst.com/ibis/Nuclear%20Institute/Home
NIACE	[UK]	National Institute of Adult Continuing Education http://www.niace.org.uk/
NIHEC	[Northern Ireland]	Northern Ireland Higher Education Council http://www.delni.gov.uk/es/nihec-publications-scheme
1994group	[UK]	1994 Group http://www.1994group.ac.uk/ Click here for a list of member institutions.
NLT	[UK]	National Literacy Trust http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/
NMI	[UK & Ireland]	National Microelectronics Institute http://www.nmi.org.uk/
NQ	[Scotland]	National Qualifications http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/nq/
NQAI	[Ireland]	National Qualifications Authority of Ireland / Údarás Náisiúnta Cáilíochtaí na hÉireann http://www.nqai.ie/
NUS	[UK]	National Union of Students http://www.nus.org.uk/
NUT	[UK]	National Union of Teachers http://www.teachers.org.uk/
NWUA	[England]	The North West Universities Association http://www.nwua.ac.uk/
O
OA	[UK]	Open Access http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/publications/openaccessbpv2.pdf
OCR
OCR	[UK]	Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations A major UK examining and awarding body. Part of Cambridge Assessment. Formed by the merger of the Oxford University Delegacy of Local Examinations, the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate and the Royal Society of Arts Examinations Board. http://www.ocr.org.uk/index.html
OCR		Optical Character Recognition
OCSLD	[UK]	Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development http://www.brookes.ac.uk/services/ocsd/
OECD	[World wide]	Organisation for Economics co-operation and Development http://www.oecd.org/home/
OFFA	[UK]	Office for Fair Access (to Higher Education) Future of OFFA is under consideration - Proposals on the future of the Office for Fair Access will be made in the White Paper on the future strategy for higher education to be published by the end of the year, 2010. http://www.offa.org.uk/
Ofqual	[England & Northern Ireland]	Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator http://www.ofqual.gov.uk/
Ofsted	[England]	Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/
OIA	[England & Wales]	Office of the Independent Adjudicator http://www.oiahe.org.uk/
OMR		Optical Mark Reader
ONC	[UK]	Ordinary National Certificate a BTEC qualification.
OND	[UK]	Ordinary National Diploma a BTEC qualification.
ONS	[UK]	Office for National Statistics http://www.statistics.gov.uk/
ORSAS	[UK]	Overseas Research Studentd Awards Scheme http://www.orsas.ac.uk/
OSI	[UK]	The former Office of Science and Innovation incorporated into the DIUS
OST	[UK]	The former Office for Science and Technology incorporated into the BERR
P
PAT	[UK]	Professional Association of Teachers See VOICE
PBL
PBL		Problem-Based Learning London Met's Deliberations PBL Resources Page IEE (now IET) paper on PBL UCL Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering Presentation on PBL Problem-Based Learning and Project-Based Learning Problem, Project and Inquiry-Based Learning PBL is also used as an abbreviation for Project-Based Learning. See also Project-Based Learning (PjBL), Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) and Case-Based Learning (CBL).
PBL or PjBL		Project-Based Learning Problem-Based Learning and Project-Based Learning Problem, Project and Inquiry-Based Learning PBL is also used as an abbreviation for Problem-Based Learning. See also Problem-Based Learning (PBL), Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) and Case-Based Learning (CBL).
PGCE		Postgraduate Certificate in Education
PG Cert		Postgraduate Certificate
PjBL or PBL		Project-Based Learning Problem-Based Learning and Project-Based Learning Problem, Project and Inquiry-Based Learning PBL is also used as an abbreviation for Problem-Based Learning. See also Problem-Based Learning (PBL), Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) and Case-Based Learning (CBL).
POST	[UK]	Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_offices/post.cfm
PSI	[UK]	Policy Studies Institute http://www.psi.org.uk/
Q
QA	[England]	Quality-related Research [HEFCE] http://www.hefce.ac.uk/research/funding/QRFunding/
QAA	[UK]	Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education http://www.qaa.ac.uk/aboutus/default.asp
QCA	[UK]	Qualifications and Curriculum Authority Became the now abolished Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency [QCDA]
QCDA	[UK]	Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency [QCDA was abolished July 2010] http://www.qcda.gov.uk/default.aspx
QIA	[UK]	Quality Improvement Agency http://www.qia.org.uk/ to merge with the Centre for Excellence in Leadership (CEL) to form the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIL) in October 2008
R
RAE
RAE	[UK]	Research Assessment Exercise http://www.rae.ac.uk/ see also REF RAE is also used as an abbreviation for the The Royal Acadamy of Engineering
RAE or RAEng	[UK]	The Royal Acadamy of Engineering http://www.raeng.org.uk/
RAEng or RAE	[UK]	The Royal Acadamy of Engineering http://www.raeng.org.uk/
RAeS	[UK]	The Royal Aeronautical Society http://www.aerosociety.com/
RaPAL	[UK]	Research and Practice in Adult Literacy http://www.literacy.lancs.ac.uk/rapal/
RCUK	[UK]	Research Councils UK http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/default.htm
REF	[UK]	Research Excellence Framework The post-2008 successor to the RAE http://www.hefce.ac.uk/research/ref/
Rg	[UK]	The Russell Group http://www.russellgroup.ac.uk/ Click here for a list of member institutions.
Ri	[UK]	The Royal Institution of Great Britain http://www.rigb.org/registrationControl?action=home
RIA	[Ireland]	Royal Irish Academy / Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann http://www.ria.ie/
RIAM	[Ireland]	Royal Irish Academy of Music / Ceol-Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann http://www.riam.ie/
RINA	[UK]	The Royal Institution of Naval Architects http://www.rina.org.uk/
	[UK]	The Royal Society http://royalsociety.org/
RSC	[UK]	The Royal Society of Chemistry http://www.rsc.org/
RSS	[UK]	The Royal Statistical Society http://www.rss.org.uk/main.asp?page=0
S
SBL or CBL		Service-Based Learning Service-Based Learning is also referred to as Community-Based Learning (CBL) Queen's University, Ontario, Service Based Learning site
SCOP	[UK]	Standing Conference of Principals now the GuildHE
SCOTVEC	[Scotland]	Scottish Vocational Educational Council
SCQF	[Scotland]	Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework http://www.scqf.org.uk/
SEC	[Ireland]	State Examinations Commission / Coimisiún na Scrúduithe Stáit http://www.examinations.ie
SEDA	[UK]	Staff and Educational Development Association http://www.seda.ac.uk/
SEE	[UK]	The Society of Environmental Engineers http://www.environmental.org.uk/
SEFI	[Europe]	European Society for Engineering Education Société Européene pour la Formation des Ingénieurs / Europäische Gesellschaft für Ingenieur-Ausbildung http://www.sefi.be/
SEMTA	[UK]	The Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering & Manufacturing Technologies http://www.semta.org.uk/
SES	[UK]	Society for Educational Studies http://www.soc-for-ed-studies.org.uk/
SFC	[Scotland]	Scottish Funding Council http://www.sfc.ac.uk/ a merger the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) and the Scottish Further Education Funding Council (SFEFC)
SFEFC	[Scotland]	The former Scottish Further Education Funding Council part of the merger forming the Scottish Funding Council (SFC)
SHEFC	[Scotland]	The former Scottish Higher Education Funding Council part of the merger forming the Scottish Funding Council (SFC)
SIVS (SIS)	[England]	Strategically Important and Vulnerable Subjects / Strategically Important Subjects HEFCE SIS page
Skill	[UK]	Skill: National Bureau for Students with Disabilities http://www.skill.org.uk/
SLC	[UK]	Student Loans Company The future of SLC is under consideration - Proposals on the future of the Student Loan Company will be made in the White Paper on the future strategy for higher education to be published by the end of the year, 2010. http://www.slc.co.uk/
SOE	[UK]	Society of Operations Engineers http://www.soe.org.uk/
SQA	[Scotland]	Scottish Qualifications Authority http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/1.html
SRHE	[UK]	Society for Research into Higher Education http://www.srhe.ac.uk
SRIF	[England]	Science Research Investment Fund http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/science/science-funding/science-research-investment-fund
SSC	[UK]	Sector Skills Councils http://www.sscalliance.org/SSCs/LinkstoSSCs.aspx
SSDA	[UK]	The Sector Skills Development Agency Replaced on 1 April 2008 by the UKCES and ASSC.
STEM
STEM		Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics See HE STEM and STEMNET
STEM	[UK]	Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine The modified acronym suggested for the post-2008 Research Excellence Framework (REF) See above for the conventional meaning of this acronym.
STEMNET	[UK]	Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Network http://www.stemnet.org.uk/
STEPS	[Ireland]	STEPS to engineering The Science, Technology and Engineering Programme for Schools http://www.steps.ie/
STFC	[UK]	Science and Technology Facilities Council http://www.scitech.ac.uk/Home.aspx
T
TDA	[UK]	Training and Development Agency for Schools http://www.tda.gov.uk/ TDA was expanded from the TTA
TOEFL	[World wide]	Test of English as a Foreign Language http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.fab2360b1645a1de9b3a0779f1751509/?vgnextoid=69c0197a484f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD
TQES	[UK]	The former Teaching Quality Enhancement Committee part of the merger forming the Higher Education Academy (HEA)
TTA	[UK]	see TDA above
TUI	[Ireland]	Teachers' Union of Ireland / Aontas Múinteoirí Éireann http://www.tui.ie/
TWI	[UK]	The Welding Institute http://www.twiprofessional.com/
U
UA	[UK]	The University Alliance (Alliance of Non-Aligned Universities) http://www.university-alliance.ac.uk/ Click here for a list of member institutions.
UALL	[UK]	Universities Association for Lifelong Learning http://www.uall.ac.uk/
UCAS	[UK]	Universities & Colleges Admissions Service http://www.ucas.ac.uk/
UCET	[UK]	The Universities Council for the Education of Teachers http://ucet.ac.uk/
UCISA	[UK]	Universities and Colleges Information Systems Association http://www.ucisa.ac.uk/
UCU	[UK]	University and College Union http://www.ucu.org.uk/
ukadia	[UK]	United Kingdom Arts and Design Institutions Association http://www.ukadia.ac.uk/en/index.cfm Click here for a list of member institutions.
UKCES	[UK]	UK Commission for Employment and Skills http://www.ukces.org.uk/
UKCISA	[UK]	UK Council for International Student Affairs http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/
UKCOSA	[UK]	now renamed UKCISA
UKRO	[UK]	UK Research Office http://www.ukro.ac.uk/
UKRSA	[UK]	UK Research Staff Association http://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers/301201/About-the-UKRSA.html
UK-SPEC	[UK]	The UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence http://www.engc.org.uk/professional-qualifications/standards/uk-spec
unis4ne	[England]	Universities for the North East http://www.unis4ne.ac.uk/
USI	[Ireland]	Union of Students in Ireland / Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn http://www.usi.ie/
U₃A	[UK]	University of the Third Age http://www.u3a.org.uk/
UTC	[England]	University Technical Colleges http://www.utcolleges.org/
UUK	[UK]	Universities UK http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/
UWA	[England]	Universities West Midland http://www.universitieswm.co.uk/
	[Scotland]	Universities Scotland http://www.universities-scotland.ac.uk/ Click here for a list of member institutions.
V
Vitae	[UK]	A national organisation for the personal, professional and career development of doctoral researchers and research staff http://www.vitae.ac.uk/
VLE		Virtual Learning Environment
VOICE	[UK]	Union for Education Professionals http://www.voicetheunion.org.uk/
W
WBL		Work Based Learning HEA Engineering Subject Centre WBL Page
WEA	[UK]	The Workers' Educational Association http://www.wea.org.uk/
WMHEA	[England]	The West Midlands Higher Education Association
Y
	[England]	Yorkshire Universities http://www.yorkshireuniversities.ac.uk/

February 2011

Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University College London - Torrington Place - London - WC1E 7JE -