10/22/2015 2010 IAFIE Conference J. Ramsay, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University 1 Issues and Challenges in Outcomes-based Intelligence Education & Accreditation

04/21/2304/21/23 2010 IAFIE Conference 2010 IAFIE Conference J. Ramsay, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical UniversityJ. Ramsay, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

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Issues and Challenges in Outcomes-based Intelligence Education & Accreditation

Jim Ramsay, PhD, CSP6th Annual IAFIE

Conference May, 2010


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Overview

Challenges to building an academic program in an emergent academic discipline such as intelligence studies, homeland security, etc.

What is accreditation and what are “levels of accreditation” (institutional & specialized)? What might it accomplish in a curriculum?

How is specialized accreditation tied to a professional association?

Next steps for IAFIE?


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What do you think?

How important is it to US National Security to have an outcomes-based, accredited infrastructure helping to regulate Intelligence, or Homeland Security Homeland Defense (HS/HD) education?


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Big questions… If professional education is important,

critical, vital to US National Security, should any school teach whatever they want and still be able to call the degree, “intelligence”, “homeland security” or “homeland defense”?

How might “we” help those wanting to develop a professional degree?

How might we best assist the field?

How might we actually define our field?

One Answer: Accreditation


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The Main Challenges –

1. Creating and preserving degree integrity (reduce threat from diploma mills).

2. Enhance and preserve professional credibility.

3. Maturation as a profession.


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The Main Challenge – 1. Creating & preserving degree integrity requires

Academia to work with industry, government, other constituents to responsibly, ethically, appropriately build an outcomes-based, CQI-oriented program.

Establishment of degree integrity.

Prevention of diploma mills.


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The Main Challenge – 2. Creating & enhancing professional credibility

requires

A specialized body of knowledge.

Vital partnerships with all constituent groups and academia.

Standards subject to peer review.

Ultimately, specialized accreditation (IMHO).


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The Main Challenge – 3. Maturation as a profession requires

All the above, plus:

Barriers to entry & clear operational boundaries, title protection?

Professional associations, peer reviewed research, graduate degrees.

Professional credentialing and possibly licensing.


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“Accreditation” is a process of external quality review used by higher education to scrutinize colleges, universities and educational programs for quality assurance.”

So, what is accreditation?


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1. Helps to ensure a baseline level of quality, reliability, and validity in academic programs.

2. Greatly enhances degree integrity and reduces diploma mills.

3. Allows educational and programmatic flexibility with inherent accountability.

4. Institutional accreditation alone is insufficient to guarantee program quality. Greatly enhances degree integrity and reduces diploma mills.

Accreditation’s “Top 10” -


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5. Helps to ensure the education market place works by providing more complete information exchanges between consumers (employers, grant giving agencies, etc), suppliers of education (faculty, programs, universities, etc) and purchasers of education (students).

6. Facilitates continuous quality improvement by both the institution and the program by integration of research into practice, and best practices into accreditation standards and outcomes.

7. Supports transferability and articulation of academic credit to other institutions.



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8. There exists no real evidence that accreditation harms, restricts or endangers any of the professions that currently embrace it.

9. The outcomes taught in a discipline’s academic programs also function to define the discipline. By extension, accreditation is a hallmark of an established profession.

10. Accreditation acknowledges a level of organizational competence in that it requires an organization have numerous management controls in place related to accountability and efficient, effective use of available resources in providing services.



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“Levels” of Accreditation

At least 2 levels -

Institutional Level Regional Faith-based Private Career

Specialized Academic Programs Professions Free-standing schools

(e.g., medicine, law)


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A Quick Caution… “In their quest for higher education and

training, students and the public in the United States sometimes encounter “degree mills” – dubious providers of educational offerings or operations that offer certificates and degrees that may be considered bogus.

They may also encounter “accreditation mills” – dubious providers of accreditation and quality assurance that may offer a certification of quality of institutions without a proper basis. and quality improvement.”


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Accrediting Organizations Need to be “Recognized” to be Valid

Recognition comes from either (and only):

OR


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Recognized Specialized AccreditationOrganizations


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Specialized Accreditation Should -

Be outcomes-based, data driven and enable programs to continuously improve.

Be discipline specific, and yet flexible enough to include most responsibilities of entry-level professionals.

Be program specific, and integrate program specific characteristics and constituent needs.

Enable construction of a model curriculum for new programs.

What’s this?


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Model Curricula, for example

Should suggest the core academic areas and specific outcomes for each area for a given discipline.

Should suggest learning (or competency) levels for each outcome or core area (see Bloom’s)

Competency Levels

1 = Awareness Introductory recall and recognition

2 = Literacy Knowledge of framework and content

3 = Concept Comprehension, translation, extrapolation and interpretation of meaning

4 = Detailed Understanding Appropriate application of knowledge in a structured or controlled context

5 = Skilled Use Application using analysis, synthesis, and evaluation in new situations


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Benefits of a Model Curriculum

Model curricula can offer ready advice and a functional template to aspiring programs.

Model curricula are more focused than accreditation standards regarding what is actually taught.

Model curricula provide a roadmap to continuously improve the field by continuously improving the outcomes that define a discipline.


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The main difference is the set of outcomes used.

With IA, the accrediting body identifies the structures and practices that the institution should have in place in order to accomplish responsible and quality education.

With SA, it is the profession itself that develops and vets the accreditation outcomes that are reflective of that profession’s best practices and which are applied and integrated into academic programs as student learning outcomes.

Institutional v. Specific Accreditation


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Relating SA to a Profession

How does a profession tie itself to specialized accreditation? 2 options exist, either by:

1. Becoming the “lead association” for an established, recognized accrediting organization such as ABET. OR

2. Becoming its own recognized accrediting organization thru either CHEA or US DoE or both.


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Establish an education standards group, committee, etc. within a professional association.

Develop a set of flexible, outcomes-based standards (KSAs) desired by employers and constituents, needed by practitioners, and geared to the level of the degree program (associates, undergraduate or graduate).

Develop a method to revise and continuously improve the standards by connecting research to practice and reflecting changes in the industry, law, etc.

Either way, “someone” needs to:


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Develop self study guidelines.

Develop levels of accreditation actions, complaint protocols, notification procedures, etc.

Submission protocols, templates to demonstrate student outcomes (i.e., online portfolios, etc).

Identification, selection, training and education of program evaluators.

Education and training of programs.

And then…


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1) ABET is CHEA recognized to perform specialized accreditation.

2) ABET has 4 commissions: engineering, computing, technology and applied sciences.1) Each commission oversees accreditation structures,

processes and standards for programs that fit within the mission of the commission.

2) Professional associations pay a retainer and join with a specific commission.

3) Each ass’n is required to develop, vet, maintain its own outcome-based standards.

4) The ass’n is given a seat on the ABET board of directors, and needs to elect officers to sit on the commission.

5) The ass’n needs to identify and help train its own program evaluators.

Option 1Joining w/ an Existing Accreditor


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1) Both CHEA and USDoE have strict guidelines that guide the recognition process.

2) Both app’s take upwards of 2 years and requires the association:1) To exist primarily for the purposes of accreditation.2) To have a well established business plan, steady revenue

stream, administrative infrastructure, board of directors, etc.

3) To develop, vet and maintain its own standards.4) To identify qualified personnel to work on the

accreditation function.5) To beta test its standards & accreditation process

in >1 program.6) Have a site visit and evaluation & etc…...

Option 2Becoming a Recognized Accreditor


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Next Steps?

1) Identify an education standards committee (if not already done) and then develop and vet a set of outcomes-based standards. Includes a model curriculum.

2) Decide whether SA makes sense for IAFIE at this time (logistically, financially, philosophically, emotionally).

3) If it does, contact ABET or USDoE and analyze requirements for recognition.


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Thank you!

Questions?

Documents

10/22/2015 2010 IAFIE Conference J. Ramsay, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University 1 Issues and Challenges in Outcomes-based Intelligence Education & Accreditation