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The Juggling Act: Balancing Specialized and Programmatic
Accreditors with Regional Commissions
Barbara Jones, Ph.D. Dean of Instruction
Louisiana Delta Community College / Monroe, [email protected]
Janell Lang, Ed.S.
Dean, School of Health SciencesOwens Community College / Toledo & Findlay, OH
Sandra Pepicello, Ph.D.Provost, St Petersburg College/ St. Petersburg, FL
Annual Convention of theAmerican Association of Community Colleges
Tampa, FLApril 16, 2007
Accreditation ~ Challenges
Janell Lang, Ed.S.
Dean, School of Health Sciences
Owens Community College / Toledo & Findlay,
OH
The Ancient Accreditors’ Curse:
“May You Live in Interesting Times”
Margaret Spellings
Spellings’ Commission Report on the Future of Higher Education
Aligning K-12 and higher education expectations
Increasing need-based aid for access and success Using accreditation to support and emphasize student-learning outcomes
Serving adults and other non-traditional students Enhancing affordability, decreasing costs, and promoting productivity
National Higher Educuation Transformation Summit
A 25-point list of “action items,” focusing upon these recommendations, was the result of a day-long Summit sponsored by the USDE on March 22.
For additional information, refer to: http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2007/03/03222007.html
Spring Meeting of the Association of Specialized and Programmatic Accreditors
(ASPA)
Vicki Schray, Senior Advisor, Office of the Under Secretary, USDE, and Lead Negotiator in the Accreditation Rule Making Process, spoke about the need for:
Greater transparency of student success, focusing upon results
Increased evidence that we’re helping students achieve their goals
Vicki Schray
“Accreditation is undercapitalized by peers and volunteers”
“While the general public may not understand accreditation, it needs to”
“We need to balance the needs of the institution with the needs of the public”
Vicki Schray
Use accreditation to support student-learning outcomes
Embrace and use the “powerful lever” of accreditation as a means to address the public’s knowledge
“Kick the tires” by external stakeholders
Negotiated Rule Making on Accreditation http://www.ed.gov/policy/highered/reg/hearulemaking/2007/nr.html
Challenges Nursing and Allied Health Programs Face With Multiple
Agencies Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education of the American Dietetic Association Dietary Managers Association Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education American Health Information Management Association American Medical Billing Association Medical Transcription Certification Commission of the American Association for Medical Transcription Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs in cooperation with the American
Association of Medical Assistants Endowment Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs in cooperation with the Joint
Review Committee/Diagnostic Medical Sonography Joint Review Committee on Education in Nuclear Medicine Technology Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission Ohio Board of Nursing Ohio Department of Health Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education of the American Occupational Therapy
Association Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs in cooperation with the Association
of Surgical Technologists National Institute for the Certification of Healthcare Sterile Processing and Distribution Personnel
Challenges
Inconsistence and incongruence in terminology Lack of commonality among reporting elements and
systems
Public disclosure and transparency Simulation Distance Education
Challenges
Site Visitor Training Costs of Accreditation Clinical Site Availability Revision of standards and development/adoption of
new ones
Where do the regionals and specialized accreditors meet, especially in light of AQIP and QEP = generalists
Collaboration
Two-year Colleges, Four-year Universities and Graduate Schools
National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges (NN2) and the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions (ASAHP)
Association of Specialized and Programmatic Accreditors (ASPA) and Regional Commission CEOs
Accreditation ~ Expectations
Barbara Jones, PhDDean of Instruction
Louisiana Delta Community CollegeMonroe, LA
Accreditation
Voluntary process to assess the quality and effectiveness of education (institution, program, services, resources) against predetermined standards
Types Regional Professional National
Regional Accreditation
Associations of institutions Self-regulatory quality assurance process
to assess and improve education Process: self-study, peer review, on-site
visit, report/response, decision by committee made up of peers
Focus on educational outcomes provides a reasonable assurance to public that the institution provides quality education
National Accreditation
Proprietary schools Associations that are church-
related
Professional Accreditation
Also called Specialized accreditation Approval of schools, programs, curricula,
or disciplines in post-secondary education
Standards developed by professionals involved in each discipline
Prepare graduates to function successfully in the field, discipline, or profession
Commonalities
Comprehensive self-study and review (electronic and site) of: Administration Personnel/Faculty Facilities Fiscal support Student services Due process Learning outcomes/Curriculum Assessment Ongoing process of improvement
Assessment is……
Assessment is ”any effort to gather, analyze, and interpret evidence which describes institutional, divisional or agency effectiveness” (Upcraft & Schuh, 1996, p. 18).
Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions
Student Learning Principles Centrality of Student Learning to
its Mission Documentation of Student
Learning Compilation of Evidence Stakeholder Involvement Capacity Building
Centrality of Student Learning
to its Mission Ability of institution to achieve student
learning outcomes which are within the specific context of the institutional mission and related institutional goals
Common missions of community colleges include: General education Transfer preparation Developmental skills Workforce development Outreach Student progress
Documentation of Student Learning
Collection and use of valid and significant student learning evidence to demonstrate achievement of learning goals Clear goals for college, programs,
courses Valid assessment methods Systematic approach to collection
and evaluation of outcomes Use of results to improve courses,
programs, student learning outcomes, student satisfaction
Compilation of Evidence
Multiple sources: Courses, Curricula, Co-curricular programs
Core literacy skills (reading, writing, critical thinking, computation)
Citizenship skills Transfer rate Performance after transfer Success in subsequent related courses Degree completion rates Persistence - retention rates Placement rates Employment rates Licensure/certification pass rates Employer assessment of students/graduates External evaluations Student satisfaction Focus groups
Stakeholder Involvement
External Government agencies Accrediting agencies K-12 schools Prospective students Employers Elected officials Other colleges and
universities Advisory boards
Internal Faculty Administrators Enrolled students staff Board
Capacity Building
Use of student learning outcomes to build a commitment to continuous educational improvement
Broad participation of internal and external stakeholders
Ongoing process, not one time event Fiscal funding to support initiatives
and endeavors for improvement
Health DisciplinesStudent Learning Outcomes
“…the curriculum provides competency-based educational experiences that promote the synthesis of theory, use of current technology, competent clinical practice and professional values.”
~Joint Review Committee for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JRCDMS) Standards
Common Programmatic Accreditation Standards
Sponsorship Program Goals Resources (sufficient to achieve goals)
Personnel Curriculum (specific to profession) Finances Facilities Clinical affiliations Technology, equipment, supplies Instructional references materials (library, databases,
computers, software, etc.) Professional development/continuing education for
faculty Stakeholder involvement
Common Programmatic Accreditation Standards
(cont.) Evaluation/Assessment
Student/Graduate Resources Outcomes
Fair Practices Publications Due Process Safety Student Records Contracts
Health Career Competency Areas
Cognitive Knowledge Clinical reasoning Problem solving ability
Psychomotor Clinical skills Technical skills Clinical practice
Affective Interpersonal skills Professional behavior Professional values
Student LearningCommonalities
Regional Learning outcomes Retention Graduation External
evaluations Involves
stakeholders or “communities of interest”
Programmatic Competency outcomes Retention Graduation Employment success Licensure/registry
exam Involves stakeholders or “communities of
interest”
Differences
Regional Emphasis on
general education assessment
focused on course assessment than programmatic assessment
Programmatic Clinical site
assessment Emphasis on
programmatic curriculum and skills competencies
Continuous assessment and reporting - between accreditation site visits
Health Care Assessment Models
Nursing/Allied Health program assessments are extensive
Nursing/Allied Health faculty and administration experienced in assessment measures and documentation
Nursing/Allied Health models may be applicable to other academic programs
What next?
National benchmarking? National accreditation? National general education exit
exams/measures? National database of information
concerning student, instructional, programmatic, and institutional outcomes
Publication of all accreditation actions
Wrap-Up
Questions? Observations? Answers?
References
Alfred, R., EWwell, P., Hudgins, J. Mc Clenney, K. (1999). Core Indicators of Effectiveness for Community Colleges. Washington, DC: Community College Press.
Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA) website: http://www.aspa-usa.org
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) website, http://caahep.org
Community College Assessment, (2004). T. Banta (ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Regional Accreditation and Student Learning: A Guide for Institutions and Evaluators, Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions (2004)
The Juggling Act: Balancing Specialized and Programmatic
Accreditors with Regional Commissions
Barbara Jones, Ph.D. Dean of Instruction
Louisiana Delta Community College / Monroe, [email protected]
Janell Lang, Ed.S.
Dean, School of Health SciencesOwens Community College / Toledo & Findlay, OH
