ER foundation by Aseel Zakarneh AAUP.pptx

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1. A ccreditation

2. Definition: is a review process to determine if educational programs meet defined standards of quality. Once achieved, accreditation is not permanent—it is renewed periodically to ensure that the quality of the educational program is maintained.

3. In the United States, academic accreditation is voluntary, decentralized, and carried out by many non-governmental, non-profit organizations. The process of academic accreditation typically culminates in an external quality review by a team of professional experts from academe or industry. These experts volunteer their time, professional knowledge, and experience to this process of quality assurance and ongoing improvement to education in their disciplines. In other countries, accreditation may be required or governmental. The  United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)  provides information about accreditation and quality assurance in countries outside of the United States.

4. T ypes O f A ccreditation : 1. Regional accreditation 2. National accreditation 3. Programmatic accreditation 4. Specialized accreditation 

5. Regional Accreditation : Many academic institutions in the U.S. undergo regional accreditation assessments, which are a widely accepted type of accreditation mechanism. There are seven regional accreditation agencies that govern four-year academic institutions operating in the U.S., and each of these regional agencies operates within a designated geographical area. These regions include the western states, New England states, northwestern states, southern states and middle states.  The academic institutions that undergo voluntary regional accreditation are typically public universities or nonprofit institutions. The minimum requirements to become a regionally accredited academic institution are stricter than the requirements to become a nationally accredited organization. This is why credits earned through a regionally accredited college are often easier to transfer from one institution to another

6. National A ccreditation: National accreditation agencies typically work with trade schools, vocational colleges and religious institutions. Private or for-profit colleges may apply for national accreditation through these agencies to assess the quality of the educational programs they provide. National accrediting bodies can assess schools in any part of the country, regardless of their geographic region. This type of accreditation is available through bodies that register with the U.S. Secretary of Education. National accreditation usually has less stringent admissions standards, and it's often easier to transfer credits between two nationally accredited schools. Since the requirements differ, not all credits easily transfer from a nationally accredited institution to a regionally accredited institution.

7. Programmatic A ccreditation: Programmatic accreditation agencies assess individual programs, departments and schools housed within a larger academic institution. There are several programmatic accreditation bodies designed to assess programs relevant to a specific industry, job role or skill. For example, the National Architectural Accrediting Board oversees every architectural program in the U.S. to ensure the coursework they provide prepares students for successful careers in architecture. This type of accreditation is supplementary and only available for some career fields, but earning a degree from a school with programmatic accreditation may impress potential employers.

8. Specialized A ccreditation :   Similar to programmatic accreditation, specialized accreditation assesses an individual area of study, and several industries require it. For example, to become a licensed nurse, it's necessary to attend a program that the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing accredits. Likewise, to qualify for the national bar exam, it's necessary for aspiring lawyers to attend a law school that the American Bar Association (ABA) accredits. 

9. There are several recognized national accreditation agencies, including : Distance Education & Training Council (DETC) Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) Council on Occupational Education (COE) Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools, Accreditation Commission (TRACS) Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET) Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools (AARTS) Council on Occupational Education (COE) Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences (NACCS) Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS)

10. WHAT IS REGIONAL INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITATION? Regional  accreditation  agencies oversee institutions that place a focus on academics that are state-owned or non-profit colleges or universities. There are six regional accrediting agencies for higher education institutions in the U.S. These agencies oversee institutions within their particular clusters of states .

11. The six agencies are : Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, Washington D.C. New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) AK, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, WA Higher Learning Commission (HLC) AR, AZ, CO, IO, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, OK, NM, SD, WI, WV, WY Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, AL, TN, TX, VA U.S. students in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) CA, HI The Hawaiian territories of Guam, American Samoa, Northern Marianas Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, the Pacific Rim, East Asia, and parts of the Pacific and East Asia

12. A ccrediting B odies : Accreditation of programs in engineering, engineering technology and computing is conducted by many organizations, ranging from governmental or quasi governmental bodies to private and volunteer associations. In some regions, accreditation is regulated by laws, while in others it is a voluntary process with little official recognition. Recognition of accrediting bodies is similarly made in some places by local or national governmental agencies, and in others, by voluntary associations of existing accrediting bodies. Many accrediting bodies are limited to institutions in a single country, while others engage in accreditation outside the country where they have been established or incorporated. 

13. The bodies conducting institutional accreditation are national or regional in scope, and comprise the institutions that have achieved and maintain accreditation. A specialized body conducting accreditation of a program preparing students for a profession or occupation is often closely associated with professional associations in the field. Both institutional and specialized bodies conduct the accreditation process using a common pattern. The pattern requires integral self-study of the institution or program, followed by an on-site visit by an evaluation team, and a subsequent review and decision by a central governing group. Within this general pattern the various accrediting bodies have developed a variety of individual procedures adapted to their own circumstances. Increasingly, attention has been given to educational outcomes as a basis for evaluation.

14. An institutional accrediting body considers the characteristics of whole institutions. For this reason an institutional accrediting body gives attention not only to the educational offerings of the institutions it accredits, but also to other such institutional characteristics as the student personnel services, financial conditions, and administrative strength. The criteria of an institutional accrediting body are broad, as is demanded by the attention to an entire institution and by the presence in the United States of postsecondary institutions of widely different purposes and scopes. Such criteria also provide encouragement to institutions to try innovative curricula and procedures, and to adopt them when they prove successful

15. The accreditation of an institution by an institutional accrediting body certifies to the general criteria that the institution : Has appropriate purposes . Has the resources needed to accomplish its purposes . Can demonstrate that it is accomplishing its purposes. Gives reason to believe that it will continue to accomplish its purposes.

16. A specialized accrediting body : focuses its attention on a particular program within an institution of higher education. The close relationship of the specialized accrediting body with the professional association for the field helps insure that the requirements for accreditation are related to the current requirements for professional practice. In a number of fields (e.g., medicine, law, dentistry) graduation from an accredited program in the field is a requirement for receiving a license to practice in the field. Thus specialized accreditation is recognized as providing a basic assurance of the scope and quality of professional or occupational preparation. This focus of specialized accreditation leads to accreditation requirements that are generally sharply directed to the nature of the program, including specific requirements for resources needed to provide a program satisfactory for professional preparation. Because of this limitation of focus to a single program, many specialized accrediting bodies require that the institution offering the program be institutionally accredited before consideration can be given to program accreditation.

17. Institutions of higher education benefit from accreditation through : a. The stimulus provided for self-evaluation and self-directed institutional and program improvement ; b. The strengthening of institutional and program self-evaluation by the review and counsel provided through the accrediting body; c . The application of criteria of accrediting bodies, generally accepted throughout higher education, which help guard against external encroachments harmful to institutional or program quality by providing benchmarks independent of forces that might impinge on individual institutions ; d. The enhancing of the reputation of an accredited institution or program because of public regard for accreditation ; e. The use of accreditation as one means by which an institution can gain eligibility for the participation of itself and its students in certain programs of governmental aid to postsecondary education; accreditation is also usually relied upon by private foundations as a highly desirable indicator of institutional and program quality

18. Accreditation has two fundamental purposes : to assure the quality of the institution or program, and to assist in the improvement of the institution or program. Accreditation, which applies to institutions or programs, is to be distinguished from certification and licensure which apply to individuals.

19. accreditation serves the professions by : a. Providing a means for the participation of practitioners in setting the requirements for preparation to enter the professions . b. Contributing to the unity of the professions by bringing together practitioners, teachers and students in an activity directed at improving professional preparation and professional practice.

20. References https:// www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/types-of-accreditation   https://www.abet.org/accreditation/what-is-accreditation/ https://www.online.drexel.edu/news/national-vs-regional-accreditation.aspx https://www.neche.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Pp63-Role_and_Value_of-Accreditation.pdf