Transcript A “How–To Guide” for Higher Education

A “How–To Guide” for Higher Education
Institutions that are
Balancing Requirements From Multiple
Accreditation Agencies:
Where the Rubber Hits the Road
American University of Sharjah
2009 INQAAHE Conference- Abu Dhabi
March 30 -April 2, 2009
Founded in 1997 by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qassimi,
Member of the Supreme Council of the UAE and Ruler of Sharjah
Independent and private university
Over 5200 students (4900 undergraduates)
Students are from 78 different countries
 351 Full-time faculty from over 45 different countries
 Student-faculty ratio 15:1
 4 colleges/schools
 College of Arts and Sciences
College of Engineering
School of Business and Management
School of Architecture and Design
 21undergraduate and 13 masters programs
 Licensed by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education Commission on
Academic Accreditation (CAA)
 All degree programs initially accredited or fully accredited by UAE
Ministry of Higher Education CAA
 Accredited by Middle States Commission on Higher Education
(Middle States)
 All Engineering degree programs Accredited by ABET, Inc.
 School of Business and Management is in the process of
seeking accreditation with Association to Advance Collegiate
Schools of Business (AACSB) International
 School of Architecture and Design has been admitted as an
accreditation candidate with National Architectural
Accrediting Board (NAAB) for its architecture program.
1.
Mission and Institutional Effectiveness
2. Organization, Governance, and Leadership
3. The Academic Program
4. Faculty and Professional Staff
5. Students
6. Library and Other Information Resources
7. Physical and Technology Resources
8. Fiscal Resources
9. Public Disclosure and Integrity
10. Research
 Private institutions, both non-profit
and for profit, are licensed to operate
and grant degrees by MOHESR
 Institution is reviewed as a whole for
licensure
 Licensure site visit team made up of
only CAA commissioners
Each degree program the institution
offers is reviewed individually for
accreditation
Not voluntary
 Programs must receive initial
accreditation by CAA before offering or
advertising degree program
 Institution must apply for full
accreditation within two years of
graduating the first group of students
from the program
 Site visit team for program
accreditation is made up of one
commissioner and at least two subject
matter experts
 No liaison assigned
 Site visit is 3 days
Institutional Context
Standard 1: Mission and Goals
Standard 2: Planning, Resource Allocation,
and Institutional Renewal
Standard 3: Institutional Resources
Educational Effectiveness
Standard 8: Student Admissions and
Retention
Standard 9: Student Support Services
Standard 10: Faculty
Standard 4: Leadership and Governance
Standard 11: Educational Offerings
Standard 5: Administration
Standard 12: General Education
Standard 6: Integrity
Standard 13: Related Educational Activities:
(Basic Skills; Certificate Programs;
Experiential Learning; Non-Credit Offerings;
Branch Campuses, Additional Locations, and
Other Instructional Sites; Distance or
Distributed Learning; Contractual
Relationships and Affiliated Providers)
Standard 14: Assessment of Student Learning
Standard 7: Institutional Assessment
One of six regional US
accreditation agencies
 Considered voluntary
Accreditation process for MSCHE
requires an institutional self-study to
demonstrate quality of education
 University is assigned a liaison
from MSCHE
 For initial accreditation –
institution must use a comprehensive
model after a candidate institution
acquires initial
 MSCHE requires a second
Comprehensive Model self-study
after a five year period.
 After this second review,
institution’s accreditation is subject
to validation through the decennial
process using any one of the four
models for its report
 All models require that a steering
committee be appointed
 Site visit team made up from
individuals from other MSCHE
accredited institutions
 4 day site visit
Strategic Management
Standards
Standard 1: Mission Statement
Standard 2: Mission
Appropriateness
Standard 3: Student Mission
Standard 4: Continuous
Improvement Objectives
Standard 5: Financial Strategies
Assurance of Learning
Standards
Standard 6: Student Admission Standard 15: Management of
Standard 7: Student Retention Curricula
Standard 8: Staff Sufficiency
Standard 16: Undergraduate
Student Support
Learning Goals
Standard 9: Faculty Sufficiency Standard 17: Undergraduate
Standard 10: Faculty
Educational Level
Qualifications
Standard 18: Master’s Level
Standard 11: Faculty
General Management Learning
Management and Support
Goals
Standard 12: Aggregate Faculty Standard 19: Specialized
and Staff Educational
Master’s Degree Learning
Responsibility
Goals
Standard 13: Individual Faculty Standard 20. Master’s
Educational Responsibility
Educational Level
Standard 14: Student
Standard 21: Doctoral Learning
Educational Responsibility
Goals
Participants Standards
AACSB is a non-governmental
organization and member of the
Council on Higher Education
Accreditation
 Awards accreditation to an academic
institution collectively for its programs
in business-related disciplines, including
accounting, economics, finance, etc.
Usually “school” based
Voluntary
 It requires clear delineation of a
school mission statement that is
contributory to the mission of the
institution
 Pre Accreditation Committee
Mentor assigned by AACSB
Accreditation Coordinating
Committee
 School Unit prepares Strategic Plan
and Accreditation Plan
Peer review team appointed 2 years in
advance
Emphasizes direct measures of
program student learning outcomes
Characteristic
UAE CAA
MSCHE
AACSB
 Set of standards
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 Self –Study
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 Mission driven
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 May require follow-up actions after selfstudy report is submitted
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 Emphasis on assessment of student
learning
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 Requires report be sent to site visit
committee/team prior to site visit
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Characteristic
UAE CAA
 Voluntary
 Specific format for Self- Study report
MSCHE
AACSB
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 Specifies how the study should be
conducted
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 Assigns a liaison or mentor from the
accrediting organization
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 Holds periodic conferences and
trainings for accreditation support
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 5 year cycle once fully accredited
 Site visit team made up of individuals
from institutions or programs accredited
by the designated organization
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Only for first
two selfstudies
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Characteristic
 Has specific requirements for faculty
credentials and/or teaching loads
UAE CAA

 Allows institution to offer programs
and graduate students before accreditation
 Has specific criteria for general
education
MSCHE
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 Has specific requirements for faculty
scholarship
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 Allows the institution to determine
what data is necessary for accreditation
 Where does accreditation occur?
AACSB
Degree Program &
University


University
School/College
 MSCHE and UAE CAA focus on broad issues at the institution level
 MSCHE along with agencies such as ABET, NAAB, and AACSB
confirms we are providing an education compatible with other US
schools
 UAE CAA is much more prescriptive
 UAE CAA requires a more detailed self-study every 5 years for
degree programs- good incentive for quality assurance checks
 Conflict between UAE CAA, AACSB and ABET as to how many
program learning outcomes there should be
Balancing is an arduous undertaking
CAA
Licensure
CAA
Individual
Program
Accreditation
AACSB
Middle States
EE
ME
ChE
CoE
CiE
CS
ABET
Good
OK
Problem
Middle
States
CAA
AACSB
Middles States: Faculty required to be
“…consistent with expected academic outcomes
reflecting both appropriate standards of quality
and the institutional mission.”
AACSB: Academically Qualified (AQ),
Professionally Qualified (PQ)
CAA: Baccalaureate Degrees – faculty teaching
beyond introductory level must have terminal
degree; exceptions must be approved by the CAA
 Analysis Paralysis: Licensure CAA (5 year); 35 programs
CAA (5 years); Middle States (5 years); 6 programs ABET (6
years); AACSB; NAAB; averages to nearly 9 per year
 Data collected for one self-study can be used as support
materials for other self-studies
 Need for collaborative accreditation example: ABET program
review acceptable for UAE CAA program review
 Need for collaborative acceptance of standards example:
AACSB PQ faculty acceptable to UAE CAA
Questions
or Comments?
 Dr. Rob Bateman – [email protected]
 Director of SBM Graduate Programs & Outreach and Assistant
Professor of Management
 Mr. Kevin Mitchell –[email protected]
 Director of Graduate and Undergraduate Programs and Associate
Professor of Architecture
 Dr. Ahmed Mokhtar – [email protected]
 Chair of the MSCHE Self-Study Steering Committee and Associate
Professor of Architecture
 Dr. John Mosbo – [email protected]
 Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs
 Ms. Lorin [email protected]
 Director of Strategic Planning and Accreditation
 Dr. [email protected]
 Director of Institutional Research