The Relationship Between Accreditation Processes and Academic Quality: Theoretical Ideals and Practi

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The Relationship Between Accreditation Processes
and Academic Quality Theoretical Ideals and
Practical Realities

• Your Guides (in order of appearance)
• Lynda St. Clair
• Associate Professor of Management,
  Bryant
• Elizabeth Powers
• Assistant to the Vice President of
  Academic Affairs, Bryant Ron Pitt
• Associate Vice President for Academic
  Affairs, Bridgewater State
• and Past Director, Bryant Faculty
  Development Center

Faculty Research Day
January 17, 2007
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Why this journey?

• The Story crisis in higher education
• Emphasis on rankings not accreditation status
• Litany of criticisms amid escalating costs
• Increasing political pressure, (e.g., the
  Spellings Commission)
• Why didnt accreditation prevent this crisis?

• Our Story AACSB self-evaluation
• Need to process the experience
• Need to transmute service into research
• Need to work with great people
• Why not continue the journey?

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Purposes of AccreditationTheoretical Ideals

• Quality Assurance Stamp of Approval
• Standards
• To safeguard and provide evidence for public
  trust
• Access
• To information for decision making

• Quality Improvement Continuous Improvement
• Mission Driven
• To allow for flexibility to meet diverse needs
  and interests
• Access
• Affordability of higher education due to
  increased productivity

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Purposes of AccreditationPractical Realities

• Credibility in the marketplace
• Higher Education Act
• Public trust
• Academic control of education standards

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Criticisms of Accreditation

• Congress, executive branch, private think tanks
  (ACTA), journalists, faculty
• Standardization and assessment
• Decline in skills, emphasis on inputs, assessment
  movement not moving, homogenization of programs,
  conservativism, political correctness
• Accreditor accountability and independence
• Lack of oversight, secrecy, conflicts of interest
• Institutional accountability
• Pulsed attention syndrome, pass/fail result,
  faculty emphasis on the esoteric

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The Path to ConvergenceAccreditation Ideals
Realities

• Separate auditing and consulting functions
• Ensure oversight of accrediting organizations
• Open accreditation process and findings
• Encourage research on accreditations impact
• Embed accreditation into academic life
• Promote institutional (really individual)
  courage

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Questions? Comments?