Functions of Accreditation Council
- 1. Prof. Dr. Md. Nazrul Islam Former Director, IQAC, SAU Functions of Accreditation Council
- 2. Overview of Accreditation Educational accreditation should: 1. Provide evaluation and judgments of institutions and programs. 2. Offer guidelines that influence decisions regarding an educational program including: specific student outcomes (knowledge, skills, and abilities),the number of hours of a particular subject area offered, and the types of learning experiences students undertake.
- 3. The Value of Accreditation Accreditation in the United States is a means to assure and improve higher education quality, assisting institutions and programs using a set of standards developed by peers. An institution or program that has successfully completed an accreditation review has in place the needed instructional, student support and other services to assist students to achieve their educational goals. Accreditation has helped to provide the conditions necessary for the United States to develop diverse, flexible, robust and often admired higher education.
- 4. Value of Academic Program Accreditation According to the Institute of Medicine (1995), accreditation, if effective: • Protects the public welfare by ensuring that health professions graduates are appropriately prepared to provide health care services. • Ensures that their educational program meets basic standards and facilitates the transfer of credit between different programs. • Guards public funds from use in support of inferior programs.
- 5. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation Mission Statement The Council for Higher Education accreditation will serve students and their families, colleges and universities, sponsoring bodies, governments and employers by promoting academic quality through formal recognition of higher education accrediting bodies and will coordinate work to advance self-regulation through accreditation.
- 7. Other benefits of Accreditation Accountability and credibility Leverage for funding Visibility Continuous improvement Increased efficiency and effectiveness
- 8. Why accreditation? Interest of excellent HE institutions against low level education and degrees. Increasing importance of quality and developing systematic quality assurance system/culture. In higher education: to ensure and improve quality of education and training in interest of stake-holders (students, academic and non- academic staffs, alumni, employers and government). For (knowledge based) society: declaring safeguarded and evaluated quality of programmes or HEIs, informing the public.
- 9. Function of Accreditation and Quality Assurance “Key accreditation functions include: assuring quality, access to federal funds, engendering private sector confidence, and easing transfer” • “Accreditation should focus more on student learning outcomes and less on regulation. The more regulatory focus the greater the distraction from learning outcomes.”
- 10. Functions of Accreditation The U. S. Department of Education, states that accreditation programs are used to: 1. Verify that a program or institution meets established standards. 2. Assist students in identifying acceptable institutions for study. 3. Identify programs for the investment of public and private funds. 4. Establish criteria for professional certification and licensure* 5. Create goals for self-improvement of weaker programs and stimulate a general raising of standards among educational institutions. www.ed.gov/print/admins/finaid/acred/accreditation.html
- 11. Functions of the NCTE (Ghana) The National Council for Tertiary Education Act spells out the following functions for the NCTE: 1. To advise the Minister on the development of TEIs in Ghana; 2. To enquire into the financial needs of the TEIs and advice the Minister accordingly; 3. To recommend to the Minister for the purposes of the preparation of the annual national education budget: – block allocations of funds towards running costs, and – grants towards capital expenditure of each institution of tertiary education, indicating how the allocations are to be disbursed;
- 12. 4. To recommend national standards and norms, including standards and norms on staff, costs, accommodation and time utilisation for the approval of the Minister, and to monitor the implementation of any approved national standards and norms by the institutions; 5. To advise governing councils of TEIs on suitable measures for generating additional funds for their institutions; 6. To advise TEIs on the applications for and acceptance of external assistance in accordance with government policy;
- 13. 7. To advise the Minister generally on rates of remuneration and other conditions of service of staff of the institutions; 8. To publish information on tertiary education in Ghana; and 9. To perform any other functions provided in this Act; and such other functions relating to Tertiary education as are incidental to the functions specified in this Act.
- 14. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is a private, non-profit national organization that coordinates accreditation activity in the United States. CHEA represents more than 3,000 colleges and universities and 60 national, regional and specialized accreditors. The six actions resulting from the CHEA Initiative provide a needed foundation for future work in accreditation, especially preparation for reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. The actions are to: 1. Restate and reframe the division of responsibilities between government and accreditation.
- 15. 2. Streamline the federal recognition review of accrediting organizations. 3. Explore creation and adoption of voluntary, institutionally based performance indicators to inform the public and students. 4. Initiate an Accreditation Advocacy Campaign. 5. Develop the CHEA International Quality Group.
- 16. The Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU) The TCU has its origins in the erstwhile Higher Education Accreditation Council (HEAC) which was established in 1995. Functions of the TCU The Universities Act outlines the following ‘functions’ of the Commission: 1. To advise the Minister on any aspect or matter of University regarding the education; 2. To audit on a regular basis, the quality assurance mechanisms of universities;
- 17. 3.To provide guidance and monitor – i. Criteria for student admission to universities in the United Republic ii. Proposals of outlines of academic programmes or syllabi and general regulations of curriculum submitted to the Commission by universities iii. The long-term planning, staff development, scholarship and physical development strategies and programmes of universities, and iv. Recurrent and development budgets for public universities;
- 18. 4. To collect, examine, store in data-base or data-bank and publish information relating to higher education, research and consultancy; 5. To consider and make recommendations to the Minister regarding the upgrading or downgrading of the status of a university; 6. To establish transfer procedures for university students who wish to be transferred from one university to another and from one programme to another; 7. To levy fees or any other form of charge for specific services, facilities and documents rendered or supplied to institutions; 8. To monitor and regulate general management and performance of universities;
- 19. 9.To oversee the provision by universities of essential resources for the needs of their current academic programmes and related functions; 10. To promote – i. the objectives of higher education, in particular, the development, processing, storage and dissemination of knowledge for the benefit of humanity and the harnessing of knowledge for the production of usable goods and services ii. Quality assurance in higher education iii. Noble ideals of national unity and identity in universities iv. Gender equality, balance and equity, and v. cooperation and networking among universities within and outside the United Republic;
- 20. 11.To consider applications from persons, companies, or organizations seeking to establish universities or programmes in the United Republic and make recommendations to the Minister; 12. To set standards, accredit and register all universities; 13. To regulate and standardize – i. Promotion criteria, designations and titles of academic and senior administrative staff, and . ii. Schemes with standard criteria for broadening of opportunities for persons in disadvantaged groups to secure sponsorship for higher education and to acquire requisite academic criteria for admission to universities; 14. To standardize, recognize and equate degrees, diplomas and certificates conferred or awarded by foreign institutions and local institutions;
- 21. 15. To establish and maintain a qualifications framework for universities; 16. To take part in establishing and maintaining a national qualification framework for universities 17. To solicit for and distribute funds among universities; and 18. To do all such other acts and things as are provided for to be done by the Commission under this Act or any other written law.
- 22. Some Important Functions of Accreditation (Accreditation in the United States) 1. Assess the quality of academic programs at institutions of higher education 2. Create a culture of continuous improvement of academic quality at colleges and universities and stimulate a general raising of standards among educational institutions 3. Involve faculty and staff comprehensively in institutional evaluation and planning 4. Establish criteria for professional certification and licensure and for upgrading courses offering such preparation
- 23. Primary Accrediting Activities(Accreditation in the United States) 1. Standards: The accreditor, in collaboration with educational institutions and/or programs, establishes standards. 2. Self-study: The institution or program seeking accreditation prepares an in-depth self-evaluation report that measures its performance against the standards established by the accreditor.
- 24. 1. On-site evaluation: A team of peers selected by the accreditor reviews the institution or program on-site to determine first- hand if the applicant meets the established standards. 2. Decision and publication: Upon being satisfied that the applicant meets its standards, the accreditor grants accreditation or reaccreditation status and lists the institution or program in an official publication with other similarly accredited or reaccredited institutions or programs. Only public and private non-profit institutions can qualify to award federal student aid based on reaccreditation. 5. Monitoring: The accreditor monitors each accredited institution or program throughout the period of accreditation granted to verify that it continues to meet the accreditor's standards. 6. Re-evaluation: The accreditor periodically re-evaluates each institution or program that it lists to ascertain whether continuation of its accredited or reaccredited status is warranted.
- 25. NAAC (1994) The National Assessment and Accreditation Council is an autonomous body established by the University Grand Commission (UGC) of India to assess and accredit institutions of higher education in the country. FUNCTIONS Device and establish mechanism for periodic assessment and accreditation of instructions of higher learning . Assess the quality of institutions of higher education that volunteer for the process through an internationally accepted methodology. Accredit instructions of higher learning, universities, colleges, centers of excellence etc.. & specific academic programmes. Set rating parameter & criteria for certifying and grading higher educational instructions and educational programmes.
- 26. Develop an information database in higher education to keep abreast with the latest development in the area of higher education particularly in the area of assessment and accreditation. Recommend norms to be followed for quality improvement in teaching and research in higher education.
- 27. QAA Council of Sri Lanka Proposed Activities of the QAA Council Evaluation of new Curricular and Courses, new Degree Programs, including Distant Learning Programs, establishment of new Departments, Faculties, Institutes, including Postgraduate Institutes, Centres of Study, Schools in the Universities and Private Sector Higher Educational Institutes. Also the staff availability and infrastructure. Evaluation of Degree awarding status of Institutes and upgrading into Postgraduate status. Quality Assurance of self-accreditation universities, their curricular and courses of degrees, staff and infrastructure. Develop criteria and procedures for the recognition of new universities (Public and Private). Inspectors. Establishing Internal QA Units in Universities/Private Institutes.
- 28. Accreditation Higher Educational courses offered by non-self-accrediting Institutes. Assessment of the quality of foreign degrees and delivery arrangements and agreements on mutual recognition of awards accredited by Foreign Quality Assurance Agencies Report on, and making recommendations regarding national quality assurance and accreditation arrangements. Conduct Subject and Institutional Reviews in Public and Private Higher Educational Universities/Institutes Establishing Benchmark Statements for subject disciplines. Training of Reviewers, Auditors and Accreditation
- 29. What? – to accredit 1. institutions as a whole, including all of their programmes (combined or separate in time) - national or international; 2. programmes (only) – national or international; 3. meta-accreditation → quality assurance by accreditation of - accrediting agencies or - institutional QA systems.
- 30. 2. Accreditation of programmes a) National examples • to improve the quality of German higher education, • to ensure that cross-disciplinary and subject- specific quality standards are maintained, • to make German academic structures and degrees internationally compatible, • to make higher education more flexible, • to promote the diversity, quality and transparency of degree programmes.
- 31. CHEA: Council for Higher Education Accreditation → United States A national advocate and institutional voice for self- regulation of academic quality through accreditation, CHEA is an association of 3,000 degree-granting colleges and universities and recognizes 60 institutional and programmatic accrediting organizations. + Accreditation of non-United States institutions and programs →
- 32. National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA) The Purpose of NCFMEA is to review the standards used by foreign countries to accredit medical schools and determine whether those standards are comparable to standards used to accredit medical schools in the United States. The NCFMEA does not review or accredit individual foreign medical schools. The NCFMEA only reviews the standards that a foreign country uses to accredit its medical schools. The request by a foreign country for review by the NCFMEA is voluntary. Hungary: 1997, 2003 and now 2008 (in progress) - Hungarian Accreditation Committee (HAC)
- 33. INQAAHE (1991): International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education. The main purpose of the Network is to collect and disseminate information on current and developing theory and practice in the assessment, improve- ment and maintenance of quality in higher education.
- 34. Where? The radius of accreditation activity: • In the country – national • In regions (USA, Russia, Arabic countries) • In a continent – EU (ENQA, Register) • International (on request, e.g. by CHEA, ASIIN, EQUIS etc.)
- 35. Conclusion Thank you for your attention … and don’t forget: quality assurance agencies contribute to the quality of higher education through evaluation and accreditation, but quality of/in higher education institutions is the responsibility and task of the institution itself. Accreditation Council monitor the HEIs for getting the national and international accreditation to fulfill the demand of BNQF.