Page 45 - Crisis in Higher Education

20 • Crisis in Higher Education

and is organized around the following five main points. Broadly speaking,
these are typical of the standards set by many accreditation bodies.

1. Mission: The mission of the institution of higher learning is clear and
guides its operations.
2. Integrity—ethical and responsible conduct: The institution acts with
integrity, and its conduct is ethical and responsible.
3. Teaching and learning—quality, resources, and support: The insti-
tution provides high-quality education, wherever and however its
offerings are delivered.
4. Teaching and learning—evaluation and improvement: The institu-
tion demonstrates responsibility for the quality of its educational
programs, learning environments, and support services. The institu-
tion evaluates the effectiveness of its programs for student learning
through processes that lead to continuous improvement.
5. Resources, planning, and institutional effectiveness: The institution’s
resources, structures, and processes are sufficient to fulfill its mis-
sion, improve the quality of its educational offerings, and respond to
future challenges and opportunities. 13

For consumers, accreditation provides a reasonable level of assur-
ance that institutions are meeting basic standards for higher education.
The downside is that institutions must dedicate a large team of faculty and
administrators to oversee the process and prepare detailed reports about
inputs, processes, and outputs. They can spend eighteen months or more
and prepare reports of more than 1,000 pages in the process, consuming
large amounts of time and critical resources.
In addition to institutional accreditation, there are dozens of accredi-
tations processes for specific degrees and programs. Business schools
seek accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools
of Business (AACSB), which assesses all business programs offered by
an institution as well as provides special accounting accreditation.
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Through its four commissions, ABET reviews and accredits programs in
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applied science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology.
The Council on Social Work Education develops accreditation criteria
that describe knowledge standards and ensure that social work programs
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are in compliance. These are just a few examples.
Like institution-wide accreditation, college- and program-specific accred-
itations provide assurance of quality, and they require considerable time