SACS Accreditation Process Presented by Dr. Belle S. Wheelan, President Commission on Colleges---SACS

History of Accreditation Based on philosophy that “a free people can and ought to govern themselves through a representative, flexible, and responsive system.”

Purpose of Accreditation Signifies that “an institution has a purpose appropriate to higher education and has resources, programs, and services sufficient to accomplish and sustain that purpose.” Indicates that an institution maintains clearly specified educational objectives that are consistent with its mission and appropriate to the degrees it offers, and that it is successful in achieving its stated objectives.”

Principles of Accreditation Integrity—honest and open Thoughtful and principled judgment Rigorous application of requirements Context of Trust Voluntary participation Self-regulatory process (peer review)

Process Provides an assessment of an institution’s effectiveness in the fulfillment of its mission, its compliance with the requirements of its accrediting association, and its continuing efforts to enhance the quality of student learning and its programs and services Stimulates evaluation and improvement Provides continuing accountability to the public

ASSESSING QUALITY OF DEGREE PROGRAMS Length – CR2.7.1 Rigor (collegiate level) – CS3.4.4 General education broadly based – CR2.7.3 Coherence – CR2.7.1 Faculty qualifications – CS3.7.1/3.5.4 and Policy on Transfer… Transfer-in credits comparable – CS3.4.4 Compatibility with mission – CR2.7.1

MEASURING STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES CS3.3.1 Quality of stated program outcomes: –Clearly stated and measurable –Include learning outcomes (not just process/productivity outcomes) Quality of assessment strategy: –Include multiple measures: (internal/external; quantitative/qualitative; direct/indirect; authentic/standardized )

MEASURING STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (cont) Quality of having used assessment results for improvement: –Alignment among assessment results, strategy for improvement, and outcomes –What was learned from this process that may be further used to make improvements.

Students Are Central to Success Belle S. Wheelan, Ph.D