Developing Electronic Resources for SACS Reaffirmation of Accreditation SACS Leadership Team Meeting September 1, 2010

SACS Guidelines  It is important to consider:  What type of electronic formatting will be used  Flow of information – electronically  Assurance of user-friendly access for the off-site reviewers  Dedicated electronic materials submitted for reaffirmation may not be altered after the institution submits its Compliance Certification Report. 2 SACS Leadership Team Meeting 9/1/10

Choosing a Format  Access  A web-based version is most easily accessed by a wide variety of people.  Various techniques may be used to limit what information is accessible for different audiences (e.g., password protection, separate servers, etc.).  Currency  While websites provide current information, link addresses may change. It is necessary to “freeze” the presentation website after submission (e.g., alternative website, CD/DVD). 3 SACS Leadership Team Meeting 9/1/10

Review of Institution’s Technical Capabilities  Resources  The goal is to have simple and effective access for the reviewers that does not distract from the materials submitted.  Institutions should use widely available software packages  Electronic versions should be.html or.pdf formats  Web-based solutions should be browser-independent An alternative medium must be provided in case the technology does not work at the time of the review. 4 SACS Leadership Team Meeting 9/1/10

Review of Institution’s Technical Capabilities (continued)  Personnel and Expertise  Must have individuals able to:  Program web-sites  Format (and debug) documents and final reports  Provide appropriate and current links  Generally ensure information appears and functions properly 5 SACS Leadership Team Meeting 9/1/10

Review of Institution’s Technical Capabilities (continued)  Training  All persons involved in the development of compliance materials should be trained in the software skills needed – this allows for integration of technology into normal institutional processes.  Training and support staff need to be in place to facilitate this process – the earlier this is implemented, the sooner electronic formats, documents, and links can be effectively put into practice.  Volume  Due to the immense amount of materials needed to present the information, all materials should be produced using the same medium. The institution should not have links to documents not on the same medium. 6 SACS Leadership Team Meeting 9/1/10

Electronic Design Recommendations These recommendations have been found by SACS to be common, accessible, useful and least likely to lead to problems.  Navigation  Reviewers should encounter a user-friendly introduction that guides them through the process.  A reviewer should initially see a short description of the process, followed by a step-by-step guide to using the materials.  It should be easy for the reviewer to navigate forward or return to previous locations without needing to learn any other computer techniques.  A simple point and click menu should make it apparent to any user exactly what to do at each step of the process. 7 SACS Leadership Team Meeting 9/1/10

Electronic Design Recommendations (continued)  General Design  Keep it simple  Keep the number of levels to a minimum.  Be consistent  Keep all the organization and style the same – don’t worry about trying to “spice it up”.  Maintain specificity and relevancy of documents and narratives.  State clearly and obviously which judgment of compliance your institution has identified for each requirement and standard and be sure the text addresses only that particular standard.  Know that cross references to compliance narratives for other requirements or standards may be used if applicable.  Always consider the use of simple navigation. 8 SACS Leadership Team Meeting 9/1/10

Electronic Design Recommendations (continued)  Organization  The flow of information is an important consideration, and the heart of the presentation is the compliance narrative.  Main page should provide an overview and basic arrangement of information available.  SACS recommended guidelines would be to have links to the following three categories:  The Institution and Instructions  Resist the temptation to provide public relations materials.  SACS Template Example SACS Template Example  Compliance Reports  This is the entry to convincing compliance narratives arranged by requirements and standards.  SACS Compliance Certification example SACS Compliance Certification example  Document Directory  Allows for reviewers to directly access the full referenced documents and databases without having to go to each report.  SACS Index of documents example SACS Index of documents example 9 SACS Leadership Team Meeting 9/1/10

Best Practice Examples  Southeastern Louisiana  Combined SACS Campus Website with Compliance Certification Report   Prairie View A & M  Separate SACS Campus Website and Compliance Certification Report    Albany State  Compliance Certification Report with use of CD for protected information  SACS Leadership Team Meeting 9/1/10

Action(s) Needed:  Identify technical resources  Determine and implement technical strategy 11 SACS Leadership Team Meeting 9/1/10