Accreditation reports are just like vacations. No, really!

Having just returned from vacation and having just completed a conversation with a friend about to leave on one, I was reflecting that the events of a vacation closely mirror those of writing an accreditation report. I do realize that many of you are not nerds about accreditation like I am, but bear with me.Continue reading “Accreditation reports are just like vacations. No, really!”

What do you do when a review committee gets it wrong?

Review committees come in all shapes and sizes and individual reviewers are somewhere on the spectrum between first-time team members and people who have been on more review committees than can be conveniently counted. The expectation that review committees get it right all the time is unrealistic so let’s talk about best practices when aContinue reading “What do you do when a review committee gets it wrong?”

Does online instruction help or hurt your IE metrics?

Inside Higher Ed posted an interesting article about online instruction the other day. You can find it here. Even before the pandemic, students were voting with their class registrations, pushing institutions to increase online offerings, which brought about a decrease in face-to-face instruction. It is not difficult to meet the minimum requirements of your accreditor,Continue reading “Does online instruction help or hurt your IE metrics?”

Mixed Signals on 8.2.a?

Standard 8.2.a (Student Outcomes: educational programs) is one of the most common areas of non-compliance in the SACSCOC region. That makes sense since it is a complex standard that impacts nearly every corner of the academic division of an institution. It does not help when you get mixed signals about what is required to makeContinue reading “Mixed Signals on 8.2.a?”

Why isn’t everybody building competency-based programs?

The SACSCOC Board approved the Direct Assessment Competency-Based Educational Programs Policy Statement in 2013. I’m ashamed to admit that I was in a position to collaborate with faculty to develop such a program for more than six years (before beginning this consulting adventure) and I never did. The possibilities, particularly in the workforce area, areContinue reading “Why isn’t everybody building competency-based programs?”

To Sample or not to Sample, That is the Question…

This is the sixth in a series focused on SACSOC interpretations of The Principles of Accreditation. There are a few standards where institutions are permitted to provide a sample of documentation needed to make a case for compliance. We are talking about 7.3 Administrative Effectiveness, 8.2.a Student Outcomes: educational programs, and 8.2.c Student outcomes: academicContinue reading “To Sample or not to Sample, That is the Question…”