Global Accreditation Process and Fundamentals

Accreditation is a procedure of external quality review created and used by higher education to scrutinize universities, colleges and programs for quality assurance and quality improvement. The process of Accreditation is more than 100 years old, emerging from concerns to guard public health and safety and to serve the public interest.

TYPES OF ACCREDITING ORGANIZATIONS

There are major four types of accrediting organizations:

Ø  Regional accreditors: They accredit public and private, mainly nonprofit and Degree-granting two to four years institutions.

Ø  National faith-related accreditors: Focus to Accredit religiously affiliated and doctrinally based institutions mainly nonprofit and degree granting institution.

Ø  National career-related accreditors: These types of organizations accredit mainly career based, single-purpose institutions, and degree and non-degree provider.

Ø  Programmatic accreditors: Such organizations Accredit specific programs, freestanding schools and professions e.g., law, engineering, medicine and health professions.

Major Motives of Accreditation

Accreditation carries out the following motives:

Ø  Assuring quality: Accreditation is the primary means by which universities colleges, and programs assure quality to students. Accredited status is a signal to students and the public that an institution or program meets the standards for, e.g., its faculty, student services and libraries, curriculum. Accredited status is carried only if institutions and programs provide evidence of fiscal solidity.

Ø  Access to federal and state funds: Accreditation is essential for educational organizations if they require access to federal funds such as student aid and aid for other federal programs. Globally student aid funds are available to those students only if the institution or program they are registered to is accredited by a recognized accrediting organization.

Ø  Engendering private sector confidence: Accreditation status of an institution or program is important to employers when assessing credentials of job candidates and when deciding whether to provide tuition support for current staffs seeking additional education facilities. Private members and foundations look for evidence of accreditation when making conclusions about private giving.


Ø  Easing transfer. Accreditation is important to students for smooth credit transfer of courses and programs among colleges and universities. Receiving institution take note of whether or not to t0 credits a student wishes to transfer have been earned at an accredited institution. Accreditation is but one among several factors taken into account by receiving institutions, it is watched carefully and is considered an important indicator of quality.

VALUES AND BELIEFS OF ACCREDITATION

U.S. accreditation is fabricated upon a core set of traditional academic values and beliefs.

These are described as bellow.

Ø  Higher education institutions have basic responsibility for academic quality; universities and colleges are the leaders and the key sources of authority in academic matters.

Ø  Institutional authority is essential to sustaining and enhancing academic quality.

Ø  Academic freedom booms in an environment of academic leadership of institutions.

Ø  The higher enterprise and our society thrive on decentralization and variety of institutional purpose and mission.