Accreditation 101 - Insight into your self-study process. 

September 19, 2008

Presented by co-chairs: Holly Ayers, Brother Rodney Williams, and liaison Dr. Michael DeLong

Criterion 3 has four components with two weeks of presentations.  Part 1 covers components 3a & 3b.

This criterion has been described by more than one administrator as: "where the rubber meets the road." 

Dr. DeLong states:
"With this criterion, the institution must prove that learning is taking place."

HLC asks 5 questions for Criterion Three :

1. How are your stated learning outcomes appropriate to your mission, programs, students & degrees?
2. How do you ensure shared responsibility for student learning & assessment of student learning?
3. What evidence do you have that students achieve your stated learning outcomes?
4. In what ways do you analyze and use evidence of student learning?
5. How do you evaluate and improve the effectiveness of your efforts to assess and improve student learning?

Component 3a: "The organization’s goals for student learning outcomes are clearly stated for each educational
program and make effective assessment possible."

Holly Ayers presented some examples of evidence for this component and where the institution can find this evidence. 

The institution cannot look to the Office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs for all the evidence we need for this criterion! 

• Community College Survey of Student Engagement Report has a multitude of information and the survey results provide evidence for this criterion. Link to the CCSSE toolkit.
• Graduation rates
• Pass rates of licensure exams
• Placement scores
• Strategic Planning Documents
• Environmental Scanning
• Advisory Boards
• Catalog
• Pre-Post tests
• Course Syllabi

Component 3b: "The organization values and supports effective teaching."

Rodney Williams presented some questions that the HLC might ask in regard to this component. WARNING:  Some of these are hard questions to ask!

Here is a sampling of some of these questions?

• Can we provide clear convincing evidence (documentation) to support our answers?
• What are students' perceptions of faculty
• How does the institution support new faculty?
• What is the hiring process for faculty?
• Is there funding available for professional development, special project/programs, faculty convocation, learnshops, or other programs?
• Do we give innovation or best practices awards?
• How does the institution support effective teaching by adjunct faculty?
• Do we have a mentoring program for adjuncts?
• Whom and how do we hire adjuncts?
• Is the faculty involved in curriculum development?
• Is the institution meeting its general education goals and objections?
• How is the institution engaging student stakeholders in the teaching/learning process?
• Are there community members on the various committees?
• There are many others.  What can be added to this list?

Where can we find these answers:

• Faculty, Staff, Students, & Community Members.
• Assessment calendar
• VPAA Office
• Strategic Plan
• Grant programs
• Assessment data
• Committee meeting minutes
• Again, there are many. Be thinking of other resources!

Please leave a comment or send an email to the Criterion Three Co-Chairs:

Holly Ayers, hayers@ozarka.edu 870-368-2090

Rodney Williams, rwilliams@ozarka.edu 870-368-2072

Dr. Michael DeLong, mdelong@ozarka.edu 870-368-2004

-or- the Self-Study Co-Chairs:

Joan Stirling, jstirling@ozarka.edu 870-368-2007

Joanna Fulbright, jfulbright@ozarka.edu 870-368-2064

Comments or suggestions to improve this newsletter to Communication co-chairs:

Kim Whitten, kwhitten@ozarka.edu 870-368-2060

Libby Cone, lcone@ozarka.edu 870-368-2002.