campus forum on institutional accreditation hlc team december 3, 2013
TRANSCRIPT
Agenda
New Process for Accreditation from HLC
Assurance Argument Evidence File Quality Initiative Next Steps What Campus Community Can Do
New Process, New Criteria
Criterion 1: Mission
Criterion 2: Integrity: Ethical and Responsible
Conduct
Criterion 3: Teaching and Learning: Quality, Resources,
and Support
Criterion 4: Teaching and Learning: Evaluation and
Improvement
Criterion 5: Resources, Planning, and Institutional
Effectiveness
How the New Criteria Work
Criterion 2: Integrity2.E. The institution ensures that faculty, students, and staff acquire, discover, and apply knowledge responsibly. 1. The institution provides effective oversight
and support services to ensure the integrity of research and scholarly practice conducted by its faculty, staff, and students.
2. Students are offered guidance in the ethical use of information resources.
3. The institution has and enforces policies on academic honesty and integrity.
Criterion
Core Component
Sub-Components
How to Find Out More
HLC Web Site: www.ncahlc.org HLC Criteria: http://
www.ncahlc.org/Information-for-Institutions/criteria-and-core-components.html
UIS Accreditation Web Site: www.uis.edu/accreditation
Continuous Improvement
No longer a “self-study” No longer a gearing up process 2 years
before the site visit Now – continual updating of evidence
and analysis through a web-based system
Pathways to Accreditation
Open Pathway vs. Standard Pathway Open Pathway
– For stable institutions– For institutions that have not undergone
major changes– For institutions in good standing with the
HLC– For institutions seeking improvement
Obligations of Open Pathway
10-year Cycle– Mini-review in year 4 (electronic
submission; no site visit)– Major review with site visit in year 10– Project (Quality Initiative) in years 5-9 of
each 10-year cycle
Assurance Argument
Word limit – 35,000 (half the size of our 2007 report)
Strictly organized by Criteria and Core Components
Specific clear examples and analysis
Evidence File
No longer a physical resource room Very limited links to our campus web
sites (e.g., catalog, schedule, personnel policies)
PDF documents – even web sites! Good, relevant pieces of information
Campus Participation
HLC Team needs – Specific, relevant examples of good
practices related to the HLC Criteria for the Assurance Argument
– Documentation of good practices for the Evidence File
• Formal documents• Informal descriptions or examples
Questionnaires – Spring 2014
Unit Questionnaire Academic Departments and Programs
Questionnaire Employee Questionnaire
To be released after the January 29 Campus Forum
HLC Team Subcommittees
Governance and Diversity - Villegas Academic Programs and Student Support
– M. Thibodeaux-Thompson Planning, Operations, and Management of
Resources - Shures Outreach and Scholarship - Wrighton Integrity and Assessment - McCaughan
Quality Initiative
Takes place between Years 5 and 9 of the 10-year cycle
Timeline for UIS: Fall 2013 to Spring 2017 (shortened timeline with transition)
A for Effort – we have to try Focus for QI – Assessment of GE, especially
ECCE HLC Assessment Academy
Why This Quality Initiative? 2007 Site Team Report: multiple references to our
new GE curriculum, to our “plans and efforts to improve assessment of general education,” and to our institutional mission of civic engagement
Interest from campus governance (GECo, CASL, & UGC)
Cuts across many departments, including graduate departments
Cuts across Student Affairs and Academic Affairs
HLC Assessment Academy
Provides targeted support for our project: Workshops, training, and consultants
Roundtable in October: very positive feedback on proposal
Focus on faculty participation in scholarship of teaching and learning
QI Organizers: Pardie, Moranski, Cornell, Burton, Bapat, Villegas, Wrighton, Wassenberg
Next Steps
Questionnaires – Spring 2014 Subcommittee work on Evidence File
and Assurance Argument Discussions about QI with governance
committees and faculty Development of Web Site Youtube videos
How You Can Help?
Immediate Future:– Make note best practices, on-going processes,
special projects– Respond to spring questionnaires and Subcommittee
requests for information– Visit the web site: www.uis.edu/accreditation– Learn about the Criteria– Keep informed and email us with ideas or thoughts to
How Can You Help? Plan ahead
– Focus on projects about student learning – Make program review, unit assessment
reports, and CASL reports meaningful– Document your processes and special
projects– Talk with students and encourage their
participation in institutional surveys (NSSE, SSI, alumni surveys)