The Commonwealth of Learning is proud to partner with the Sri Lankan Ministry of Higher Education and UNESCO to produce this "Quality Assurance Toolkit for Distance Higher Education Institutions and Programmes". The Toolkit has been prepared with three features. First, it is a generic document on quality assurance, complete with a…

Examines the effect of assessment and accountability requirements on the English department at Eastern Kentucky University. Aims not to offer solutions but to help to define the problems faced by a particular department at a particular university in a particular context, with the assumption that other departments are facing similar problems. (TB)

This guide is designed to help prospective students, counselors, public agencies, and institutions better understand distance school accreditation and how the accreditation procedures of the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) work. The guide defines distance education, discusses who the accrediting…

This document supplements information provided in the "Handbook of Accreditation," Second Edition (Commission on Institutions of Higher Education). The Addendum contains the information necessary to keep readers informed of changes in policies and procedures while the Commission is engaged in an initiative to revise its Eligibility…

Presents a firsthand account of the author's experiences with taking the actions necessary to achieve institutional accreditation. After listing the benefits of working through the process, the article explains the steps used to achieve accreditation. Accredited baccalaureate programs in recreation, park resources, and leisure services are listed.…

Most policymakers, charter school operators, and others immersed in the charter school movement since it began in the early 1990s have focused their attention primarily on charter schools, not on the public bodies that license these schools to operate. As the charter school movement has grown, there has been increasing recognition that effective…

Accreditation is a primary means of quality assurance in North American higher education. The seven sections of this handbook (an eighth will follow) explain the accreditation process of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS). The first section, "An Introduction to Accreditation by ATS," provides…

Two procedures for systematic organizational quality assessment are presented: (1) a distributional assessment to monitor individual, group, or unit performance by establishing real and maximum-feasibility parameters; and (2) a cost-assessment system based on utility analysis, to assign dollar values and benefits to quality interventions targeting…

An overview is provided of the Quality First Process Model developed by Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC), Wisconsin, to provide guidelines for quality instruction and service consistent with the highest educational standards. The 16-step model involves activities that should be adaptable to any organization. The steps of the quality model are…

Strategies for promoting efficient control of quality in colleges and universities are examined. It is proposed that integration of external review and institutional self-evaluation can be used to support the goals of accountability, efficiency, and institutional effectiveness. (MSE)

The Network for Outcome-Based Schools developed an accreditation process designed to assess the degree to which the outcome-based education (OBE) paradigm is in place in schools or school districts. Three attributes of the process and the importance of OBE and OBE accreditation are discussed. (SM)

This document is the self-study portion of the Standards and Procedures for Voluntary Accreditation of Early Childhood Education Programs in Missouri. The self-study, an opportunity for programs to demonstrate their ability to meet certain standards, consists of quality indicators under 6 major headings: (1) provide a healthy and safe environment…

This document is the self-study portion of the Standards and Procedures for Voluntary Accreditation of Early Childhood Education Programs in Missouri. The self-study, an opportunity for programs to demonstrate their ability to meet certain standards, consists of quality indicators under 6 major headings: (1) provide a healthy and safe environment…

This document is the self-study portion of the Standards and Procedures for Voluntary Accreditation of School Age Child Care Programs in Missouri. The self-study, an opportunity for programs to demonstrate their ability to meet certain standards, consists of quality indicators under 6 major headings: (1) provide a healthy and safe environment (43…

Information concerning accreditation in higher education--a process of quality control and evaluation of institutional program development, effectiveness, and improvement that is based on established criteria and standards--is presented. Thirty-three questions and answers on accreditation are provided to clarify many concerns regarding the status…