This bulletin is a compilation of the standards for accrediting the higher educational institutions employed by the chief standardizing agencies and of the lists of institutions accredited by each agency. It is a periodical publication. Since the first issue in 1917, edits have been issued approximately every 4 years. The purposes of its…

Monitoring educational change is seen as a critical problem for regional accrediting commissions. The response by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association to the problem is described, and procedures to validate educational quality in off-campus programs and sequential evaluation are discussed. (MLW)

This study found that students who use college rankings are more likely to earn top grades, come from wealthy families, and be Asian-American than any other ethnic group. The survey (n=221,897 students at 432 colleges) found that only 11% of respondents saw rankings as a very important factor in college choice; 60% found them "not at…

Higher education should respond to the accreditation crisis by making evaluation/accreditation sector-specific, developing a common sense of mission and standards for each sector, working with the federal government to define a supportive federal role, structuring the evaluation/accreditation process to stimulate institutional change, focusing on…

To predict and improve licensure examination results, Tennessee Technological University's nursing school has investigated the use of existing student outcomes information (licensing exam scores and grades) as a basis for curricular and individual student improvement. The strategy has helped to identify specific areas for enhancement. (MSE)

This model, designed for higher education professionals, explores the development and effects of programs, services, curricula, and environmental interventions on student development. Offers practical suggestions for program implementation by outlining a 10-step process, and discusses political considerations for new evaluation programs. (RJM)

Describes how six colleges and universities, known for their assessment programs, use student outcomes assessment to improve programs. Each school preferred to use nationally normed tests and inventories supplemented with locally developed instruments. Outcomes assessment help schools to meaningfully reconsider their educational values and…

Discusses the conflict between rationalist and constructivist models and argues for student affairs practices informed by both approaches. University administrators must create an environment in which students and other members of the college community can interact, but student affairs professionals must choose what works best in their schools.…

Factors affecting concern about quality of higher education are examined in three contexts--the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. These factors include the economic climate, international competitiveness, public perceptions, and the role of government in determining the missions and activities of colleges and universities. (MSE)

Outlines ten principles important for the successful practice of outcomes assessment, based on the experience of a variety of institutions. Notes several salient barriers to success (lack of faculty support, changes in institutional leadership and circumstances, limitations in assessment tools and methods, insufficient student involvement,…

This chapter describes how an action research framework facilitates using evaluation and assessment results to improve programs and demonstrate institutional effectiveness. (Contains 1 table.)

Twenty nine European ministers have signed the Bologna declaration in June 1999 and committed their governments and their countries to create the European Higher Education Area by 2010. The European Commission is actively supporting the Bologna Process and has set out their own Action plan "From Prague to Berlin--the European…

This report provides an annual overview of data reported by South Carolina's public institutions of higher education as part of institutional effectiveness reporting and as part of the process of performance funding. Prior to the January 2000 edition, this document was entitled "Minding Our P's and Q's: Indications of Productivity and Quality…

Postcolonial research has often assumed that colonial education fell victim to the forces of nationalism, like other areas of Raj governance in the early twentieth century. However, European-led education that aspired to reach the general population had already failed a generation earlier, at least in north India. This was after highly imaginative…

This collection presents 91 papers or summaries presented at a 1997 conference on self-study and institutional improvement for institutions of higher education. Papers are grouped in the following chapters (with sample topics in parentheses): (1) "Institutional Mission and Institutional Change" (vision statements; balancing quality and change);…