Books

Colleges and universities struggle to understand precisely what is being asked for by accreditors, and this book answers that question by sharing examples of success reported by schools specifically recommended by accreditors. This compendium gathers examples of assessment practice in twenty-four higher education institutions: twenty-three in the U.S. and one in Australia. All institutions represented in this book were suggested by their accreditor as having an effective assessment approach in one or more of the following assessment focused areas: assessment in the disciplines, co-curricular, course/program/institutional assessment, equity and inclusion, general education, online learning, program review, scholarship of teaching and learning, student learning, or technology. These examples recommended by accrediting agencies makes this a unique contribution to the assessment literature.

The book is organized in four parts. Part One is focused on student learning and assessment and includes ten chapters. The primary focus for Part Two is student learning assessment from a disciplinary perspective and includes four chapters. Part Three has a faculty engagement and assessment focus, and Part Four includes four chapters on institutional effectiveness and assessment, with a focus on strategic planning.

This book is a publication of the Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education (AALHE), an organization of practitioners interested in using effective assessment practice to document and improve student learning.

Accreditation is essential to colleges and universities. Without it, they are unable to participate in federal student aid programs or confer legitimate degrees. In Accreditation on the Edge, Susan D. Phillips and Kevin Kinser bring together the expertise of different stakeholders to illustrate the complexities of the accreditation system and to map the critical issues that must be navigated going forward.

Accreditation can be seen both as an invaluable resource and as a barrier to needed reform. Presenting an array of different perspectives—from accreditors and institutions to policymakers and consumers—the book offers nuanced views on accreditation's importance to higher education and on the potential impact of proposed reforms. The contributors reveal that accreditation is currently on the edge of a policy precipice, as the needs of higher education and the interests of the many stakeholders may well outstrip its ability to perform. But, they argue, accreditation is also on the cutting edge of the transformation of higher education in the twenty-first century.

Intended for policymakers, accreditors, institutional leaders, and scholars in higher education, Accreditation on the Edge offers a comprehensive analysis of the critical issues that accreditation reform needs to address if it is to serve the future of a fast-changing higher education environment.

This book, a collection of case studies, is a good source for information on accreditation in Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Sweden as of 2006.
 

This book treats quality assurance and improvement in teaching and research in the higher education systems in Europe. An in-depth analysis of accreditation and evaluation for each of twenty countries is presented. The editors also provide a synopsis of the major trends in quality assurance across Europe and compare and contrast the various ways that accreditation has evolved and is now becoming a steering mechanism for higher education in the European Union.
 

This book describes a participatory approach to accreditation used at CSU, Fresno. This an in-depth description of how a focused accreditation process works, going beyond minimum expectations and providing measurable improvements in student learning. Adopting an outcomes-based approach closely linked to strategic planning, the faculty, administrators, and students all collaborated in setting goals and priorities, selecting them in accord with themes that would reflect "the nature and direction of the university and its major challenges." The outcome is a set of well-documented and practical strategies and guidelines for setting up and conducting an effective accreditation process.

Standards, Conformity Assessment, and Accreditation for Engineers discusses conformity assessment and accreditation as defined in a new set of standards by the International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC).

This book details the key concepts, objectives and processes relating to the professional accreditation of engineering bachelor (honours) degrees. The contemporary context of accreditation is examined in terms of the globalised nature of both the engineering profession and higher education.