Accreditation
Accreditation refers to the process of evaluating and officially recognizing the competence, credibility, and quality of educational programs, institutions, or professionals. In the field of technology and engineering, accreditation ensures that academic programs meet specific standards and produce graduates who are well-prepared for their careers. It provides assurance to students, employers, and the public that the education provided meets established criteria.
5 Key excerpts on "Accreditation"
eBook - ePubIntroduction to Engineering
An Assessment and Problem Solving Approach
- Quamrul H. Mazumder(Author)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
...Several organizations and agencies in different countries and regions develop the guidelines and standards to ensure quality and consistency among different engineering programs. The engineering programs meet the quality standards through an Accreditation process. The leading engineering Accreditation organization that is recognized around the world is the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) of the United States. 2.3 ABET Accreditation ABET is recognized as the leading organization that accredits engineering and technology programs in the United States and around the world. Accreditation assures students, parents, and other stakeholders of the program quality in higher education because accredited programs are required to follow a set of guidelines defined by Accreditation agencies. Although there are different Accreditation agencies in different regions of the world, most of them recognize ABET-accredited programs and accept them. Earning a degree is a significant achievement and an important investment for every student, especially as the cost and time required for engineering education continually increase. As students’ professional success depends on their educational foundation, the quality of the education can make a significant difference. Earning a degree from an ABET-accredited program Verifies that the quality of the educational experience you’ve received meets the standards of the profession, increases and enhances employment opportunities, permits and eases entry to a technical profession through licensure, registration, and certification, establishes eligibility for many federal student loans, grants, and/or scholarship In 2015, more than 3400 programs at 700 institutions in 28 countries are accredited by ABET...
eBook - ePub- Miriam E. David, Marilyn J. Amey, Miriam E. David, Marilyn J. Amey(Authors)
- 2020(Publication Date)
- SAGE Publications Ltd(Publisher)
...Institutions are evaluated against a set of standards related to student characteristics and outcomes; the qualifications of the faculty and instructors; their facilities and educational resources, including libraries, laboratories, and information technology infrastructure; the curricular offerings; governance and administration structures; and financial soundness. While having the same set of standards, each institution is evaluated in the context of its mission and stated purpose. In some national contexts, Accreditation is necessary for a degree or diploma to be recognized; in the United States, institutional Accreditation is required for an institution to receive funding from the federal government. In contrast, program Accreditation, also known as specialized Accreditation, focuses on specific programs of study. In some cases, attending an accredited program of study is a prerequisite for individuals to become licensed in certain professions. Accreditation constitutes an example of self-regulation that relies on the balance of two traditional academic principles: university autonomy—manifested by self-evaluation—and peer review. While Accreditation bodies coordinate processes and communicate outcomes, decisions about Accreditation are based on recommendations issued by peers with expertise in the areas they are responsible for evaluating. While the procedures are different for institutional and programmatic Accreditation, and while different countries and regions establish different steps, it is possible to identify several common features across all Accreditation processes. There are powerful incentives for institutions and programs to seek Accreditation, however, voluntary participation is a core feature of Accreditation...
eBook - ePub- Steven L. Danver(Author)
- 2016(Publication Date)
- SAGE Publications, Inc(Publisher)
...Kathy-ann Daniel-Gittens Kathy-ann Daniel-Gittens Kathy-ann, Daniel-Gittens Accreditation Accreditation 43 52 Accreditation This entry examines the purpose and process of higher education (HE) Accreditation, as it pertains to the Accreditation of both online and dual mode HE institutions in the United States and internationally. Accreditation is a voluntary process that HE institutions and programs undertake to affirm or certify that they meet established international, national, regional, or professional standards for academic quality. Academic quality is concerned with the policies, protocols, and indicators that institutions use to promote quality, accountability, and transparency in their operations and services. These criteria—quality, accountability, and transparency—are core standards that Accreditation agencies use to evaluate teaching and learning, student support services, business operations, resource utilization, and other activities within the scope of HE institutions. The U.S. Department of Education describes the goal of Accreditation as ensuring acceptable levels of quality in the operations of HE institutions. Accreditation that is granted to HE institutions and programs is not unlimited in scope nor is it for an unlimited period of time. Rather, Accreditation is given for a specific scope and granted for a specific period of time, after which institutions and programs must apply for a renewal of their Accreditation. Purpose of Accreditation The major purpose of Accreditation is to provide assurance to parents, students, educators, employers, governmental agencies, and other stakeholders that individual HE institutions and programs meet externally validated standards of quality. For governments, an added benefit is that Accreditation assures that HE institutions are sound fiduciary stewards of student financial aid and research funding...
eBook - ePubQuality Assurance and Accreditation in Distance Education and e-Learning
Models, Policies and Research
- Insung Jung, Colin Latchem(Authors)
- 2012(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...The endowment of Accreditation is binary: an institution, a course or a programme either receives or does not receive Accreditation. However, minimum standards usually apply and the pass/fail nature of Accreditation is often softened by the provision of probationary periods and opportunities to reapply for Accreditation. While Accreditation methods and purposes are similar to audit and other forms of external review, they require applicants to prove their suitability by fulfilling the Accreditation criteria, while auditing presumes the institution is functioning appropriately, and the external review is responsible for proving otherwise. Accreditation is an increasingly popular form of performance model, particularly in European higher education. It is used in countries such as the United Kingdom and Sweden as a mechanism to upgrade providers such as colleges and polytechnics to university status. Government Accreditation agencies also become more prevalent in countries with a burgeoning private higher education sector, for example in Eastern Europe and some Asian countries. In the United States, Accreditation agencies are self-regulated and independent of the Federal and State Governments. The various agencies have established their own QA regulations and performance funding requirements but these are found to be generally ineffective in strengthening institutional processes for academic quality (Dill, 2003)...
- Chenicheri Sid Nair, Len Webster, Patricie Mertova, Chenicheri Sid Nair, Len Webster, Patricie Mertova(Authors)
- 2010(Publication Date)
- Chandos Publishing(Publisher)
...In a report written for the UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education, Altbach et al. (2009, p. xi) noted that: globalization, regional integration, and the ever-increasing mobility of students and scholars have made the need for internationally recognized standards among and between nations more urgent. The explosive growth of both traditional institutions and new providers raises new questions in regard to standards of quality. Quite naturally, ‘consumers’ of education … are demanding some kind of certification of institutions and the qualifications they award. Mechanisms for establishing international comparability are still new and largely untested. Both within Australia and internationally, the definition, measurement, monitoring and reporting of higher education standards is receiving increasing attention. In the USA, the Secretary of Education’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education (Spellings Commission: US Department of Education, 2006) recommended that accrediting agencies pay more explicit attention to standards of student performance including completion rates and student learning. In the UK, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) recently published results of a series of enquiries in response to public concerns about slipping standards of higher education raised in the media...
