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Big Picture Questions What is accreditation and why is it
important?
The Committee on Accreditation - what is it?
The Accreditation Process – how does it work?
How are standards developed and applied in the review process?
What is the profession’s role in the process?
Accreditation Goals in Higher Education
To ensure that post-secondary educational institutions and their units, schools, or programs meet appropriate standards of quality and integrity;
To improve the quality of education these institutions offer.
Source: Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)
ACCREDITATIONQuality assurance process
VoluntaryNon-
governmentalCollegial
Quality Assurance Assures the public and employers that
graduates have received a quality education
Assures students that accredited programs meet the standards of the profession they seek to enter
Assures ALA members and constituents that the association is doing what’s important to them: ALAhead 2010 Strategic Planning process member survey ranked quality of the professional degree as 2nd in importance (advocacy for libraries was 1st)
Guiding Principles
Accreditation enhances the quality of library and information services through the improvement of the professional education available for librarians and related information professionals
The spirit of accreditation is expressed through its constructive approach to evaluation and assessment
The Office for Accreditation
Provides administrative leadership for
implementation of the ALA accreditation program
continuity for the ALA program of accreditation
Office for Accreditation Responsibilities
Providing programs, publications, and other activities to promote the awareness and enhance knowledge about LIS programs
Maintaining schedule of evaluation reviews
Maintaining Directory of Institutions Offering Accredited Master’s Programs
Office for Accreditation Responsibilities also
include… Coordinating & supporting activities
directly related to LIS accreditation
Maintain relationships with accreditor community (CHEA, ASPA)
Main contact with programs in process of review or interested in seeking accreditation
Accreditation
Self-review Program Presentation
Provides evidence for each element of the Standards
Accreditation
Collegial peer review process External Review Panel (ERP)
Six visiting members Screened for qualifications (team work
experience, education), expertise, and conflicts of interest
Trained
External Review Panel
Chair works with Program and Office for Accreditation to develop program presentation and review process and logistics
Chair and program director meet with COA to make statements and answer questions
ERP & COATo Accredit or Not to
Accredit Panel submits draft of report to
program and Office final report to COA
Program responds to factual errors in report
COA reviews report and prepares questions and comments
COA meets with Program chair/dean and ERP Chair
COA makes decision and notifies Program chair/dean and chief academic officer
Categories of Accreditation
Precandidate for accreditation Candidate for accreditation Initial accreditation Continued accreditation Conditional accreditation Withdrawn accreditation
The Committee on Accreditation
1924 – ALA created the Board of Education for Librarianship;
1956 – the Board became the Committee on Accreditation (COA).
What is COA?
COA is a standing committee of the ALA.
Its charge To be responsible for the execution of
the accreditation program of the ALA To develop and formulate standards of
education for library and information studies for the approval of Council (ALA Handbook of Organization)
COA Objectives
To respond to the content and emphasis of the Standards for Accreditation adopted by ALA Council.
To incorporate suggestions of the LIS profession.
To conform to good practices in the accreditation process in accord with provisions set forth by the Council of Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA).
Current scope of COA
Master’s programs in library and information studies that are offered under the degree-granting authority of regionally accredited institutions located in the United States and its territories, possessions, and protectorates
By agreement with the Canadian Library Association (CLA), the COA also accredits LIS master’s programs in Canada.
COA Authority
COA charge:To be responsible for the
execution of the accreditation program of ALA, and to develop and formulate standards of education for library and information studies for the approval of Council. LIS master’s programs.
Source: ALA Handbook of Organization
Development of Standards
Broad-based inclusive process that
Involves members of the profession and public
Culminates in the approval of the standards by the ALA Council.
Current Standards
Adopted by ALA Council in January 2008.
Became effective for programs with visits in fall 2010. Early adopters in spring 2009.
Regularly reviewed by COA with a COA Standards Review Subcommittee leading
External Recognition of ALA COA
CHEA officially recognizes the American Library Association as the accrediting agency for master’s programs in library and information studies.
The ALA is also a member of ASPA and follows its Code of Good Practice.
COA Structure & Organization
12 Members appointed by the ALA President-elect
10 are ALA membersEqual mix of academics and practitioners including one Canadian to represent those programs
Two members appointed from the public at large to represent public interest
COA Terms of Appointment
ALA Personal Members Four-year staggered terms without possibility
of re-appointment
Public Members Two-year appointments and may be re-
appointed once; Cannot be librarians or information
professionals or have studied LIS;
Chair Appointed by the president-elect for a one-
year term; may be reappointed once.
Conflicts of Interest Policy
Typical situations requiring disclosure & review Current of recent employment by or
consulting arrangements involving LIS programs;
Close personal relationships with individuals at LIS programs;
Current of recent student status at an institution with an LIS program;
Any other interest a member believes might prevent objectivity or cause a reasonable person to believe member is biased.
For More Information
Homepage URL shortcut:
www.ala.org/accreditation
Directory of Institutions Offering Accredited Master’s Programs in Library & Information Studies published
Historical list of all programs that have been reviewed and accredited by ALA since 1924
Prism newsletter published twice
yearly
Key resources online
Accreditation Glossary
Frequently asked questions
Program Presentations Online; some ERP Reports too
Standards, Policies, and Procedures
