Quality Breakfast/ Tea April 1 – 8:30 am April 3 – 4:00pm

Accountability is a concept in ethics with several meanings. It is often used synonymously with such concepts as answerability, enforcement, responsibility, blameworthiness, liability and other terms associated with the expectation of account-giving. As an aspect of governance, it has been central to discussions related to problems in both the public and private (corporation) worlds. 2

In leadership roles, accountability is the acknowledgment and assumption of responsibility for actions, products, decisions, and policies including the administration, governance and implementation within the scope of the role or employment position and encompassing the obligation to report, explain and be answerable for resulting consequences. 3

Accountability refers to the pyramid of responsibility beginning with the individual and building to top management. It includes setting appropriate and reachable organizational goals and focusing on the work that must be done to reach those goals; communicating the goals and tasks to others; clarifying expectations and defining roles and responsibilities; 4

Accountability requires individuals to dedicate themselves to work toward the organization’s goal, taking responsibility for their behavior, their work, and their outcome. It is an essential component in a successful career and a necessary element in a productive and efficient work environment. 5

accountability The notion that people (e.g., students or teachers) or an organization (e.g., a school, school district, or state department of education) should be held responsible for improving student achievement and should be rewarded or sanctioned for their success or lack of success in doing so. (Ed Source) 6

WHAT MAKES THE QUALITY PRINCIPLES DIFFERENT? The principles advocated in this report are interrelated and interdependent. They need to be implemented as a system drive by the vision and mission of the institution. The mission evolves and changes as stakeholder expectations are included in defining the direction of the institution. Freed, Jann E A Culture for Academic Excellence: Implementing the Quality Principles in Higher Education. George Washington Univ. Washington DC. Graduate School of Education and Human Development. 7

Most institutions have missions, but most are not accustomed to measuring the outcomes of their processes. Traditionally, constituencies within higher education institutions act independently rather than interdependently. Freed, Jann E A Culture for Academic Excellence: Implementing the Quality Principles in Higher Education. George Washington Univ. Washington DC. Graduate School of Education and Human Development. 8

Transparenc y and Accountabilit y We have noted a remarkable shortage of clear, accessible information about crucial aspects of American colleges and universities, from financial aid to graduation rates. Because data systems are so limited and inadequate, it is hard for policymakers to obtain reliable information on students’ progress through the educational pipeline. This lack of useful data and accountability hinders policymakers and the public from making informed decisions and prevents higher education from demonstrating its contribution to the public good. Spellings Commission Report

Transparenc y and Accountabilit y We believe that improved accountability is vital to ensuring the success of all the other reforms we propose. Colleges and universities must become more transparent about cost, price, and student success outcomes, and must willingly share this information with students and families. Student achievement, which is inextricably connected to institutional success, must be measured by institutions on a “value-added” basis that takes into account students’ academic baseline when assessing their results. This information should be made available to students, and reported publicly in aggregate form to provide consumers and policymakers an accessible, understandable way to measure the relative effectiveness of different colleges and universities. Spellings Commission Report

Traditionally, institutional quality is measured primarily through financial inputs and resources. In today’s environment, these measures of inputs are no longer adequate, either within individual institutions or across all of higher education. Spellings Commission Report

Academic Freedom is sometimes confused with autonomy, thought and speech freed from all constraints. But academic freedom implies not just freedom from constraint but also freedom for faculty and students to work within a scholarly community to develop the intellectual and personal qualities required of citizens in a vibrant democracy and participants in a vigorous economy. Academic freedom is protected by society so that faculty and students can use that freedom to promote the larger good. AAC&U Board of Directors' Statement- January 6,

Academic Freedom vs. Academic Accountability It seems that there is a lot of confusion these days among university professors about the difference between the concepts of "academic freedom" and "academic accountability". Many of them appear to believe that having "academic freedom" means never having to say they're sorry--or at least, never being accountable for what they say; and forever protected from criticism of their thoughts and opinions and behavior--no matter how UNacademic or asinine. 13

Program Review Program Outcomes Course Objectives Course Outline/ Syllabus Class times Grading Currency Equity vs. Equality SFCC Academic Freedom Policy.doc 14