Revisions to the nwccu accreditation standards: what does it mean for me? Diane E. Waryas

Purpose of today’s presentation A little info about Institutional Accreditation Brief overview of new Standards Impact on CSN As an Institution For you/your functional area

About institutional accreditation

Purpose of institutional accreditation Intended to be a self-reflective process Provides framework for institutional evaluation of strengths, weaknesses and achievements relative to criteria Allows demonstration of institutional performance, integrity and quality to stakeholders Allows for peer evaluation and feedback

Some terms defined Standards are the general criteria by which an institution is evaluated Articulate elements of quality and effectiveness Policies are part of the Standard and further define it Core Themes are fundamental elements of our Institutional Mission that form our common purpose, guide planning, implementation of activities, and allocation of resources. Institutions interpret the Standards, establish their own goals and outcome objectives, engage in self- study and share this with peer evaluators who provide external analysis of how well we’ve done

An illustration Standard Two—Resources and Capacity 2 C.4: Degree programs, wherever offered and however delivered, demonstrate a coherent design with appropriate breadth, depth, sequencing of courses, and synthesis of learning. Admission and graduation requirements are clearly defined and widely published. A policy would further contextualize (e.g. for distance delivery of courses, certificate and degree programs

Why were the standards revised? It’s been a long time…. NWCCU attempt to maintain currency with evolution of higher ed: Increased collaboration/decreased siloing (provide means for reflection on alignment around Institutional mission, strategic plan and core themes—emphasize shared purpose) Encourage identification, utilization of cross- functional relationships in institution

What the new standards do Link functional areas with core themes--helps us think in collaborative manner Evaluation across institution—how do we all help to achieve goals, support core themes? Requires that institutions engage in data driven decision making Link data, planning and resource allocation Heavier emphasis on outcomes, continuous measurement, and documented improvement

An overview of the new standards

Overview of revised standards Standard One—Mission, Core Themes, & Expectations Standard Two—Resources & Capacity Standard Three—Planning & Implementation Standard Four—Effectiveness & Improvement Standard Five—Mission Fulfillment, Adaptation, & Sustainability

What’s the impact on csn

Impact on csn--timeline TIMELINE/SCHEDULE CHANGES New schedule is septennial (7 year cycle) Annual communication—each builds on prior; something is ‘due’ every two years—reduces interim visits (two site visits in new schedule) 2011 is CSN’s first report 2012: Year Three report & visit 2014: Year Five report 2015: Year Seven report & visit

Impact on csn—working together WE ALL IDENTIFY AND MEASURE OUR LINK TO CORE THEMES Don’t have to link to every core theme You still do it how you see fit (e.g. you still conduct assessment practices as you have) Everyone measures and documents May be asked to provide info on how you support other Standards Strategic Plan and Deployment Plan are our guides—review them

Impact on you—we all assess, document, demonstrate For Standard One (Mission, Core Themes, Expectations): identify performance indicators relative to core themes (strategic plan does this) Institution documents adoption and use of these For Standard Two (Resources & Capacity): Assesses major institutional functions, resources and structures relative to resources and capacity—can/are we attaining outcomes?

Impact on you—we all assess, document, demonstrate For Standard Three (Planning & Implementation): Must document evidence of strategic Institutional planning (all areas) For Standard Four (Effectiveness & Improvement): Must assess effectiveness and use of results for improvement—document assessment of core themes and progress toward attainment is new For Standard Five (Mission Fulfillment, Adaptation & Sustainability): Document expectations for evaluating fulfillment of institutional mission, monitoring operational environments to forecast and adapt to trends

Planning for upcoming changes Review the new Strategic Plan & Deployment Plan—these will inform our practices Assessment: everyone has to assess and document on annual cycle Those assessing need to add Core Theme link Those not assessing will need to start this year General Education Assessment continues AA General Studies will need to have assessment protocol this year

Other evaluative activities that contribute Institutional Master Planning (Program Needs, Space Utilization) Academic & NonAcademic Program Review Upcoming Institutional Assessments mentioned (Customer Service, Climate) Specialized program accreditation Benchmark survey projects (CCSSE) Homegrown surveys (through Office of Assessment)

Final thoughts… Look for trainings starting this fall for: Those who’ve been assessing—adding in Core Themes Those who’ve never assessed—how to get started Remember: Diane is available and happy to help you at any point in this process X4485 or diane.waryas@csn.edu For more information on the Standards, process, etc., see the NWCCU site at: http://www.nwccu.org/