1. Accreditation, Assessment, and Accountability ASAHP Spring Meeting St. Petes Beach, FL March 14, 2008

2. Transformed Higher Education Landscape End of hegemony of campus Unbundling of faculty roles Blurring of institutional lines Growth of for-profit sector Commercialization Partnerships/collaboration E-learning/technology

3. Accountability2?3? Higher education refuses to be transparent about productivityclaims too complex an industry Higher education wont control costs Higher education accepts--expects?--too much failure by students and typically blames students for failing Higher education is protective, reactive, defensive Too much control by disciplines through faculty Too little innovation, sharing and coordinating

4. Defining Accountability Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education, National Commission on the Future of Higher Education. USDOE (2006) Public Accountability for Student Learning in Higher Education: Issues and Options, BHEF (2004) Accountability for Better Results: A National Imperative for Higher Education, SHEEO (2005). NCSL, NCEE, ATS....(2007-08)

5. National Agenda Serve more students, especially adult learners and groups currently underserved Raise the rigor of expectations (STEM, too) Move larger numbers of students to successful completion Create and provide more effective learning environments Do all this with greater efficiency and productivity

6. HE Purpose Redefined? U.S. operates in a rapidly developing global competitive environment--flat world Continued U.S. leadership demands major growth in intellectual capital--security as well as economic well-being Colleges and universities must be responsible for developing and providing that intellectual capital

7. Isnt Assessment Enough? Assessment: shifting the academic culture from providing education to ensuring student learning Mission based Faculty defined Improvement oriented Accountability: meeting national goals Public disclosure Performance benchmarking

8. Who Determines Educational Goals? Higher Education responses to advocates for accountability: HE for personal transformation, not just workforce preparation. HE, not employers, must set multiple competencies for baccalaureate education. HE relies on expertise of faculty and discipline. HE must protect essential institutional autonomy in determining what constitutes acceptable credit. National agenda too limited; global challenges ahead.

9. Voluntary Accountability Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA) --AASCU and NASULGC) Partner with AAC&U on FIPSE project around VSA. University and College Accountability Network (U-CAN)--NAICU Transparency by Design (Presidents Forum) College Navigator (USDOE)

10. Ambivalence About Accreditation Intent/fit of CHEA reform agenda. (Accreditation should change, but not by federal mandate, nor at expense of institutional autonomy.) Trust us. (Dont require more of accreditation, especially on performance measures.) Lack of consensus on role of accreditation: buffer against or participant in accountability

11. THE HIGHER LEARNING COMMISSION Serving the common good by assuring and advancing the quality of higher learning

12. THE HIGHER LEARNING COMMISSION Steve Crow, President 30 N. LaSalle, #2400 Chicago, IL 60602 800-621-7440 x 102 www.ncahlc.org