Appendix C: Middle States Accreditation Standards
Each accreditation standard has a set of “fundamental elements” that help define how an institution can meet each standard. We have designed our assessment plan to meet those fundamental elements:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
a written assessment plan and process that meet the
following criteria: |
|
|
|
a
foundation in the institution's mission, goals, and objectives |
|
|
|
a perA periodic
assessment of institutional effectiveness that addresses the total range of
educational offerings, services, and processes, including planning, resource
allocation, and institutional renewal processes; institutional resources;
leadership and governance; administration; institutional integrity; and
student learning outcomes |
|
|
|
support
and collaboration of faculty and administration |
|
|
|
systematic
and thorough use of multiple qualitative and/or quantitative measures, which
maximize the use of existing data and information |
|
|
|
evaluative
approaches that yield results that are useful in institutional planning,
resource allocation, and renewal |
|
|
|
realistic
goals and a timetable, supported by appropriate investment of institutional resources |
|
|
|
periodic
evaluation of the effectiveness and comprehensiveness of the institution's
assessment plan |
|
|
|
use
of assessment results to improve and gain efficiencies in administrative services
and processes, including activities specific to the institution's mission
(e.g. service, outreach, research) |
|
|
|
a
written institutional (strategic) plan that reflects consideration of data
from assessment |
|
*12 |
General Education |
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
a
program of general education of sufficient scope to enahnce students'
intellectual growth, and equivalent to at least 15 semester hours for associate
degree programs and 30 semester hours for baccalaureate programs (An
institution also may demonstrate how an alternative approach fulfills the
intent of this fundamental element) |
|
||||||
|
|
|
a program
of general education where the skills and abilities developed in general
education are applied in the major or study in depth |
|
||||||
|
|
|
consistent
with institutional mission, a program of general education that incorporates study
of values, ethics, and diverse perspectives |
|
||||||
|
|
|
general
education requirements assuring that, upon degree completion, students are
proficient in oral and written communication, scientific and quantitative
reasoning, technological capabilities appropriate to the discipline, and
information literacy, which includes critical analysis and reasoning |
|
||||||
|
|
|
general
education requirements clearly and accurately described in official
publications of the institution |
|
||||||
|
|
|
assessment
of general education outcomes within the institution's overall plan for
assessing student learning, and evidence with such assessment results are
utilized for curricular improvement |
|
||||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
*14 |
Assessment of Student Learning |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
articulated
expectations of student learning at various levels (institution,
degree/program, course) that are consonant with the institution's mission and
with the standards of higher education and of the relevant disciplines |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
a
plan that describes student learning assessment activities being undertaken
by the institution, including the specific methods to be used to validate articulated
student learning goals/objectives |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
evidence
that student learning assessment information is used to improve teaching and
learning |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
documented
use of student learning assessment information as part of institutional
assessment |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|