Accreditation Liaison Officer ( ALO) Briefing & Training

1. This PowerPoint is the property of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACCJC/WASC). Reference to and/or use of the information provided in this PowerPoint must acknowledge the ACCJC/WASC.

2. Accreditation Liaison Officer(ALO) Briefing & Training Dr. Susan Clifford, Vice President Mr. Jack Pond, Vice President Dr. Norv Wellsfry, Associate Vice President Dr. John Nixon, ALO, CIO, & CEO Retired September 23, 2011 Norco College

3. Briefing Topics • Issues of importance to accreditation • 12 Questions and Answers about Regional Accreditation • ACCJC Events Calendar

4. Training Topics • The purposes of accreditation • The role of the ALO • The ACCJC Standards • The importance of program review • The Rubric for Evaluating Institutional Effectiveness Continued

5. Training Topics • ACCJC publications and website • ALO Discussion Board • The importance of evidence • Accreditation in American higher education (addendum)

6. What questions do you have? • What does the Commission mean by… • What is the… • How can I… • What should I do if… • How can I best…

7. I. Briefing Topics

8. United States Department of Education Regulations • Incentive compensation • Misrepresentation (false, erroneous or misleading information) made by colleges • Gainful Employment • Credit Hour • State Authorization • Two-Year Rule

9. U.S.D.E RegulationsContinued • Review of the Federal Student Aid Program • Student Complaint Records • Clarity and Accuracy of Public Information on: credit requirements, length of programs, costs, degree/certificate completion rates, transfer rates, job placement, licensure pass rates, crime statistics • Substantive Change • Distance and Correspondence Education

10. U.S.D.E RegulationsContinued • Continued compliance with Eligibility Requirements • Off-campus locations • Student achievement data • Student learning data • Various kinds of enrollment data

11. B. Substantive Change • Some changes the Commission considers substantive -Offering a third year of a program -Change in the name or mission of the institution -Closure of an institution -Opening an additional location (50% rule) -Addition of new programs, certificates, degrees Continued

12. Substantive ChangeContinued -Change in the control of an institution -Merging with another institution -Contracting for delivery of courses or programs -A change from clock hours to credit hours -Change in mode of instruction (DE/CE) (50% rule)

13. Substantive Change Exercise

14. C. Assuring Quality of Distance Education and Correspondence (DE/CE) Learning Programs • Growth over time (number of courses offered, faculty teaching, and students enrolled) • Increased student expectations for course delivery, admissions, orientation, registration, advising, tutoring services, communication, and other services • Compatibility with institutional mission Continued

15. Quality of DE/CE CoursesContinued • Student achievement data (retention; course, program, certificate and degree completion, and rates) in DE/CE and face-to-face classes • Student learning outcomes data in DE/CE and face-to-face classes Continued

16. Quality of DE/CE CoursesContinued • Integrity (course content, grading, faculty teaching capability, student learning capability, faculty and student support, faculty and student assessment systems, integration with institutional mission) • Verification of student identity

17. Evaluating Distance Education • Does the college know where its DE students are from? • Is there a policy that defines “regular and effective contact” for DE courses? • Is there required qualifications, training, evaluation, and professional development for DE faculty? Continued

18. Evaluating Distance Education • How does the college prepare and monitor DE students to be successful? • What evidence is there of: • Use of college resources • Student identity validation • Accessibility of DE programs/services • Regular and effective contact between student and faculty Continued

19. Evaluating Distance Education • Are there policies that dictate satisfactory progress? • How comparable are the DE student support services (advising, tutoring, and learning resources) to those services offered to traditional students? Use resources provided by WCET @ wcet.wiche.edu

20. D. Additional New Issues • Incentive Compensation • Misrepresentation • Credit Hour • State Authorization • Gainful Employment

21. Incentive Compensation • Removes the right for institutions to compensate student recruitment agents or admission officers on the basis of student enrolment numbers and financial aid awarded • This is a mechanism to assure de-linking of financial compensation from the results of recruitment efforts

22. Misrepresentation • Means any false, erroneous or misleading statements made to a student, prospective student or any member of the public, or to an accrediting agency, a State Agency or to the Secretary by the institution, one of its representatives or persons with whom the eligible institution has an agreement to provide educational programs, or to provide marketing, advertising, recruiting, or admissions services.

23. Topics Covered under Misrepresentation • Transfer of credit • Qualification to sit for licensure exams or other certification on the basis of course/program completion • Guarantee of financial aid

24. Credit Hour • Introduction of Federal definition of credit hour • Institutions must have written policies and procedures for determining credit hour • Accrediting commissions must review policies and procedures through sampling and other methods and take appropriate action in case of deficiencies in the application of the policies and procedures

25. State Authorization • Specification of institutional state authorization for the purpose of Title IV • Institutions offering distance education must meet state authorization in states where the institution is not physically located • Exemption of institutions established by name as an educational entity through accreditation

26. State Authorization (continued) • The Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education in California will still consider WASC accredited higher education institutions to be exempt from its regulatory oversight.

27. State Authorization (continued) • If an institution is established through incorporation by name as an educational entity in California (which might apply to private ACCJC member institutions), that would serve as the state authorization for purposes of the regulations.This would comply with the federal government’s definition of “other action issued by an appropriate State agency.”

28. State Authorization (continued) • Institutions are required to keep students informed about the complaint processes for the appropriate state approval/licensing entity and the institution’s accrediting agency.

29. Gainful Employment • Regulations in two parts: Part I: Program reporting requirements are not tied to eligibility for student aid. Effective as of July 1, 2011. Part II: Establishes measures for determining whether certain postsecondary education programs lead to gainful employment in recognized occupations . Effective as of July 1, 2012.

30. Gainful Employment (continued) • "a program would be considered to lead to gainful employment if it meets at least one of the following three metrics: • at least 35 percent of former students are repaying their loans (defined as reducing the loan balance by at least $1); • the estimated annual loan payment of a typical graduate does not exceed 30 percent of his or her discretionary income; or

31. Gainful Employment (continued) • the estimated annual loan payment of a typical graduate does not exceed 12 percent of his or her total earnings." Under this rule, no program will lose eligibility until 2015.

32. Gainful Employment (continued) • The Department defines "all non-degree educational programs offered by public and nonprofit institutions and virtually all programs - degree and non-degree - offered by proprietary institutions" as gainful employment programs and notes that even public or nonprofit institutions that predominantly offer degrees are likely to have one or more gainful employment programs.

33. E. Additional Briefing Topics(Program Inserts) • Update on Commission policy reviews • 12 Common Questions and Answers about Regional Accreditation • ACCJC Events Calendar • Accreditation Basics (online course)

34. Sharing from the Field • What models of communication on these matters have you used at your institution? • Would you be willing to share your model with other institutions?

35. II. Training Topics

36. A. Why Do Institutions Seek Accreditation?

37. Institutions Seek Accreditation to: • Provide assurance to the public that the education provided meets acceptable levels of quality - Gatekeeper for access to Federal Financial Funds • Promote continuous institutional improvement • Maintain the quality of higher education in the U.S.

38. Accreditation is the proven method for assuring that higher education institutions can continue to improve and offer a quality education to the men and women who will lead their communities in the future. By establishing high standards and then periodically evaluating themselves, colleges and universities can provide a degree or certificate that students and the community trust.

39. B. The Accreditation Liaison Officer

40. The Accreditation Liaison Officer • Every ACCJC member institution must have an ALO • ALOs assist the college CEOs in addressing accreditation matters Continued

41. The ALO is the individual the Commission relies on to communicate matters of accreditation between the Commission and the college • The communication is two-way

42. The ALO’s Leadership Role On-going activities • Stay knowledgeable about Commission Standards, policies, procedures, and activities • Keep the campus and the CEO informed about information received from the Commission Continued

43. The ALO’s Leadership Role On-going activities • Encourage a campus culture that relies on research and data analysis to plan and implement improvements to institutional quality and educational effectiveness • Encourage a campus culture that values a focus on student learning and student achievement • Act as an archivist for the institution’s accreditation documents and history • Facilitate reports to the Commission

44. What are the ALOs responsibilities in these situations?

45. Situation 1 My college is plagued with “silos.” Individuals don’t seem to have the opportunity to interact and collaborate with one another about issues of educational quality and institutional effectiveness.

46. Situation 2 Data about student achievement and attainment of student learning outcomes is unavailable, and where it exists, no one is able to interpret it.

47. Situation 3 Campus leadership is isolated from or uninvolved with accreditation. Leaders seem not to understand what must be done at our institution to meet Standards.

48. Situation 4 The urgency of everyday work prevents us from seeing the big picture of what we’re doing and what we need to do.

49. Situation 5 Trying to bring about change at our institution is like trying to reverse the spin of the earth.

50. The ALO’s Leadership Role For Self Evaluation Process • Attend Self Evaluation Workshop (formerly Self Study Training) • Facilitate development and sustainability of the processes for institutional self evaluation • Assist in the creation and distribution of the Self Evaluation of Educational Quality and Institutional Effectiveness Report (formerly Self Study Report) • Support the team visit • Facilitate follow-up with the Commission