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Learn more about the importance of Licensure, Accreditation, Strategic Planning, Quality Assurance & Outcomes Assessment Systems, and Curriculum Design & Review for your HEI.
Institutional Licensure
The application processes for initial licensure and renewal of licensure are very intricate. The application is a large document that covers in detail every aspect of the HEI’s operation in accordance with the standards set by the licensing authority. The application must be supported extensively by documentary evidence which in large part is data-based and includes measurement, quantitative analysis and projections. The writing of the application must follow a special style, must use a special frame of reference that is compatible with the licensure philosophy and standards, and must be very well organized.
At HEP, we have accumulated expertise in this area over many years. We will put our expertise at your disposal and work with you to produce a superbly written, complete, well organized and fully documented licensure application that meets the requirements for initial licensure or renewal of licensure.
Accreditation is not a destination; it is an ongoing process in the life of a HEI.
What Is Accreditation?
Accreditation is a highly desired, prestigious status which a higher education institution (HEI) earns after undergoing a rigorous process of strategic change management to achieve the highest levels of quality in all aspects of its operation and fulfill the standards set by an accrediting body.
Accreditation is not a destination; it is an ongoing process in the life of a HEI. Maintenance of accreditation when it comes up for periodic renewal is as important as achievement of initial accreditation. Quality assurance / institutional effectiveness units within a HEI play a critical role in managing the process that leads to the achievement and maintenance of accreditation.
In the USA and many other countries, pursuit of accreditation at the institutional level or for each specific academic program is a voluntary process. However, in the UAE and most other countries in the MENA region, national accreditation and licensure of a HEI are joint, interdependent processes that are required by the Ministry of Education (MOE). More specifically, a HEI’s initial licensure by the MOE is conditioned on achievement of institutional accreditation within a specified timeframe, and the HEI may face sanctions or even lose its licensure and be forced to close down if it fails to achieve accreditation within that timeframe or maintain its accreditation each time it comes up for periodic renewal.
In all cases, the accreditation process is essentially a peer review process. This means that a team consisting of experienced academics (discipline specialists in the case of program-specific accreditation) is assigned by the accrediting body to carry out an objective, evidence-based review of the HEI or a specific academic program, evaluate alignment with the standards of accreditation, identify gaps and specify required actions by the HEI to close each gap.
Key Benefits of Accreditation
- Accreditation validates a HEI’s academic rigor and attests to the quality of the education it provides its students.
- Accreditation affirms that the HEI employs faculty who are effective educators and active researchers who contribute to knowledge in their fields.
- Accreditation is a key determinant of students’ choice of the HEI they want to attend and parents’ support of that choice.
- Accreditation is a leading factor in a HEI’s ranking and its stature and competitive positioning in the universe of HEIs.
- A HEI’s ability to attract funding from external sources is highly dependent on its accreditation status.
- Accreditation is critical for the credibility of the HEI’s degrees to employers and for students’ employability upon graduation.
- A HEI must be accredited in order to be able to sign partnership or articulation agreements with reputable HEIs which are typically accredited at the institutional and program levels.
- Accreditation is a requirement for students to be able to transfer credits to other local and international HEIs that are accredited, and to be admitted to graduate studies at those HEIs.
Our Accreditation Expertise
At HEP, we have vast expertise in initiating, progressing and successfully completing accreditation processes (initial and reaffirmation) with local and international “gold standard” accrediting bodies, both at the institutional level and the program-specific level. Our expertise is based on direct involvement (initial application, admission to candidacy, preparation of self-study and supporting documentary evidence, site visit preparation and mock review, and writing interim reports) in the accreditation processes of the following accrediting bodies:
UAE Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA, Institutional and Program-Specific)
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC, USA)
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International, USA)
Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET, USA)
National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB, USA)
National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD Substantial Equivalency, USA)
International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE, USA)
Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP, USA)
Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA, USA)
Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC, USA)
International Advertising Association (IAA, USA)
What is Strategic Planning for a HEI?
For a HEI, strategic planning is a process which involves “a deliberate, disciplined effort to produce fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide what an institution is, what it does, and why it does it… [Strategic planning] provides guidance for institutional decisions, both long-term and day-to-day, and makes sure that decisions and operations:
1. Carry out the institution’s mission, vision, and values.
2. Comply with mandates and regulations of government, accrediting bodies, etc.
3. Keep the institution operationally and fiscally healthy, now and in the future.”
(Society for College and University Planning, https://www.scup.org/planning-type/strategic-planning/.)
The strategic planning process seeks to answer four fundamental questions related to the HEIs identity, present position and situation, desired position over a future time horizon, and action needed to reach that desired position. More specifically, the HEI asks:
1. Who and what kind of institution are we?
HEI’s identity
2. Where are we now?
HEI’s present position
3. Where do we want to be in x months/years?
HEI’s desired future position and timeframe
4. How do we get there?
Actions and required resources needed to reach the HEI’s desired future position
The strategic planning process is an all-encompassing process which should involve all academic and administrative (service) units within a HEI. This creates buy-in across the HEI and instills a culture of measurement-based performance and accountability across all units within the HEI.
To serve its purposes, the strategic plan must emanate from and be based on the HEI’s mission statement. This requires setting mission-derived broad-based goals, measurable strategic objectives, and action plans (including estimates of required budgetary and other resources) for achieving these objectives. Achievement of the strategic objectives is assessed periodically by using metrics and measures for each objective. For strategic objectives that are under-achieved or not achieved, the HEI draws up an action plan for “closing the loop” in the next planning period.
Periodic assessments and “closing the loop” (typically done on an annual cycle), as well as periodic revisions of the original strategic plan if called for by new developments, illustrate that strategic planning is not a one-time development of a static document; rather, it is a dynamic, ongoing process.
Quality Assurance & Outcomes Assessment Systems
We will review and evaluate your institution’s outcomes assessment system (OAS) to determine what improvements are needed for it to achieve its purpose. If your institution is in the early stages of building its OAS, we will assist you with developing a metrics-based OAS that is custom-designed to the specific organizational setup of your institution, that captures the activities and outcomes of all academic and administrative units, and that focuses on closing the loop between successive assessment cycles. Our service includes training your staff in applying and implementing the OAS.
Review and Design of Risk Management Systems
We have extensive experience in evaluating and improving existing risk management systems (RMS) and designing new, comprehensive RMS that integrate all areas and functions in an organization. In an educational institution context, such an RMS would encompass all academic and administrative units and all operations, setting quantitative and qualitative risk assessment criteria and using target-risk based analysis. The RMS will enable prompt identification, risk mitigation and intervention whenever needed and would allocate responsibility and accountability for risk management across the entire institution.
For more on Accreditation, Quality Assurance, Strategic Planning and more topics crucial for your HEI’s success, our experts’ insights are a valuable resource we share with you.
The Role of Curriculum Design and Review in a HEI
The curriculum design and review processes are of critical importance for all HEIs because they ensure that:
- The structure and organization of the curriculum (total credit hours and breakdown, major/minor/concentration requirements, discipline-specific and external electives, program completion time, general education credits sufficiency, etc.) are consistent with best practice in each academic discipline and with the requirements set by accrediting and professional bodies.
- The academic program’s objectives and learning outcomes are consistent with the academic unit’s mission and are properly reflected in the curriculum design and content.
- The objectives and learning outcomes stated in the course syllabi are consistent with the program’s objectives and learning outcomes.
- The curriculum is theoretically current and continually reflects the latest conceptual and technological advances in its field.
- The curriculum is relevant to the society and serves the career prospects of students by being continually aligned with developments in the job market and with the changing needs of employers.
Custom-Designed Seminars & Workshops
Our seminars and workshops cover all of our service areas. They are custom-designed to match the exact needs of each institution and are pitched at the knowledge and experience levels of the intended target audience. They include numerous applications, examples, illustrations and exercises and are presented in a highly interactive manner.
Contact Us
Whether you’re ready to take your HEI to the next level, or have questions about HEP, we’d love to hear from you.