Analytic Quality Glossary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Citation reference: Harvey, L., 2004, Analytic
Quality Glossary,
Quality Research International, http://www.qualityresearchinternational.com/glossary/
This is a
dynamic glossary and the author would welcome any e-mail
suggestions for amendments or additions.
____________________________________________________________________
Programme
Accreditation
core definition
Programmes accreditation
establishes the academic standing of the programme or the ability of the
programme to produce graduates with professional competence to practice.
explanatory context
This is often referred to as
professional accreditation (Harvey, 2004).
analytical review
The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE, 2003) definition focuses on courses [programmes]
Accreditation is the
approval of a higher education course by an authorised body.
In Western Europe,
particularly linked to the Bologna process, accreditation according to CHEA
(2001) is:
An evaluation and assessment of an institution or its programs in
relation to its aims and objectives, its recognized standards, and its own
goals. The assessors are looking primarily at the success of the institution in
achieving its goals. Also refers to formal government authorization given to
institutions to grant degrees. In Germany, normally refers to evaluation and
assessment of the accreditation agencies that accredit only those programs
leading to a B.A. or M.A.
In rather more generic terms, Vl‹sceanu, et
al. (2004, p. 20) refer to ÔSpecialized AccreditationÕ, which has the
characteristics of what others call professional accrditation:
The accreditation
of individual units or programmes (e.g., professional education), by
ÒspecializedÓ or ÒprogrammeÓ accrediting bodies applying specific standards for
curriculum and course content.
Accreditation (and re-accreditation) of courses in North America tends to focus on professional areas. The six non-governmental voluntary associations recognise provision in institutions that have been found to meet stated criteria of quality. In addition there are about 50 disciplinary associations that inter alia judge whether the study programmes appropriately prepare graduates to enter a profession (Harvey, 2004).
This
is very similar to the role played by the professional and regulatory bodies in
the UK, who also control access to the profession by making accreditation of
the programme a prerequisite for graduate entry. Perhaps more draconian than
their US counterparts, some bodies in the UK set and grade their own
examinations (Harvey & Mason, 1995).
The University of Southampton (2003), for example, states:
Many Schools have their teaching provision accredited by an external body. In some cases a professional or statutory body accredits a range of programmes, as is the case in Medicine and in Nursing & Midwifery. In other cases an individual programme is accredited by a specific professional body. Professional/statutory body accreditation usually entails an inspection of provision, either through a visit to a subject department or through scrutiny of programme documentation. It is often given for a specific time period, after which there has to be further inspection to retain the accreditation.
The newer accreditation in Eastern
European countries such as Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia has, at
least initially, opted for programme accreditation in all academic fields
(Westerheijden, 2001). This appears to be designed principally to provide
academic rather than professional accreditation in the wake of the Soviet era.
The mushrooming of new programme accreditation proposals in some Western
European countries, linked to bachelor-masters conversion, also predominantly
appears to be academic accreditation (Harvey, 2004).
associated issues
related terms
see also:
sources
Council For Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) 2001, Glossary of Key Terms in Quality Assurance and Accreditation, http://www.chea.org/international/inter_glossary01.html, updated 8 May 2001.
Harvey, L., 2004, ÔThe power of
accreditation: views of academicsÕ, Journal of Higher Education Policy and
Management, 26
(2), pp. 207Ð223.
Harvey,
L. and Mason, S., 1995, The Role of Professional Bodies in Higher education
Quality Monitoring. Birmingham: QHE.
Higher Education funding council for England (HEFCE ), 2003, About us: Glossary http://www.hefce.ac.uk/glossary/glossary.htm Updated 3 January 2003.
University of Southampton, 2003, QA Handbook, 1.3.5 PSB Accreditation, http://www.soton.ac.uk/~qahbk4/acstan1-3-5.htm
Vl‹sceanu,
L., GrŸnberg, L., and
P‰rlea, D., 2004, Quality Assurance and Accreditation: A Glossary of Basic
Terms and Definitions (Bucharest, UNESCO-CEPES) Papers on Higher Education, ISBN 92-9069-178-6. http://www.cepes.ro/publications/Default.htm
Westerheijden, D.F., 2001, ÔEx oriente lux?: national and multiple accreditation in Europe after the
fall of the Wall and after BolognaÕ, Quality in Higher Education, pp. 65Ð76.