Accreditation - an intersting perspective?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Peter French, Jul 25, 2001.

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  1. Peter French

    Peter French member

    FAIRFAX UNIVERSITY was originally established in 1986 in the State of Louisiana, USA as a not-for-profit continuing adult education institution. It subsequently satisfied the state’s regulations as a degree-granting distance learning institution. During the year 2000 Louisiana’s state legislature introduced new and expanded licensing regulations. Each degree granting institution must now seek accreditation from its regional accrediting association and/or the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) Accrediting Commission. In Fairfax University’s case the regional accrediting body is the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), based in Georgia. SACS is responsible for a number of southern USA states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. The new requirement that institutions must seek accreditation may seem to be a straightforward request and it is understandable that people may believe that a program would naturally achieve accreditation if it is of the right quality and standard – not so!

    THE IMMEDIATE PAST:

    Fairfax University moved forward in January 2000 to comply with the state’s new regulations and in July submitted an application for candidature for accreditation with the DETC in the belief that its overall program offerings would generally be found to be equal, or go beyond, those already accredited by the DETC and/or the regional accrediting agency. The DETC subsequently wrote to Fairfax University (and returned the application fee) indicating that it was not in the best interest of Fairfax University to seek the DETC accreditation at this juncture because it was not in DETC’s scope of activities to be able to assess and accredit guided, independent self-paced study programs, despite the fact that such programs have been available in the USA, UK and elsewhere for many years. To conform with the DETC requirements we would also need to submit outline curriculum syllabuses for each and every program area we offer or reduce our program offerings down to a specialized few and submit set curriculum syllabuses for these to the DETC. The University neither had the time, nor the wish, to follow this course of action. It is also worth noting that at present the DETC will not accept applications from institutions that offer programs beyond the master’s degree level. At the time of application to the DETC Fairfax did actually suspend all doctoral program admissions to comply with the DETC regulations.

    We next considered application to our regional accrediting agency - SACS. SACS requires any institution seeking accreditation to comply with 13 Criteria for Accreditation. In other words, an institution must demonstrate compliance with the thirteen criteria before its application is reviewed. Again, this seems a reasonable request until the detail of SACS requirements are considered. It is important to remember that Fairfax University was established to cater for the needs of the mid-career and senior professional person. The needs of such people, and their particular learning styles and processes, are entirely different to those of a young person going to university seeking to earn a degree. In our view, the majority of the accrediting agencies use assessment systems very much geared to the younger student and apply more or less the same criteria to adult, continuing education when assessing programs for this latter group. Academic administrative systems rarely take learning styles and needs into account. Several SACS pre-application criteria serve to illustrate the point.

    SACS requires that:

    All undergraduate degree programs of the institution MUST include a substantial component of general education courses at the collegiate level. …..the component MUST constitute….for baccalaureate programs, a minimum of 30 semester hours or equivalent quarter hours. The credit hours MUST be drawn from and include at least one course from each of the following areas: humanities/fine arts, social/behavioral sciences, and natural sciences/mathematics. The courses MUST NOT be narrowly focused on those skills, techniques and procedures peculiar to a particular occupation or profession. (Criteria 10)

    In each major in a degree program, there MUST be at least one full-time faculty member. (Criteria 11)

    Source: 1998 Criteria for Accreditation, page 12, Eleventh Edition, Second Printing issued by SACS.

    Fairfax University believes that just to satisfy these two criteria alone would mean such a drastic change to the program we would have to move away from our founding belief and philosophy about adult learning and education. Two student profile examples serve to illustrate this point:

    Some years ago we had a female student living outside the USA who chose to research for her doctoral thesis the topic ‘Linguistic Voids in Translation Theory’. She became a published author and a highly respected international academic in her professional field. We searched out an academic who, as it happened, turned out to be a very senior professor in a major US university, an expert in the field, and the immediate past president of the American Modern Languages Association! After supervising this student’s work he wrote to Fairfax stating that he did not want his supervision fees because it had been such a pleasure to work with the lady and he had learned a great deal from her! We have never had anyone since (and it is doubtful if we will have anyone again!) wanting to study this highly specialized topic. More recently, we admitted to a master’s degree program a highly professional businessman living in the Middle East. He is looking at the impact of Islamic culture and religion on international banking for his master’s degree. Fairfax University has sought out a specialist in both fields to supervise this student. Again, we may never receive an application from anyone wanting to look at this specialized topic. However, by the SACS criteria it appears we would need to have at least two people employed who would be sitting around earning money for not doing anything for most of the time!

    Mid-career and senior professional people are not necessarily at a time in their lives where they wish to look at the liberal arts and social sciences, however interesting these subjects may be. Many have already studied these subjects and most do wish to complete a program in a vocational or professional field. Again, this goes against the SACS criteria.

    THE PRESENT:

    So, where does this leave Fairfax University? It means we must either radically change our programs and conform to a pattern of learning and education we do not believe is sustainable for the mature adult professional learner or, we make alternative plans and create organizational systems to accommodate both methods of working. The University’s Board of Trustees has determined that the institution should diversify its activities and locations to accommodate a number of needs.

    THE WAY FORWARD:

    Since its inception, Fairfax University has offered programs in the academic and non-sectarian study of religions and theology. In 1988 it established the Fairfax University School of Theology and Religious Studies and has numerous, well qualified adjunct faculty able to supervise the broad range of subjects covered by the term ‘theology and religious studies’. After discussions with staff members of the Louisiana Board of Regents, Fairfax University’s School of Theology and Religious Studies will remain where it has always been – that is, located in Louisiana and degrees and other qualifications in theology and religious studies will be awarded under the provisions allowed under the new and revised State of Louisiana laws relating to degree-granting institutions.

    During 2001 Fairfax University proposes to launch the Fairfax University Business School (FUBS) and the Fairfax University Institute of Professional Studies (FUIPS). Programs offered by FUBS and FUIPS will be more structured while still retaining a flexible curriculum. However, the programs will be organized in a more conservative manner so that they will hopefully, and eventually, satisfy the requirements of a range of recognized ‘accrediting’ bodies inside and outside the USA. We have determined that at the regional accreditation level our programs (current and forthcoming) are going to be best served by seeking accreditation from an agency responsible for another group of states in the USA. This will mean having a presence in locations additional to Louisiana. This is common practice these days with many accredited institutions being located in a variety of states/countries and offering a diverse range of programs. A current example is the British Open University. It has legally registered itself in the State of Delaware, has its main administrative office in another state and has sought approvals from California and Florida to be able to offer programs in each of these two areas, each state having its own specialized licensing/operating criteria.

    At the present time Fairfax University is considering the accreditation process, for some of its program offerings, with the Northern Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCACS). NCACS covers the majority of the USA but this does mean having a presence in one or more states covered by NCACS. The University is incorporating in a number of states and countries so that if ever licensing or other laws are changed again it will be in a position to immediately comply with whatever regulations are introduced without having to make major changes to our program offerings. Currently, we are looking at incorporation in these states: California, Colorado, New Mexico and South Dakota, with the latter incorporation having already been completed, thus enabling us to continue with all our current programs uninterrupted.

    (This memorandum issued October 2000)

    (Revised January 2001)

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  2. bgossett

    bgossett New Member

    A shame about that South Dakota incorporation. Looks as though they went to all that trouble just in time to be asked to leave.

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    Bill Gossett
     
  3. Peter French

    Peter French member

    The LA Board of Regents didn't seem to argue when they withdrew their application to be OK's there under the new law.

    But then they are going to be a truly global university aren't they? So why be encumbered with unnecessary US RA accreditation? It figures :)
     
  4. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    New Mexico isn't going to want "Century, part II." And what's with California? That's WASC territory, not NCA. Colorado? They shut down the much-more-structured Western Colorado University in the early 1980's. Perhaps a private mailbox in Mexico....? [​IMG]

    Rich Douglas
     

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