Www chea org directories regional asp

For Kim Woods Only

As a leader in higher education, you need to be knowledgeable about accrediting bodies, professional and occupational associations, and standards and the impact they have on curriculum. Make sure you read this document, and then do research on accreditation and accrediting bodies before answering this Discussion question.

Professional schools within a college or university have their own standards and required competencies that are mandated by the profession. For example, The National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, Inc. (NLNAC): http://www.nlnac.org/home.htm has established clear standards for nursing curriculum at all levels, from practical, diploma, and baccalaureate through graduate nursing degrees.

Based on the Reading for this week, as well as your outside readings, please respond to the following questions:

What accrediting associations (regional and possibly specialized) will impact the new program of study you are developing for your course project? I am using Phoenix University for my course project
If you are developing an online or hybrid program, does the accreditation association have specific guidelines or requirements for online programs? How will these impact your plans?
What does it mean to teach to standards? Do all disciplines have to teach to standards? What professional associations will influence your curriculum as you develop your program of study?
What will you do, as department chair, to assure that your faculty are teaching to the standards set by the program and accrediting bodies?

Unit 3: Discussion

Professional Accreditation

In addition to the environmental components that shape higher education curriculum, which you studied in Unit 1, accrediting associations and professional organizations exert significant influence on curriculum.

Colleges and universities become accredited so the product they provide (credits of curriculum) are recognized in society and by other colleges and universities. This is what separates an accredited institution from a “degree or diploma mill.” Professional education is unique because professional societies have a say in who joins the profession. They give their “blessing” to the institution for the degree programs. Therefore, higher education professionals need to work closely with the professional accreditation bodies, as well as the certification and licensing agencies.

The professional societies drive the standards and in turn influence the curriculum taught in professional schools.

Colleges and universities need to be cognizant of the standards and desires of credentialing and licensing bodies in order to maintain status and receive accreditation from the profession up and beyond the institution's accreditation. For these reasons, professional schools are often political in nature and are treated different from other schools in the university that do not have standards driven by the profession itself. Faculty and administrators must consider professional standards when making decisions about the viability of professional education curriculum. Professionals become the administrators of the professional programs. For example, judges and lawyers teach and administer law schools, medical doctors head up medical schools, and licensed nurses run the nursing schools. When you keep in mind that these professionals are usually not trained in higher education administration, you can then understand some of the problems or complexities that may occur in professional education programs.

The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is a forceful and persistent advocate for the value and credibility of accreditation to Congress and to the U.S. Department of Education. CHEA informs and educates students, the general public and the press on an ongoing basis about the contribution of accreditation. The CHEA database lists more than 8,200 degree-granting and non-degree-granting institutions and more than 20,400 programs that are accredited by United States accrediting organizations that have been recognized either by CHEA or by the United States Department of Education (USDE) or both, and provides links to four primary types of accrediting organizations:

CHEA: Directory of Regional Accrediting Organizations. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.chea.org/Directories/regional.asp

CHEA: Directory of Faith-Related Accrediting Organizations. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.chea.org/Directories/faith.asp

CHEA: Directory of National Career-Related Accrediting Organizations. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.chea.org/Directories/private.asp

Directory of Programmatic Accrediting Organizations. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.chea.org/Directories/special.asp