The Countdown Begins: Preparing for C.O.E. Reaffirmation

UCAT Professional Development Conference June 11, 2010, BATC, Logan, Utah

Overview Assemble Your Team Review and Update Written Plans and

Procedures Prepare Crates and Exhibits Visiting Team Observations Additional Presentation Materials:

http://coe-reaffirmation-preparation.wikispaces.com/

Purpose of Accreditation Provides a voluntary, non-governmental

system to establish and maintain educational standards.

To assure that an institution or program has been evaluated and found to meet or exceed stated criteria for educational quality.

To use the results of peer evaluation to improve performance.

Students enrolled in approved programs are eligible for Title IV financial aid.

-From “Preparing & Maintaining COE Accreditation – Pres. Hacking, UCAT Professional Development Conf., April 13, 2009.

The Accreditation Experts

UCAT Accreditation Contacts

Assemble Your Team Steering Committee Committee for Each Standard

Chair Members Ad Hoc Members

All Committee Members Should Read all Standards Ensures consistency of documentation

Committee Meetings Involve everyone from the start Items to Track

C.O.E. Accreditation and Review and Documentation Exhibits

Plan Review Advisory teams for plans

Review and Update Written Plans & Procedures Written Plans and Procedures for COE Sel

f-Study Reports PowerPoint Right size the plan/procedure for your

institution Shift happens – be willing to revise plans Keep your plans/procedures off the shelf Make implementing plans a habit, not an

event

Review of Plans and Procedures When were they last reviewed? Can you document that your plan is in

use? Does your plan reflect what you are

currently doing? How are your plans and procedures

shared with faculty, students and staff?

Review of Plans Continued Written plans should be in place long

enough that you can evaluate to see if it is working.

Documentation for written plans should reflect “How you did it” not “This is what we are going to do.”

Ensure that responsibility for implementation or coordination of plans is outlined in individual job descriptions.

Exhibits Don’t wait to start collecting

documentation! Distribute check sheets to faculty and

staff “The most common recommendations

that institutions get are not having documentation that the occupational advisory committees have met and not having the employer verification forms completed every two years.” – Ms. Sue Schooler, Associate Executive Director, Council on Occupational Education.

Exhibits Well organized exhibits and crates help

the visiting team Address the objectives and criteria Make everything easy to find

Packing Crates

-Excerpt for “The 10 Golden Rules for Packing Crates”, 2009 C.O.E. Annual Conference

1. Label folders according to check sheets Example:Standard 2

2.A.1; 2.A.2 (Admissions) 2.P.1; 2.P.2 (Programs) 2.I.1; 2.I.2 (Instruction)

2. Place documentation in each folder. No empty folders.

If criterion does not apply, put that statement in the folder

Don’t refer to exhibits in other folders.

Packing Crates Continued3. Place only relevant information in the

folders.

4. Use highlighting and flags to draw attention to necessary information. This makes finding documentation simple and quick.

5. Where appropriate, include sufficient documentation (in chronological order) to show continuity of activity.

Packing Crates Continued6. Place copies of completed surveys, tests,

etc., in folders. Tabulation of results, analysis of data,

and how results are used for improvement are also needed.

7. Place copies of required plans in

appropriate folders. Highlight items required on the check

sheets.

Packing Crates Continued8. Place copies of pages from large

documents in the folders. Be sure the team members can identify the source of the document.

9. Be consistent. “This is our story and

we’re sticking to it!” Documentation should be the same

from standard to standard, and should be consistent with the contents of the self study.

Packing Crates Continued10. Keep your exhibits simple and user

friendly!

Visiting Team Observations Easy to spot people not involved/engaged Internal conflict is readily noticeable Visit is not an audit/inspection – processes

in accordance with standards need to be evident

Everyone should be able to answer the question, “What was your part in the self-study or reaffirmation process?”

Questions and Discussion