The Self-Evaluation Analysis

Abstract

The second step in the accreditation process is a very important and detailed institutional or individual academic program self-evaluation that is performed by the college or university following the requirements of the accreditation agency whose approval is being sought. This self-evaluation is the primary means that accreditation associations currently utilize to determine quality and to aid postsecondary educational institutions’ development. A basis for strategic planning at the institution can be provided by the self-study process and may lead to enduring institutional organizational research and self-analysis that enhances institutional openness and provides a basis for employee development (Young et al. 1983). In managing the accreditation process, institutional leaders should strive to make the process as effective as possible by positioning the self-study as internally motivated rather than just as externally focused pressure from the accreditation association (Jones and Schendel 2000). Complete commitment to the accreditation self-evaluation process should be expressed publicly to the educational community by the institution’s leaders (Rieves 1999). This will help motivate the faculty, students, and midlevel administrators to participate more fully in the accreditation process and thereby amplify the chance for significant institutional improvement. In a later chapter, examples of innovative approaches to plan the self-study as part of an overall accreditation management strategy for colleges and universities will be illustrated.