Educational accreditation

Accreditation (Latin accredere, believe ) called in various areas of the legal process in which a generally recognized instance of another fulfilling a special ( useful ) property certified.

Two meanings

In universities, the accreditation for external quality assurance belongs. Core of the process is to assess the quality of say a course of study by experts ( independent high school teachers and students from other universities as well as representatives of professional practice ). Furthermore, the term refers to the registration and authorization of clubs and student organizations.

Germany

Objectives

Accreditation and accreditation agencies

In Germany, the Accreditation Council was established on 8 December 1998. Its task is to examine and accredit agencies, which in turn accredit courses of study leading to the Bachelor / Bachelor and Master / Magister, which will be introduced on a large scale in the context of the Bologna process. The agencies like of them accredited courses carry in the event of a successful review, the quality label of the Accreditation Council.

The following agencies are entitled to place the seal of quality of the Accreditation Council on of them accredited courses with the Bachelor / Bachelor and Master / Magister:

• Agency for Quality Assurance by Accreditation of Study Programmes
• Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Canonical courses
• Accreditation Agency for Study Programs in Engineering, computer science, natural sciences and mathematics
• Accreditation Agency for Study Programmes in Health and Social Affairs
• Accreditation, Certification and Quality Assurance Institute
• Evaluation Agency of Baden- Württemberg
• Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation
• Center of Accreditation and Quality Assurance of the Swiss Universities (OAQ )
• Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation Austria
• Austrian Agency for Quality Assurance AQA; this will be replaced by the Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation Austria and is being phased out further
• Central Evaluation and Accreditation Agency

Apart from AKAST all these agencies may also perform system accreditations.

Method

The university makes an application for program accreditation and submits a self-documentation in accordance with the requirements of the accrediting agency. It includes a description of the study program ( objectives, desired degree, basic design ) a Module Handbook ( Overview of all modules of the study program ) and other documents. The accreditation agency shall together after a formal preliminary examination of a team of experts, which is usually made ​​up of professors and students from other universities as well as representatives of professional practice and is accompanied by a speaker or a speaker of the agency in the process. The verifiers based on the self-documentation as well as a usually 2-day celebration at the applicant institution within which discussions with the university management, the program director, students and staff and other stakeholders ( eg, library, administrative staff, student counseling, quality management ) are performed, a report on the study to be accredited program. On this basis, they speak a recommendation for or against the accreditation or accreditation for certain obligations (currently by far the most common case ) from. The university receives this report without the recommendation and may make observations. The so-called Accreditation Commission of the Agency meets on basis of the expert report and the opinion of the university 's decision. If this accreditation decision " without conditions " or the expressed requirements within the deadline met ( eg closure of gaps in regulations), the course of study for a period of time deemed to be accredited. In the case of initial accreditation period shall presently five years in the case of re-accreditation seven years. The third case, the failure of accreditation, is extremely rare (less than one percent of procedures), official statistics are not yet available due to lack of disclosure requirements currently. Furthermore, there is the possibility to suspend the accreditation process for a maximum period of 18 months so the university may make material changes to remedy the shortcomings of the program during this period, to then apply for accreditation again. The whole process of program accreditation (from the filing of the self-documentation to the accreditation decision) extends generally over a period of six to nine months.

Costs

The accreditation of an individual study program will cost between 10,000 and 15,000 euros in the rule. Some accreditation agencies universities can one excipient or Member support association, they then receive a discount on the cost of accreditation, are involved in certain decisions ( eg, selection and appointment of the SAK members) and can in many cases also in discussions on the development the accreditation basics involved. Cost savings can be achieved by the joint accreditation affine programs ( cluster accreditation ).

The costs of accreditation are a hotly debated topic, both the direct costs, ie issued by the appropriate agencies in the relevant charges, and the other through the accreditation process in higher education costs. Also in terms of cost since 2005 alternatives for program accreditation discussed ( accreditation process, accreditation system ).

In states that do not provide additional funding for accreditation, these costs are borne by the facilities for teaching. In what quality improvements are achieved through accreditations is controversial. It can be observed that universities and individual subjects show quite successful accreditations and use it as a marketing tool, this is especially true for private universities. Also arises in the course of the proceedings, particularly in the inspections as part of the initial accreditations, often special attention to questions of teaching and learning, so that in the accreditation process at least a potential impetus for dealing with the quality of teaching and learning can be suspected.

By 2012, more than 360 million Euros were spent for the Accreditation of Study Programmes in Germany.

Substantive criticism

Critics such as the German Association of University Professors put the current accreditation process for " expensive, bureaucratic, slow, inefficient, legally dubious and hostile autonomy ".

Legal criticism

Accreditation is by ensuring that formal minimum standards is documented. It is controversial whether an effective accreditation of a study program already exists when the accreditation process has been run at all, or only if by the process a positive Akkreditat is granted. In addition, readers are reminded that the alignment of accreditation to the minimum requirements but not necessarily an improvement in quality serves.

The compatibility of the accreditation requirement with the Basic Law, in particular Article 5 paragraph 3 and in Article 20, paragraphs 1 and 2 and Article 28 paragraph 1, normalized principle of democracy is doubtful. This is done partly with reference to the so-called Wesentlichkeitstheorie under which such decisions, which are for the general public is essential and usually significantly affecting fundamental rights, must be made by parliamentary legislation. Furthermore, the principle of proportionality is cited as a central argument that the accreditation requirement does not meet the requirements of the Basic Law. The Administrative Court of Arnsberg has submitted the question of the constitutionality of the Federal Constitutional Court.

Institutional accreditation

In addition to the program or system accreditation for study programs offered private colleges must also be accredited by the Science Council as an institution. This is examined in particular whether the college is able to provide teaching and research in accordance with recognized scientific standards. In addition, the facilities of the university are ( technical and manpower ) examined and their financing.

Austria

In Austria an accreditation for study programs at private universities and colleges ( conservators of Fachhochschule courses ) is required. The accreditation process are carried out by the Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation Austria. Each institution needs an institutional accreditation and to all of their courses each operated a program accreditation. While the program accreditation is awarded for an indefinite time and have to reapply only in case of establishment of a new study, institutional accreditation will only be granted for periods of six years (§ 23 and § 24 HS -QSG ).

At private universities accreditation for twelve years, issued after twelve years of existence. At Fachhochschulen ( conservators of Fachhochschule programs) an audit process is after twelve years of existence, each carried out, which is to be repeated after every seven years. Due to the positive conclusion of the audit process that can be carried out by the Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation Austria or any other recognized by the Federal Ministry for Science and Research Agency, the University of Applied Sciences ( the preserver ) continue 23 para 9 HS -QSG is considered accredited ( § ).

State universities are not subject to the accreditation process, but after the university Quality Assurance Act is the internal quality management process to an audit process ( in accordance with § 22 HS -QSG ) to undergo. The Austrian Accreditation Council has repeatedly called for the public to provide for postgraduate courses at state universities an accreditation requirement, but without success.

USA

In the U.S., which are considered the country of origin of accreditation in the field of education, it should be noted that there are two forms of accreditation there. In addition to the usual form in Europe, which is there referred to as National Accreditation exists also the so-called regional Accreditation. As in the United States, neither the Federal Government nor the governments of the individual states have the legal authority, as is common in Europe to recognize a college or high school state, this recognition is performed by the regional accreditation agency responsible for the area of the country. This type of accreditation thus refers not to a single course of study, but to the respective institution as a whole. Most national accreditation agencies in the U.S. require regional accreditation of a university as a prerequisite for the national accreditation of a degree program offered by this institution. Another difference from the situation in Europe is that all American accreditation agencies are organized as non-profit companies.