Accreditation: does it enhance quality?

ABSTRACT

Accreditation, considered to be the one formal mechanism for assessing quality in the postsecondary environment, focuses on determining and encouraging acceptable levels of educational quality. In particular, specialized program accreditation is purported to enhance program quality.This exploratory study used a nationwide mail questionnaire to a stratified random sampling of 100 department heads of the units administering baccalaureate Computer Science programs. The purpose was to gain an understanding of how Computer Science programs and departments were related to selected indicators of faculty and program quality.Several differences and some similarities exist between the accredited and non-accredited groups. The median of the data for each indicator suggested a quality breakpoint to be used in defining two indices. It was found that for each of the two indices, the accredited group outperformed the non-accredited group by thirty percent. The implication is that Computer Science programs that follow accreditation guidelines have the potential for increasing their quality indicators.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.3 COMPUTERS AND EDUCATION
      K.3.m Miscellaneous
          Subjects: Accreditation**

Additional Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.3 COMPUTERS AND EDUCATION
      K.3.2 Computer and Information Science Education
          Subjects: Curriculum; Computer science education

General Terms:
Design, Human Factors