Accreditation Standards Related to Institutional Effectiveness

When Northwest Accreditation Association last evaluated Dixie College in 1992, the following was their first recommendation: "It is strongly recommended that the college move immedately and aggressively to develop and implement an institution wide quality assurance/institutional effectiveness program. The college is clearly not fully in compliance with standard I." Following are accreditation standards related to institutional effectiveness.

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Standard One: Institutional Mission, Goals, Planning and Effectiveness Standard Five: Educational Program and Its Effectiveness

Standard 1.A - Mission and Goals

Standard 5.A - General Requirements

Standard 1.B - Planning and Effectiveness

Standard 5.B - Education Program Planning and Assessment

Standard 5.C - Undergraduate Program

Supporting Documentation for Standard One

Supporting Documentation for Standard Five

NORTHWEST ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES COMMISSION ON COLLEGES

Revised December 7-8, 1995

STANDARD ONE

INSTITUTIONAL MISSION, GOALS, PLANNING AND EFFECTIVENESS

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See Dixie College's Mission Statement.

STANDARD 1.A - MISSION AND GOALS
The institution's mission and goals define the institution, including its educational activities, its student body and its role within the higher education community. The evaluation proceeds from the institution's own definition of its mission and goals. Such evaluation is to determine the extent to which the mission and goals are achieved and are consistent with the Commission's eligibility requirements and standards.

1.A. 1 The institution's mission and goals derive from, or are widely understood by, the campus community, are adopted by the governing board, and are periodically reexamined.
1.A.2 The mission, as adopted by the governing board, appears in appropriate institutional publications, including the catalog.
1.A.3 Progress in accomplishing the institution's mission and goals is documented and made public.
1.A.4 Goals are determined consistent with the institution's mission and its resources - human, physical, and financial.
1.A.5 The institution's mission and goals give direction to all its educational activities, to its admission policies, selection of faculty, allocation of resources, and to planning.
1.A.6 Public service is consistent with the educational mission and goals of the institution.
1.A.7 The institution reviews with the Commission, contemplated changes that would alter its mission, autonomy, ownership or locus of control, or to offer a degree at a higher level than is included 'm its present accreditation, or other changes that are in accordance with Commission Policy 3 - Substantive C7zange, Accreditation Handbook, pages xxx-xxx.

Emphasis on planning, self-analysis, and assessment.
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See Department or Unit Outcomes.

STANDARD 1.B - PLANNING AND EFFECTIVENESS
The institution engages in ongoing planning to achieve its mission and goals. It also evaluates how well and in what ways, it is accomplishing its mission and goals and uses the results for broad-based, continuous planning and evaluation. Through its planning process, the institution asks questions, seeks answers, analyzes itself, and revises its goals, policies, procedures and resource allocation.

1.B. 1 The institution clearly defines its evaluation and planning processes. It develops and implements procedures to evaluate the extent to which it achieves institutional goals.
1.B.2 The institution engages in systematic planning for and evaluation of its activities, including teaching, research, and public service consistent with institutional mission and goals.
1.B.3 The planning process is participatory involving constituencies appropriate to the institution such as board members, administrators, faculty, staff, students and other interested parties.
1.B.4 The institution uses the results of its systematic evaluation activities and ongoing planning processes to influence resource allocation and to improve its instructional programs, institutional services and activities.
l.B.5 The institution integrates its evaluation and planning processes to identify institutional priorities for improvement.
1.B.6 The institution provides the necessary resources for effective evaluation and planning processes.
1.B.7 Institutional research is integrated with and supportive of institutional evaluation and planning.
1.B. 8 The institution systematically reviews its institutional research efforts, its evaluation processes, and its planning activities to document their effectiveness.
1.B.9 The institution uses information from its planning and evaluation processes to communicate evidence of institutional effectiveness to its public.

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SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION FOR STANDARD ONE - INSTITUTIONAL MISSION, GOALS, PLANNING AND EFFECTIVENESS.
Required:

Official statement of the institutional mission: Indicate how and when it was developed, approved, and communicated to the institution's constituencies.
Evidence that demonstrates the analysis and appraisal of institutional outcomes.

Examples may include:

annual goals and assessment of success in their accomplishments;
studies of alumni and former students;
studies regarding effectiveness of programs and their graduates;
studies that indicate degree of success in placing graduates;
test comparisons that reveal beginning and ending competencies;
surveys of satisfaction - students, alumni and employees.

Required Exhibits:

Institutional short term, strategic or long term plans. Includes system master plans when applicable.

Suggested:

Planning studies, including enrollment history for the past five years, enrollment projections, program need analyses, personnel availability data, development possibilities and other products of institutional research.

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NORTHWEST ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES COMMISSION ON COLLEGES

Revised March 7-8, 1996

Emphasis on excellence within individual academic programs. This standard corresponds to year two, when we established statement of intended outcomes.
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STANDARD FIVE

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS
STANDARD 5.A - GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
The institution offers collegiate level programs that culminate in identified student competencies and lead to degrees or certificates in recognized fields of study. The achievement and maintenance of high quality programs is the primary responsibility of an accredited institution; hence, the evaluation of educational programs and their continuous improvement is an ongoing responsibility. As conditions and needs change, the institution continually redefines for itself the elements that result in educational programs of high quality.

5.A.1 The institution demonstrates its commitment to high standards of teaching and learning by providing sufficient human, physical, and financial resources to support its educational programs and to facilitate student achievement of program objectives whenever and however they are offered.
5.A.2 The goals of the institution's educational programs, whenever and however offered, including instructional policies, methods, and delivery systems, are compatible with the institution's mission. They are developed, approved, and periodically evaluated under established institutional policies and procedures through a clearly defined process.
5.A.3 Degree and certificate programs demonstrate a coherent design; are characterized by appropriate breadth, depth, sequencing of courses, synthesis of learning and the assessment of learning outcomes; and require the use of library and other information sources.
5.A.4 The institution uses degree designators consistent with program content. In each field of study or technical program, degree objectives are clearly defined: the content to be covered, the intellectual skills, creative capabilities, and methods of inquiry to be acquired; and, if applicable, the specific career-preparation competencies to be mastered.
5.A.5 The institution provides evidence that students enrolled in programs offered in concentrated or abbreviated time frames demonstrate mastery of program goals and course objectives.
5.A.6 The institution is able to equate its learning experiences with semester or quarter credit hours using practices common to institutions of higher education, to justify the lengths of its programs in comparison to similar programs found in regionally accredited institutions of higher education, and to justify any program-specific tuition in terms of program costs, program length, and program objectives.
5.A.7 Responsibility for design, approval, and implementation of the curriculum is vested in designated institutional bodies with clearly established channels of communication and control. The faculty has a major role and responsibility in the design, integrity and implementation of the curriculum.
5.A.8 Faculty, in partnership with library and information resources personnel, ensure that the use of library and information resources are integrated into the learning process.
5.A.9 The institution's curriculum (programs and courses) is planned both for optimal learning and accessible scheduling.
5. A. 10 Credit for prior experiential learning is awarded only in accordance with Commission Policy 13 - Credit for Prior Experiential Learning, pages xxx-xxx.
5.A.11 Policies, regulations and procedures for additions and deletions of courses or programs are systematically and periodically reviewed.
5. A. 12 In the event of program elimination or significant change in requirements, institutional policy requires appropriate arrangements to be made for enrolled students to complete their program in a timely manner and with a minimum of disruption.

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STANDARD 5.B - EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM PLANNING AND ASSESSMENT
Educational program planning is based on regular and continuous assessment of programs in the light of the needs of the disciplines, the fields or occupations for which programs prepare students, and other constituencies of the institution.

5.B.1 The institution's processes for assessing its educational programs are clearly defined, encompass all of its offerings, are conducted on a regular basis, and are integrated into the overall planning and evaluation plan. These processes are consistent with the institution's assessment plan as required by Commission Policy 25 - Educational Assessment, Accreditation Handbook, pages xx-xx. While key constituents are involved in the process, the faculty have a central role in planning and evaluating the educational programs.
5.B.2 The institution identifies and publishes the expected learning outcomes for each of its degree and certificate programs. Through regular and systematic assessment, it demonstrates that students who complete their programs, no matter where or how offered, have achieved these outcomes.
5.B.3 The institution provides evidence that its assessment activities lead to the improvement of teaching and learning.

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STANDARD 5.C - UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM
The undergraduate program is designed to provide students with a substantial, coherent, articulated exposure to the broad domains of knowledge.
The Commission encourages a tripartite structure for baccalaureate and academic or transfer associate degree programs: (1) general education requires students to master competencies for independent learning and to develop an awareness of the fundamental areas of knowledge; (2) the major requires students to achieve a knowledge base in a specific area of concentration; and (3) electives provides the opportunity for students to pursue other intellectual interests.
The instructional program, as a whole. is based on a clear rationale with the component parts designed to reflect that rationale. Degree and certificate programs are characterized by clarity and order which are discernible in model curricula shown in official publications and are recorded in official student records of actual programs pursued.
Baccalaureate and academic or transfer associate degree programs include a substantial core of general education instruction with identifiable outcomes and require competence in (a) written and oral communication, (b) quantitative reasoning, (c) critical analysis and logical thinking, and (d) literacy in the discourse or technology appropriate to the program of study.
Associate degree programs are designed to prepare students for careers in vocational and technical fields, and for transfer to a senior institution. Accordingly, the educational requirements for these degrees must be carefully determined in order to fulfill their respective purposes.
Programs of study for which applied or specialized associate degrees are granted, or programs of an academic year or more in length for which certificates are granted, contain a recognizable body of instruction in three program-related areas: (1) communication, (2) computation, and (3) human relations described in Commission Policy 15 - General Education/Related Instruction Requirements, Accreditation Handbook, page xx.

5.C. 1 The institution requires of all its degree and pre-baccalaureate programs a component of general education and/or related instruction that is published in its general catalog in clear and complete terms.
5.C.2 The general education component of the institution's degree programs is based on a rationale that is clearly articulated and is published in clear and complete terms in the catalog. It provides the criteria by which the relevance of each course to the general education component is evaluated.
5.C.3 The general education program offerings include the humanities and fine arts, the natural sciences, mathematics, and the social sciences. The program may also include courses that focus on the interrelationships between these major fields of study.
5.C.4 The institution's policies for the transfer and acceptance of credit are clearly articulated. In accepting transfer credits to fulfill degree requirements, the institution ensures that the credits accepted are comparable to its own courses. Where patterns of transfer from other institutions are established, efforts to formulate articulation agreements are demonstrated.
5.C.5 The institution designs and maintains effective academic advising programs to meet student needs for information and advice, and adequately informs and prepares faculty and other personnel responsible for the advising functions
5.C.6 Whenever developmental or remedial work is required for admission to the institution or any of its programs. clear policies govern the procedures that are followed, including such matters as "ability to benefit," permissible student load, and granting of credit. When such courses are granted credit, students are informed of the institution's policy of whether or not the credits apply toward a degree. (See Glossary, "Ability to Benefit," page xxx.)
5.C.7 The institution's faculty is adequate for the educational levels offered, including full-time faculty representing each field in which it offers major work.

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SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION FOR STANDARD FIVE - EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS
Required:

Instruments and procedures used to measure educational program effectiveness.
Inventory of documents that demonstrate the appraisal of educational program outcomes. The documents are to be available on campus for examination by the evaluation committee. Examples may include:

annual goals and assessment of success in their accomplishment;
studies of alumni and former students;
studies regarding effectiveness of programs and their graduates;
test comparisons that reveal beginning and ending competencies;
surveys of student satisfaction.

Inventory of degree programs that have been added or deleted in the last five years.
Number of degrees granted in each program for the last three years.
Published statements or other written rationale for the general education program.

Required Exhibits:

Statement of degree objectives for each degree program.
Description of curriculum-development bodies and advisory groups, with rules of procedure and recent minutes.
Complete departmental or program self-studies if prepared for part of this self-study.
Evaluation forms and summary reports of student evaluations of faculty and courses.
Self-study and evaluation committee reports from external reviews and the most recent professional accreditation visits and documentation of resulting actions.
Criteria and procedures for admission and retention of students. maintenance of student records, and awarding of credit, including credit for prior experiential learning.
Policies regarding transfer of credit, including articulation agreements with other institutions.
Policies regarding remedial work.
Description of materials and forms used in the academic advisement process.
Grade distribution studies.
Policies governing public service.

Suggested:

Compilation of entering Freshman student ability measures.
Samples of course examinations and other instruments used to assess student achievement or competency and, when possible, available work products determined to be of different levels of quality.
Funds devoted to research, if applicable, for each of the past three years; principal sources of such funds.

E-Mail: Email to Joe Peterson, Institutional Effectiveness at Dixie College, peterson@dixie.edu

URL: /effective/toc.htm
Saturday, August 31, 1996

Standard One: Institutional Mission, Goals, Planning and Effectiveness	Standard Five: Educational Program and Its Effectiveness
Standard 1.A - Mission and Goals	Standard 5.A - General Requirements
Standard 1.B - Planning and Effectiveness	Standard 5.B - Education Program Planning and Assessment
	Standard 5.C - Undergraduate Program
Supporting Documentation for Standard One	Supporting Documentation for Standard Five

	NORTHWEST ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES COMMISSION ON COLLEGES Revised December 7-8, 1995
	STANDARD ONE INSTITUTIONAL MISSION, GOALS, PLANNING AND EFFECTIVENESS
Return to top. See Dixie College's Mission Statement.	STANDARD 1.A - MISSION AND GOALS The institution's mission and goals define the institution, including its educational activities, its student body and its role within the higher education community. The evaluation proceeds from the institution's own definition of its mission and goals. Such evaluation is to determine the extent to which the mission and goals are achieved and are consistent with the Commission's eligibility requirements and standards.
	1.A. 1 The institution's mission and goals derive from, or are widely understood by, the campus community, are adopted by the governing board, and are periodically reexamined. 1.A.2 The mission, as adopted by the governing board, appears in appropriate institutional publications, including the catalog. 1.A.3 Progress in accomplishing the institution's mission and goals is documented and made public. 1.A.4 Goals are determined consistent with the institution's mission and its resources - human, physical, and financial. 1.A.5 The institution's mission and goals give direction to all its educational activities, to its admission policies, selection of faculty, allocation of resources, and to planning. 1.A.6 Public service is consistent with the educational mission and goals of the institution. 1.A.7 The institution reviews with the Commission, contemplated changes that would alter its mission, autonomy, ownership or locus of control, or to offer a degree at a higher level than is included 'm its present accreditation, or other changes that are in accordance with Commission Policy 3 - Substantive C7zange, Accreditation Handbook, pages xxx-xxx.
Emphasis on planning, self-analysis, and assessment. Return to top. See Department or Unit Outcomes.	STANDARD 1.B - PLANNING AND EFFECTIVENESS The institution engages in ongoing planning to achieve its mission and goals. It also evaluates how well and in what ways, it is accomplishing its mission and goals and uses the results for broad-based, continuous planning and evaluation. Through its planning process, the institution asks questions, seeks answers, analyzes itself, and revises its goals, policies, procedures and resource allocation.
	1.B. 1 The institution clearly defines its evaluation and planning processes. It develops and implements procedures to evaluate the extent to which it achieves institutional goals. 1.B.2 The institution engages in systematic planning for and evaluation of its activities, including teaching, research, and public service consistent with institutional mission and goals. 1.B.3 The planning process is participatory involving constituencies appropriate to the institution such as board members, administrators, faculty, staff, students and other interested parties. 1.B.4 The institution uses the results of its systematic evaluation activities and ongoing planning processes to influence resource allocation and to improve its instructional programs, institutional services and activities. l.B.5 The institution integrates its evaluation and planning processes to identify institutional priorities for improvement. 1.B.6 The institution provides the necessary resources for effective evaluation and planning processes. 1.B.7 Institutional research is integrated with and supportive of institutional evaluation and planning. 1.B. 8 The institution systematically reviews its institutional research efforts, its evaluation processes, and its planning activities to document their effectiveness. 1.B.9 The institution uses information from its planning and evaluation processes to communicate evidence of institutional effectiveness to its public.
Return to top.	SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION FOR STANDARD ONE - INSTITUTIONAL MISSION, GOALS, PLANNING AND EFFECTIVENESS. Required:
	Official statement of the institutional mission: Indicate how and when it was developed, approved, and communicated to the institution's constituencies. Evidence that demonstrates the analysis and appraisal of institutional outcomes. Examples may include: annual goals and assessment of success in their accomplishments; studies of alumni and former students; studies regarding effectiveness of programs and their graduates; studies that indicate degree of success in placing graduates; test comparisons that reveal beginning and ending competencies; surveys of satisfaction - students, alumni and employees.
	Required Exhibits: Institutional short term, strategic or long term plans. Includes system master plans when applicable. Suggested: Planning studies, including enrollment history for the past five years, enrollment projections, program need analyses, personnel availability data, development possibilities and other products of institutional research.
Return to top.	NORTHWEST ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES COMMISSION ON COLLEGES Revised March 7-8, 1996
Emphasis on excellence within individual academic programs. This standard corresponds to year two, when we established statement of intended outcomes. Return to top.	STANDARD FIVE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS STANDARD 5.A - GENERAL REQUIREMENTS The institution offers collegiate level programs that culminate in identified student competencies and lead to degrees or certificates in recognized fields of study. The achievement and maintenance of high quality programs is the primary responsibility of an accredited institution; hence, the evaluation of educational programs and their continuous improvement is an ongoing responsibility. As conditions and needs change, the institution continually redefines for itself the elements that result in educational programs of high quality.
	5.A.1 The institution demonstrates its commitment to high standards of teaching and learning by providing sufficient human, physical, and financial resources to support its educational programs and to facilitate student achievement of program objectives whenever and however they are offered. 5.A.2 The goals of the institution's educational programs, whenever and however offered, including instructional policies, methods, and delivery systems, are compatible with the institution's mission. They are developed, approved, and periodically evaluated under established institutional policies and procedures through a clearly defined process. 5.A.3 Degree and certificate programs demonstrate a coherent design; are characterized by appropriate breadth, depth, sequencing of courses, synthesis of learning and the assessment of learning outcomes; and require the use of library and other information sources. 5.A.4 The institution uses degree designators consistent with program content. In each field of study or technical program, degree objectives are clearly defined: the content to be covered, the intellectual skills, creative capabilities, and methods of inquiry to be acquired; and, if applicable, the specific career-preparation competencies to be mastered. 5.A.5 The institution provides evidence that students enrolled in programs offered in concentrated or abbreviated time frames demonstrate mastery of program goals and course objectives. 5.A.6 The institution is able to equate its learning experiences with semester or quarter credit hours using practices common to institutions of higher education, to justify the lengths of its programs in comparison to similar programs found in regionally accredited institutions of higher education, and to justify any program-specific tuition in terms of program costs, program length, and program objectives. 5.A.7 Responsibility for design, approval, and implementation of the curriculum is vested in designated institutional bodies with clearly established channels of communication and control. The faculty has a major role and responsibility in the design, integrity and implementation of the curriculum. 5.A.8 Faculty, in partnership with library and information resources personnel, ensure that the use of library and information resources are integrated into the learning process. 5.A.9 The institution's curriculum (programs and courses) is planned both for optimal learning and accessible scheduling. 5. A. 10 Credit for prior experiential learning is awarded only in accordance with Commission Policy 13 - Credit for Prior Experiential Learning, pages xxx-xxx. 5.A.11 Policies, regulations and procedures for additions and deletions of courses or programs are systematically and periodically reviewed. 5. A. 12 In the event of program elimination or significant change in requirements, institutional policy requires appropriate arrangements to be made for enrolled students to complete their program in a timely manner and with a minimum of disruption.
Return to top.	STANDARD 5.B - EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM PLANNING AND ASSESSMENT Educational program planning is based on regular and continuous assessment of programs in the light of the needs of the disciplines, the fields or occupations for which programs prepare students, and other constituencies of the institution.
	5.B.1 The institution's processes for assessing its educational programs are clearly defined, encompass all of its offerings, are conducted on a regular basis, and are integrated into the overall planning and evaluation plan. These processes are consistent with the institution's assessment plan as required by Commission Policy 25 - Educational Assessment, Accreditation Handbook, pages xx-xx. While key constituents are involved in the process, the faculty have a central role in planning and evaluating the educational programs. 5.B.2 The institution identifies and publishes the expected learning outcomes for each of its degree and certificate programs. Through regular and systematic assessment, it demonstrates that students who complete their programs, no matter where or how offered, have achieved these outcomes. 5.B.3 The institution provides evidence that its assessment activities lead to the improvement of teaching and learning.
Return to top.	STANDARD 5.C - UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM The undergraduate program is designed to provide students with a substantial, coherent, articulated exposure to the broad domains of knowledge. The Commission encourages a tripartite structure for baccalaureate and academic or transfer associate degree programs: (1) general education requires students to master competencies for independent learning and to develop an awareness of the fundamental areas of knowledge; (2) the major requires students to achieve a knowledge base in a specific area of concentration; and (3) electives provides the opportunity for students to pursue other intellectual interests. The instructional program, as a whole. is based on a clear rationale with the component parts designed to reflect that rationale. Degree and certificate programs are characterized by clarity and order which are discernible in model curricula shown in official publications and are recorded in official student records of actual programs pursued. Baccalaureate and academic or transfer associate degree programs include a substantial core of general education instruction with identifiable outcomes and require competence in (a) written and oral communication, (b) quantitative reasoning, (c) critical analysis and logical thinking, and (d) literacy in the discourse or technology appropriate to the program of study. Associate degree programs are designed to prepare students for careers in vocational and technical fields, and for transfer to a senior institution. Accordingly, the educational requirements for these degrees must be carefully determined in order to fulfill their respective purposes. Programs of study for which applied or specialized associate degrees are granted, or programs of an academic year or more in length for which certificates are granted, contain a recognizable body of instruction in three program-related areas: (1) communication, (2) computation, and (3) human relations described in Commission Policy 15 - General Education/Related Instruction Requirements, Accreditation Handbook, page xx.
	5.C. 1 The institution requires of all its degree and pre-baccalaureate programs a component of general education and/or related instruction that is published in its general catalog in clear and complete terms. 5.C.2 The general education component of the institution's degree programs is based on a rationale that is clearly articulated and is published in clear and complete terms in the catalog. It provides the criteria by which the relevance of each course to the general education component is evaluated. 5.C.3 The general education program offerings include the humanities and fine arts, the natural sciences, mathematics, and the social sciences. The program may also include courses that focus on the interrelationships between these major fields of study. 5.C.4 The institution's policies for the transfer and acceptance of credit are clearly articulated. In accepting transfer credits to fulfill degree requirements, the institution ensures that the credits accepted are comparable to its own courses. Where patterns of transfer from other institutions are established, efforts to formulate articulation agreements are demonstrated. 5.C.5 The institution designs and maintains effective academic advising programs to meet student needs for information and advice, and adequately informs and prepares faculty and other personnel responsible for the advising functions 5.C.6 Whenever developmental or remedial work is required for admission to the institution or any of its programs. clear policies govern the procedures that are followed, including such matters as "ability to benefit," permissible student load, and granting of credit. When such courses are granted credit, students are informed of the institution's policy of whether or not the credits apply toward a degree. (See Glossary, "Ability to Benefit," page xxx.) 5.C.7 The institution's faculty is adequate for the educational levels offered, including full-time faculty representing each field in which it offers major work.
Return to top.	SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION FOR STANDARD FIVE - EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS Required: Instruments and procedures used to measure educational program effectiveness. Inventory of documents that demonstrate the appraisal of educational program outcomes. The documents are to be available on campus for examination by the evaluation committee. Examples may include: annual goals and assessment of success in their accomplishment; studies of alumni and former students; studies regarding effectiveness of programs and their graduates; test comparisons that reveal beginning and ending competencies; surveys of student satisfaction. Inventory of degree programs that have been added or deleted in the last five years. Number of degrees granted in each program for the last three years. Published statements or other written rationale for the general education program.
	Required Exhibits: Statement of degree objectives for each degree program. Description of curriculum-development bodies and advisory groups, with rules of procedure and recent minutes. Complete departmental or program self-studies if prepared for part of this self-study. Evaluation forms and summary reports of student evaluations of faculty and courses. Self-study and evaluation committee reports from external reviews and the most recent professional accreditation visits and documentation of resulting actions. Criteria and procedures for admission and retention of students. maintenance of student records, and awarding of credit, including credit for prior experiential learning. Policies regarding transfer of credit, including articulation agreements with other institutions. Policies regarding remedial work. Description of materials and forms used in the academic advisement process. Grade distribution studies. Policies governing public service.
	Suggested: Compilation of entering Freshman student ability measures. Samples of course examinations and other instruments used to assess student achievement or competency and, when possible, available work products determined to be of different levels of quality. Funds devoted to research, if applicable, for each of the past three years; principal sources of such funds.