Accreditation Process Guidelines
I Introduction
Cooperative Education, a distinct educational model, has been in existence since 1906, and programs of cooperative education have maintained common, defining features. The introduction of federal support encouraged expansion of cooperative education but resulted in special interests promoting the liberalization of the definition of cooperative education. Subsequently, many models of work-based learning similar to cooperative education emerged. Some of these programs were incorrectly identified as cooperative education.
In 1993, The Attributes of Cooperative Education were drafted to articulate a set of minimum standards for programs of cooperative education. These Attributes were published on the World-Wide Web, and institutions with programs of cooperative education were given the opportunity to formally endorse these Attributes. In 1997 the Cooperative Education Network, made up of representatives from 104 colleges and universities, proposed that a formal accreditation organization for cooperative education be established. The Accreditation Council for Cooperative Education (ACCE) was founded and the following accreditation process is the result of that initiative.
ACCE worked throughout the academic year 1997/98 to develop a process to evaluate programs of cooperative education based on their adherence to the structural model suggested by The Attributes. The accreditation process involves the following steps:
- First, the applicant completes and submits an Accreditation Application. The Application is a self-study instrument based on The Attributes of Cooperative Education.
- Second, a three person Review Team visits the campus of the applicant.
Teams are comprised of cooperative education practitioners who have been specifically trained to conduct site visits. - Third, the Accreditation Review Board (ARB) of ACCE considers the Review Team’s recommendation and votes on granting accreditation.
II Eligibility Requirements
At the time of application, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- The applicant must be a documented subscriber to The Attributes of Cooperative Education Programs.
- The program must have been in continuous operation long enough to have graduated one class of students in the program.
- The program must be housed at a regionally accredited post-secondary institution.
- The application must be accompanied by a check or money order for the (non-refundable) application fee.
III Securing Application and Guidelines
The Application can be downloaded from this web site or by contacting the Secretary of the ACCE Accreditation Review Board. Those who download the Application from the web site are asked to inform the Secretary if they intend to file an Application. General questions about the process shall be addressed to the Secretary.
IV Program Self-Assessment
The Application must be prepared according to instructions. Requested data must come from the academic year immediately prior to the Application's submission. Information provided must be descriptive of procedures and policies in place at the time the Application is submitted.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to complete all portions of the Application and provide the requested documentation. A completed application includes four (4) bound copies (one original and three (3) copies) of:
- Application Form
- Self-Study Report
- Cooperative Education Profile
- Relevant publications
- Affirmation of Facts
- Application fee
V Submitting Application
An Application can be submitted at any time. The original of the completed application is sent to the Secretary of the Accreditation Review Board. It must be mailed in a manner (e.g. US Postal Service - Certified or Federal Express) that requires a signature upon receipt. The three remaining copies of the applications are held by the applicant until instructions are given to forward to review team members. The applications sent to the review team members must be identical to the one sent to the Secretary. These applications must be sent out to review team members within one week of notification of the team’s membership.
VI Application Verification
Applications will be reviewed by the Secretary of the Accreditation Review Board for technical completeness. If not complete, the applicant will be notified by Certified mail that there is a specific omission(s). An application for accreditation will not proceed until the applicant has submitted materials that correct the omission(s). An applicant can voluntarily withdraw from the review process at any time point.
VII Application Timetable
Once an application is submitted, the accreditation process will take approximately nine months. It is possible that the review could take longer than nine months. In such a case the Secretary will keep the applicant informed on the application’s status. In general terms, the process involves the formation of a Review Team, a site visit by the Team, the preparation of a report by the Review Team, and a final determination on granting accreditation by the Accreditation Review Board (ARB).
VIII Accreditation Review Team
Review teams consist of three members and are comprised of members of the ARB and other qualified and trained reviewers as stated in the Bylaws of the Accreditation Council for Cooperative Education (http://www.co-opaccredition.org). The chairperson of a review team shall be a member of ARB. The Secretary of the ARB, in consultation with the President of ACCE and the Chair of the ARB designate team chairpersons. The Secretary and the Review Team Chair determine the remaining members of the team. Once a review team is formed and assigned, the applicant shall be instructed to mail its application to the team members.
Review Team members will be required to certify in writing that no conflict
of interest exists in their review of the applicant institution. Conflict
of interest shall be deemed to exist if a member of the review team has
had any personal and/or professional relationship that could bias an
objective review and assessment or lead to a perceived conflict of interest
in the accreditation process.
The Review Team Chair will be responsible for organizing and coordinating
the team’s activities. This includes organizing the review of the
application and accompanying documentation as well as contacting the
applicant to make arrangements for the site visit. All reviews are to
be conducted relative to the published criteria for accreditation. Should
questions arise about the application, the Review Team Chair shall contact
the applicant for clarification or additional information. In addition,
prior to or during the site visit the Secretary can be contacted for
assistance either by the Review Team Chair or the applicant. In general,
the program review and the site visit shall be conducted in accordance
to the “Review and On-Site Visit Guidelines”. This document
will be made available to the review teams and the applicant prior to
the site visit.
IX Accreditation Review Board Membership and Responsibilites
The purpose of the ARB is to act as ACCE’s final accreditation granting authority. In the process, the ARB will consider the Review Team recommendations for accreditation and approve or disapprove the request for accreditation. The Board is comprised of fourteen (14) members: one (1) Chairperson, one (1) Secretary, and twelve (12) Board members. The Chair is an elected member of the ACCE Board of Trustees. The Secretary and the twelve members are appointed by the Board of Trustees. All ARB members except the Chair and the Secretary have voting privileges. The Chair is permitted to vote only in the event of a tie vote of the Accreditation Review Board,
ARB members will be required to excuse themselves from relevant review responsibilities should the cooperative education program of their institution submit an application. ARB members may not serve as independent consultants to any program that will be reviewed during their term on the Accreditation Review Board. Moreover, ARB members may not review, evaluate, or vote on the accreditation for any school or program with which they may have been significantly affiliated within the past five years. Disqualifying degree of affiliation are determined by the ACCE Board.
X Length and Notification of Accreditation
The Accreditation Review Board has the sole authority to grant accreditation.
This recognition is awarded when a program is judged to be in substantial
compliance with
In instances where the ARB determines that the applicant is just short of demonstrating substantial compliance with The Attributes, the ARB may place the applicant under “deferred consideration”. The decision to defer accreditation indicates that the applicant does not currently meet accreditation standards but has demonstrated sufficient evidence to indicate that the changes and adjustments needed to achieve substantial compliance are achievable within one year of the ARB’s initial review and decision. The ARB shall provide specific instructions to the applicant indicating the documentation necessary to show that the necessary changes and adjustments have been made.
The Chair of the ARB will send a letter to each applicant that announces the outcome of the ARB decision regarding accreditation. This letter will be sent within 30 days of when the ARB meets to consider review team recommendations and vote on granting accreditation.
The accreditation period begins upon receipt of the notification letter and extends to December 31 of the sixth year. For example, a six-year accreditation granted on October 1, 2002 will expire, unless a program is reaccredited, on December 31, 2008. A $100 yearly accreditation is fee is charged.
XI Appeals
An applicant may appeal an adverse decision of the Accreditation Review Board if the applicant believes that the decision was based on factual errors or an incorrect interpretation of the applicant’s compliance with The Attributes of Cooperative Education Programs. An applicant initiating an appeal will retain its current accreditation status until the appeal process is completed.
An applicant who wishes to appeal, hereafter known as the Appellant, must submit a written Request for Appellate Hearing to the Chair of the Accreditation Review Board within 30 days of notification of the adverse decision. The request shall state the basis of the appeal, specifying how the decision was based on erroneous fact or interpretation of Attributes. Specific citations and supporting documentation as well as any other available evidence should be included. The request shall include an agreement that the Appellant shall bear all costs as described in the financial section of this document.
Within 30 days of receipt of the Request for Appellate Hearing, the Chair of the Accreditation Review Board shall provide the Appellant six names and brief biographical sketches of impartial persons. Each of the six persons shall have agreed to serve on the Appellate Hearing Panel, and to refrain from discussion of the matter with anyone. Members of the Accreditation Review Board or ACCE Board are not eligible for this duty.
Within 30 days of receipt of the list, the Appellant shall select three persons from the list and shall send written notification of the selections to the Chair of the Accreditation Review Board.
Within 10 days of receipt of the three names selected, the Chair of the Accreditation Review Board will notify the three selected panel members, who shall comprise the Appellate Hearing Panel.
Within 30 days of notification of their service on the Appellate Hearing Panel, the Panel members will select one of their members as chair. The newly selected Chair of the Appellate Hearing Panel shall notify the Chair of the Accreditation Review Board, who shall notify the Appellant and the ACCE Board of the names of the Appellate Hearing Panel and the selected chair of that panel.
Within 60 days of selection, the Panel Chair shall, in conjunction with the Appellant, determine the date and logistics of the Appellate Hearing. The Panel Chair shall then formally notify the Appellant, the Panel, and the Chair of the Accreditation Review Board of the arrangements for the hearing. The hearing must be held within 90 days of the selection of the Chair of the Panel.
The Chair of the Accreditation Review Board shall provide each Panel member with (1) a copy of the Request for Appellate Hearing that states the grounds for the appeal, (2) a copy of the Appellant’s Accreditation Application, (3) a copy of the Review Team’s reports, findings, recommendations, and all other records pertaining to the accreditation review, (4) copies of all correspondence among the Accreditation Review Board, the Chair of the Accreditation Review Board, and the Appellant as it relates or may relate to the accreditation review, the recommendation for withholding accreditation, or the appeal.
The Chair of the Appellate Hearing Panel shall conduct the hearing in accordance with the procedures developed by that panel. The procedures adopted must include the right of the Appellant to request an open or closed hearing, to present oral and documentary evidence, to cross-examine witnesses, and to present oral argument within the time limits prescribed by the Chair. The procedures must also include the right of members of the Review-Team to appear before the panel if requested to do so by either the Appellant, the Chair of the Accreditation Review Board, or the Panel. The Chair shall notify both the Appellant and the Chair of the Accreditation Review Board of the hearing procedures as adopted by the Panel at least one month prior to the scheduled date.
The final recommendation of the Appellate Hearing Panel shall be written and shall include findings of fact leading to its conclusion and shall be submitted within one month of completion of the hearing to the Chair of the Accreditation Review Board. The Accreditation Review Board and the Appellant shall be bound by the final recommendation of the Appellate Hearing Panel. If the Panel recommends that the Appellant be granted accreditation, then the Chair of the Accreditation Review Board immediately informs the ACCE Board of the final recommendation. The ACCE Board shall notify the Appellant of the decision.
XII Publicity Guidelines for Programs Listed in the ACCE Directory of Accredited Programs
The Accreditation Review Board receives its mandate and authority as a specialized accrediting agency to accredit cooperative education programs from ACCE. ACCE supports the desire of member programs to publicize inclusion of their cooperative education programs in the Directory of Accredited Programs that are in conformity with The Attributes of Cooperative Education Programs.
ACCE programs receiving accreditation and wishing to cite their program’s inclusion in the Directory of Accredited Programs in catalogs, official school publications and brochures should choose among the following phrases:
- “The (Name of Institution) cooperative education program is accredited by the Accreditation Review Board of the Accreditation Council for Cooperative Education, and is listed in the Directory of Accredited Programs in conformity with Attributes of Cooperative Education Programs.”
- “The (Name of Institution) cooperative education program is an ACCE accredited program.”
- “The (Name of Institution) cooperative education program appears in the ACCE Directory of Accredited Programs in conformity with accepted Attributes of Cooperative Education Programs.”
- “The (Name of Institution) cooperative education program is an ACCE accredited degree program.”
Any program found to be misrepresenting its accredited status, through public statements or in documents, will be directed by the ACCE to take appropriate steps to correct these errors and to notify the ACCE Board when public corrections have occurred.
If the ACCE is notified of a non-accredited member program using language to publicize its program in such a way that “accredited status” is implied but not directly stated, the President of the ACCE Board will direct the program to take appropriate steps to correct the misleading language and then notify the President of the ACCE Board when public corrections have occurred.
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XIII Dissemination of Information on Accreditation Activities
In addition to activities outlined above, the Publicity Committee is responsible for the dissemination of information on accreditation activities. To accomplish this, the Publicity Committee will:
- Keep current the Directory of Accredited Programs for ACCE member programs, practitioner groups, employers and other interested parties.
- File an Annual Report with the ACCE Board, listing those programs that have been granted accreditation, the length of accreditation, and identify those programs, which voluntarily withdrew or were denied accreditation. This Annual Report will be included in the minutes of the meeting and distributed to ACCE affiliated programs and available to the public upon request.
- Submit an Annual Report to the ACCE Board on the status of the accreditation process identifying substantive trends and developments regarding cooperative education. This report will be sent to ACCE member programs, practitioners and other interested parties.