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Higher education administrators' perceptions of the Academic Quality Improvement Project as compared to the Program to Evaluate and Advance Quality within the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

McDonough, Jennifer Nobles
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1333129303

Abstract Details

2012, PHD, Kent State University, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration.
The purpose of this study was to examine higher education administrators’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the Academic Quality Improvement Project (AQIP) as compared to the Program to Evaluate and Advance Quality (PEAQ) within the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA). The Higher Learning Commission (HLC), a commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Internal and external constituents pressure institutions of higher education to continuously account for and examine their processes, goals, and outcomes. Accreditation allows institutions to address their constituents by conducting self-assessments and receive critical peer evaluations through non-governmental agencies. These self-assessments and peer evaluations enable institutions to better understand and communicate institutional objectives and processes while continually engaging in institutional strategic planning. NCA member institutions currently holding an accredited status following AQIP and institutions following PEAQ were surveyed to determine comparisons between the processes, stakeholder involvement, effect on strategic planning, effect on academic quality, and outcomes. As of August 28, 2008, the total number of AQIP and PEAQ institutions accredited within the NCA through the HLC was confirmed by Lil Nakutis, Information Management Coordinator at the HLC to be 190 AQIP and 819 PEAQ. The 190 AQIP institutions represent all the traditional classifications of higher education institutions with varying enrollments comparable to the PEAQ accredited institutions in the NCA. There are currently several hundred PEAQ accredited member institutions of the NCA. Of the PEAQ institutions, a stratified random sample of 190 institutions was selected. The survey sample was comprised of college or university presidents or other higher education administrators who either oversaw or were directly affiliated with the accreditation process at the AQIP and the PEAQ institutions. The letter of consent asked these institutional leaders to participate or to forward the survey link onto the individual on their campus that could best respond to the survey questions. A web-based survey was developed to gauge the participants’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the accreditation processes as it pertains to stakeholder involvement, continuous quality improvement of institutional operations and programs, and impact on institutional strategic planning. Descriptive statistics were run to compare means and standard deviations. A t-test was run to determine if there were statistically significant differences between administrators’ perceptions of the AQIP processes and impact on continuous quality improvement as compared to those processes and impacts of PEAQ. While no statistically significant differences existed between administrators’ perceptions, the results provided evidence that administrators at institutions within the NCA do perceive the overall regional accreditation process on their campus to be effective regardless of the type of accreditation used by their institution.
Mark Kretovics, PhD (Committee Co-Chair)
Martha Merrill, PhD (Committee Co-Chair)
Gaston Paul, PhD (Committee Member)
139 p.
Higher Education Administration
accreditation; AQIP; Higher Learning Commission

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • McDonough, J. N. (2012). Higher education administrators' perceptions of the Academic Quality Improvement Project as compared to the Program to Evaluate and Advance Quality within the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools [Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1333129303

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • McDonough, Jennifer. Higher education administrators' perceptions of the Academic Quality Improvement Project as compared to the Program to Evaluate and Advance Quality within the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. 2012. Kent State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1333129303.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • McDonough, Jennifer. "Higher education administrators' perceptions of the Academic Quality Improvement Project as compared to the Program to Evaluate and Advance Quality within the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools." Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1333129303

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

kent1333129303
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© 2012, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.