CHEA Publications

Presidential Guidelines

Inside Accreditation

2008 Conference Presentations

CHEA Fact Sheets

Condition of Accreditation

Overview of Accreditation

Accreditation and Recognition in the U.S.

CHEA Monograph Series

Letters from the President

CHEA Chronicle

Advisory Statements

Occasional Papers

Other Publications,
Meeting Summaries

Research Resource Links

Presidential Guidelines Series
A new series of publications highlighting the importance of presidential leadership and engagement in accreditation.

• Presidential Guideline Series, Vol. 1-6
  Developed during 2006-2007 as means to further engage presidents in the work of accreditation and to offer tools for presidential leadership in this important area, the six individual Guidelines, each addressing a vital dimension of the president–accreditation relationship, are now available in this single document. (pdf) (December 2007)
• Presidential Leadership and Accreditation  Volume 1
  The importance of presidential leadership and engagement to the success of accreditation. (September 2006)
• Presidential Leadership  Volume 2
  President leadership in accreditation - on campus, at the state and regional level and nationally. (November 2006)
• Preparing for the Self Study — The President's Role  Volume 3
  The role of the president in preparation and conduct of an institutional self review. (January 2007)
• Preparing for the Site Visit — The President's Role Volume 4
  The president's role in a successful accreditation site visit. (March 2007)
• Using the Accreditation Visit to Benefit the Institution Volume 5
  The president's role in using accreditation to benefit the institution. (April 2007)
• What Presidents Need to Know About International Accreditation and Quality Assurance  Volume 6
  Information for presidents about the international accreditation and quality assurance environment. (July 2007)

Inside Accreditation with the President of CHEA
A publication of news and commentary from the CHEA President to presidents and chancellors of CHEA member institutions.

• The Future of Accreditation? March, 2008
  Read CHEA President Judith S. Eaton’s "The Future of Accreditation?" from the March 24, 2008 issue of Inside Higher Ed.
• Federal Policy Events and Reflections on the Accreditation–Government Relationship: Four Points August, 2007
  Accreditation and its future relationship with the U.S. government in light of the recent federal focus on accreditation activities.
• Here We Go Again........Sin, Salvation and Accreditation July, 2007
  Addresses the policy paper, Why Accreditation Doesn’t Work and What Policy Makers Can Do About It, released by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni.
• Consequences of the Commission on the Future of Higher Education: Where Do We Stand? March, 2007
  Some thoughts about the impact of the Commission on the Future of Higher Education in the six months since the commission report was released.
• Nationalization and Transparency: On Our Own Terms  January, 2007
  Some suggestions for ways that higher education and accreditation can address calls for nationalization and transparency.
• Accreditation, Professional Interest and the Public Interest: Conflict or Convergence?  October, 2006
  A discussion of how accreditation has served the public interest in the past and might serve the public interest in the future.
• Messages and Messengers: Continuing The Conversation About Quality In Higher Education  August, 2006
  A look at internal and external sources of criticisms of the academy and how the community reacts.
• The Futures Commission and the Future of Accreditation  May, 2006
  Implications of the Futures Commission’s discussions and reports on accreditation for the future of self regulation of higher education.
• Accreditation and the Secretary of Education’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education  March/April, 2006
  Testimony of CHEA President Judith S. Eaton at the April 6-7, 2006 meeting of the commission.
• A Message From the Press? Accreditation, Recognition and the Public Interest (Volume 2, Number 2)  February 8, 2006
  Increasing press attention to higher education quality is a challenge and opportunity for accreditation and recognition.
• Footsteps and Footprints: Emerging National Accountability for Higher Education Performance (Volume 2, Number 1)  January 4, 2006
  Initiatives of national higher education associations and the federal government that may lead to a national footprint of accountability.
• The Spirit Of Sarbanes-Oxley And Accreditation (Volume 1, Number 5)  December 8, 2005
  Proposals on nonprofit governance reform, Congress and some implications for accreditation, self-regulation and volunteerism.
• Transfer of Credit: Taking a Fresh Look or Continuing the Controversy? (Volume 1, Number 4)  November 4, 2005
  Some thoughts about transfer of credit: the role of accreditation, the controversies around transfer and a look to the future.
• “The Best in the World”? (Part 2) (Volume 1, Number 3)  October 19, 2005
  A continuation of the discussion about The Economist article describing U.S. higher education as “the best in the world.”
• “The Best in the World”? (Volume 1, Number 2)  October 5, 2005
  Accreditation and United States higher education as “the best in the world.”
• Is “Transparency” Good for Accreditation? (Volume 1, Number 1)  September 12, 2005
  The issue of transparency in the context of accreditation review and federal policy.

2008 Annual Conference Presentations

• Transfer of Credit: The Discussion Continues
  David B. Wolf, Executive Director Emeritus, Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
• The State of Degree Mills: Report Card on U.S. Efforts
  Michael P. Lambert, Executive Director, Distance Education Training Council
• Mastering Deception: Tackling Bogus Colleges and Degrees
  Carolyn Campbell, Head of International Affairs, The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education
• Student Learning Outcomes: Lessons from the CHEA Award for Progress
  Milton D. Hakel, Professor, Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University
  Sharon J. Hamilton, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Associate Dean of the Faculties, Indiana University-Purdue University of Indianapolis
  Bryce F. Sullivan, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Psychology, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
  Julia M. Williams, Executive Director, Office of Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
• New Leadership for Student Learning and Accountability
  Association of American Colleges and Universities
  Council for Higher Education Accreditation

2008 International Commission Presentations

• OECD Initiative on Assessing Higher Education Learning Outcomes
  Barbara Ischinger, Director for Education, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, France
• Student Outcomes in South Africa: the HEQC Approach
  Lis Lange, Executive Director, Higher Education Quality Committee, Council on Higher Education, South Africa
• The Israeli Higher Education System: Development, Accreditation and Evaluation
  Michael Neumann, Head, Quality Assessment Unit, The Israeli Council for Higher Education
  Nachum Finger, Academic Head, Quality Assessment Activity, The Israeli Council for Higher Education
• Student Learning Outcomes/Achievements
  Mohsen Elmahdy Said, Executive Director, Projects Management Unit, Ministry of Higher Education, Egypt
• Student Learning Outcomes and Quality Assurance in the UK
  Carolyn Campbell, Head of International Affairs, The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, United Kingdom

2007 Annual Conference Presentations

• Five Simple Questions: Accreditation as if People Matter
  Gordon K. Davies, Former Director, State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and Kentucky Council for Postsecondary Education
• Presidents and Accreditation
  Robert B. Glidden, President Emeritus, Ohio University (notes)
• Presidents and Accreditation: The Need for Leadership and the Importance of Engagement
  Dennis Holtschneider, C.M., , President, DePaul University
• Presidents and Accreditation: The Need for Leadership and the Importance of Engagement
  Charlene R. Nunley, President, Montgomery College (notes)
• States and Accreditation: What Should the States Require - and Not Require of Accreditation, and Why?
  Paul E. Lingenfelter, President, State Higher Education Executive Officers

2007 International Commission Presentations

• Scrutiny of Quality Assurance and Accreditation Bodies: Examples, Advantages, Disadvantages
  Dr. Mohsen Elmahdy Said, Professor, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
• The European Dimension of Quality Assurance
  Andree Sursock, Deputy Secretary General, European University Association
• Recognition of Accreditation in the United States
  Barbara Brittingham, Director, Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, New England Assocation of Schools and Colleges
• For-Profit Higher Education in an International Setting: What are the Issues?
  Richard Garrett, Senior Research Analyst, Online Higher Education-Learning Collaborative, Eduventures, LLC
• The Expansion of Higher Education in the Developing World: What Can Distance Learning Contribute? (Text)
• The Expansion of Higher Education in the Developing World: What Can Distance Learning Contribute? (PowerPoint Presentation)
  Sir John Daniel, President and Chief Executive Officer, Commonwealth of Learning
• Guiding Learners in New Higher Education Spaces: What Role for UNESCO?
  Stamenka Uvalic-Trumbic, Chief, Section for Access, Mobility and Quality Assurance, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

2006 Annual Conference Presentations

• The Role of Accreditation in Serving the Public Interest: Looking to the Future
  John D. Wiley, Chancellor, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Accreditation in a Climate of Mistrust (pdf)
  Daniel Yankelovich, Founder and Chair, Viewpoint Learning, Inc. and Public Agenda
• Collegiate Learning Assessment: Implications for Accreditation and Student Learning Outcomes (pdf)
  Roger Benjamin, President, Council for Aid to Education

CHEA Fact Sheets

• CHEA Fact Sheet #1: Profile of Accreditation (pdf) April 2006
  This fact sheet includes numbers of accredited institutions and programs, types and numbers of recognized accreditors, purposes of accreditation, purposes of recognition, and recognition standards.
• CHEA Fact Sheet #2: The Role of Accreditation and Assuring Quality in Electronically Delivered Distance Learning (pdf) September 2001
  This fact sheet includes information on who offers electronically delivered distance learning, how distance learning is reviewed for quality, and how accrediting organizations are held accountable for review of quality of distance learning.
• CHEA Fact Sheet #3: Twelve Important Questions About External Quality Review (pdf) September 2001
  A series of questions that students and others may find useful to ask about the external quality review of a course, institution, or program in which they might enroll. CHEA does not endorse any specific course of study, program, or institution, but encourages careful scrutiny of materials, commitments, and claims of all providers of higher education.
• CHEA Fact Sheet #4: A Framework for Meeting Transfer of Credit Responsibilities (pdf) May 2002
  The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) initiated its work on accreditation and transfer of credit in 1998. In 2000, CHEA published A Statement to the Community: Transfer and the Public Interest. This statement was the result of CHEA’s concern that accredited status of a program or institution assist, not hinder, students in the transfer process.
• CHEA Fact Sheet #5: Accrediting Organizations in the U.S.: How Do They Operate to Assure Quality? (pdf) April 2006
  A brief overview of how U.S. accrediting organizations carry out their work: information about standards and policies of individual accrediting organizations; governance and organization of accreditors; and how to find information about accredited institutions and programs.
• CHEA Fact Sheet #6: Important Questions about “Diploma Mills” and “Accreditation Mills” (pdf) May 2003
  A series of questions for students, government, and the public in case they encounter questionable providers of higher education.

Condition of Accreditation

• The Condition of Accreditation, U.S. Accreditation in 2005 (pdf) June 2006
  Quantitative information about the numbers of accredited institutions and programs in the U.S., student enrollment, operating characteristics of accrediting organizations, international accreditation activity and recognition of accrediting organizations.

An Overview of U.S. Accreditation

• An Overview of U.S. Accreditation (revised) (pdf) June 2006
  General description of the key features of U.S. accreditation of higher education and recognition of accrediting organizations.

Accreditation and Recognition in the United States

• Accreditation and Recognition in the United States (pdf) July 2006
  PowerPoint overview of the primary quality control mechanisms in U.S. higher education.

CHEA Monograph Series

• Presidential Perspectives on Accreditation: A Report of the CHEA Presidents Project (pdf) April 2006
  Thirty distinguished college and university presidents and chancellors shared their perceptions of institutional and programmatic accreditation in a series of interviews conducted dby CHEA during Spring 2005. The presidents commented on their knowledge of and involvement in accreditation, accreditation's value to institutions and accreditation's value to society.
• Is Accreditation Accountable? The Continuing Conversation Between Accreditation and the Federal Government (pdf) October 2003
  This monograph addresses key issues in the current discussion between accreditation and the federal government as this relates to accountability and higher education. At stake is a centuries-old tradition of institutional autonomy and self-regulation. The reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) now being discussed in Congress is driving this issue to the top of the academic agenda.
• Specialized Accreditation and Assuring Quality in Distance Learning (pdf) (CHEA Monograph Series 2002, Number 2)
  This report describes the work to date of programmatic accreditors in the area of distance learning. It explores the extent to which these accrediting organizations review distance learning as well as the standards, policies, and procedures they use.
• Accreditation and Assuring Quality in Distance Learning (pdf) (CHEA Monograph Series 2002, Number 1)
  This report describes the scope and impact of distance learning on higher education today. It identifies the primary challenges that distance learning poses for institutional accreditation and describes the thoughtful and comprehensive response to date of the accrediting community to assure quality in distance learning.
• Distance Learning: Academic and Political Challenges for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA Monograph Series 2001) The focus of this monograph is how distance learning challenges some fundamentals of the academic work and the politics of American higher education—thereby challenging some related features of quality assurance and self-regulation that are at the heart of national, regional, and specialized accreditation.
• Core Academic Values, Quality, and Regional Accreditation: The Challenge of Distance Learning (CHEA Monograph Series 2000)
  A small set of core academic values is central to the history and tradition of higher education. Distance learning, however unintentionally, challenges these values, forcing reconsideration of their origins and the choices they represent. This paper focuses on regional accreditation as one of the oldest and most frequently used forms of institutional quality assurance in the United States.

Letters from the President

• Degree Mills and Serving the Public Interest: Report on the CHEA July 11, 2006 Meeting (pdf) October 2006
• Accreditation, Public Policy and Presidential Leadership (pdf) May 2005
• Balancing Competing Goods: Accreditation and Information to the Public About Quality (pdf) March 2004
• Is the Era of Self-Regulation Over? (pdf) January 2004
• Do We Need an International Confederation for Quality Review of Higher Education? (pdf) September 2003
• The Value of Accreditation: Four Pivotal Roles (pdf) May 2003
• International Quality Review and Accreditation: The Role of U.S.-Recognized Accrediting Organizations (pdf) August 2002
• Taking a Look at Ourselves, Accreditation August 2001
• International Quality Review and Accreditation: The Role of CHEA Accreditors September 2000
• Results of a January 1999 CHEA Survey to Learn What the General Public Knows or Believes About Quality Assurance Through Accreditation July 1999
• 1998 Higher Education Act: A Summary of Important and Positive Changes in Federal Policy Toward Voluntary Accreditation November 1998
• Overview of CHEA’s 1997-98 Accomplishments and Goals June 1998

The CHEA Chronicle

• 2008 CHEA Award for Institutional Progress in Student Learning Outcomes (pdf) Vol. 9, No. 1, Special Update Issue, January 2008
• 2007 CHEA Award for Institutional Progress in Student Learning Outcomes (pdf) Vol. 8, No. 1, January 2007
• 2006 CHEA Award for Institutional Progress in Student Learning Outcomes (pdf) Vol. 7, No. 2, May 2006
• 2005 CHEA Survey (pdf) Vol. 7, No. 1, November 2005
• Schedule for Recognition Reviews of Accrediting Organizations and Call for Third-Party Comment (pdf) Vol. 6, No. 2, August 2003
• Federal Policy Update (pdf) Vol. 5, No. 3, September 2002
• Student Learning Outcomes Workshop (pdf) Vol. 5, No. 2, May 2002
• January 2002 Board of Directors Meeting (pdf) Vol. 5, No. 1, February 2002
• CHEA Surveys International Quality Assurance Agencies (pdf) Vol. 4, No. 3, December 2001
• Are Universities "Overrun" by Accreditors? A Look at the Data (pdf) Vol. 4, No. 2, October 2001
• CHEA Recognized Accreditors (pdf) Vol. 4, No. 1, June 2001
• 2001 CHEA Conference Update (pdf) Vol.3, No. 3, November 2000
• CHEA Conference Update (pdf) Vol.3, No. 2, July 2000
• The Value of Accreditation in Planning Vol.3, No. 1, January 2000
• Enhancing Usefulness Conference III (News from CHEA) Vol.2, No. 2, August 1999
• 1999 CHEA Annual Conference (News from CHEA) Vol.2, No. 1, April 1999
• Advancing Quality Through Additional Attention to Results Vol. 1, No. 11, November 1998
• What Accreditors Say: Changes in Approach to Accreditation Practice Vol. 1, No. 10, October 1998
• The Emergence of CHEA: From "Disconnecting" to "Reconnecting" Vol. 1, No. 9, September 1998
• Comments to the National Advisory Committee on Quality and Integrity Vol. 1, No. 8, August 1998
• CHEA Priorities for Higher Education Authorization Vol. 1, No. 7, July 1998
• On Being Responsive and Responsible Vol. 1, No. 6, June 1998
• The Pendulum Swing of Standards and Evidence Vol. 1, No. 5, May 1998
• Accreditation: "Sitting Beside" or "Standing Over"? Vol. 1, No. 4, April 1998
• Why CHEA? Vol. 1, No. 3, March 1998
• What is Accreditation? Vol. 1, No. 2, February 1998
• Overview of CHEA Vol. 1, No. 1, January 1998

CHEA Advisory Statements

• New Leadership for Student Learning and Accountability (pdf) (January 30, 2008)
  The Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the Association of American Colleges and Universities issue a statement of principles and commitment to action to address student learning and accountability.
• Combating Site-Based and Distance-Based Degree Mills - Suggestions for Effective Practice (pdf) February 2007
  These steps can be effective in combating site-based and distance-based degree mills or questionable providers of higher education.
• Statement of Mutual Responsibilities for Student Learning Outcomes: Accreditation, Institutions and Programs (pdf) September 2003
  This statement describes the key responsibilities of accrediting organizations, institutions and programs as each addresses the challenging issue of student learning outcomes and assuring quality.
• Statement on Good Practices and Shared Responsibility in the Creation and Application of Specialized Accreditation Standards (pdf) September 2001
  This advisory statement is the work of the AAU/NASULGC Task Force on Accreditation, the CHEA Specialized/National Advisory Panel, and the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA) and contains 10 principles that accreditors and institutions should observe in the development and application of specialized accreditation standards.
• Principles for United States Accreditors Working Internationally: Accreditation of Non-United States Institutions and Programs (pdf) September 2001
  These principles provide a framework for U.S. accreditors as they undertake reviews of non-U.S. operations in countries outside the United States.
• The Value of the Degree (pdf) May 2001
  Why is the degree important? What is the distinction between the degree and other credentials?
• Transfer and the Public Interest (A Statement to the Community) (pdf) November 2000
  This statement is addressed to institutions, accreditors, and national higher education associations seeking to maintain and enhance conditions of transfer for students. It seeks to energize the ongoing national conversation about transfer decision making, setting into motion a more open and accountable transfer process. (See also the Higher Education Transfer Alliance, which is based on this statement.)
• CHEA Statement on Good Practices and Shared Responsibility in the Conduct of Specialized and Professional Accreditation Review (pdf) January 2000
  This statement has been developed to further strengthen the tradition of quality assurance through peer review and self-examination.
• Mediation Process (pdf) September 1998
  CHEA will serve its constituents by contributing to a climate of trust and mutual respect in higher education.

Occasional Papers

All Occasional Papers are now available through the CHEA Website.

• Accreditation and Accountability: A CHEA Special Report (pdf) December 2006  
  During the past five years, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) has published a number of recommendations, principles and advisories that address accreditation, institutional performance, student learning outcomes and transparency. This document summarizes CHEA's thinking in this vital area.
• CHEA Survey of Recognized Accrediting Organizations: Providing Information to the Public (pdf) April 2006
  In the fall of 2004, following a series of conversations with the accreditation community on the topic of providing additional information to the public, CHEA contracted with the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) to conduct a survey of accrediting organizations on this matter. The purpose of this survey was to identify practices used by accrediting organizations to inform the public about what they do: How these organizations operate, their decision-making practices and the results of their scrutiny of higher education institutions and programs.
• International Quality Review and Distance Learning: Lessons from Five Countries (pdf) January 2005
  This report on quality review of distance learning in five countries was produced for the Council for Higher Education Accreditation’s International Commission in order to better understand the nature of existing regulatory arrangements in the context of growth in electronically supported learning and in the import and export of higher education worldwide. Country case studies were developed for Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Australia and the U.K. Prepared by Robin Middlehurst and Steve Woodfield, Centre for Policy and Change in Tertiary Education, University of Surrey.
• Accreditation and the Provision of Additional Information to the Public about Institution and Program Performance (pdf) May 2004
  This paper explores the many different and legitimate roles that accrediting organizations may play in providing a wider array of information about institutional and program performance to the public and discusses how individual accrediting organizations can position themselves in this role. Prepared by Peter T. Ewell, National Center for Higher Education Management Systems.

• International Quality Review: Values, Opportunities and Issues (pdf) June 2002
  This Occasional Paper brings together the three major papers presented at the Council for Higher Education Accreditation’s 2002 International Seminar. These papers explore some of the key issues in international quality review:

  • Quality Assurance in an International Environment: National and International Interests and Tensions (Dirk Van Damme, VLIR-Flemish Interuniversity Council, Belgium)
  • Quality Assurance for Distance Learning: Issues for International Discussion and Action (Simon Marginson, Monash Centre for Research in International Education, Australia)
  • International Quality Assurance, Ethics and the Market: A View from a Developing Country (Mala Singh, Council on Higher Education, South Africa).
  The papers do not represent policy positions for CHEA but are presented as important contributions to international quality review in many parts of the world.
• Different Perspectives on Information about Educational Quality: Implications for the Role of Accreditation (pdf) April 2002
  Accreditation has become widely accepted as the primary vehicle for assuring the quality of higher education in the United States. This Occasional Paper investigates the matches and mismatches between the needs of different audiences relating to educational quality and the ability of accreditation as it is currently constituted to respond to these needs. Prepared by Dennis P. Jones, National Center for Higher Education Management Systems.
• Accreditation and Student Learning Outcomes: A Proposed Point of Departure (pdf) September 2001
  The purpose of this paper is to provide accrediting organizations with guidance about how to engage evidence of student learning as they establish policies, standards and approaches to accreditation review. Prepared by Peter T. Ewell, National Center for Higher Education Management Systems.
• The Common Data Project (pdf) August 2000
  This report details the results of an analysis of the current institutional data requirements of all the accrediting organizations that are recognized by CHEA or by the U.S. Department of Education or by both. Prepared by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems.
• The Competency Standards Project: Another Approach to Accreditation Review (pdf) August 2000
  An analysis of the impact of distance learning and outcomes on higher education and the implications for external quality review. The National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) designed and tested an alternative approach to accreditation standards and review–one that places significant emphasis on student outcomes and a distance delivery setting. Western Governors University (WGU) piloted a “competency standards project.” Prepared by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems.
• Internationalizing Quality Assurance in Higher Education (pdf) July 1999
  An examination of international quality assurance practices and the recent growth of quality assurance overseas. Considers the range of practices employed, identifies related issues and discusses implications for U.S. institutions and accrediting organizations. Prepared by John Petersen.
• Tasks for Higher Education Accreditation (pdf) January 1999
  This paper reviews the tasks that are challenging accreditation and suggests that if self-regulation is to continue, a modified accreditation system will prove the only vehicle available to adjust higher education to society’s new expectations. Prepared by Milton Greenberg.
• Assuring Quality in Distance Learning (pdf) April 1998
  This paper investigates the emerging topic of quality assurance in technology-mediated distance learning programs in higher education. Prepared by Ronald A. Phipps, Jane V. Wellman and Jamie P. Merisotis, The Institute for Higher Education Policy.
• Recognition of Accreditation Organizations (pdf) January 1998
  This paper provides a framework for thinking about recognition of higher education accrediting organizations in the United States, a function performed both by government, through the Department of Education (ED), and outside of government. Since 1996, that function outside the government has been carried out by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Before that time, it was conducted first by the Council for Postsecondary Accreditation (COPA) and then by the Council for Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation (CORPA).

Other Publications, Meeting Summaries

• Positioning Accreditation for the Future: Change or Status Quo? (pdf)
  by Robert Glidden, President, Ohio University. Plenary speech to the CHEA 2004 Annual Conference in Marina del Rey, CA, January 28, 2004.
  You may download the slides in Microsoft PowerPoint format.
• 2002 Student Learning Outcomes Workshops (pdf)
  The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) conducted three Student Learning Outcomes Workshops between January and October 2002. Please click on the main link above for a summary of the key issues confronting accrediting that were discussed at the Workshops. Please click here (pdf) for the two exercises conducted at the Workshops to aid accrediting organizations in addressing this challenging issue.
• Maintaining the Delicate Balance: Distance Learning, Higher Education Accreditation, and the Politics of Self-Regulation (American Council on Education/Educause 2002)
  Accreditation and federal support of higher education are based on a traditional model of education with students and faculty members in a classroom. Distance education offers a new model of higher education. This paper describes the challenge of regulating distance education providers and funding students who participate in distance education courses and programs.
• The Fundamentals of Accreditation: What Do You Need to Know? (pdf) September 2002
• Distance Learning in Higher Education, CHEA Update Number 3  (April 2000)
  Produced by The Institute for Higher Education Policy as part of its ongoing work with the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). This third issue continues to present the latest developments in this field.
• Summary of the National Invitational Forum: The Emerging Context for Quality Assurance
  December 9 and 10, 1999 • Washington, DC
• Distance Learning in Higher Education, CHEA Update Number 2 (June 1999)
  Produced by The Institute for Higher Education Policy as part of its ongoing work with the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). This second issue presents some of the latest developments in this field.
• Distance Learning in Higher Education, CHEA Update Number 1 (February 1999)
  Produced by The Institute for Higher Education Policy as part of its ongoing work with the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
• The Contemporary Context of Accreditation: Challenges in a Changing Environment
  by Robert Glidden, President, Ohio University. Keynote address for the 2nd CHEA “Usefulness” Conference. June 25–26, 1998 • Washington, DC
• Examining a Brave New World: How Accreditation Might Be Different
  by Peter T. Ewell, Vice President, National Center for Higher Education Management Systems. Keynote address for the 2nd CHEA “Usefulness” Conference. June 25–26, 1998 • Washington, DC
• Accreditation at a Crossroads
  by Robert Glidden; An article published in a Fall 1996 Special Annual Meeting Issue of American Council on Education’s Educational Record.
• Bibliography
  A bibliography of publications about accreditation and assessment in higher education classified into eight categories: history, theory/philosophy, methodology, assessment, higher education context, standards, quality assurance, and general resources.

Research Resource Links

• Educational Resource Information Center (ERIC) - homepage
• Search ERIC
  A list of publicly known sites for searching the ERIC databases.
• Internet Resources for Institutional Research
  A homepage of Internet links to assist researchers, faculty, and students in higher education in navigating the Internet.