| This analytic paper studies the impact of accreditation activities on several academic units of an institution of higher education. Its focuses on the role of accreditation in advancing efforts for improvement and promoting continuous evaluation and planning at the institution. The specific research questions guiding the study were: (1) How and to what extent did the units use the recommendations generated during the accrediting process? (2) What factors contributed to their utilization? What factors inhibited their use?;The study focuses on five academic units of the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus that completed accreditation during the period of 1985 through 1988. It involves four major phases, as follows: (1) describing the process and context of accreditation activities at each unit; (2) identifying the recommendations produced by the self studies, the Evaluation Teams, and Accreditation Board reviews; (3) determining the extent of use by comparing the recommendations with reported institutional actions; and (4) identifying the factors that contributed to, or inhibited, the use of the recommendations.;The main sources of data for the study are institutional documents, interviews, and on-site observations. Data analysis shows that all types of recommendations were used by the units, and three fourths were implemented. Interviewees said that the most frequent factor explaining use was the fact that some faculty and administrative officials were committed to, and engaged in, resolving the issues addressed by the recommendations before accreditation took place. Other factors that promoted use were support from key institutional constituencies, pressure from accrediting organizations, availability of financial resources, and unanticipated changes in administration, policies or resources. The main factors that inhibited implementation were inadequate financial resources, the quality of the recommendations, limited support from important constituencies, and changes in context.;This study helps understand the role of accreditation in the units under study, and their impact on institutional planning and improvement efforts. The findings show that accreditation processes tended to support ongoing activities rather than directly influencing decision making. The final chapter includes several recommendations educators may consider implementing to strengthen accreditation activities and promote continuous evaluation and planning activities in higher education. |
