AICE Orlando Symposium – March 28-29, 2018: “Setting the Standards for Evaluating Institutional Recognition & Accreditation”

Symposium Program

Module​ ​#1​ ​–​ ​Accreditation​ ​for​ ​Credential​ ​Evaluation

A critical component of due diligence in the evaluation of international academic credentials is determining institutional recognition outside the U.S. In most countries it is the Ministry or Department of Education that is responsible for the regulation and recognition of educational institutions. The presenters in this session will discuss the questions an international credential evaluator asks when reviewing credentials from an institution located outside the U.S., including:

● Which regulatory body is responsible for overseeing academic institutions?

● Which institutions have degree-granting authority?

● Can the credential be used for admission to an educational institution in the home country?

● Does the educational system require external examinations that may override institution status recognition?

Presenters will provide a toolkit to aid in answering these questions.

Module​ ​#2​ ​–​ ​Accreditation​ ​for​ ​Admissions

The admissions review of international applicants ensures that academic admissions requirements have been met. Determining the accreditation or recognition status of the previous institutions attended is necessary to ensure an equivalent level of educational quality and reciprocity of credit. The U.S. regional accrediting bodies primarily oversee institutions based in the United States. Moreover, seeking accreditation in the U.S. is voluntary. Comparability to regional accreditation is determined through recognition by a central regulatory authority responsible for the oversight of education in the country in which the institution is located. In this session, the presenters will examine the following topics from the point of view of a U.S. international admissions officer:

● What types of regulatory bodies oversee education at secondary, post-secondary, and professional levels, and which matter for my institution?

● How does an admissions officer determine that coursework completed at a recognized institution in another country merits reciprocity at a U.S. institution?

● What happens if an institution does not have the equivalent of regional accreditation? Does that indicate it is a diploma mill, or are there other avenues by which it can be considered for reciprocity?

● How can the admissions requirements articulate that coursework must come from a recognized institution, especially when there are so many variables?

Module​ ​#3​ ​–​ ​Accreditation​ ​of​ ​Problematic​ ​Institutions

Problematic institutions include those which do not lend themselves easily to having the equivalent of regional accreditation status. Presenters in this session look at accreditation questions around problematic institutions from the point of view of both admissions officers and credential evaluators. Problematic institutions include the following:

● Religiously-affiliated institutions that are not recognized by the central regulatory authority in the home country

● Institutions that are temporarily or permanently closed

● Institutions that are not authorized by the central regulatory authority or institutions that offer non-authorized degrees

● Institutions that claim accreditation through an organization that is outside the purview of the MOE of a particular country

● Institutions in countries where governmental oversight is in flux or undeveloped

● Professional examination board results from other countries Case​ ​studies​ ​for​ ​small-group​ ​analysis​ ​and​ ​discussion​ ​will​ ​follow​ ​Module​ ​#3.