Faculty Information

Course Faculty: Charles W. Ford, Ph.D. Department of Interdisciplinary Studies College of Health Professions Florida Gulf Coast University Contact Information: Voice Mail: (207) 283-0170, ext. 2425 Home:  (207) 967-3422 Fax:   (207) 282-6379 E-mail:  cford@fgcu.edu Virtual Office Hours:  Tuesday and Thursday  9:00 AM - 10:30 AM and appointments scheduled by request Other Information: Dr. Ford is also a Professor of Health Sciences And Former President College of Health Professions University of New England 11 Hills Beach Road Biddeford, Maine 04005-9599

On-campus Contacts:

Faculty: Halcyon St. Hill, Ed.D., M.S., MT(ASCP)  Office:         (941) 590-7496 Fax:             (941) 590-7474  E-mail:        hsthill@fgcu.edu

Faculty Assistant and Liaison: Tony Burkett, M. S. Office:         (941) 590-7500 Fax:            (941) 590-7474 E-Mail:        tburkett@fgcu.edu

Course Description

The structure, function, and role of accreditation agencies for academic and health services institutions in the health professions are examined.  Emphasis is placed on the examination of the accreditation process and mechanisms that allow institutions to be in compliance with accreditation standards and guidelines.  Federal, state, and local legislation and regulations, and their relationship to accreditation and approval are addressed.  Students participate in simulated accreditation projects including writing components of a self-study document, reviewing self-study documents, performing an accreditation site visit, and participating in an accreditation agency review process.
 

Prerequisites

HSC 6258 Curriculum Development in Health Professions Education, or consent of the Department Chair.

Course Goals

Upon completion of this course the student will be able to:

1. Discuss the history of accreditation, especially in the United States.
2. Summarize the accreditation agency review process from initiation of first contact to full accreditation.
3. State the similarities and differences between accreditation for an academic institution and a health care delivery institution.
4. Define the various components of a self study.
5. Develop a self-study in an interdisciplinary team.
6. Plan a site visit for one or more health professions.
7. State possible future changes in the accreditation process.

Course Materials

Required Textbook

Kells, H. R. Self-Study Processes: A Guide to Self-Evaluation in Higher Education.  American Council on Education/Oryx Press Series on Higher Education, 1996,  4th Edition.  (ISBN 0897749030, paperback).

Set of accreditation documents from health profession.  See assignment in Lesson 1.
 

Suggested Textbook

Young, K.E., Chambers, Charles M., Kells, H.R., and Associates Understanding Accreditation.  Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1983. (ISBN: 0875895700)

Supplementary Reference Material

I. Books

Askins, P. C. (Ed.) Misrepresentation in the Marketplace and Beyond: Ethics Under Siege.  American Association of College Registrars, October 1995.  (ISBN: 0929851692)

Fredericks, M.  In Search of Quality: The Development, Status, and Forecast of Standards in Postsecondary Accreditation.  Peter Lang Publishers, December 1990. (ISBN: 0820412600)

Misrepresentation in the Marketplace and Beyond: Ethics Under Siege, American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, Washington, DC, 1996 (Task Force on Credential Fraud) ISBN 0-929851-69-2, 56 pages.  "This report, intended for a general audience and particularly for those who are not specialists in document security, provides guidelines for evaluating documents offered as evidence of academic qualifications."

Nichols, J. O.  A Practitioner's Handbook for Institutional Effectiveness and Student Outcomes Assessment Implementation.  Agathon Press, January, 1996. (ISBN: 087586113X, 3rd Edition)

Scrivens, E.  Accreditation: Protecting the Professional or the Consumer.  Open University Press, June 1995 (ISBN: 0335194915)

Semrow, J.J., Barney, J.A., et.al.  In Search of Quality: The Development, Status and Forecast of Standards in Postsecondary Accreditation.  New York: Peter Lang, 1992, 326 pages (ISBN 0-8204-1260-0)

Standards for Accreditation.  New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, 209 Burlington Road, Bedford, MA 01730-1433, (6l7) 271-0022, FAX: (6l7) 271-0950, 1992.  Single copies of the Standards for Accreditation are complimentary.  31 pages.

II. ERIC Documents

"Allied Medical Education Accreditation Process Study: Final Report,"  The Committee on Allied Medical Education in association with The Committee on Health Disciplines of The Canadian Medical Association, May 1991, 45 pages. ERIC #ED359992.

"Basis of Accreditation for Educational Programs in Allied Health Disciplines, "The Canadian Medical Association, Conjoint Committees for Accreditation, June, 1991, 130 pages.  ERIC #ED359991.

"Basis of Accreditation for Educational Programs in Designated Health Science Professions, "The Canadian Medical Association, Conjoint Committees for Accreditation, June 1994, 135 pages.  ERIC #ED376877.

III. Other

"Accreditation in the Allied Health Professions," Journal of Allied Health, Fall 1989, v18, pp. 425-35.

Pew Commission, 3rd Report, 1995.  See the following.

The Task Force on Accreditation of Health Professions Education, Working Papers.  The University of California San Francisco Center for the Health Professions, San Francisco, CA: June, 1998. (Available on Internet <www. futurehealth.ucsf.edu>, 77 pages)

Reference Material

The instructor will periodically place supplementary reading on-line or make reference to others.  Students may wish to share Internet sites that support the learning in the course.

Topic Outline

See: Syllabus

Course Evaluation Plan

This course is competency based.  Students are required to demonstrate competence by achieving the course goals and objectives outlined for each topic area.  Each student is expected to actively participate and complete in Web Board discussion, exercises and assignments. All assignments are included in the course syllabus and listed with due dates on the class schedule in the syllabus.
 
 

CRITERIA		PERCENT OF GRADE
I. Process Outcomes:	Paper #1 - Accreditation Exps. (I)	15%
	Paper #2 - Case Study   (II)	15%
II. Content Outcomes:	Individual Project   (I,II)	20%
	Group Project-Mini Self Study (I,II)	20%
	Report     (I)	10%
	Group Project-Colleague Grade (I)	10%
	Class Contribution/Discussion (I)	10%
TOTAL		100%

NOTE:  ALL EVALUATION ELEMENTS HAVE BOTH PROCESS AND CONTENT PARTS. THE I AND II INDICATE PRIMARY/SECONDARY.

Letter grades will be assigned at the completion of the course based on the following grading scale:

 

Percent	Letter Grade
90 - 100	A
80 - 89	B
70 - 79	C
65 - 69	D
Less than 65	F

Teaching Strategies

Diverse instructional methods, interdisciplinary group sessions and assignments, and collaborative strategies will be utilized.  Class sessions will utilize electronic formats, particularly, the Web Board.

Audio Visual Aids:

• On-line material or referral to sites as appropriate to support the course content.
• Power point presentations, videocassettes and/or other material will be used when applicable to support course content.

Software:

Software related to teaching strategies, learning methods, and computer-assisted instruction will be utilized when applicable.  No specific software has been identified that specifically addresses issues in this course.

On-line Service:

The following material will be available on-line to students when asynchronous delivery methods are used:

• Presentation material
• Course material
• e-mail communication
• Support material

In addition, students will be directed to use specific Internet sites to access materials.

Special note: this course has a great deal of reading as well as multiple writing assignments.  In that regard it is modeled after the accreditation process which requires both.  Students will need to stay current with assignments.
 

Learning Strategies

Learning strategies will be student focused, self-directed, and will include use of dialectic, role observations and role playing, self-assessments, and group practice.

Distance Learning -- Computer and Technology Requirements

The WebBoard

Electronic bulletin or message boards are simply computerized versions of the cork bulletin boards with which we're all familiar.  Just as with traditional message boards, users of electronic bulletin boards may post new messages, read others' messages, and respond to others' messages.

Web Board will be used in class for electronic discussions.  Students are required to participate in class electronic discussions.  In other words, they are required to post messages and reply to messages on the bulletin board in a timely manner.
 

Course Policies

The Health Science program is designed to provide career advancement opportunities for individuals in the health professions.  Faculty and administrators are committed to a philosophy of holistic curricula which provide and support integrated interdisciplinary education and practice experiences for health professionals.  The Department of Interdisciplinary Studies aims to provide future-oriented, accessible, and student-focused education programs that foster professional growth, career mobility and advancement, and diversification.  Faculty encourages students to be responsible for their own learning throughout their professional career.

On-line Attendance: Students are responsible for their own learning and ar expected to review all class sessions. The instructor is responsible to aide, instruct, and support the student in the process.  Attendance will be recorded through participation in bulletin board (Web Board) postings.

Assignments, Projects, and Examinations: All projects and assignments are to be submitted to the course instructor by the required date due. Late submission of assignments, projects, and examinations may result in lowered grades. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that the instructor has received the assignment, project, or examination, regardless of how the paper is being submitted. If the paper is electronically submitted, the student is responsible for checking with the instructor prior to the deadline to be certain the paper has been received in full. Students unable to submit assignments, projects, or examinations by the deadline due to illness or emergency, will notify the course instructor prior to the deadline date and make arrangements for an alternate deadline date. Alternate dates for submission of midterm examinations must be scheduled within seven days of the original due date. Alternate dates for submission of final examinations must be scheduled prior to the university's last scheduled day for final examinations.

Written Assignments and WebBoard postings should be submitted no later than 8:00 AM the first of the week, i.e., Mondays after topic.
 

ASSIGNMENTS

General Information:

Selected Readings:
Students are assigned readings from the recommended textbook and reference materials as noted in this syllabus.

Independent Readings:
Students are required and/or expected to independently select readings from reference books, journals, web sites, or other media to be used in discussion.

Media Reviews:
Students are encouraged to search for different types of instruction offered through various media formats and to share these findings with the class.

Individual Project:
Students participate in written assignments. Refer to assignments.

Group Project:
Students participate in group assignments.  Refer to assignments, instructions and criteria.

 
Class Participation:
Satisfactory class participation, which includes effective group interaction in an asynchronous class format, is determined by accurate and relevant statements relevant to the topics under discussion.  Discussion and arguments should be logical and substantiated by facts and outside readings.  Questions raised should deal with higher levels of the cognitive and affective domains.  Students enrolled in asynchronous classes are expected to actively participate in discussion formats either through chat rooms, e-mail, teleconferences, or other distance learning discussion formats proposed.  For students attending classroom sessions either on campus or at distance learning sites, expressing an interest in class by attendance and participation, and active listening to both instructor presentations and discussion by class members are expected.  This includes the willingness to respect the views and opinions of others and the ability to change views, or consider other views, when one’s view is found faulty.

Reminder: Students are responsible for submitting assignments per the schedule no later than the due date.  Student grades may be reduced if assignments are late.
 

Academic Dishonesty/Cheating Policy:

All assignments, projects, and examinations are to be completed solely by the student.  Inclusion of  facts, ideas, quotes, or other materials from outside sources must be cited and referenced in all work. Evidence of cheating and plagiarism are cause for disciplinary action by the university.  According to the university, plagiarism and cheating refer to the use of unauthorized books, notes, or otherwise securing help in a test; copying tests, assignments, reports, or term papers; representing the work of another person as one's own; collaborating without authority with another student during an examination or in preparing academic work, or otherwise practicing academic dishonesty.
 

Disability Accommodations Services:

Florida Gulf Coast University, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the university's guiding principles, will provide classroom and academic accommodation to students with documented disabilities. If you need to request accommodation in this class due to a disability, or you suspect that your academic performance is affected by a disability, please see me or contact the Office of Multi Access Services. The Office of Multi Access Services is located in the Student Services building, room 214. The phone number is 590-7925 or TTY 590-7930.