Catanduanes U's 12 curricular programs up for evaluation

VIRAC, Catanduanes, Feb. 20 (PIA) -- Twelve curricular programs of Catanduanes State University (CSU) will be evaluated by the Accrediting Agency of Chartered State Colleges and Universities in the Philippines (AACCUP) on February 25- March 2, 2013.

Dr. Minerva I. Morales, officer-in-charge of CSU, said that courses on Accountancy, Business Administration, and Nutrition and Dietetics will work for Third Survey (Level III) evaluation while Biology and Mathematics brace for Second Survey (Level II), and Civil Engineering, Information Systems, Agriculture, and Public Administration for First Survey (Level I) assessments.

Morales added that in the Graduate School, the Doctor of Education and the Master of Business Administration programs will also undergo First Survey evaluation while the Agriculture program of the CSU Panganiban Campus will go through the preliminary survey.

Morales has also emphasized the need to work for a balanced scorecard of a university in which the number of accredited programs is one of the significant indicators in attaining quality teaching and learning.

AACCUP's Third Survey Visit is the accreditation stage conducted after a program has enjoyed a Level II Re-accredited status for five years. Passing a higher level standard of quality entitles the program to apply for Level III. The program is then evaluated and must excel in four areas, namely instruction and extension, which are mandatory; and two more areas to be chosen from among research, performance in licensure examination, faculty development, and linkages.

The Second Survey Visit involves the evaluation of an accredited program, and if it has passed the standards set at a higher level of quality than the immediately preceding survey visit, may qualify the program to an award of Level II Re-accredited status, good for five years.

The First Survey Visit is the evaluation of the program which has attained Candidate status, and if it has attained a higher level of quality, is awarded a Level I Accredited status, good for three years.

A Preliminary Survey Visit involves the evaluation of the program for the first time. Passing the assessment entitles the program to be awarded a Candidate status valid for two years.

A continuing evaluation is thus undertaken by AACCUP, until the programs have reached the Level IV status. Programs are still expected to sustain their quality even if they have acquired the highest accredited level. The Fourth Survey Visit (Level IV) is a higher level which if hurdled, may entitle the school to an institutional accreditation.

There are 10 criteria (areas) that are used in the assessment of programs. These are Mission, Goals, and Objectives; Faculty, Curriculum, and Instruction; Students, Research, Extension, and Community Involvement, Library, Physical Facilities, Laboratories, and Administration.

Morales meanwhile proudly announced that as of to date, CSU has already 19 accredited programs.

"If the six other programs up for First Survey visit will hurdle the AACCUP evaluation, CSU’s accredited curricular offerings will now be 25. CSU works for the accreditation of all its academic programs," she added.

AACCUP accreditation is a process by which an institution at the tertiary level evaluates its educational activities, in whole or in part, and seeks an independent judgment to confirm that it substantially achieves its objectives, and is generally equal in quality to comparable institutions.

Accreditation is voluntary on the part of the higher education institution that may want to be accredited. The evaluation is undertaken by peers, which are the external accreditors who are mostly faculty members from other higher education institutions.

As a benefit, being accredited lends prestige to member institutions, justified by the possession of quality standards and constant efforts to maintain them at high level. It also helps parents to know which program they may send their children to for quality education.

It also make all those engaged in education aware of standards of excellence which they should strive to attain, and make possible for those proposing funding and those who are to fund, to know what to support and how much support is needed. Evaluated programs are also given the opportunity to know its strength and weaknesses, and in what aspects it needs to develop.

AACCUP accreditation has also been used as a criterion in administrative decision-making in a variety of ways such as applicants for teaching in the Department of Education (DepEd) who are graduates of accredited programs are granted credit points. The school’s accredited status is also used, among others, as criteria in the leveling of State Universities and Colleges, for normative financing, and as a factor in the selection of Center of Development and Center of Excellence. (GSR-CSU/MAL/EAB/PIA-5)