VISITING PROCEDURES
According to the Accreditation
Committee’s Manual:
“The school is visited
to confirm the situation “in loco,” to clarify the points in doubt, to assess
the characteristics of the support facilities, in particular laboratories and
libraries, to gather the impressions and motivations of professors and students
etc., and also to evaluate the objectivity and compliance with the actual
submitted information, to confirm that there is sufficient and suitably
qualified personnel and to inspect the students’ work.”
The visit
is made during one or two working days and shall include the presence of the
school-appointed liaison for Course Accreditation. A report will be prepared
about the visit stating whether the findings complied with the information
contained in the dossiers and also stating other important information. It will
list the course’s weak and strong points and indicate unsatisfactory aspects.
Co-ordinating the
school visit program is a key task. Facilitating mutual understanding of
positions is thus clearly recommended, and assessors’ experience in managing
meetings or group activities is an important aspect. The Accreditation
Committee’s President must clearly assume the OE group’s leadership and manage
the meeting in collaboration with the member appointed by the school.
The visit begins with an exchange of
greetings.
After
the presentation stage, the school is given the opportunity to present some
complementary information and to make an introduction to the visit. This event
must be brief so that the committee has enough time to clarify aspects in
doubt.
There is also a farewell session at the end of
the visit.
The visit
report will be submitted to the school prior to being discussed with CAQ for
correction of any lapses. Afterwards it will be completed by applying the
criteria laid out and the recommendations and by indicating the accreditation’s
validity period or its non-approval.
The Full
Report is analysed by CAQ jointly with the Accreditation Committee and will be
submitted to the National Executive Board for approval. The school is notified
of the final decision in writing.
a) The decision may take the following forms:
Full 6-year accreditation, subject to revaluation at the end of this period.
b) Limited 3-year accreditation, whereby the
report states the aspects to be corrected within the indicated period and to be
assessed in a new accreditation process.
c) Non-accreditation, whereby the report states
the aspects underlying this decision.
The list of accredited courses is publicly disclosed. OE may also prepare general comparative studies between courses, including objective elements that may be of interest to public and private organisations whose activities are related with Education, as well as to schools, students or candidates to higher education.