Institutions Seeking Reaccreditation
3) The entire program and all applicable supporting documentation
Revising a High School Program: If there are substantive changes to program/courses, the institution must submit for subject specialist review:
1) E.5. Application for Course/Program Approvals;
2) Revised High School Report; and
3) The entire program and all applicable supporting documentation.
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5.4. Other Actions
Changing Method of Delivery: A change in the method of delivery since the institution’s last evaluation is considered a “substantive change.” When an institution decides to change the format for delivering its courses (i.e., going from correspondence study to online instruction), it must submit:
1) E.5. Application for Course/Program Approvals;
2) Change in Method of Delivery Report and all the required documentation; and
3) Access to a sampling of courses/programs on the new platform. Contact the Director of Accreditation to discuss the sample size.
Acquiring Courses/Programs: An accredited institution may acquire courses/programs from another accredited institution or from a curricula publisher and offer those under its own accredited status. However, any such acquired courses/programs must follow the same review process as “Adding a New Course/Program.”
Contracting with a Third Party: An accredited institution may wish to contract with another educational institution or other organization for the educational delivery of its programs. See C.29. Policy on Contracting on Educational Delivery.
Discontinuing Courses/Programs: If an institution decides to discontinue a course or program, it must send formal notification to DETC by submitting a letter to the Director of Accreditation ([email protected]) explaining the reasons for such.
DETC Accreditation Handbook – 2014 C.5. – Policy on Course/Program Approval
5.5 Submission Requirements
Prior to sending new or revised curriculum to DETC, all institutions must submit E.5. Application for
Course/Program Reviews for each submission to DETC staff via e-mail ([email protected]). Reviews will not be processed without receipt of the application form. Upon confirmation from DETC Staff, the institution may submit the course/program materials.
All institutions undergoing initial or reaccreditation must email (Lissette@ detc.org) a listing of the courses/programs being sent in for review prior to submitting any curriculum materials.
All institutions should follow the procedures listed below. Templates for the reports may be found on DETC’s website under “Seeking Accreditation” and “Applications and Reports.”
• A Course or Program Report is required for all submissions:
Requesting Approval for/Submitting for Review Type of Report or Letter Required
Initial Accreditation (Degree) Degree Program Report
Initial Accreditation (Vocational) Vocational/ Avocational Report
Initial Accreditation (High School) High School Program Report
Reaccreditation (degree) Degree Program Report
Reaccreditation (vocational) Vocational/Avocational Report
Reaccreditation (High School) High School Report
Adding New Degree Program (similar area) Degree Program Report
Adding New Degree Program (new area) Degree Program Report
Adding New Degree Program (different level) Degree Program Report Adding a Professional Doctoral Program Degree Program Report
Adding a New Concentration, Track, Emphasis Degree Program New Concentration Report
Adding a New Degree Course New Degree Course Report
Adding a Degree Certificate (courses not already approved) Degree Certificate Report
Adding a Degree Certificate (courses already approved) Letter to Director of Accreditation Adding a New Vocational, Avocational, or Diploma, Certificate
Program
Vocational/ Avocational Report Adding New High School Division (not currently offered) High School Program Report Adding a New High School Program (currently offered) High School Program Report
Adding a New High School Course High School Course Report
Revisions (non-substantive) Letter to Director of Accreditation
Revising a Degree Program Revised Degree Program Report
Revising a Degree Course Revised Degree Course Report
Revising a Vocational, Avocational, Diploma, or Certificate Program
Revised Vocational/Avocational Report
Revising a High School Program Revised High School Program Report
Change of Method of Delivery Change in Method of Delivery Report
• Each course and program that is submitted must be accompanied by a complete set of tools, kits, aids, textbooks,
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etc. that are provided to students as a part of the course/program. These items will be exhausted during the review process and will not be returned to the institution.
• DETC will not accept piecemealed submissions via e-mail or mail. Please wait until all of the appropriate information and materials have been gathered before submitting any course or program to DETC for review. For institutions shipping textbooks for e-mailed submissions, please do not send without prior notification.
• DETC will not accept multiple deliveries of textbooks or other materials from a third party (i.e. Amazon).
• If institutions opt to use e-textbooks, appropriate credentials should be provided in the program report. Subject specialists cannot be required to purchase or sign up for access codes using personal information.
• Changes cannot be made to a submission once it has been submitted to DETC. Documents and other materials on any online platform should not be removed, added, or altered in any manner.
• Please ensure that all links and login information are accurate and in working order. Incorrect information will cause a considerable delay in the review process.
• DETC does not review or edit the institution’s curriculum information prior to sending it to the subject specialist.
• E-mail and Flash Drive submissions should contain a document that provides clear, concise instructions on how to open and navigate through embedded links.
• DETC does not accept dropbox or other file sharing applications for course/program reviews.
Curriculum materials may be sent to DETC using the following methods:
1. Flash Drive (Preferred): Include the required report and all supporting documents on a flash drive. All files should be clearly and descriptively labeled (i.e., “Faculty Resumes,” “Exams & Solutions,” etc.). Each program should be contained on a separate flash drive. The Flash drive should be shipped in the box with the
corresponding textbooks for that program.
2. E-mail (Zip-File): Include the required report and all supporting documents organized in a zip-file and e-mail to DETC Staff (to [email protected]). All files should be clearly and descriptively labeled (i.e., “Faculty Resumes,”
“Exams & Solutions,” etc.). Each program should be in a separate zip-file and sent in a separate e-mail. The subject line of the e-mail should include the name of the institution and the name of the program. In the event the documents are too large to e-mail, please used method number one described above.
Please note: Institutions are not required to submit any documents in printed form unless electronic versions are not available or unless requested.
Shipping Requirements
The institution may need to ship materials to the DETC office to go to the subject specialist. If this is the case, the institution must adhere to the following:
• In all cases, each box should not weigh more than 25 pounds. Boxes exceeding 25 pounds will be shipped back to the institution (at the institution’s expense) for repackaging.
• All submissions should be packaged individually according to program. The outside of the shipping box
DETC Accreditation Handbook – 2014 C.5. – Policy on Course/Program Approval
should be clearly labeled with the name of the institution and title of the program.
• All representative courses pertaining to one degree program may be packaged together.
• If more than one box is being sent, please include numbering on the outside of the box (i.e., 1 of 3, 2 of 3, etc).
• Textbooks should be labeled with the name of the course it corresponds to.
• Plain (non-descriptive) cartons should be used. The boxes should be secure and durable and in a condition to be re-shipped to the subject specialist without repackaging.
• Include a cover letter to the subject specialist listing the contents of the box.
If you have any questions, please contact Lissette Hubbard at 202-234-5100 ext. 105 or [email protected].
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5.6. Approval Process
As stated in the overview of this policy, courses must be approved before they can be offered. An institution is prohibited from advertising or posting on its website information regarding the course/program before it has received approval.
The Accrediting Commission will not consider any course/program approvals when an institution is under a Show Cause Directive or when the Commission’s actions have been deferred.
The Academic Review Subcommittee meets four times per year to approve new courses/programs. The dates of these meetings are not published. They are determined upon at the previous meeting. The Accrediting Commission
reserves the right to request additional information from the institution at the time of its meeting before considering approval of a course or program.
Initial or Reaccreditation
If an institution is undergoing its initial or reaccreditation examination and it receives a “not met” finding on a course/program review, the institution may exercise of the following options: