Table 1 Emerged themes and categories from qualitative content analysis with quotations from faculty and administrators’ perspectives
Themes (5) | Subthemes (23) | Sample Quotations “(Pf) and (Pad)” |
|---|---|---|
I. Shared Experience | 1. Diversity of Roles | “Our team spans roles from faculty members deeply involved in teaching to those managing administrative responsibilities within the college and in the quality unit.” (Pf) |
2. Experience Levels | “Everyone’s unique experience, whether in education or administration, adds to our collective knowledge.’ (Pad) | |
3. Individual Backgrounds | “Each faculty member has unique insights shaped by their background and professional roles. We learned so much from each other. I believe the senior quality leaders were very supportive.” (Pf) | |
II. Importance & Benefits of Accreditation | 4. Strategy for Program Compliance Evaluation and Improvement | “In my opinion, accreditation is a process to evaluate the program and keep it on the right track and ensure our compliance to academic excellence.” (Pf) |
5. Benchmark for Quality | “The program can, I believe, serve as a benchmark for quality, setting a standard that reflects excellence.” (Pf) | |
6. Program Recognition and Reputation | ||
“Accreditation raises our status and reputation, making our program more attractive to potential students and faculty alike.” (Pad) | ||
8. Program Visibility and Support | “Accreditation increases our program’s visibility, attracts more students, and brings financial support. This, I believe, is a huge advantage.” (Pf) | |
9. International Accreditation Potential | “Achieving national accreditation, from my point of view, lays a strong foundation for pursuing international accreditation.” (Pf) | |
10. Teamwork and Shared Responsibility | “We learned that accreditation success is a shared responsibility and relies on teamwork from everyone involved. I think that’s crucial.” (Pf) | |
III. Impact of Accreditation | 11. Impact on Teaching -Learning Practices & Student Learning Outcomes | “Accreditation helps us align our course outcomes with program learning objectives, which I think improves graduates’ employability.” (Pf) |
12. Impact on Institutional Strategic Planning & Culture of Continuous Improvement | ||
“We’ve integrated accreditation requirements into our strategic plans to make sure we’re always aligned with current standards.” (Pf) “Accreditation has fostered a mindset of continuous improvement, aligning our departmental goals with these high standards.” (Pad) | ||
IV. Challenges | 13. Knowledge and Awareness | “There is a lack of knowledge about policies and procedures in daily teaching, especially among beginners or newly hired staff.” (Pf) |
14. Academic Workload | “Balancing my responsibilities as an educator with clinical teaching and quality assurance duties is a significant challenge.” (Pf) | |
15. Document Preparation | “The challenge of preparing documents for accreditation requires standardization, careful writing, and consistency in the self-study report (SSRP).” (Pad) | |
16. Time Management | “Managing time effectively is a challenge, especially when we are tackling several accreditation tasks of the different programs simultaneously.” (Pad) | |
17. Organizational Change | “Introducing new team members and adapting to varied leadership styles was a challenge, especially during the crucial accreditation period.” (Pad) | |
18. Resource Allocation and Technical Issues | “Resource allocation and faculty training are ongoing challenges, especially as accreditation standards evolve.” (Pad) | |
V. Recommendations and future plan | 19. Professional Development | “Investing in development programs for faculty strengthens our ability to meet accreditation goals.” (Pad) |
20. Feedback Mechanisms | “Mock visits are helpful in preparing us and ensuring our documentation is in order for the actual accreditation visit.” (Pf) | |
21. Communication and Collaboration | “Regular meetings with all stakeholders should continue beyond the accreditation process for continuous improvement.” (Pad) | |
22. Leadership Strategies | “Leadership styles need to adapt based on the situation; sometimes, a transformative approach is needed, while other times, a directive approach works best.” (Pad) | |
23. Continuous Improvement and Lifelong Learning | “We should view accreditation as a continuous learning process and prepare successors for each role and responsibility.” (Pf) | |
“Accreditation should foster a culture of lifelong learning, paving the way for new leaders to step in.” (Pad) | ||
24. Quality Standardization | “Maintain quality standards with regular follow-ups on faculty, administrative, lab, and library work.” (Pad) |