A thorough preparation must be made before the on-site visit. The following enumerates the series of major activities, arranged in the order they are supposed to take place, although operationally, the sequence need not be strictly followed.
The recommended major activities include the following tasks and the responsible agency:
1. Disseminating the APACC Accreditation Program - APACC and NCAs 2. Holding Consultancies (optional) - APACC and Institution 3. Initiating the Process - Institution 4. Organizing and Mobilizing the Self -Study Team - Institution 5. Conducting Self-Study (SS) - Institution 6. Organizing and Supporting the Team of Accreditors - APACC
A flowchart for the above-mentioned tasks is presented in
Flowchart of Main Activities Before On-site Visit
5.1.1 Disseminating the APACC Accreditation Program
APACC is new; its program of accreditation needs to be disseminated to TVET institutions in the different member countries. This may be done through any or a combination of the following media:
Seminars or workshops which will last for one (1) to two (2) days to cover such topics as the accreditation criteria and procedures; the role of APACC, the National Coordinators for Accreditation (NCAs) and the APACC Accreditors; requirements for accreditation, responsibilities of the host TVET institutions, etc.
Longer workshops will be held to discuss the mechanics of accreditation, such as the conduct of self-study, the preparation of the Self-Study Report (SSR); the setting of an Accreditation Center and others.
5.1.2 Holding Consultancies
Initially, accreditation starts with a general knowledge of the accreditation system and this can be reinforced through consultancies.
A consultancy visit is usually initiated (applied for) on a fee-paying basis by a TVET institution wanting to be accredited.
APACC maintains a pool of experts as consultants which include knowledgeable people such as APACC staff, NCAs, Accreditors, and other experts.
The topics taken up or activities pursued in the consultancy visit may include the following:
Activities, criteria and procedures of accreditation
The levels of accreditation
Basic requirements:
The responsibilities of the TVET institution; the role of APACC
Self-Study Teams and Working Groups
Accreditation Center
Self-Study process and Self-Study Report
Mechanics of the on-site visit
Activities before, during, and after the on-site visit
Monitoring the progress of preparations under the basic requirements, mentioned above
The applying institution will shoulder the cost (transportation, accommodation and honoraria) of the consultancy visits.
5.1.3 Initiating the Process
Initiating the process of accrediting a particular institution takes place when an interested TVET institution files an application with APACC.
The application is to be filed in the prescribed form. This form broadly contains the following information:
Address
Type and category of institution
Charter or legal basis of the existence of the institution
The year the institution was founded
Different types of TVET programs offered
Student enrollment
Brief details about faculty and staff
Status of accreditation with the national accrediting agency
The application form is attached as Annexure II at the end of this manual.
APACC, in turn, acknowledges and if found suitable advises the requesting institution to:
Organize Self-Study Team and Working Groups for conducting Self-study;
Put up an Accreditation Center;
Conduct a Self-Study, and prepare Self-Study Report (SSR); and
Request for a consultancy service, in case additional assistance is needed, on a fee-paying basis.
Application for a regular accreditation exercise should include the following:
The type of visit
The desired date of the visit
The Self-Study Report
If the review of SSR is satisfactory, the institution is advised to proceed with accreditation process; else, the review committee may request other documents.
In case of the former, APACC shall also plot a timetable that includes important milestones such as; submission of SSR documents. In some cases, the institution may request the services of Consultants from APACC in orienting the constituents on the program of accreditation and its conduct.
5.1.4 Organizing and Mobilizing the Self-Study Team
The Self-Study (SS) was developed in the light of the seven (7) criteria. The SS shall be accomplished by the institution's SS Team which comprises of seven (7) working groups, . Along with these groups are the SS Overall Coordinator and the SS Editor.
The institution has to perform the following activities:
Designate an Overall SS Coordinator. He is the focal person in the institution who supervises the preparation of the SS Report, staffing the SS Team and communicates with APACC to obtain answers to questions. Preferably, he should be a senior academic official who could identify institutional policies and information sources, explain institutional processes and assure wide administrative, faculty and student participation. A successful accreditation endeavor starts with him exhibiting strong leadership and keeping his constituents informed of the latest developments.
Organize the SS Team. The SS Team shall be organized to prepare the SS Plan detailing the design of the total SS process and providing an accreditation roadmap. It shall be headed by a Team Leader and seven (7) members, each representing the seven criteria for accreditation. The responsibilities of the SS Team include:
Initiating the SS by developing its design, organizing the working group structure, developing task assignments for each working group and determining the overall schedule for the self-study;
Overseeing the conduct of the SS by monitoring the progress of the working groups and providing support for their work as appropriate to the task, settling questions of conflicting issues among the working groups, and developing editorial guidelines for the drafts of the working group reports;
Developing a procedure for reviewing drafts of the working group reports, and ensuring the support of all constituency of the institution and acceptance of the report to the head of the institution and its governing board before submission to APACC; and
Assisting in the development of a plan in connection with the follow-up and implementation of the SS recommendations.
Create seven (7) working groups. These groups correspond to the seven (7) criteria for APACC accreditation and are responsible for evaluating those aspects of the institution related to the accreditation criteria. These groups are the lead groups in the following activities:
Conducting the Self-Study;
Compiling the materials, and preparing the SSR;
Putting up an Accreditation Center, and filling it with materials, documents and exhibits;
Liaise with their counterparts among the external accreditors in:
locating and identifying documents or materials;
arranging interviews between the accreditors and the faculty, school officials, students, the community and other stakeholders;
guiding the accreditors to classrooms for class observations, and to different physical facilities, like, library, laboratories, sports complex, offices, etc.; and
arranging visits to research and extension sites.
Designate a SS editor. The Editor brings the various working group reports, background materials, exhibits and appendices into a coherent, usable institutional report that should serve the needs of the institution, the SS Team and Working groups, and the APACC Accreditation Team. Each member should be well informed about issues, either because of their positions within the institution or because of their experiences in the service.
Organizing and Mobilizing the Self-Study Team (SS)
5.1.5 Conducting Self-Study
Self-study is required to be conducted in all types of accreditation exercises before the on-site visit by external Accreditors takes place.
The sources of information to conduct self-study vary.
In preliminary surveys, the go-signal to conduct one for the applicant institution is given once the application is approved by APACC.
The self-study is conducted by the TVET institution with or without assistance from external consultants.
The APACC criteria are used in this self-study.
The self-study is intended to test the institution's chances to pass the accreditation criteria, and determine its readiness for the on-site visit.
Self-Study Report (SSR)
Each working group responsible for the various aspects of the self-study shall prepare a report which sets forth the problem or problems addressed, the questions to which it sought answers, the data gathered and the means by which it gathered them, the techniques employed in analyzing the data and a statement indicating how the results have been used to increase institutional effectiveness.
The working groups reports shall be submitted to the SS Team which has the responsibility of preparing a single, unified report. The final editing shall be done by the SS Editor. A thorough review shall be undertaken by the SS Team before it will be finally edited by the SS Editor. The completed report is presented to the Head of the institution or other officials; and upon approval, it will be submitted to APACC.
The SSR must contain three (3) major parts:
The Profile of the Institution;
Criteria-Based Data and Self-Study; and
Institutional SWOT Analysis.
To facilitate a very short visit of normally three (3) days, an accreditation center is necessary to assemble the documents, written materials, pieces of information, and exhibits that have to be reviewed during the on-site visit. In member countries where English is not an official language, the mentioned documents, materials, information and exhibits should be presented in English. Some guidelines regarding the center are:
The center shall contain all the materials prepared by the institution.
It must be large enough to store all the materials, and to accommodate at least ten (10) persons at a time during on-site visit.The center shall be equipped and properly maintained with the following facilities:
working tables and chairs
cabinets for display and filing needs
good ventilation and lighting facilities
computer system.
The documents/pictures/exhibits in the center should be:
kept regularly updated;
labeled;
properly filed following the sequence in the accreditation criteria, i.e., by parts and by section per part; and
be readily available.
Some documents/materials, e.g., classified matters and bulky materials, may not be placed at the center. In this case, they should be filed or located in any office, provided that they are accessible to Accreditors during the on-site visit.
For second and succeeding on-site visits, the institution should submit a compliance report together with the SSR. This report should:
Indicate the extent of compliance with the recommendations made in the immediate previous on-site visit;
Specify the activities, projects, processes, etc. actually undertaken, to comply with the recommendations; and
Justify or explain why certain recommendations, if any, were not accomplished.
5.1.6 Organizing and Supporting the Team of Accreditors
Once the on-site visit schedule is confirmed, it is APACC's responsibility to organize and set provisions to support the external Accreditors. APACC pursues three major sets of activities:
Select the Accreditors from a pool of Accreditors possessing the following qualifications:
he/she is in the active list of qualified Accreditors;
must not come from the same administrative region of the institution; and
must not be identified as "unacceptable" to the host institution.
Three (3) sets of communication are then immediately sent to different participants, four (4) to six (6) weeks before the actual accreditation visit.
The first set is sent to Accreditors indicating their roles as team leader or member. A deadline is set (usually in about a week) for the invited accreditor to reply. Replacements are immediately made for Accreditors who decline the invitation, or who do not reply on or before the deadline.
Side by side with the invitation to the Accreditors is a communication, addressed to the institution head of the invited Accreditor requesting for authority to travel, and travel details. Approval is usually documented in the form of a "travel order".
The third party to be informed is the host institution to be evaluated, where it is informed of:
The confirmation of the on-site visit as scheduled;
The arrangements for transportation indicating time, place and convergence points.
The administrative arrangements for the Accreditors' travel are usually as follows:
APACC purchases the plane tickets and sends to the Accreditors; or the accreditors purchase the plane tickets and get reimbursed by APACC; and
All expenses, including honoraria, will be reimbursed/paid at the site of the accreditation visit.
Home 
