THE ASIA PACIFIC ACCREDITATION AND CERTIFICATION COMMISSION (APACC): DEVELOPMENTS AND CHALLENGES

Delivered by:

Dr. Man-Gon Park
President, APACC

INTRODUCTION

The throes of globalization, internationalization and universalization may be a boon or bane for Asia and the Pacific. On one hand, it may be an opportunity to export human resources and services for the countries of Japan, Republic of Korea and Singapore.  On the other hand, it may also be a threat to the "brain drain syndrome" and the penetration of foreign providers for developing countries of Southeast Asia and least developed countries of South Asia. 

As it is today, technical education and vocational training in Asia Pacific countries is highly diversified.  While some countries stay satisfied with their brick-and-mortar classical types of education, their counterparts are already exploiting the benefits of click-and-mortar technology-based system such as on-line learning, web-based teaching and learning system and online learning.  Indeed, the increasing globalization of the curricula requires need for academic and professional recognition of credentials for increased student and staff mobility, increased concern for the quality and effectiveness of educational provisions.

The Seoul Declaration 2004 - and the APACC is an epitome of how a diversified number of countries work together to harmonize and standardize qualifications through institutional and specialized accreditation and certification systems.  Of course, CPSC nor APACC itself can not establish or accept accreditation.  The creation of a non-partisan regional accreditation body becomes more realistic and essential.  APACC and its neutral role in the region is the answer.

As the key catalyst for change, CPSC gained the support of the Governing Board in coordinating the development of a regional accreditation system.  Today, it is calling upon human resource agencies in technical education and accreditation bodies at the national, regional and international levels for collaboration and cooperation.  It is hoped that together, we can set accreditation standards and indicators so elaborated to reflect such challenges facing the development of technical education.

THE APACC PROGRAM OF ACCREDITATION

Accreditation is viewed as both a process and a result.  It is a process by which a technical and vocational training institution evaluates its educational activities, and seeks an independent judgment to confirm that it substantially achieves its objectives, and is generally equal in quality to comparable institutions.  As a result, it is a form of certification, or grant of formal status by a recognized and authorized accrediting agency to an educational institution as possessing certain standards of quality which are over and above those prescribed as minimum requirements by the government.

There are a variety of accreditation models.  The most common are program and institutional accreditation.  An academic program refers to a group of related courses, packaged in a curriculum and leading to an educational degree, diploma or certificate.  In contrast, an institution refers to the school, college, university or center in its totality.  Operationally, APACC accreditation may cover autonomous and affiliate colleges, constituent colleges, departments, training centers, or the whole university/college which are engaged in offering technical and vocational training.

It was prepared with reference to seven (7) criteria so that the status of the institution can be compared with other institutions.  The criteria that will serve as the basis of assessment procedures are as follows:  Governance and Management; Teaching and Learning; Faculty and Staff; Research and Development; Extension, Consultancy and Linkages; Support to Students; and Financial Resources, Physical Facilities, Library and Information Technology Resources.

Historical Background

Asia Pacific Accreditation and Certification Commission (APACC), the implementing Agency for accreditation, is sheltered under the Colombo Plan Staff College for Technician Education (CPSC).  The College is envisioned to be an institution of excellence in human resources development along technician education in the Asia-Pacific region.

In both the Constitution of 1974, which located the CPSC in Singapore; and in 1987, which transferred it to the Philippines, the improvement of the quality of technician education and training was specifically identified as the primary purpose of the college.

In 2003, a program was adopted to have direct and profound effect in the quality of education when the CPSC Governing Board approved the CPSC Corporate Plan (2003-2008), including in particular, Goal 1, Strategy 1.2, "to facilitate capacity building to develop Accreditation and Certification System for the Asia Pacific Region in TET".

Armed with this mandate, we have convened an International Conference on Accreditation and Certification in December 2004 to explore the possibility of setting up a regional body.  With participants representing 16 member governments from Afghanistan, Fiji, Korea, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines and Sri Lanka, signing the CPSC Seoul Declaration 2004, the Asia Pacific Accreditation and Certification Commission (APACC) was formed.

Objectives and Functions

The CPSC Seoul Declaration 2004 established the regional accreditation and certification body now known as the Asia Pacific Accreditation and Certification Commission with CPSC as the lead organization.  In compliance with this mandate, the APACC shall perform the following functions:

• to conduct accreditation and certify the corresponding accreditation status earned among technical education institutions in the Asia Pacific, giving priority to institutions in Colombo Plan member countries; 
  
  
• to develop standards, evaluation instruments, processes and protocols for the accreditation of technical education institutions; 
  
  
• to establish linkages or partnership with quality assurance agencies; 
  
  
• to recruit, train, and develop and retrain a pool of assessors on a full-time or on-call basis; 
  
  
• to directly provide, or seek other services to provide funds and other resources to carry out the program of accreditation and certification; and 
  
  
• to be a source of good practices for the promotion of quality in technical and vocational training and education

Organization and Staffing

As a new unit of the CPSC, APACC is headed by a Director who will be directly under the supervision of the Director-General.  The Director, under the direction of the Director-General shall be responsible in directing the day-to-day activities of the Commission.

Branch units will be established in the different member countries located in an office, preferably in the Ministry of Education of the country, that is engaged or wanting to be engaged in the quality assurance program in technical and vocational education. These in-country units of APACC shall be headed by a National Coordinator on Accreditation (NCA) who will represent APACC in the concerned country and prepare plans for accreditation.

Funding

Initially, during its first two years of operation, i.e., 2005-2007, the operating expenses of the Commission will be bank-rolled by the CPSC.  The cost of operation including the personal and operating budget of the APACC's main and its in-country units; the special projects, like, workshops, seminars and conferences, for the dissemination of the accreditation and certification program; the training of its staff and assessors; the activities held to develop the Accreditation Scheme, Manuals, and Accreditation instruments; and the actual on-site survey visits to institutions to be evaluated, will be provided by the CPSC.

By 2008, APACC will be self-financing by collecting fees for accreditation services it will render to beneficiaries with possible subsidy from CPSC to support its operating cost.

THE PRE-ORGANIZATION STAGE: FROM BIRTH TO SIX MONTHS BEYOND

A critical task for APACC is developing, implementing, managing and delivering pre-operational services.  These include benchmarking, the development of the accreditation manuals and guides, establishing the APACC website, developing standards and instrument including supporting documentation and other follow-up actions.  They also include the development and delivery of workshops and other programs for APACC accreditors as well as marketing them to raise interest, promote relevance to improving quality and secure participation from technical education institutions.

Qualified accreditation experts were assigned by the CPSC Director-General, to manage and deliver the mentioned pre-operational services.

Benchmarking

Right after the Seoul Declaration, APACC conducted a survey to examine the existing sets of criteria and performance indicators used in the process of institutional accreditation. Specifically, it covered the following activities: (1) identifying collaborating institutions and possible focal points with which the Commission will carry out its activities; (2) identifying accreditation standards or criteria used my member governments; (3) determining the range of services offered; and (4) interpreting survey data and analyzing findings.

It sought the cooperation of National Coordinators for Accreditation (NCAs), national accrediting bodies, CPSC Liaison Officers and other accreditation enthusiasts to obtain relevant data and information.   Educing good responses, the state of accreditation systems in the region: their standards and criteria; procedures and guidelines; technology-supported evaluation system; and decision-making was comparatively analyzed.

After a thorough study, APACC is ready to propose a working paper for a system of accreditation and certification consistent with the values of objectivity, impartiality, transparency, accountability, harmonization, collaboration, independence and openness towards innovation.

APACC Website  

The Staff College, with its squadron of information technology experts, established a dedicated website which will be a repository of information about APACC and its accreditation system. Through this website, web pages are created to provide wide array of support materials in web-based version. In addition, it also contains hyperlinks to resources and other detailed information, such as institutional description of good practices.  Aside from providing information, the website also contains web pages that can also capture information and create database important for both off-site and on-site accreditation processes.  It will be an easier, more accessible and more economical means of gathering information offline before an on-line validation can be made.

As this will be dynamic, the website with address at http://apacc.cpsctech.org will be updated to reflect developments even well after the workshop, Figure 1. 

Figure 1.  The APACC Website at http://apacc.cpsctech.org

APACC Accreditation Manual 

APACC Accreditation addresses the ability of an institution to achieve its stated mission, goals and objectives. Familiarity with the overall rationale of the accreditation process, standards and criteria, procedures and guidelines are essential to the development and operation of an accredited institution.  APACC has deputized a Technical Team assisted by an External Technical Consultant to prepare a guidance document and organizing them into a single an "APACC Accreditation Manual".   This becomes the primary reference for an accreditation review and evaluation of technical institutions. 

The Manual is organized as follows:  Part 1 covers the APACC Program of Accreditation; Parts 2 and 3 presents the Criteria for Evaluation, and the Rating System and Weightages, respectively; Part 4 presents the Self-Survey Report; Parts 5, 6 and 7 outlines the activities to be undertaken before (Part 5), during (Part 6) and after (Part 7) the survey visit.  As this would take its final form after the workshop, APACC offers the opportunity for comments and review by representatives from member governments and other experts.  For ease of use and reference, said document will be ready in both its print and web-based versions.

Web-Based Survey Instrument

The Web-Based Survey Instrument is a customized instrument designed to support every facet of APACC Accreditation. A tool for measuring the seven criteria of evaluation, this interactive instrument permits an applicant institution to prepare and submit accreditation materials online.  This innovative and interactive survey instrument replaces a paper-survey process and will make the process more well-organized, constructive and useful.  It offers immediate response on the performance of the institution and thus, addresses issues before the on-site survey starts. In other words, it permits the institution to conduct an interim evaluation to help determine its readiness for accreditation and identify areas of special concern.

In addition, this survey instrument helps facilitate the transfer of documents and data through electronic means rather than manual compilations.  Because much of the survey will be conducted off-site through the use of this tool, the on-site survey is limited in length and scope. 

Handbook for Accreditors

In order to render the evaluation process objective and impartial, the evaluation should be in the hands of trustworthy and highly qualified peers from the educational and professional communities.  A Handbook for Accreditors is being crafted to provide guidance and training to accreditors on the APACC scheme.  It will help them prepare for an accreditation visit, understand how to effectively and efficiently use the instrument, and understand what will happen before, during and after the on-site and off-site visit. Together with the APACC Accreditation Manual, the Handbook for Accreditors forms the main reference for APACC accreditation system.

APACC Standard Skills

Initially, APACC has drafted several papers on regional standards along identified technical skills specifically on information technology/computer, engineering, environmental, design, medical, media and others. Said draft, developed with inputs from national standards in the region, will be distributed for comments and improvement.  Consequently, it will be revised and where appropriate, may be discussed intensively to facilitate the development of workable standard skills.

Training the Accreditors 

Accreditors, evaluators, auditors or assessors must possess the needed professional qualifications, experience and professionalism to carry out the task of evaluating the institution applying for accreditation.  A comprehensive program of training and support for evaluators is to be implemented to make sure that the accreditation process mirrors the principles and policies established by APACC.  Said programs will acquaint them with the Commission's accreditation scheme and further foster their competence.

Prior to the selection of would-be accreditors, APACC identified the national accrediting bodies as well as the agency for technical education in the member governments, Table 1.  Upon careful study of their scope and functions, APACC has invited the participation of qualified senior officials from these bodies through the CPSC Liaison Officers.  Hopefully, the corps of highly capable persons forming the pioneering squadron of APACC accreditors will work towards promoting regional accreditation and certification.

Table 1.  Identified National Accreditation Bodies in the APACC Member-Countries

THE FULL OPERATIONALIZATION STAGE: THE WAY AHEAD

Efforts are being done to establish the complete legal framework of APACC.  As of present, it is lodged at the Special Services Division under the direct supervision of the CPSC Director-General.  Part of the governance arrangements is the organization of a governing board and the appointment of a commissioner.

Its legal status notwithstanding, APACC will move on to the operational processes which address the following: preparing and completing an on-site survey; further recruitment of accreditors; the accreditation award process;  and follow-up action.  These activities will proceed when the basic instruments and guides will have been finalized.

These developments which are underway, give us a winning status.  Serving our member countries through accreditation and certification strengthen our actions and increase our contribution and influence not only within but beyond the Asia Pacific region.

Organizing the APACC

After the signing of the commitment to organize the APACC through the CPSC Seoul Declaration 2004, and before the conclusion of this workshop, the following steps are proposed:

• Prepare the CPSC Accreditation and Certification Program, which will detail the program objectives, scope, funding, time frame and implementing strategies
  
  
• Work for the adoption of the adoption of APACC by the CPSC Governing Board to give the Program and APACC a firm legal leg.
  
  
• Having carefully identified the cooperating offices/agencies that are engaged or who want to engage, in accreditation in tandem with CPSC, the latter should forge a contract or Memorandum of Agreement with these agencies.

Activities After the Organization of the APACC 

• Test-Accreditation. Once the Accreditation Manual will be finalized and the Web-Based Survey Instrument is ready, organize a test-accreditation of five (5) volunteering institutions. The condition is that, if these were successful, APACC would accept their accreditation as final.    Anent to this, the following activities will be undertaken:
  
  
  • A two-year (2005-2007) Plan of Activities shall be prepared by the National Accreditation Coordinators for their respective countries. 
    
    
  • Hold a regional workshop to be attended by two representatives from each institution that applies to be accredited by APACC.  The purpose of this activity is to orient the participants on the criteria, procedures, roles, requirements, the evaluation system, and benefits of accreditation.
    
    
  • Conduct a region-wide training of Assessors to be attended by four participants from each country, giving priority to countries where there are already applicant institutions for accreditation.  
    
    
  • Consultancy visits by APACC Staffs may be held in individual countries or in a cluster of neighboring countries upon the invitation of the institution wanting to be accredited.  If the invitation is not forthcoming, APACC Staffs and/or the NAC may offer their services to those needing assistance.
    
    
  • Conduct on-site accreditation survey visits to individual technical and vocational training institutions.  The plan period is only for 2005-2007, but it should be remembered that accreditation is a continuing process, and those institutions that are accredited during the 2005-2007 period will be subjected to a series of cycles in an indefinite period.
    
    
• Linkage and Network System. APACC will continue to uphold a variety of links with national and international organizations such as ILO, UNESCO-UNEVOC, AUQA, and others.  It will work closely with the academe and the industry to gather intellectual inputs for the development and improvement of accreditation systems.
  
  
  Whenever needed, APACC will meet and network with key education officials in the member countries to secure their support to the cause of accreditation. In addition, it will also forge agreements with national accrediting bodies with a proven track record of transparency, objectivity and acceptability.
  
  
  Another way to establish a strong linkage and network system is to conduct information drives.  Publicizing APACC activities will raise the profile of the Commission and its role in the region.  This can be done by publishing marketing tools such as:  regular newsletter; press releases; other promotional literature like flyers and leaflets that explains the role and setting out details about accreditation, the standards and the supporting processes.
  
  
  Aside from the print media, the internet can be a powerful tool in linking with other agencies and institutions. 
  
  
• Feedback System. APACC will regularly review past activities and discuss current and future tasks. The feedback system will work from within the Commission - the NCAs, the APACC accreditors as well as from the outside.  Feedbacks from foreign experts, who are either involved in the work of the APACC in one way or another or make comments and suggestions in conferences or in meetings with APACC representatives, will also be acknowledged.

CHALLENGES AND TENSION POINTS

Challenges and tension points that would affect the system of accreditation and certification are hereto identified:

Standardization

The nature of the accreditation system in the Asia Pacific region is widely diversified which when not addressed can be a major impediment for quality assurance.  Accreditation procedures, policies and decisions are contrasting: issues such, as "one size fits all"; institution versus program; and inputs, processes, outputs and outcomes as bases of standards. Shall CPSC preserve diversity - and what about the need for convergence? And how will APACC promote quality by remaining diverse on one hand and convergent on the other?

Confronting this major challenge, APACC has to promote convergence of standards to a certain degree, while at the same time structure diversity in such a way as not to trample upon the national practices.  It will institute a process of partnering with national accrediting bodies with a track record of quality, effectiveness and trustworthiness in their works.

Universalization of Education

To meet the needs of the student, technical education extends beyond the brick-and-mortar traditional settings to the click-and-mortar innovative settings or any other form of online, web-based and non-residential attendance programs.  Another issue on universalization is earning the equivalent credit points from one institution in one country to another institution in another country.  Can APACC evaluate these contrasting types of technical education systems?

Commercialization of Education

Commercialism refers to the use of new electronic technology, the merging of for-profit and not-for-profit educational organizations, and for-profit subsidiaries of non-profit operations. It raises issues about regionally accredited but nationally visible institutions, providing on-site and distance education programs across regions. As Eaton (2001) puts it, "commercialism" challenges accreditation whether these new commercial cultures can produce quality and under what conditions.

Internationalization

Internalization refers to expanding boundaries for institutions, courses, and programs operating in several countries, students moving among countries to complete their education, creation of virtual institutions that exist mainly for international purposes, and government interests in further controlling higher education as an item of trade and commerce.

Internationalization poses a challenge to APACC to examine what it means to take institutions, programs, and quality review systems designed for domestic consumption into an international arena.

CONCLUSION

This paper has attempted to demonstrate how countries with differing culture and orientation came together and organized one accrediting commission.  With meager human and financial resources, APACC has undertaken bold steps to cause the accrediting process possible.  For the first six months, APACC was able to perform the following: benchmarking; establishing the APACC website; developing the accreditation materials and guides; and training the accreditors.  While not all institutions in the member governments will adopt the APACC accreditation system, it will resume gaining its legitimacy and continue with its operational activities through strong linkages and networking, and feedback systems.  Likely, it will face the challenges and tension points on several issues such as universalization, diversification, commercialization and internationalization.  Hoping against all hopes though, APACC will prove that accreditation and certification can lead to quality in technical education. 

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