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This study shows that faculty members want to be a part of the accreditation process andhighlights yet another important view that faculty members hold about the accreditationprocess. Giving faculty members a sense of empowerment ―also went a long way in[making the accreditation] process work for the improvement of the institution‘sacademic programs‖ (Nichols, 1995, p. 18). Increased responsibility in creating andevaluating learning objectives was yet another influence of the accreditation process onfaculty academic life (Nichols, 1995). This study did highlight the faculty members‘voices as they relate to the accreditation process, but singularly illuminating their storieswould have provided even more valuable data on the views and assumptions of thefaculty members‘ experience with the accreditation process.Another interesting finding by Fisk and Duryea (1977) was that as a result ofaccreditation processes, faculty unionization increased. It seems that faculty members feltthreatened after the experience and felt a need for bargaining power with accreditationagencies and other governing bodies. Hearing the faculty members‘ stories about theexperience has the potential to give a clearer understanding of why unionizationincreased and to focus on how faculty members arrive at their perceptions about theaccreditation process. Yet, there is a gap in understanding because this research does notfully represent the faculty members‘ voices and how they make meaning of theexperience.Faculty Perception and Resistance to Accreditation ProcessesFaculty perceptions of the accreditation process and accreditation relatedactivities like assessment are not positive and result in a resistance to accountabilityefforts like the accreditation process. In an article entitled ―Differing Administrator, 17Faculty, and Staff Perceptions of Organizational Culture as Related to ExternalAccreditation,‖ Claire H. Procopio (2010) stated,For accreditation to have what is termed intrinsic value (i.e. value beyond theaccrediting agency‘s stamp of approval and access to federal student loans andgrants), college accreditation leaders are told they must overcome the perceptionof faculty and staff that accreditation is simply a pro forma hoop through whichthey must jump every five to ten years. (para. 7)There is no wonder that faculty perceive the accreditation process differently whenProcopio (2010) further states that ―It is probable that leaders of an accreditation effortreceive more information, are more highly involved, and are, in fact, in supervisory rolesmore than their non-committee counterparts,‖ and ―Least satisfied [with the process] arethe two groups reporting active and minimal involvement‖ (para. 27). The study reportsthat the minimally involved group is faculty. Procopio (2010) goes on to say that thosewho are ―minimally involved‖ in the accreditation process commonly experience―frustration.‖ Furthermore, ―the additional meetings in reality and/or in perception do notstrike personnel as affording everyone the opportunity to be included in discussions, totap creative potential, to result in decisions being enacted, or to be time well spent‖(Procopio, 2010, para. 28). One of the most relevant findings in this research article is:Faculty need a voice in crafting what they perceive to be a healthy climate,effective information flow, useful meetings, and appropriate levels ofinvolvement.... These findings seem to indicate that very high-end involvementyields some satisfaction with the organizational culture, but simply being asked toparticipate (actively or minimally) in the [accreditation] process by those wholead drives up frustration. (Procopio, 2010, para. 30)Schilling and Schilling (1998) identified the perception that faculty have aboutassessment, one of their main roles in the accreditation process, as one of disdain. Facultymembers see it as just one more command for accountability (Procopio, 2010; Schilling& Schilling, 1998). The contempt that faculty feel towards assessment was also attributed 18to faculty members feeling ―overburdened‖ with yet another responsibility on already―full plates.‖ Schilling and Schilling (1998) further stated that faculty members are stilluncertain about assessment and this leads to some of their resistance. Another studysuggested to counteract faculty perceptions and resistance to accreditation, ―encourageteamwork and team building through brainstorming, dialogue and discussion, and jointprojects‖ (Palomba & Banta, 1999, pp. 65 66); and ―to set clear and defined roles in theassessment process‖ (Palomba & Banta, 1999, p. 53).The faculty perspectives emerge as a result of how faculty experienceaccreditation. Therefore, it is apparent that the way in which faculty experienceaccreditation is the greatest predictor of the faculty‘s perspectives on the experience
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