INCEIF UNIVERSITY

INCEIF AACSB International Accreditation: The Journey and Progress Timeline

Submit AACSB Membership Application

AACSB Accreditation Standards
Familiarization with Faculty and Staffs.

Submit Pre-Accreditation Eligibility
Application.

Conduct Preliminary Self-Assessment

AACSB Mentor On-site Visit

Develop and submit Standards
Alignment Plan (SAP) to AACSB

SAP accepted by AACSB

Receive invitation for Initial
Accreditation

Develop Self-Evaluation Report (SER)

Submit Self-Evaluation Report (SER).

Peer Review Team (PRT) On-site Visit

Implement SAP until invited to submit for
Initial Accreditation

Mentor on-site visits - if necessary
(for up to 3 years)

Submit annual Progress Reports (iSER Update)
- 30 June 2015 (1st)
- 20 June 2016 (2nd)
- 15 June 2017 (3rd)

Since the beginning of the AACSB accreditation initiative in 2012, INCEIF has witnessed significant benefits on several fronts.

It has further emphasized INCEIF’s mission and key results areas of academic excellence, financial sustainability and global reputation;
It has significantly changed the way faculty assess the curriculum and its impact on student learning;
It has brought into sharper focus INCEIF’s research quality and impact;Study Area
By focussing on student learning outcomes, it has helped INCEIF focus on student lifecycle and ensure that the core competencies are embedded in his/her curricular and extra-curricular programs, activities and experiences and ultimately form the graduate attributes sought after by the student, employer and the community at large;
It has called for curriculum innovation which is already an integral part of the faculty’s pedagogy and delivery of academic and professional programs;
It has provided a strong basis and mechanism for assuring learning and closing the loop;
It has helped engaged faculty members in a meaningful way while emphasizing their sufficiency, qualification and development, and
It has helped INCEIF establish an evidence-based culture of continual assessment and improvement.

INCEIF has so far progressed well in meeting the AACSB requirements as follows:

Submission and approval by the Initial Accreditation Committee (IAC) of INCEIF’s eligibility application, Standard Alignment Plan (SAP)/Initial Self-Evaluation Report (iSER) and its first iSER update.
Established the Assurance of Learning (AoL) system including:
- Learning goals and Learning objectives, curriculum map, assessment methods and finally developed an assessment plan.
- Use of rubrics to assess to student learning in all LG assessed.
- Use of SEDONA system to gather data for faculty analysis and reporting.
- Completed three cycles of AoL assessment from 2014, 2015 and 2016.
- Increased faculty engagement in AoL including participating and supporting faculty.

To facilitate the execution of the accreditation plan, INCEIF established the AACSB Accreditation Steering Committee (AASC) and sub-committees. AASC consists of a cross functional team from faculty and administrators and is scheduled to meet on a monthly basis to assess progress against the SAP, address any performance gaps, deliberate solutions to all matters arising as a result of members’ feedback, and finally prepare reports for submission to the upper management and the governing board as deemed appropriate.

Milestone

November 2012

INCEIF Submits AACSB Membership Application

INCEIF submits AACSB Membership application and it is activated in January 2013. The AACSB membership is a pre-requisite for entering the accreditation process.

January 2013

INCEIF Submits Its Eligibility Application (EA)

INCEIF submits its Eligibility Application (EA) to formally enter the AACSB accreditation process. The purpose of Eligibility Application is for AACSB to determine if INCEIF meets AACSB’s eligibility criteria outlined in AACSB standards.

March 2013

While Waiting For The Approval

While waiting for the approval of EA, Preliminary Self-Assessment is initiated. It is the most critical step in assessing our readiness to pursue AACSB accreditation. It is a gap analysis of strengths and weaknesses relative to each of the accreditation standards, and Mission and Strategic Management objective. The Self-Assessment is completed in April 2013. However, the release of new AACSB Standards in April 2013, resulted in re-visiting of the Self-Assessment which is completed in August 2013.

May 2013

The Initial Accreditation Committee (IAC) Approves INCEIF’s Eligibility Application

The Initial Accreditation Committee (IAC) approves INCEIF’s Eligibility Application and the committee determined that INCEIF is eligible to proceed with the Initial Accreditation Process. The purpose of Initial Accreditation Process is to establish stable, constructive, ongoing and helpful partnership between AACSB and INCEIF. The Initial Accreditation Process benefits INCEIF in terms of receiving on-going assistance that fosters continuous improvement and minimize non-productive efforts, i.e. experienced counsel from a trained Mentor during the period and feedback through interactions with the Initial Accreditation Committee (IAC).

September 2013

Professor Dr. Andrew Griffiths

Professor Dr. Andrew Griffiths from the University of Queensland accepts his appointment as INCEIF’s Mentor.

December 2013

INCEIF Starts Writing The Standards Alignment Plan (SAP) In September

INCEIF starts writing the Standards Alignment Plan (SAP) in September. SAP is a detailed action plan, mainly pertaining to academic matters, showing how INCEIF addresses its areas for improvement during the period of Initial Accreditation and how INCEIF will maintain continuous improvement in its programme. This is also to ensure that INCEIF is ready with a concrete document for discussion during Mentor visit. INCEIF completes the SAP and submits to Mentor in January 2014 prior to his visit.

February 2014

Professor Dr. Andrew Griffiths Visits INCEIF

Professor Dr. Andrew Griffiths visits INCEIF on 26, 27 and 28 February. His visit is critical in assisting INCEIF in determining its current alignment with the accreditation standards and assist in the development of SAP.

May 2014

INCEIF Improves And Finalizes The SAP

INCEIF improves and finalizes the SAP based on feedback from Mentor and the Accreditation Liaison Officer.

June 2014

INCEIF Submits Standards Alignment Plan (SAP)

INCEIF submits Standards Alignment Plan (SAP) for consideration at the IAC Meeting on 5 August 2014.

August 2014

IAC Meeting On 5 August Accepts INCEIF SAP

IAC Meeting on 5 August accepts INCEIF SAP. The acceptance means that INCEIF now enters the implementation phase of the Standards Alignment Plan (SAP). INCEIF is required to submit reports on the progress made in implementing and achieving the action items detailed in the SAP. The due date of our first Progress Report set by IAC is 15th June 2015.