Visitation
The visit of the accreditation visitation team to the college applying for accreditation is an important aspect of the process, but it should not be thought of as the central or most important part. The essential part of the accreditation process is the self-study that is done by the college itself.
These visitations share in the life and work of the school over a period of time in order to assess its effectiveness in training students for a ministry equipped and competent to meet the current needs of a particular church and community. In order to do this, it is necessary to:
- see the aim of the institution in context;
- evaluate the capacity of teachers and the effectiveness of the educational process as a whole;
- assess the eligibility of students for a particular programme;
- see how the course of study relates to the context of continuing regional and global issues; involves students in the Christian community and its way of life, and requires them to reflect on its significance; involves students in and provides resources for understanding it and for the opportunity for service within it; encourages the growth of the whole person, and develops skills of immediate use in the Christian community;
- meet with the governing board to review policies and plan for development if possible;
- meet with the staff regarding methods of assessment, methods of education and use of resources;
- meet with the students or their representatives in order to receive their perception of the academic programmes.
Maintenance and Renewal of Accreditation
Three years after the initial accreditation (or renewal), schools will receive an interim visit from at least one qualified person on behalf of the Accreditation Commission to assess with the school the level of theological education and to discuss changes since the last visit. In preparation of the interim visit, the school identifying any changes that have taken place in the areas covered by the original self-study report should prepare a brief report.
The process of renewal of accreditation is essentially the same as that of initial accreditation. Much of the material submitted in the first report may still be relevant; though it should be reviewed and changed as necessary. The same guidelines for self-assessment at each academic level should be followed.
Evaluation
Our standards play an important, frequently critical, role in evaluating academic programmes. Our major issue to be considered in any evaluation is how the mission of the church is being served by the school in question. The 1999 SPATS Handbook stated: ‘the primary question in regard to the quality of theological education offered in an academic programme is this: Is the programme adequate to meet the needs of the church and its community?’ However, SPATS now sees academic formation as equal in importance to spiritual formation. A new direction in accreditation standards was approved by the 2000 SPATS Council to place increased emphasis on the former.
It is the task of churches to determine their theological and ministerial needs and to devise means to meet those needs. The accreditation process begins with the recognition that its task is a service to the churches and it must respect the aims of the educational programme it is asked to examine. Our standards must be applied flexibly, with sensitivity to the specific aim of the programme. The basic question of any assessor should not be, Have the standards been met? but, Is the programme fulfilling its aim?