Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing

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Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing
CASN Accreditation Bureau Report to
Council Carroll L. Iwasiw RN, BN, MScN,
EdD Chair, CASN Accreditation Bureau Lise Talbot
inf., psy, PhD Director of Accreditation

November 18 , 2009
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Overview

• Mandate and membership of the CASN Accreditation
  Bureau (CAB)
• Recent activities of the CAB
• Recent challenges
• Your questions and feedback

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Mandate and membership

• CAB Report to Council

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CASN Accreditation Bureau (CAB)

• Decision making body for the CASN Accreditation
  Program (VIII, 8-9)
• Operational , NOT policy-making committee

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Membership

• 5 full-time faculty members
• 1 representative of a service agency
• 1 academic representative
• 1 community representative
• 1 consumer representative (student or graduate)
• 1 non-voting regulatory representative
• (College of Nurses of Ontario has an observer for
  the Ontario decisions)

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Recent activities Review of programs

• CAB Report to Council

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April 2008 - March 2009

• 9 reviews
• 13 educational units
• 24 programs
• 31 reviewers participated

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Recent activities Formalization of Decision
Making guidelines

• CAB Report to Council

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7-Year Term of Accreditation

• All Standards are met and there is evidence of a
  vision and capacity to sustain momentum for the
  next 7 years.
• There are
• No major vulnerabilities
• No unmet designations in any of the Key Elements.
• No recommendations

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7-Year Term of Accreditation with Recommendations

• Recommendations are made to highlight Standards
  or Key Elements that require attention to ensure
  ongoing success for the next 7 years.
• Recommendations are generally
• related to vulnerabilities
• to continue ongoing work or to address specific
  vulnerabilities.

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5-Year Term of Accreditation

• All Standards are currently met, but there is a
  concern about the vision and/or capacity to
  sustain momentum beyond 5 years.
• Or Standards are all met but there are
  vulnerabilities that may influence the unit/
  and/or program beyond 5 years.
• Or there are partially met or unmet Standards
  that influence the ability of the unit and/or
  program to deliver excellence.
• The Bureau does not feel a need to indicate
  recommendations

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5-Year Term of Accreditation with Recommendations

• All Standards are currently met but there is a
  concern about the vision and/or capacity to
  sustain momentum beyond 5 years.
• Or Standards are all met but there are
  vulnerabilities that may influence the
  unit/program beyond 5 years.
• Or there are partially met or unmet Standards
  that influence the unit and/or program ability to
  deliver excellence.

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5-Year Term of Accreditation with Recommendations

• Recommendations are generally related to
  partially met or unmet Standards or Key Elements
  as well as vulnerabilities (e.g., there are
  ongoing or impending environmental changes that
  could impact the educational unit and/or program
  that could influence the ability to meet the
  Standards).

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Interim Reports

• An interim report is deemed necessary because the
  Bureau feels the need for assurance that
  recommendations have been carried out and there
  is evidence that the vulnerability(ies) has/have
  been addressed.
• A report can be required with 7- or 5-year terms
  of accreditation .
• Generally, the report is due within 2 years.

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Interim Report and Visit

• An on-site visit is deemed necessary because the
  Bureau feels the need for external validation
  that recommendations have been carried out and
  there is evidence that the vulnerability(ies)
  has/have been addressed.

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Deny Accreditation

• Unmet or partially met Standards jeopardize the
  sustainability of the educational unit and/or
  program and there is lack of insight, leadership,
  and/or capacity to lead change.

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Recent activities 1. Scholarship-Reporting
Template2. report on criteria of quality in
distance programs

• CAB Report to Council

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Scholarship-Reporting Template

• Template for reporting scholarship has been
  developed to
• standardize reporting
• reduce redundancy in reporting
• make the categories of completed scholarship
  more evident

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Distance Programs

• Concern identified in the CAB that the
  information received about distance education
  programs has not addressed features unique to
  distance programs
• Report prepared on criteria for assessing quality
  in distance education programs, with
  recommendations

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Recent Challenges

• CAB Report to Council

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Challenges

• Changing personnel in the Accreditation Office
• Growing workload related to proliferation of
  programs
• How to address emerging issues (e.g., assessment
  of distance programs)

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Your questions and feedback

• CAB Report to Council

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• Questions
• Feedback
• Strengths of the accreditation program
• Ideas re how the program could be more productive
  for the Schools
• Views re benchmarking minimal standards or best
  practices (excellence)?