We expect these experiences and the learning we will derive from the project to have a profound, direct influence on the shaping of our standards and practices for the first decade of the next century. Because we intend to involve in our groups people, organizations, and institutions from throughout the nation, we fully expect the project to have the potential to influence other accrediting practices throughout the nation. The project will make substantial use of three basic tools in achieving its goals. Since each of these instruments will be the means to more than one goal, discussing each here will make what follows easier to understand. In years 2 and 3 of the project, surveys will enable us to gauge institutional satisfaction with the new model and the change in the image of accreditation it has produced.
Focus groups are essential for obtaining design, marketing, and evaluation input.
These will not be meetings to make decisions, so 2-3 hours or less for each group should suffice. We will hold some of these groups by electronic telephone conference so that top administrators can readily spare and schedule the time. We will provide participants with feedback summaries that offer them the opportunity to add anything they feel was omitted. Telephone focus groups have been in use for at least the past 25 years, and have been enhanced by computer technology invented in the past three years. It is especially useful where participants are geographically dispersed, relatively rare, or reluctant or unable to travel to a central facility.