Institutional self-study is regarded as the most significant part of the accreditation process. The benefits to the institution will be proportional to the incisiveness of the inquiry. It is important that the institutional self-study assess educational outcomes or results as well as address structure and process. The institutional self-study should assess student achievement with respect to programs and services offered to accomplish educational purposes.
Prime consideration is to be placed on performance or the achievement of institutional goals.
Nature and Organization. The objectives of the self-study effort should be clearly and specifically stated, the methodology worked out in advance, and a time schedule set. It is imperative that those involved in the study have ready access to all relevant data and materials. There must be frequent and widely disseminated reports of progress during the course of the ongoing self-study if a high level of interest is to be maintained. Once the methodologies to be employed in the self-study have been drawn up and agreed upon, a survey should be made to discover relevant data which may be available.