II.2 Purpose of the Program Presentation

The Program Presentation has three purposes:

  • To document how the program(s) is in compliance with the Standards;
  • To describe how the school plans to maintain the accredited program(s) and to continue compliance with the Standards;
  • To serve as an ongoing planning and assessment tool for the school and program(s).

The COA expects that the Program Presentation will be helpful to the school and program. Schools are encouraged to distribute the Program Presentation widely and publicly. The Program Presentation helps the program's own faculty, students, and administrative officers understand the processes, successes, and challenges it needs to address in its future development.

The Program Presentation must consider the Standards in their entirety, addressing each standard and its elements in order, with the Introduction and the Afterword in mind. The document may also contain sections that focus on specific aspects of the program, such as distance education and curriculum revisions.

The COA expects an analytic, rather than a descriptive, approach to writing the document. The COA also encourages the use of samples, summaries, and tabular data. A judicious selection of materials, examples, and focused summaries can help the Program Presentation become a succinct and coherent statement about the program(s) presented for accreditation. Such a document enables the COA and its External Review Panel (ERP) to reach appropriate recommendations and decisions.