Activity accreditation is a formal process of verifying the quality and appropriateness of certain activities, such as educational programs, training courses, seminars or conferences. It is a way of guaranteeing and measuring the quality of an activity against a set of standards. Benefits of activity accreditation include enhanced credibility, quality assurance, and broader recognition. This blog will show you how to achieve these benefits by clearly outlining the steps to activity accreditation.
Define Your Objectives
Clarify the Purpose of Accreditation
It’s important to clearly articulate the goals of your activity prior to embarking on the accreditation process and to understand what you hope to achieve by pursuing accreditation. If you’re developing an educational programme, education event or training course, knowing your purpose will shape many of your decisions along the way. Most importantly, it will help you articulate the goals of your programme to those who are evaluating it for accreditation. Knowing your goals – whether it is to improve the outcomes for participants, increase enrolment, or meet an outside standard – will help you ascertain the level of investment, effort, and resources that the process will require of your institution. It will also help you align your programmatic goals with those of your accrediting body.
Set Specific, Measurable Goals
As soon as you’ve settled on the purpose of pursuing accreditation, it’s important to set SMART goals that are tangible, measurable, and aligned with the expectations of the accrediting body. Goals should be quantifiable and something you can hold yourself accountable to, with hard measures of success. If you are looking to improve the quality of a training programme, for example, a measurable goal could be a percentage increase in participant satisfaction scores or having your curriculum align with industry standards in a certain timeframe. Setting goals helps keep your accreditation efforts on track and gives you a way to measure your progress as you move through the process.
Research Accreditation Bodies
Identify Relevant Accrediting Organisations
Then, it would help if you researched the criteria used by the various accrediting bodies to see which ones will be most applicable to your activity’s objectives. Different accrediting bodies have different standards and criteria used to assess your activity, so it is a matter of finding the one that best fits you. For instance, if you are accrediting a professional training course, you might want to find an accrediting body that has been established in your industry or educational field. Choosing an accrediting body that is relevant to your industry will mean that the standards your activity meets will be recognised and respected, making your accreditation something you can be proud of.
Understand Accreditation Criteria
Having identified possible accrediting bodies, it is important to understand exactly what they expect, what their standards might be, and what evidence they need to see. You will need to read their documentation about their guidelines and standards, their application processes and requirements, and any other information relevant to your activity. Some accreditation bodies’ documentation is very detailed, spelling out what they expect to see in terms of quality, content, delivery and outcome. Suppose you understand what is being asked of you. In that case, you should be able to check that your activity is fully in line with what is expected before you even apply. You should also identify any deficits or gaps that will need addressing to achieve the necessary accreditation.
Develop a Detailed Plan
Create a Comprehensive Plan
Accreditation requires a plan. A structured approach to accreditation begins with a plan. When creating your plan, identify all the tasks that need to be completed in order to achieve accreditation, and assign a due date, responsibility and resources for each task. For example, your plan might include the deadlines required to collect documentation, schedules for staff training or logistics for curriculum revisions. A thorough plan helps to ensure that everything necessary for the accreditation process is covered and that your team is prepared for every step of the application. It also helps you to manage the timing and allocation of resources, thereby reducing the risk of a last-minute issue that could cause a hold on accreditation.
Involve Key Stakeholders
Accreditation is a team sport. Stakeholders include your teammates, the leaders of your organisation, partners, participants and many others. Involving them early and often in the planning process is critical to your success. Stakeholders can offer their valuable insights into what is happening in your activity, identify roadblocks and potential pitfalls, and provide ideas on how to address those problems so that the activity is even better than it was before beginning the accreditation process. The stakeholders’ perspectives and engagement can also contribute to a sense of ownership and responsibility for the activity’s success.
Align with Standards
Review Accreditation Standards
Once you have a plan, the second step is to start reviewing the accreditation standards and guidelines provided by the accrediting body. The standards are the standards, and they indicate whether your activity is considered an accreditable CE activity. You need to understand these standards inside and out so that you can review the activity along every dimension – content, learning design, assessment, outcomes, etc. – and check off areas that need to be adjusted or improved so that they align with the accreditation requirements. Doing so avoids any surprises when it comes to the accreditation process and puts you in a better position for success.
Implement Necessary Adjustments
Upon reviewing the standards, you may realise that certain elements of your activity will need to be adjusted to meet accreditation requirements. Possible adjustments might include:
- Updating your curriculum to ensure that it is aligned with industry best practices.
- Improving your assessments to measure participant outcomes better.
- Enhancing your documentation process.
Changes should be made well before the accreditation review process begins to ensure that you are not only compliant with the accreditation standards but also enhance the quality and effectiveness of your activity. Better outcomes for participants and increased recognition within your industry could result.
Prepare Documentation
Gather Required Documentation
The preparation of the documentation required is one of the most crucial elements of the accreditation process. Accrediting bodies often require you to submit a number of documents to demonstrate your activity’s compliance with their standards. Examples of the kinds of documentation commonly required can include your curricula, assessment techniques, participant feedback, organisational policies and procedures, and evidence of outcomes. It is important to gather and organise these documents well in advance of your submission date to ensure that each is current and accurately reflects the current status of your activity. As it is currently being delivered, adequate documentation provides the accrediting body with the evidence it needs to evaluate the quality and compliance of your activity.
Ensure Accuracy and Completeness
Alongside presenting the relevant documentation, you must also make sure that the documents submitted are accurate and complete – incomplete or inaccurate documentation can lead to delays in the accreditation process or even a denial of accreditation. Prior to submission, review each document to ascertain that it meets the accrediting body’s requirements and accurately represents the activity being accredited. Check against guidelines, conduct an internal audit or solicit feedback from other stakeholders. Taking the time to do so will increase the likelihood of the accreditation proceeding smoothly and leading to a positive outcome.
Conduct a Self-Assessment
Evaluate Your Activity
Self-assessment provides an opportunity to think critically about whether the content, delivery, assessment and outcomes of your activity meet the standards of the accrediting body. You should spend a considerable amount of time reviewing all aspects of the activity you’re submitting for accreditation. In this process, it is important to be honest and objective with yourself and avoid cherry-picking information. When conducting a self-assessment, you’re essentially putting on your ‘critical friend’ hat to reflect on your activity’s strengths and weaknesses.
Identify Areas for Improvement
As you complete your self-assessment, you might identify areas where the activity only meets some of the accreditation requirements. These include minor tweaks to documentation (e.g., the inclusion of an outcome evaluation) or more substantial changes to content and delivery methods. It’s important to plug any gaps before you complete your application so that the activity you submit fully conforms to the accrediting body’s requirements. This is your last opportunity to refine and improve your activity, and it will pay dividends in terms of increasing your likelihood of a positive accreditation outcome.
Submit the Application
Complete the Accreditation Application
After you’ve conducted your self-check and made any recommended changes, the final step is to complete and submit the accreditation application. The application is your chance to sell your activity in the best possible light, illustrating how it meets the requirements of the accrediting body. Be sure to follow all directions for application submission; include all required information and documentation. This may include detailed descriptions of the activity in your program, evidence of participant outcomes, and copies of relevant policies and procedures. A well-developed application shows that you’ve put some thought into your program and are a good candidate for accreditation.
Follow Submission Guidelines
You should also carefully follow the submission guidelines given by the accrediting body. These will dictate plans for your application, including formatting requirements, submission deadlines and how to prepare and submit the materials for your accreditation. Follow these guidelines to ensure your application is completed on time. Check that you have followed the submission guidelines before submitting your application to ensure everything is correct. By adhering to the submission guidelines, you appear professional and will be more likely to receive a positive review.
Prepare for the Review Process
Understand the Review Process
When you apply for accreditation, it is helpful to know what to expect once you have submitted your application. The accrediting body may conduct a site visit, interview with staff or request supplementary materials. Different accrediting bodies may have different processes, so it is important to know what to expect from the agency with which you are applying. Preparing to interact with the accreditation body involves:
- Reviewing and categorising your materials.
- Make sure your team is ready to respond to questions.
- Anticipating and addressing areas of concern that the reviewer may identify.
Be Responsive and Cooperative
In the course of reviewing your application, the accrediting body may decide to request clarification of aspects of your application or additional information. Once again, it’s important to be responsive and cooperative: promptly provide the additional information or clarification asked for and address whatever legitimate concerns the accrediting body has raised. Your willingness to engage constructively with the accrediting body can facilitate the review process and assist your organisation in meeting accreditation standards. Staying on top of the review process and communicating with the accrediting body can help to ensure a smooth review process with a positive outcome.
Address Feedback and Make Revisions
Respond to Feedback
Feedback from the accrediting body is part of the overall accreditation process, and how you respond to it is the key to success. It could be positive, or your CPD activity needs further work. Either way, your approach should be open-minded and receptive to suggestions. Constructive criticism is a means towards improving your activity and making sure it can meet the requirements for accreditation and be of the highest standard. Responding well means carefully reading the feedback, consulting your team, and making any necessary changes to ensure your activity aligns with the criteria of the accrediting body.
Resubmit if Necessary
In some cases, accrediting bodies will ask you to revise your application or activity before granting accreditation. If this occurs, don’t despair! Use the feedback you received in the first instance to revise your submission and keep it in mind as you make your revisions. Then, when you resubmit, address all of the concerns that were raised during the first review, and make sure to provide evidence of the changes you’ve made. It is important to clearly demonstrate how you responded to each piece of feedback in the revised application. A well-considered and detailed resubmission can greatly increase your chances of receiving accreditation.
Maintain Accreditation
Ongoing Compliance and Improvement
Getting accredited is a major achievement, but to keep it, you must continue to meet the accrediting body’s standards. This means being monitored regularly, re-assessing yourself periodically and keeping abreast of any changes in the accreditation criteria. Taking pride in staying compliant will ensure that your activity continues to meet the standards for good practice and produces high-quality outcomes for your participants. It would be best if you also cultivated a culture of continuous improvement within your organisation, seeking to enhance the quality and impact of your activity.
Prepare for Reaccreditation
Accreditation is not a one-time accomplishment but often at set intervals. Plan for reaccreditation and avoid any lapse in the accreditation status. Review the requirements for reaccreditation, update your documentation, and perform another self-assessment to identify areas for improvement. You can approach the reaccreditation process with confidence so that you, your organisation and your accredited activities continue to thrive.
Conclusion
When it comes to achieving activity accreditation, there is a clear path to follow that can be organised into a simple step-by-step process:
- Defining the activity
- Researching accrediting bodies
- Creating a detailed plan
- Matching it to standards
- Gathering the documentation
- Conducting a self-assessment
- Submitting the application
- Preparing for the review process
- Responding to feedback
- Maintaining accreditation
Each of the steps in the process is important and should be noticed as you work towards the standard of excellence required for your accreditation. The task is substantial, but the reward is significant: the achievement of accreditation adds honour, status and quality to your activity.