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Accreditation is defined in multiple ways in the learn-and-work ecosystem. The term is used to describe quality assurance processes in the education sector as well as in the business/industry sector. Because the term is used in these two contexts, there is often a misunderstanding of what accreditation means among both sectors.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, accreditation is the process of assessment meant to improve academic quality and institutional accountability by an established set of standards to ensure a basic level of quality.
In the business/industry sector, accreditation often refers to the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as a certification body, inspection body, or testing laboratory) against recognized standards. The U.S. Conformity Assessment System: 3rd Party Conformity Assessment features four approaches:
In the business/industry sector, accreditation of hospitals and health care services is an important component of quality assurance.
Accreditation establishes principles of quality assurance and accountability for credential providers, consumers of services, and policymakers in the learn-and-work ecosystem. Extensive processes are in place in education institution accreditation, conformity assessment in business/industry, and accreditation of hospital and health care services. In education, accreditation is required for eligibility for federal assistance.
Council for Higher Education Accreditation. (n.d.). Accreditation and Recognition. Council for Higher Education Accreditation. https://www.chea.org/about-accreditation
Council for Higher Education Accreditation. (n.d.). Accreditation and Recognition. Regional Accrediting Organizations. https://www.chea.org/regional-accrediting-organizations
Hospital Accreditation | The Joint Commission https://www.jointcommission.org/what-we-offer/accreditation/health-care-settings/hospital/
Higher Education Accreditation in the United States | K12 Academics
U.S. Department of Education. (2022, September 14). Accreditation in the United States. U.S. Department of Education. https://www2.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation_pg2.html#U.S.
Wikipedia. (2022, September 8). Accreditation. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accreditation#:~:text=Accreditation%20is%20the,testing
https://www.standardsportal.org/Default.aspx
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