Sustainable Education Quality Improvement Using Academic Accreditation: Findings from a University in Saudi Arabia

Accreditation is widely considered to be a vital tool for quality assurance in higher education; however, there is disagreement in the academic community on the intended benefits of accreditation. Preparing for accreditation requires extensive financial and human resources to complete the required documentation. All accreditation agencies require improvements in institutional infrastructure, enhanced student support, appropriate learning environments, and faculty development, which can directly improve students’ learning experiences. In this paper, we explore the impact of accreditation on students’ learning by using a case study-based approach. We selected four degree programs from a University in Saudi Arabia and compared the performances of students in different courses before and after acquiring local program accreditation (NCAAA). The results highlight that although there is no direct relationship between increased student performance and acquiring accreditation, there is a significant impact on the performance of student learning. However, there is a need for sustained efforts to continuously adopt accreditation-aligned practices to gain a sustained advantage. We have presented a model that can enable academic institutions to continuously adhere to best practices even if no accreditation visit has been scheduled in the near future. This way, academic programs can consistently improve their processes and enhance student learning.