ACCREDITATION OF INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING IN A GLOBAL ERA: PROSPECTS, CHALLENGES, AND IMPLICATIONS

Abstract

Accreditation is a process through which institutions of higher learning are certified for meeting standards

comparable to other institutions of similar category worldwide. In a global context, institutions of higher learn

ing, and the program they offer are compared to international standards for meeting criteria set to train person

nel to boost the world economy, promote multicultural society and serve in a global world political arena. The

individual learner faces a challenging context of comparing his or her identity with the national, regional and

global ones, abilities, values, cultures, and lifestyles. To meet this challenge educational systems around the

world have to shift from traditional teaching strategies, and impress transform to digital methods encompassing

the ever increasing developmental strategies. Thus, this study aims at addressing accreditation of institutions

of higher learn in a global era its prospects, challenges, and implications. The methodology used in this study

was descriptive narrative in which ideas in the literature reviewed from books, journals, and internet sources

were internalized and interpreted. The two fold purposes of the study were: firstly to buttress the challenges

emanating from the accreditation of institutions of higher learning and their programs embodied in the fact that

while globalization agenda seeks to harmonize the standards across the board, institutions seek to advance their

diversified visions, missions and philosophies and what happens to the institutional identity is of paramount

importance to reckon with; secondly, the global arena encourages the virtual universities and virtual libraries

with less physical facilities including lecture halls and libraries. Therefore, it remains a challenge of what would

the accreditation process anchor on and uphold when there are no comparable facilities of virtual learning to

traditional institutions of higher learning and their demonstration of quality teaching in observable, verifiable

and quantified environment. Results reveal that as the world plans to operate a global economy, global politi

cal arena, and global cultural values across boarders, the eminent development of global education to inculcate

the global world view is paramount. This behooves international processes of accrediting institutions offer

ing higher education and their programs for international recognition and fitness to job markets. Fundamental

to this is the paradigm shift from institutional and organizational vision mission and philosophy of education

to the global ones; and it is recommended that organizations and institutions running higher education need to

fully understand and review the facets they stand for and compare and contrast them with accreditation criteria

and make decisions to either live or die for; and to put up structures in the organizations and institutions which

review their roles based on their vision, mission and philosophy for which they were established and continue

operating in a global setting.