If I could change one thing about the accreditation process it would be making sure that all stakeholders are heavily involved in the process from beginning to end. This means engaging faculty, staff, administrators, and most importantly, students throughout each step of the review cycle – from initial self-study through site visits and follow up reports. Student participation should be especially prioritized within these processes as they often have unique insights on how a school operates based on their experiences there; this makes them valuable sources of information regarding what works well at a particular institution or what areas may need improvement (Sherman & Oxhandler 2018). Furthermore, giving students more ownership over these processes can provide valuable student development opportunities while also making sure each program remains accountable for its performance in meeting specific criteria set forth by its respective accrediting agency in order to maintain its status as accredited.

Another potential change I would make relates to increasing transparency surrounding not only outcomes but also processes related to postsecondary achievement data such as graduation rates or enrollment numbers (Kasworm et al., 2017). These statistics are integral pieces of evidence used in evaluating institutions for reaccreditation purposes; however current practices tend to lack transparency around exactly how these data points were calculated which can lead schools into believing they’ve achieved certain benchmarks when they actually haven’t due to unclear operationalization procedures (Kasworm et al., 2017). If there was more clarity into precisely how these figures were derived then institutions would be able to better understand whether or not greater attention needs paid towards improving specific aspects related academic success rather than wasting time focusing on areas where improvement isn’t necessary yet still required for successful completion of an evaluation review.

Overall, if done correctly involving all relevant stakeholders can go along way towards ensuring high quality educational programs are being maintained at all levels within our nation’s universities and colleges while promoting greater transparency across assessment cycles reviewing said schools/programs – both key elements needed for providing future generations with accesses quality learning experiences despite any barriers posed by current conditions faced today due unforeseeable futures ahead brought about by global pandemics like COVID-19.