With the IUSD community investing much energy into preparation of our self-studies, we thought some information from CODA on the purpose of this process would be helpful. From CODA’s “Self-Study Guide for Dental Education Programs”:  The self-study is the principal component of the process by which the Commission on Dental Accreditation carries out its program of accrediting dental and dental-related education programs.  The self- study is intended to involve all the communities within the institution in an internal examination of the ways in which the institution and its programs meet its own stated purposes and the accreditation standards approved by the Commission.  The self-study information serves as a blueprint for future success, with CODA’s self-study guide calling it a “catalyst for institution and program improvement that continues long after the periodic accreditation review has been completed.”  The School’s leadership appreciates the time and effort faculty and staff have spent on the self-study process. We conclude our newsletter by quoting the self-study guide on how these documents help the accreditation team:

For the Commission and visiting committee, the selfstudy process should:

1. ensure that the program has seriously andanalytically reviewed its objectives, strengths and weakness.

2. provide the visiting committee the basic information about the program and the program’s best judgment of its own adequacy and performance; thus, provide a frame of reference to make the visit effective and helpful to the program and the Commission.

3. ensure that the accrediting process is perceived not simply as an external review but as an essential component of program improvement.

4. ensure that the Commission, in reaching its judgmental decisions, has the best insights both of the program and the visiting committee readily available.

- Adapted and summarized from “Role and Importance of the Self-Study Process in Accreditation,” Richard M. Millard, President, Council on Postsecondary Accreditation (July 25-26, 1984).