Heritage College 2021 Accreditation
Our Self-Study Process
A formal/structured self-study process was implemented by the executive dean in 2013 in preparation for numerous on-site accreditation visits during the development of our two additional locations in Dublin (first class began in 2014) and Cleveland (first class began in 2015). The Self-Study Accreditation Team was created to provide continuous oversight to the self-study process and consists of faculty, staff and students. Members engage college stakeholders in the ongoing process of accreditation.
The following are characteristics of the Heritage College’s self-study team. The team is chaired by the dean of our Cleveland campus, Isaac Kirstein, D.O.; coordinated/supported by the accreditation manager (assistant director of the Heritage College’s Office of Institutional Assessment and Accreditation); document sharing/IT support is provided by the Heritage College’s Office of Medical Education Technology (senior director of technology, digital media support technician and assistant director of technology solutions); and the team is administratively supported. Additionally, content experts lead/co-lead each standard. Please see the Self-Study Accreditation Team member list for those areas of expertise. The standard leaders/co-leaders identify/lead work groups of various content experts equipped to thoroughly address each standard/element and submission requirement. The work groups focus on writing/editing text regarding how the college is meeting the accreditation standards, reviewing/creating documentation for evidentiary submissions and conducting ongoing critical self-assessment by asking the following:
- What do we do well?
- What can we do better?
- What is the best practice/gold standard?
The result is a live version of our self-study that remains up to date and at the forefront of college decision-making and continuous improvement efforts.
As part of the Heritage College’s preparation for the 2021 comprehensive on-site visit by the COCA, a mock accreditation visit was conducted in two phases. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this mock visit was done virtually through the use of the OneDrive collaboration platform and the Microsoft Teams platform. Phase 1 occurred from August 24-September 25, 2020, and consisted of a critical external review of our self-study by Thomas Yorio, Ph.D., provost emeritus and professor of pharmacology and neuroscience at the University of North Texas Health Science Center, Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. The results, along with a written report, were provided to the standard leaders, deans and Heritage College Executive Committee.
Recommendations/suggestions resulting from Phase 1 of the mock visit were considered and incorporated into the self-study over the next couple of months (September – November 2020). Phase 2 of our mock accreditation visit consisted of targeted interviews as practice preparation. These interviews were conducted by Alissa Craft, D.O., M.B.A., an educational consultant, the week of August 30, 2021. The results helped to strengthen articulation of how we feel we meet the standards, the presentation of supportive materials and the identification of opportunities for improvement.
As another layer of review, the self-study was reviewed by Jennifer Gwilym, D.O., assistant dean for our southeastern Ohio clinical education sites, assistant clinical professor of family medicine and current COCA commissioner. Dr. Gwilym provided written feedback and facilitated discussions with standard leaders. The self-study was further refined and circulated to specific groups/committees with the content expertise applicable to specific standards for further refinement of the self-study. The following is a list of the standards and the groups/committees that served as this third layer of review.
- Standard 1: Mission & Governance | Heritage College Executive Committee & Strategy Leadership: Shelley Ruff, M.B.A., chief financial & strategy officer, and Brenda Noftz, Ph.D., J.D., senior director, strategic initiatives
- Standard 2: Leadership & Administration | Executive Dean's Strategy Team
- Standard 3: Finances | Heritage College Executive Committee’s Subcommittee on Finance; John Day, OHIO associate provost for academic budget & planning; and Kathleen Hensel, OHIO budget director
- Standard 4: Facilities | Executive Dean's Strategy Team
- Standard 5: Learning Environment | Heritage College Office of Inclusion and Professional Ethics Committee
- Standard 6: Curriculum | Heritage College Curriculum Committee and Pathways to Health & Wellness Curriculum Steering Committee
- Standard 7: Faculty & Staff | Executive Dean's Strategy Team
- Standard 8: Scholarly Activity | Research Advisory Group
- Standard 9: Students | Representatives of the Heritage College Student Selection Advisory Committee and curriculum leadership: Jody Gerome, D.O., senior associate dean, medical education; Holly Jacobs, M.A., director, clinical education; and Angie Mowrer, B.S., director, pre-clinical education
- Standard 10: Graduate Medical Education | Executive Dean's Strategy Team; Jody Gerome, D.O., senior associate dean, medical education, and Blythe Jonas, M.A., associate director, residency services
- Standard 11: Program & Student Assessment & Outcomes | OIAA’s Evaluation Committee
The finalized self-study was submitted to the COCA on July 26, 2021. The self-study report along with the current COCA Student Survey results were distributed college-wide to all faculty, staff and students.
As a matter of practice, accreditation issues continue to be discussed at Heritage College Executive Committee meetings, where representation from planning units across the college exists. Additionally, the Curriculum Committee addresses and ensures the college is meeting accreditation requirements with regard to the curriculum. The self-study process has been and continues to be helpful in emphasizing continuous improvement throughout the college. Critical self-assessment of the standards continues to be an important component of our ongoing accreditation process (assessing both strengthens and opportunities for improvement).