Self-Study Handbook Cover

As part of the redevelopment process, the Board of Commissioners engaged in a complete revision of the Self-Study Handbook. The focus of this revision was threefold: (1) to address the new Standards and Policies and Procedures; (2) to reduce redundancies, fix errors, and reorganize information in ways that improve upon the previous handbook; and (3) to help schools engage in the self-study process (and, institutional evaluation more broadly) in ways that are more “simple, systematic, and sustained” and that pay greater attention to the diverse contexts of our schools (e.g., embedded schools, small schools, schools with dual accreditation). It draws heavily on the approach that Commission staff have taken to the Self-Study Workshop in recent years, and highlights the ways in which Commission staff can be resources to the school through the self-study process.

The new Handbook is much briefer than its predecessor, and we hope that member schools will find it easier to use. As is noted in the implementation procedures, all schools hosting visits are now expected to follow the chapter on visits from the new Handbook (including visit logistics and materials to be available to evaluation committees), and any school writing to the new Standards is expected to follow the new Self-Study Handbook in its entirety.

You can review the new Self-Study Handbook on the ATS website.