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Navajo Technical University

Comprehensive Evaluation

Overview

Criteria

Evidence

Timeline

Visit Schedule

Assurance Argument

Assumed Practices

Federal Compliance

Resources & Documents

Assumed Practices

The assumed practices establish baseline expectations for accredited institutions. These practices are foundational to the HLC Criteria for Accreditation and represent operational standards that institutions are expected to maintain at all times.

A. Integrity: Ethical and Responsible Conduct

Representative practices include:

 

  • The institution maintains a conflict of interest policy to ensure governing board members
    and senior administrators act in the best interests of the institution.
  • The institution maintains ethics policies related to conflict of interest, nepotism,
    recruitment and admissions, financial aid, privacy of information, and contracting.
  • The institution provides policies and procedures outlining the rights and responsibilities
    of students, faculty, staff, and administrators.
  • The institution establishes and publicizes clear procedures for receiving and resolving
    complaints from students and other constituencies.
  • The institution makes publicly available accurate information including:
    • mission, vision, and values
    • program requirements and prerequisites
    • admission requirements
    • transfer credit policies
    • tuition, fees, financial aid, and refund policies
    • academic standing and dismissal policies
  • The institution ensures that all public data and institutional information are accurate and
    complete.
  • The institution clearly communicates its accreditation status and legal authorization to
    operate.
  • The governing board has authority to approve the budget and hire or dismiss the chief
    executive officer.
  • The institution remains in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
  • The institution documents outsourcing arrangements in written agreements and ensures
    contractors act ethically on its behalf.

B. Teaching and Learning: Quality, Resources, and Support

Representative practices include:

 

  • Academic programs follow commonly accepted minimum credit requirements:
    • 60 semester credits for associate degrees
    • 120 semester credits for bachelor’s degrees
    • 30 semester credits beyond the bachelor’s degree for master’s degrees.
  • Institutions maintain structures that ensure the coherence and quality of academic programs.
  • Graduate programs ensure that at least 50% of coursework is graduate-level.
  • Institutions maintain policies and procedures to ensure faculty are appropriately qualified.
  • Faculty participate substantially in:
    • curriculum development and oversight
    • maintaining instructional quality
    • establishing instructor qualifications
    • reviewing student learning assessment data.
  • Institutions provide support services, including financial aid advising and accurate student records and transcripts.
  • Institutions strive to ensure the composition of faculty and staff reflects diversity appropriate to the mission and constituencies served.

C. Teaching and Learning: Evaluation and Improvement

Representative practices include:

 

  • Instructors have the authority to assign and evaluate measures of student learning and success outcomes.
  • The institution evaluates all academic credit it transcripts, including credit from other institutions or prior learning.
  • Institutions maintain formal agreements for internships and clinical placements when such experiences are part of academic programs.
  • Faculty communicate course requirements in writing and in a timely manner.
  • Institutional data on assessment of student learning are accurate and comprehensive.
  • Institutional data on retention, persistence, and completion are accurate and reflect the full student population.

D. Resources, Planning, and Institutional Effectiveness

Representative practices include:

 

  • The institution demonstrates the ability to meet its current financial obligations.
  • The institution maintains a formal budgeting process and the ability to compare budgets with prior financial results.
  • The institution prepares financial projections to support long-term sustainability.
  • The institution maintains systems for collecting, analyzing, and using institutional data for decision-making.
  • The institution undergoes external financial audits on a regular basis.
  • The administrative structure includes key leadership positions such as chief executive officer, chief financial officer, and chief academic officer.
  • Institutional planning considers student needs and procedures for orderly institutional closure if necessary.