Statement on ALA Accreditation from SLAIS Director Caroline Haythornthwaite
February 5, 2014
The following is a statement from Caroline Haythornthwaite, Director and Professor at SLAIS, the iSchool at UBC:
The Master of Library and Information Studies degree at SLAIS, The iSchool at UBC, has been granted a three-year extension of its accreditation status (2014-2017) by the American Library Association’s Committee on Accreditation (ALA-COA). This is also known as conditional accreditation status. Although this is not a decision granting the longer seven-year accreditation cycle, it affirms full accreditation for the degree and all students who receive an MLIS degree from UBC during those three years and up to two years after.
The decision by ALA-COA to apply this status reflects a request for further progress on learning outcomes assessment. We have been working diligently over the past two years to implement learning outcomes assessment measures that comply with the Standards for Accreditation of Master’s Programs in Library and Information Studies. We are fully confident that we will soon be able to report to ALA-COA in a manner that both demonstrates our implementation of measures for learning outcomes assessment and satisfies the committee that we are in compliance with the Standards. Notwithstanding the need for reporting, we are committed to moving forward on all aspects of learning outcomes assessment, and continue to be dedicated to providing the best education and outcomes for our students.
The next program review for the MLIS degree is scheduled for Fall 2016 leading to an accreditation decision to be made in January 2017. Students enrolled in the program during this review period who successfully complete their program before Summer 2019 will automatically earn an ALA-accredited MLIS degree. The status of the degree that students earn who enter in or after Fall 2019 will depend upon the decision made at the COA meeting in January 2017.
This message will soon be posted to the School’s website. The Program Presentation, External Review Panel Report, and the Decision Document can all be viewed at the following link: http://www.slais.ubc.ca/about/accreditation.htm
Caroline Haythornthwaite
Director and Professor
SLAIS, The iSchool at UBC
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