Accreditation and Educational Quality: Are Students in Accredited Programs More Academically Engaged?

There has been a great deal of debate regarding the value of program accreditation. Two research questions guided this study: 1) are students enrolled in accredited parks, recreation, and leisure programs more academically engaged than students enrolled in non-accredited programs, and 2) do students enrolled in accredited parks, recreation, and leisure programs report higher gains regarding academic learning, practical competence, and satisfaction than students in non-accredited programs? This study found students in accredited programs were significantly more engaged in educationally relevant behaviors than students in non-accredited programs. In addition, results indicated students in accredited programs reported higher gains in practical competence and satisfaction. NRPA's new direction for the accreditation process is to focus on student learning outcomes, which may lead to greater differences in the quality of education provided by accredited versus non-accredited programs.