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AQIP (Academic Quality Improvement Program)

About AQIP

AQIP stands for Academic Quality Improvement Program. It is an accrediting project of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association (NCA), which is the organization that accredits higher education institutions in this region.

AQIP ACCREDITATION PROCESS
ICC applied and was accepted as an accredited AQIP institution in May, 2006. In the AQIP version of accreditation, the College identifies three or four action projects that address specific opportunities for improvement. Then, a team is formed to work on those action projects and to submit periodic reports to the HLC.

» Go to our System Portfolio for our most recent accreditation document.

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PRINCIPLES
AQIP is modeled on the principles of Continuous Improvement, which incorporates a variety of strategies to make organizations better. Some of the important principles of the Continuous Improvement philosophy in an educational institution include:

• All activities are focused on improving student learning.
• Processes involve people and departments throughout the college.
• Decisions should be data driven.
• All decisions/actions should be assessed to measure effectiveness.

TRADITIONAL ACCREDITATION PROCESS
In the past, when ICC applied for re-accreditation, a group of individuals worked on committees and wrote a document describing the College. This process took about two years and resulted in a document (called a Self-Study) that was sent to the North Central Association (NCA). After reviewing the Self-Study, the NCA sent a team to our campus for an on-site review. Illinois Central College last underwent this process in 2002 and was awarded the maximum ten-year re-accreditation at that time.

» Go to our Historical Documents to see the 2002 NCA Self-Study.