Introduction

Responding to huge growth in demand for tertiary-level studies across Central America in recent decades, universities and colleges have been opening in ever increasing numbers. The response has mainly come from the private sector, however, and has occurred with very little regulatory oversight.

Traditionally, it has been the responsibility of the state, or a state-sponsored university, to guarantee the quality of degrees offered by the nation’s institutions of higher education. However, the small, resource-poor governments of the region have not only had difficulty in responding to the growth in demand for post secondary education, but also in the need to monitor the quality of education offered at the private institutions that have responded to student demand. Hence, the quality of education offered at universities, colleges and professional schools varies greatly, and has been called into question by citizens demanding better standards and equal access to quality instruction across social classes.

In the 1990s, the need to evaluate quality standards began to gain traction among higher education stakeholders in Central America. Various organizations and governments have taken steps to promote quality assurance practices, and to ensure the public of the accountability of universities and colleges to higher standards of education. As national programs to improve higher education have taken root across the region, so too have cross-border initiatives.

Below is an overview of some of those regional organizations and initiatives.

Initiatives

Since 1948 the Confederación Universitaria Centroamericana (Central American Confederation of Universities) and its governing body, the Consejo Superior Universitario Centroamericana – CSUCA (Central American University Council), has worked to promote the integration of higher education in Central America as it has strived to create a modern university system for the region. The council’s membership is comprised of the state universities of Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panamá , and the Dominican Republic.

From its inception, CSUCA has played a major role in shaping evaluation and accreditation practices at Central American institutions of higher education. Three of the council’s most important initiatives over the last 50 years have been the formation of the Sistema de Carreras y Postgrados Regionales – SICAR (Regional Career and Postgraduate System) in the 1960s; the Sistema Centroamericano de Evaluación y Acreditación de Educación Superior – SICEVAES (Central American System of Evaluation and Accreditation for Higher Education) in the 1990s; and in 2003 the creation of the Consejo Centroamericano de Acreditación de la Education Superior – CCA (Central American Council of Acreditación in Higher Education).

Sistema de Carreras y Posgrados Regionales Centroamericanos (SICAR)

Background

In the 1960s, CSUCA officials decided that the most effective method for improving specific academic programs at Central American universities would be to select a successful department at one particular institution and invest singularly in its continued progress. The logic behind this assessment followed that given finite resources, one department with a strong academic program could offer quality education for students throughout the region and serve as an example for the development of similar programs at all Central American universities. To establish which university programs would be selected for the distinction of educating students from the eight member nations of CSUCA, a rubric of qualifications and a system of external evaluation conducted by regional experts was established. The Regional Career and Postgraduate System – SICAR was the outcome, and the first degree programs were regionally accredited by CSUCA in 1962.

Organizational Structure

SICAR is overseen by a 16-member council comprised of university officials from CSUCA member institutions. The organization employs a commission for technical evaluation made up of seven members, all of whom are experts in university evaluation and from CSUCA affiliates. Evaluation teams are selected at random, the only discriminating criteria being that they do not represent SICAR in evaluating their home university.

The Accreditation Process

SICAR has 40 years of experience evaluating postgraduate programs in Central America and in that time more than 85 programs have been evaluated. The SICAR evaluation process is in line with international standards and comprises three stages: preparation, evaluation and the final decision.

Universities must solicit SICAR to perform an evaluation in order to be considered for accreditation from CSUCA. In the first stage of the process the university seeking accreditation must complete a thorough internal evaluation adhering to standards established by CSUCA. Once this is complete and submitted to SICAR authorities an external evaluation of the university is conducted by members of the SICAR technical evaluation commission. Upon completion of an external evaluation, the results are then considered by the directors of SICAR and passed along to CSUCA for a final decision.

There are three possible outcomes from the process: full accreditation – Categoría Regional Centroamericana (Central American regional accreditation); the designation of “in the process of achieving regional accreditation;” or an institution is denied accreditation completely. Programs falling into the second category of “in progress” are offered the opportunity to prepare an improvement plan and the option of being reevaluated after a two-year period.

Between 1962 and 1991, CSUCA performed evaluation procedures for 45 different degree programs. Ultimately, only 23 programs achieved regional accreditation during this period; an insight into the relatively few programs with the capacity to serve students on a regional level. Since 1991, the number of programs accredited through SICAR has vacillated between 17 and 30 due to de-accreditation and periods of re-accreditation.

Today, the heightened sensitivity universities in Central America assign to quality assurance practices has expanded the role of SICAR. The organization now not only accredits regional postgraduate programs, but also public and private programs on a country-by-country basis. SICAR has a wealth of acquired experience in the field of evaluation and accreditation compared to many other Central American institutions, and will therefore likely be a major influence in developing quality assurance procedures across the region.

Sistema Centroamericano de Evaluación y Acreditación de Educación Superior – (SICEVAES)

Background

In 1995, the Fourth Central American University Congress, a gathering of higher education officials from around the region, established that a major priority of the Central American Confederation of Universities should be to create a general quality assurance mechanism for the region’s institutions of higher education. Thus, in 1998, after four years of research, study and consensus building, CSUCA approved the formation of the Central American System of Evaluation and Accreditation for Higher Education – SICEVAES.

In the formation of SICEVAES, CSUCA envisioned a dual role for the organization. On the one hand SICEVAES would evaluate universities as a means of promoting a culture of quality assurance and accountability among Central American institutions of higher education. On the other, SICEVAES would be responsible for establishing regional accreditation mechanisms compatible with generally accepted international quality assurance procedures.

Organizational Structure

SICEVAES is divided into four separate bodies:

1. The Regional Coordination Committee is made up of the vice presidents of CSUCA member institutions and the president of the Federation of Central American University Students. This committee is responsible for approving the guidelines governing both internal and external university evaluation, organizing regional accreditation workshops, facilitating cooperation between regional universities, assigning evaluators to the accreditation process, and in general securing the integrity of the accreditation process as it occurs at each university.
2. A Technical Evaluation Commission is comprised of nine professors selected from regional universities for their expertise in the field of evaluation and accreditation. This group is charged with designing and overseeing the external evaluation process
3. Technical Support Units are academics at each university that represent SICEVAES and help guide their university through the internal evaluation stage of the accreditation process.
4. A Bank of Evaluation Experts are selected experts in the field of evaluation that serve on external evaluation teams. There are more than 400 Central American evaluators registered with SICEVAES and that number is expanding.

Accreditation

SICEVAES accreditation is voluntary, and universities or departments are required to submit a request to the local Regional Coordination Committee if they want to undergo the accreditation process.

Regional Coordination Committee members provide universities with a guide to the internal and external evaluation process. Technical Support Unit members employed at all universities, as described above, guide the university through the formation of a consultative commission composed of students and faculty. This commission is responsible for working through the various stages of the internal evaluation procedure including identifying the university’s strong points and those that need improvement. At the end of the internal evaluation a final report and plan for improvement is submitted for review.

Following the internal evaluation, members of the Bank of Evaluation Experts are selected by the Regional Coordination Committee to assess the degree program or university undergoing the accreditation process. Upon completion of the external evaluation, a final report is submitted and an accreditation decision is made.

Since its introduction in 1998, SICEVAES has greatly improved the presence of quality assurance measures at Central American universities. SICEVAES has effectively established set criteria and benchmarks which institutions have embraced to gauge and improve their academic offerings. Through the accreditation process and workshops, the quality of regional higher education and the capacity of universities to monitor their progress has increased significantly.

Currently, more than 75 universities have undergone the process of internal evaluation to fall in line with SICEVAES-established guidelines for institutional quality. Across the region, where countries have yet to develop or implement national accreditation procedures, many universities, both public and private, have utilized SICEVAES accreditation to maintain and demonstrate that they uphold international standards of quality.

Consejo Centroamericano de Acreditación (CCA)

The Central American Accreditation Council – CCA – was created in 2003 by CSUCA for the purpose of establishing a regional mechanism for integrating and articulating the various accreditation and quality assurance initiatives operating in the region.

At the beginning of the century, CSUCA organized four Central American Forums on Accreditation and invited state and private university presidents, presidents of national professional associations, representative from different academic departments from various universities, and representative of accreditation organizations from all seven Central American nations. The goal of these conferences was to establish a consensus on the creation of the CCA.

At the final meeting in 2003, the organization was established and has since worked to integrate and improve the multiple universities and accrediting bodies with a stake in the quality of higher education in the region. The goals of the CCA are outlined as follows:

• To promote a culture of quality assurance in Central American higher education and to act as mediators of accreditation practices in the region
• To recognize the quality of accreditation organizations both national and regional
• To contribute to the mobility of professionals, professors, students, and researchers in order to improve Central American integration
• To promote research and development of mutual studies and degrees between Central American institutions of higher education
• To provide the public with reliable information concerning the quality of Central American higher education

The CCA functions as an accreditor of the “second order,” an organization that oversees and validates the functions of individual accrediting bodies that function on the regional and national level. The accrediting organizations of Central America can solicit the CCA to audit their organization’s practices and request assistance in the development of their own quality assurance practices. The CCA also functions as a cooperative where organizations from different countries can share their experiences and utilize other institutional experiences to help grow the evaluation culture within their country. In 2007, the CCA will accept its first solicitations for the accreditation process.

Asociación de Universities Privadas de Centro América (AUPRICA)

Background

The Association of Central American Private Universities – AUPRICA – was formed in 1990 with the mission of accrediting private institutions of higher education in Central America. AUPRICA was established in response to a proliferation in the number of private universities and colleges operating in the region and at a time of increased international awareness about the necessity to monitor quality standards in higher education.

AUPRICA developed a method of accreditation, the Sistema Centroamericano de Acreditación Universitaria (Central American University Accreditation System) with the aid of the Council of Independent Colleges, a U.S. organization dedicated to enhancing private higher education’s commitment to society. AUPRICA accredits only its member universities and colleges, the majority of which are based in El Salvador and Honduras. Typically, the universities evaluated and accredited by AUPRICA are smaller than Central America’s national universities and are consequently not as well recognized. Currently, 20 universities in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua are accredited by AUPRICA.

Organizational Structure

AUPRICA does not have a permanent headquarters and is overseen by a rotating board of directors. The accreditation commission employed by AUPRICA is also not permanent and is reformed according to the schedule of evaluation procedures. This commission is made up of five members, academics with institutional evaluation experience, one representing the universities from the four member countries and one coordinator. External evaluation teams are named by the commission from AUPRICA member institutions.

Accreditation

AUPRICA members solicit the organization if they want to undergo the accreditation process. AUPRICA assigns an accreditation commission which first guides the institution through a process of internal evaluation as set out by official guidelines. Following the internal evaluation, the commission assigns external evaluators from a member institution in a different country to visit the institution and complete an assessment. The assessment is based on validating all of the assertions made in the internal evaluation report. The accreditation commission and AUPRICA’s general assembly of members review the findings of both the internal and external evaluations and a final decision on accreditation is then handed down.

With the exponential growth in the number of private universities in Central America, the need to monitor quality standards is a pressing issue. Student capacity at private institutions is outstripping the state’s ability to accommodate postsecondary students in a majority of Central American nations. However, the extent to which these new universities and colleges are accountable to their students has been questioned by numerous observers and government officials. AUPRICA is one organization offering private universities and colleges an opportunity to validate their programs through membership and subsequent accreditation; unfortunately, most institutions lack the resources to pursue such a venture.

Red Iberoamericano para la Acreditación de la Calidad de la Educación Superior – (RIACES)

The Latin American Network for the Accreditation of the Quality of Higher Education (RIACES) was established in Buenos Aires in May of 2003 as an association of agencies involved in the evaluation and accreditation of institutions of higher education. Much like the CCA, but encompassing all of Latin America, RIACES is designed to provide a network that promotes exchange and cooperation between national and regional quality assurance organizations. Nearly all of the countries of Latin America have member organizations affiliated with RIACES, as does Spain.

The organizational goals of RIACES are very similar to those of the CCA. RIACES promotes quality assurance workshops, encourages the exchange of students and professors within Latin America, supports the development of new accrediting bodies, and offers to accredit such organizations according to their own established guidelines.

One issue that has decelerated the advance of accreditation practices in Latin America is the difficulty that nations have encountered in implementing established international models of quality assurance into their own higher education systems. RIACES offers an opportunity for the exchange of experiences and a degree of oversight in the process of regulating academic standards. RIACES also serves as a watchdog organization to ensure efficacy in the accreditation practice across the region.

Links to Additional Information

• Antecedents, Current Situation and Perspectives on Evaluation and Accreditation of Higher Education in Central America (Spanish)
• To see a (2003) list of institutions and programs accredited by SICEVAES, SICAR and AUPRICA, follow the above link and consult pgs. 63-72 (Spanish).
• There is a comparison of public and private university enrollments organized by country on page 5 (Spanish).
• Consejo Superior Universitario Centroamericana CSUCA(Spanish)
• Consejo Centroamericano de Acreditación CCA(Spanish)
• Sistema de Carreras y Posgrados Regionales Centroamericanos SICAR (Spanish)
• Sistema Centroamericano de Evaluación y Acreditación de Educación Superior SICEVAES (Spanish)
• Asociación de Universidades Privadas de Centro América AUPRICA (Spanish)
• RIACES (Spanish)