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THE-ICE Re-accreditation Process

THE-ICE Re-accreditation

Overview

Accreditation and membership of THE-ICE, once awarded, is valid for a period of five (5) years. After this time, members must apply for re-accreditation to maintain their accreditation and membership status. Institutions seeking re-accreditation of their TH&E (tourism, hospitality, events and culinary arts) education programmes and membership of THE-ICE must meet THE-ICE Standards of Excellence, and must also demonstrate and reflect on their ongoing commitment to quality assurance and enhancement.

THE-ICE Re-accreditation process – THE-ICE C2Q Accredited Members

THE-ICE has an ethos of ongoing engagement and involvement with its member institutions and, accordingly, does not require a replication of the original Accreditation procedure to grant re-accreditation. THE-ICE Re-accreditation Procedure seeks to minimise the burden of accreditation on both auditors and institutions by incorporating revisions and changes since the original Full Accreditation Audit, and conducting annual performance monitoring through THE-ICE ISBSB™ Student Satisfaction Survey.

THE-ICE C2Q Accredited Member Re-accreditation Application comprises three sections:

  1. Recommendations: a review of actions taken in response to auditor recommendations from THE-ICE Full Accreditation Application, and a review of the outcomes of these actions.
  2. Significant changes: details, rationale, and outcomes of any significant changes to the status, programmes, staff, premises, etc. of the institution since Full Accreditation or previous
    Re-accreditation was granted.
  3. Details of any other measures, actions, or achievements that demonstrate commitment to quality enhancement by the applicant institution, including other accreditations, rankings, competitions, graduate success, etc.
THE-ICE ISBSB Reflection Report

THE-ICE ISBSB Reflection Report comprises three key items:

  1. Longitudinal performance of the applicant institution against the key ISBSB questions (response rate, likelihood of students to recommend the institution, and overall student satisfaction with institutional, arrival, learning, living, and support experiences) since Full Accreditation or previous Re-accreditation.
  2. Longitudinal performance of the applicant institution against their 3-5 selected questions (key performance indicators) since Full Accreditation or previous Re-accreditation.
  3. Reflection on actions undertaken as a result of the applicant institution’s performance against key ISBSB questions and institution-specific KPIs, and the outcomes of these actions.

THE-ICE Re-accreditation process – Accredited Members 

The re-accreditation process must commence before the current accreditation expires, unless consideration of special circumstances has been approved in writing. The process for re-accreditation by accredited members is similar to initial accreditation procedure, however, a site audit is only required with significant changes are identified. The following re-accreditation process is to be followed for Accredited Members. 

  1. Self-review: Completion of THE-ICE Re-accreditation Application Proforma, which entails updating of the previously submitted Accreditation Application Proforma – the Member is to revise the previous accreditation application to reflect any changes since made in key areas and thus reflect the current situation 
  1. On-going benchmarking & monitoring: The provision of a summary report of their last three years’ findings of THE-ICE International and Domestic Student Barometer survey, particularly, the findings relating to student satisfaction levels in the key areas of ARRIVAL, LEARNING, LIVING and SUPPORT. Relevant reports from other international accreditation agencies (such as EPAS or AACSB) and/or internal key performance benchmarking indicators would be desirable.   
  1. Evaluation: to be conducted by two or more auditors from THE-ICE Assessment Panel as a norm. Based on the scale of the programmes offered (diversity and number of students enrolled) a potential third auditor may be allocated at the discretion of THE-ICE. The auditors will review and assess the materials presented by the Full Member. The auditors reserve the right to contact the Full Member, via telephone or VoIP (voice over internet provider such as Skype or Zoom) for clarification of any queries they may have on the information provided in the application.  

Upon completion of the evaluation process, a full report on the re-accreditation application will be provided to the Full Member for comments.  

  1. Review: the auditors will make a recommendation based on their findings, which is submitted to THE-ICE CEO consideration and decision 

THE-ICE reserves the right to include a site visit of the institution as part of the re-accreditation process if there are substantial changes in the self-review document. Such changes may include but should not be limited to: 

  • the legal entity  
  • the institutional or organisational structure 
  • the staff members, who have the major strategic responsibility of the accredited TH&E programmes 
  • the programme structure including major changes in the curriculum, graduate outcomes & attributes  
  • the programme review and quality assurance mechanism 
  • the approach to teaching  
  • staffing resources
  • financial resources 

Re-accreditation Outcomes and Support for Institutions

THE-ICE Re-accreditation Assessment Report

Following the submission of THE-ICE Re-accreditation Application and THE-ICE ISBSB Reflection Report, two (2) Auditors from the independent THE-ICE Assessment Panel will meet virtually with the applicant institution to discuss the details presented in the reports. The Auditors will jointly prepare the Re-accreditation Assessment report, including an overview of the applicant institution’s performance and recommendations for review and decision by THE-ICE CEO.

Undertaking the process of Re-accreditation will result in one of the following outcomes for applicant institutions:

  1. Re-accreditation.
  2. Re-accreditation with requirements (including, in the case of significant changes, a site audit conducted by one of the independent Auditors of THE-ICE Assessment Panel).
  3. Repeat Full Accreditation, in the case of major changes to the institution or serious underperformance in annual reporting and/or KPIs.

For further information

For further information please contact THE-ICE via email: accreditation@the-ice.org