Inquiry Brief Proposal

Faculty members representing new programs or programs that are in the process of collecting evidence for their claims may submit for preaccreditation an Inquiry Brief Proposal, in which they propose the method by which they will find the evidence that will show that their graduates are competent, qualified, and caring, and that the program meets TEAC’s three quality principles and standards for capacity.

The Inquiry Brief Proposal is appropriate for new programs or programs that have been significantly revised in recent years. The program faculty does not yet have sufficient evidence for its claims of student learning but has evidence of its capacity for program quality. The program also has evidence of a sound quality control system, evidence that the institution is committed to the program, and a plan and rationale for acquiring evidence over time to support its claims.

The Inquiry Brief Proposal is a research proposal, a scholarly work like a grant or dissertation proposal, in which the program faculty proposes the method by which it will find evidence (qualitative, quantitative, or both) to demonstrate that the program’s graduates are competent, qualified, and caring. The program faculty demonstrates that it has a reasonable basis for thinking (1) that the program’s students have learned the subject matters they will teach; (2) that the students have solid pedagogical knowledge; and (3) that the students can teach effectively. In addition, the program faculty demonstrates that the methods proposed for determining what the students have learned and accomplished are credible.

The faculty members also show how they will use what they learn about their students’ learning to improve both the program and the system they have in place for monitoring and ensuring the quality of the program. In addition, they present their plans to undertake a systematic inquiry into the factors that affect the quality of the program and their students’ accomplishments. They also provide evidence that the institution has the capacity to offer a quality program.

The Inquiry Brief Proposal is based primarily on existing documents, such as reports of ongoing inquiry, other accrediting and state review reports, and institutional research and publications. It contains only information and analysis relevant to the case that the program will be able to bring forward evidence that it prepares competent, caring, and qualified professionals. The Inquiry Brief Proposal is about 50 pages.

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