Accreditation and Quality Assurance: Exploring Impact and Assessing Institutional Change in the US and Saudi Arabian Higher Education Institutions

This study aims to explore the perceptions of the English language program administrators on institutions in terms of overall program management, faculty development, and improvements in student services and facilities after accreditation. The study uses a mixed methods approach with data collected from a survey and semi-structured interviews with 24 English Language Program (ELP) directors and coordinators for a total of 48 administrators from United States of America and Saudi Arabia that pursued accreditation by Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA). The rationale behind this international approach was that some ELPs in KSA are mostly modelled on similar programs in the USA and these US institutions are accredited by CEA. Results indicated that institutional accreditation signified excellence, enhanced the national ranking of the institutions, and improved overall program management in both US and KSA, and to some extent, encouraged the faculty to upskill in KSA. However, student services and facilities registered only minor changes in the Kingdom post-accreditation but better outcomes in the USA. Moreover, institutions accredited for the first time in the Kingdom registered greater overall improvement in services and facilities than those which were not accredited or were accredited for the second time. The study sets a roadmap for the future of English Language Programs in the Kingdom and can give direction to the administrators and policy makers.