Interview with Doris Gordon, Executive Director, Accreditation Commission for Audiology Education (ACAE)

Beck: Good Morning Doris. Thanks for your time today.

Gordon: Hi Doug. Thanks for having me.

Beck: Doris, would you please tell me a little about your professional education and your professional history?

Gordon: I received my education from the University of Pennsylvania (BS/MS) and Yale University, School of Medicine, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health (MPH). While at Yale, I spent a year at The Yale Law School studying law for professionals who wanted to have a further understanding of legalities and health care.

For the past fifteen years, I've specialized in accreditation activities ranging from the development of self-studies to the development of both national and international standards. These have been for associations, colleges and universities. I've given presentations on and written about high professional standards and competency levels and have trained individuals to become evaluators for accrediting councils or commissions. My past experience is highly related to the goals of ACAE.

Beck: Excellent, thanks for sharing that Doris. How is the ACAE funded?

Gordon: The AAA and the ADA have funded the expenses since 2003. In 2004, we received a grant from the AFA, and then in 2005 we received additional funding from the AFA, so it's been funded through the professional audiology groups. It's important to note the strong professional commitment to high educational standards for the Au.D. from these major audiology organizations. In the future, we anticipate seeking additional funds from grants plus fees from academic programs that volunteer to become accredited by the ACAE.

Beck: Doris, I want to point out that the website is an excellent resource for the readers, and it's found at: www.acaeaccred.org. The website offers the ACAE mission and history, the Board of Directors and other information, too.

Gordon: Yes, we've just started to build the web site, are excited about this venture and are updating it on a regular basis, so please check it often for new information.

Beck: What is the difference between the ACAE and the ASHA accreditation board, the Council on Accreditation in Audiology (CAA)?

Gordon: There are numerous differences but a primary one is that via the ACAE, audiologists create their own professional educational model and standards for their Au.D. programs. Another major difference is that we will offer 99% of the process online via our computerized accreditation program (CAP). The 1% will be a physical on-site visit to the programs. Our goal is to be user-friendly, efficient, and to meet the needs of the profession. One of the similarities is that we will seek recognition as an accrediting agency by the same authorities that recognize ASHA's CAA.

Beck: Professional autonomy is absolutely important, but besides professional autonomy...What other advantages does the ACAE offer the audiology profession?

Gordon: The Computerized Accreditation Program (CAP), mentioned previously, will enable programs to answer questions about the process, easily retrieve important national data that they may otherwise not be able to access (with regard to applications, enrollments, graduation rates, student achievement, tuition, fees, etc.) and to see at a glance how they performed in particular areas when compared to other institutions throughout the country. The aggregate data garnered from the programs could assess the health of the profession at any given time and be of invaluable assistance to other stakeholders in the field.

Beck: One issue many of us have been concerned about is the quantity of schools offering professional doctoral audiology education. I was hopeful that perhaps we would somehow limit the number of schools to 20 or 30...but I think at this time we already have some 50 or 60. As the Director of the ACAE, what can you tell me about limiting ACAE participation?

Gordon: It's important to state that the ACAE, as an accrediting agency, would not place itself in the position of limiting participation. This would be viewed as a restriction of trade by the Department of Justice and/or the Federal Trade Commission. Any Au.D. program is welcome to apply for accreditation, but it will have to meet the ACAEs' rigorous standards. It's important to say, too, that the ACAE is exclusively for Au.D. programs. We will not accredit Master's or other doctoral-level degree programs, such as the Ph.D., Ed.D., etc.

Beck: Doris, I'd like to point out that you do have the "Accreditation Standards for the Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) Program"which was adopted March, 2005. I urge the readers to review this important document online at: www.acaeaccred.org/documents/ACAE_STANDS_FINAL_2005.pdf.

Gordon: Yes, thanks for noting that. The document represents almost three years of hard work by the ACAE Board of Directors and a wide group of audiology constituents. It really does explain who we are, what we are and where we're going.

Beck: Thanks for your time today, Doris. I appreciate your willingness to explain the ACAE and its' mission to the community.

Gordon: Thank you too, Doug.

For more information, please visit: www.acaeaccred.org.