The Rocky Mountain Region Disaster Mental Health Institute endorses, supports and actively promotes the following values:

• Education and training can best be experienced when competent professionals are actively and cooperatively involved with creating, providing and improving the instructional program;

• Learning is dynamic and interactive;

• Workshops, Seminars, Conferences and other instructional and information programs having integrity are organized around substantive and coherent curricula which define expected learning outcomes;

• Accept responsibility for the education and training provided in the name of the Institute;

• Undertake the assessment and improvement of education and training quality with particular emphasis placed on participant/student learning;

• Open to peer review.

1. In content, purpose, and organization, programs are consistent with the role and mission of the Institute.

2. It is recognized that the purposes of healthy organizations change over time. The Institute is aware of various accreditation requirements and actively pursues compliance with these in the presentation of its programs and training.

3. The Institute budgets and policy statements reflect a commitment to participants/students.

4. The Institute organizational structure enables the development, coordination, support, and oversight of offered programs. This includes the capability to:

• Facilitate instructional and support relationships.

• Provide (or draw upon) required information technologies and related support services.

• Develop and implement a marketing plan that takes into account the target population(s), the technologies available, and the factors required to meet the Institute goals.

• Provide training and support to participating instructors, presenters and students/ participants.

• Assure compliance with copyright law.

• Contract for products and outsourced services.

• Assess and assign priorities to potential future projects.

• Assure that offered programs, workshops, seminars, conferences and other meetings meet specific standards, both to provide consistent quality and to provide a coherent framework for students/participants.

• Maintain appropriate educational/training oversight.

• Maintain consistency with the Institute planning and oversight functions, to assure congruence with the Institute's mission and allocation of required resources.

• Assure the integrity of student/participant work and instructor/presenter instruction/training/presentation.

In order to evaluate the above areas, the Institute does the following:

• Provides a clear, well-understood process through which programs evolve from conception to authorization to implementation. The need for the program is determined, assigned a priority among other potential programs, and incorporates appropriate internal consultation and integration with existing planning efforts.

• Track the history of projects from idea through implementation, noting the links among those responsible for deciding to offer the program, those responsible for program/course design, those responsible for technologies involved, those responsible for marketing, those responsible for instructor/presenter and student/participant support, those responsible for legal issues, those responsible for budgeting, and those responsible for program evaluation.

• The organizational structure is reflected in the Institute overall budget.

• Procedures are in place to assure the integrity, reliability and security of outsourced services.

• Adequate training and technical support programs are provided when and where required.

• Policies and procedures are outlined for compliance with copyright law.

5. The Institute provides instructors/presenters with reasonable technical support for each educational technology hardware, software, and delivery system required for programs.

• Help is available for all hardware, software and delivery systems specified as required for programs.

6. The Institute seeks to understand the legal and regulatory requirements of the jurisdictions in which it operates, e.g., requirements for service to those with disabilities, copyright law, state and national requirements for those offering educational programs, international restrictions such as export of sensitive information or technologies, etc.

CURRICULUMS AND INSTRUCTION

1. The Institute assures that each program results in learning outcomes appropriate to the rigor and breadth of certifications awarded by the Institute and that the programs are coherent and complete.

2. Qualified persons and certifying agencies participate fully in the decisions concerning program curricula and program oversight. These include the substance of the program, its presentation, management, and assessment.

3. For programs that lead to certifications, the Institute provides a coherent plan for the student/participant to access all courses/workshops necessary to complete the certification process.

4. Although programs/presentations may be supplied by partners or outsourced to other organizations, including contractors who may not be accredited, the responsibility for performance remains with the Institute. It is the Institute in which the student/participant enrolls, not its suppliers or partners. As a result, the criteria for selecting partners and contractors, and the means to monitor and evaluate their work, are important aspects of program plans.

Some examples of partner and contractual relationships include:

• Instructor/presenter qualifications and support.

• Course/Workshop/Seminar material:

~ Courses/workshops or course/workshop elements acquired or licensed from other institutions or organizations.

~ Courses/workshops or course/workshop elements provided by partners.

~ Commercially produced course/workshop materials ranging from books, manuals, etc. to packaged courses or course elements.

~ Provision of references resource information.

~ Services providing information to students/participants concerning the Institute and its programs.

~ Administrative services: registration, records, certificates of completion, etc.

~ Online paying arrangements.

~ Privacy considerations.

5. Contract services and partner arrangements involve formal agreements. For example:

• Performance expectations are defined in contracts and agreements. Conditions for contract termination are defined.

• Agreements include adequate quality control and curriculum oversight provisions.

• Provisions are outlined regarding protection of confidentiality and privacy in services involving personal information.

• Partner agreements include additional elements:

~ Qualified persons participate fully in the decisions regarding program curricula and oversight.

~ The Institute is fully engaged in the partnership process and recognizes the decision-making responsibilities of shared ownership.

~ Financial arrangements among partners are defined.

~ Which entity awards certificates resulting from partner programs are spelled out.

INSTRUCTOR/PRESENTER SUPPORT

The Institute and its participating Instructors/Presenters have considered issues of workload, compensation and ownership of intellectual property involved in the program. This mutual understanding is based on policies and agreements adopted by both parties.

STUDENT/PARTICIPANT SUPPORT

The Institute provides information about appropriate services available to students/participants. These include:

• Registration

• Information about various scholarships and/or other forms of aid available.

• Secure payment arrangements.

• References and resource information.

The Institute conducts sustained, evidence-based and participatory inquiry as to whether programs are achieving objectives. Results of such inquiry are used to guide future programs and planning and may affect future policy and budgets. They may also have implications for the Institute's role and mission.

1. As a component of the Institute's overall assessment activities, documented assessment is conducted for each program at the completion of the program and is measured against intended learning outcomes.

2. Procedures assure that security of personal information is protected in the conduct of assessments and evaluations and in the dissemination of results.

3. Overall effectiveness is determined by such measures as:

• Student/participant satisfaction as measured by evaluation questionnaires.

• Instructor/Presenter satisfaction as measured by surveys.

• Cost effectiveness of programs to students/participants.

4. The Institute conducts a continual self-evaluation directed toward program improvement. Programs and their results are reflected in the Institute's ongoing self-evaluation process and are used to inform the further plans of the Institute and those responsible for its programs.

Copyright 2002