Cognia Accreditation Further Demonstrates NCOAE’s Commitment to Excellence

Here at The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education (NCOAE), we are known to be among the best in class among providers of outdoor education and wilderness-based adventures for youths and adults, and wilderness medical and EMT training for adults.

To that end, we are excited to announce that we are currently in the final stage of seeking accreditation with Cognia, a globally recognized nonprofit organization acknowledged by the U.S. Department of Education, that provides accreditation, certification, assessment, and professional learning services for continuous improvement to public, private, and independent postsecondary schools, among others.

NCOAE attributes its success to several qualities that set us apart from others who offer the same or similar services and experiences. These include our highly knowledgeable, experienced, and passionate leadership team and staff and our unique core curriculum, carefully crafted to positively impact each participant’s self-confidence, interpersonal relationships, and commitment to fulfilling their civic and environmental responsibilities.

But we don’t expect you to take our word for it. Several highly reputable, independent organizations have given us their seals of approval through their accreditation programs, including the Association for Experiential Education (AEE) and the Commission on Accreditation for Pre-Hospital Continuing Education (CAPCE). Further boosting our street cred is that fact that both the North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services and the State of North Carolina have approved us to offer an intensive 21-day EMT-Basic training curriculum.

Why Cognia Accreditation Matters

Since 1895, Cognia, most well-known as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools-Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS/CASI) rebranded about five years ago, offers research-based performance standards that are created with one end in mind — to ensure high-quality learning. They define the practices that are essential for achieving excellence in education, including the ability for students who successfully complete our programs to be able to earn and transfer credits to their high school.

We can already attest to the fact that preparing for Cognia accreditation makes us better at what we do and ensures students, parents, and partner organizations that they can trust us as reputable providers of outdoor adventure and education programs. Specifically, Cognia accreditation offers the following benefits:

• Enhanced credibility: Cognia accreditation ensures that NCOAE meets high standards for educational quality and organizational effectiveness.
• Alignment with national standards: Cognia’s framework aligns with national and international educational standards, confirming that NCOAE’s programs are rigorous, engaging, and impactful.
• Recognition and trust: Accreditation from a trusted, unbiased organization like Cognia ensures students, parents, and partner organizations that they can trust NCOAE to deliver high-quality outdoor adventure and education experiences.

What This Means for NCOAE

Why would our organization subject itself to the intense scrutiny and potential criticism of a third-party commission? Because we want to be better and let people know just how good we are. Through the process of accreditation, we hope to gain the following:

• Validation of excellence: The accreditation process is a validation of NCOAE’s commitment to excellence in experiential education.
• Opportunities for improvement: Moving through Cognia’s accreditation process helps NCOAE identify areas of strength and opportunities for growth.
• Enhanced programs: Ensures that our courses, such as the new High School Summer Block-Semester, meet Cognia’s high standards, enabling us to issue official credits to students’ schools.

What’s Next for NCOAE?

Having recently cleared the candidacy review, we are starting to proceed through the final two stages of the accreditation process:

• Final review stage: We are currently in the final review stage, during which Cognia will conduct a thorough evaluation to confirm our compliance with its standards.
• Awaiting official accreditation status: After the final review, we expect to receive full accreditation, enhancing our ability to serve our students and communities.

We’re Big Believers in Accreditation

Here at NCOAE, we embrace the accreditation process, not only for the recognition of excellence we receive upon completing the process, but even more so for the learning it entails. We have a long history of operating according to industry leading best practices and commonly accepted standards.

We are accredited by the Association for Experiential Education (AEE), which provides significant evidence of our commitment to quality and safety, our belief in professional standards, and the allocation of our resources toward continued excellence and improvement.

We’re also accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Pre-Hospital Continuing Education (CAPCE), which means when students successfully complete select NCOAE medical trainings, they qualify to receive between 14 and 78 continuing education credits (CEUs) accepted by thousands of organizations that require continuing education documentation.

And we’re approved by the North Carolina Office of EMS (NCOEMS) to deliver Basic and Advanced EMT training to individuals interested in satisfying eligibility requirements for the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) exam and state EMT exams.

Stay Tuned

NCOAE is committed to continuous improvement. Accreditation is part of our ongoing effort to enhance the quality and impact of our programs. As we complete this exciting journey toward full accreditation with Cognia, we will provide updates to keep you posted about our progress. We will also give you a heads up about any new opportunities we have to pursue relevant accreditations.

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