Input resources indicators in use for accreditation purpose of higher education institutions

Purpose Higher education is a complex system that involves multiple inputs and outputs, where various activities and processes are performed. The purpose of this paper is to monitor the input resources used for executing various activities of higher education institutions. These resources are classified into three types: human resources, physical resources and financial resources. Design/methodology/approach The author examines various national and international accreditation standards to determine their requirements for key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor input resources. Moreover, the author uses implications proposed by previous research and best practices. Findings A set of appropriate and generic KPIs is developed for each type of these resources leading to a total of 72 key indicators. These indicators are easy to measure, which makes them practical to be adopted by a large scale of institutions. Practical implications The proposed indicators provide adequate information to administrators and policy-makers, accrediting bodies and stakeholders to identify the progress and achievements. These indicators are also used for benchmarking purposes by comparing the institution’s performance against their comparable institutions counterparts. Moreover, they are used for marketing purposes to commercialize the institution by attracting prospective students and teaching faculty in addition to increasing current students’ satisfaction. Originality/value The paper gives special attention to developing a set of generic KPIs for assessing the availability and quality of input resources used for carrying out various activities of higher education institutions for the aim of improving their performance and hence helping them comply with the requirements of accreditation standards.