NILOA Newsletters
We send out monthly newsletters about the work we are doing at NILOA. Sign up here to receive these newsletters.
Current issue: April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
On April 9th, NILOA launched its second National Survey of Chief Academic Officers. Click here to see a copy of the survey.
NILOA will host its fourth webinar in a series on assessment and the Degree Qualifications Profile on Friday, April 26th, 2013 from 12:00-1:00 CDT. This webinar will feature DQP author Cliff Adelman. Register for the webinar here.
NILOA's website now features an Assessment Archive containing literature on assessment as well as a new Assignment Examplespage where you will see the kinds of work expected by students that represent one or more DQP competencies at a specific degree level.
NILOA's Featured Website
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Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAPP)
This website presents survey results from the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAPP) in an easily accessible, interactive format. The website's SnaapShot provides a breakdown of survey data, including type of arts major, location of employment, type of degree attained, current occupation of arts graduates, and debt and earnings information. Read more…
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DQP Updates
DQP Resources
NILOA Webinar
Click here to watch NILOA's third webinar (held on March 29th) on assessment and the DQP featuring DQP authors Peter Ewell and Carol Schneider.
NILOA will conduct its fourth webinar in this series on on Friday, April 26, 2013 from 12:00-1:00 CDT. This webinar will feature DQP author Cliff Adelman. Register for the webinar here.
Data Audit
Institutions routinely gather a variety of data on students and their learning but rarely is time taken to examine where data comes from, where it goes, and manage or sort the flow of information. The following resources provide information on how to conduct a data audit as well as some tools which may be helpful for examining root causes or cause and effect relationships when examining or analyzing data. Read more about Data Audit here.
DQP in Action
Unfunded Institutions
To date, NILOA has identified 99 institutions that are currently working to implement the DQP in their assessment practices without participating in a consortium project or without direct funding from Lumina Foundation for Education. Those institutions range from small 2-year community colleges to large 4-year universities. If you are an unfunded institution currently working with the DQP, NILOA would very much appreciate hearing from you about it. Please take a few minutes to fill out our DQP Institutional Activity Report which can be found here.
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IUPUI and the Indianapolis campus of Ivy Tech Community College (IVTC) are working together in the AAC&U's Quality Collaborative project. Their effort is investigating methods and forms of identifying the transfer of competencies between institutions-specifically, how to identify readiness for the movement from the first 60 hours of credit to the second, including the move into specific academic programs. Read more…
McKendree University |
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News
We collect news items from a variety of sources related to learning outcomes assessment for our website. Listed below are some from the past month:
National Survey of Chief Academic Officers
The survey was launched last week. To see a copy of the survey, please click here.
Assessment as an Opportunity for Developing Independent Thinking Skills in Students
This author wonders if required assessment will stifle students' creativity and if it's possible to hand the task of formative assessment over to students in order to encourage independent thinking.
Kansas State University seeks an Assistant Director of Assessment
The Office of Assessment at Kansas State University invites applications for the position of Assistant Director of Assessment. The assistant will work with the Director on projects of the Office of Assessment, all of which have an overriding goal of the improvement of student learning at Kansas State University. For more information about the position and how to apply, please click here.
Seeking Rigor in Study Abroad
Author points to the growing criticism of study abroad programs that assess student satisfaction rather than measureable learning and growth. A six-level, developmental classification system with related outcomes is discussed.
Rethinking the Bottom Line for Internationalization: What Are Students Learning?
As internationalization becomes more important to postsecondary education, it is important to define global learning outcomes so institutions can measure and assess students in order to produce graduates that are prepared for a changing global environment.
Upcoming Conferences and Programs
Here are conferences and workshops on learning outcomes assessment coming up in the next month:
April 19: Third Annual Regional Community College Assessment Conference
Johnson County Community College
April 22-23: Learning Outcomes Assessment, Practically Speaking
Council of Ontario Universities
April 30: Call for Proposals - 2013 West Texas Assessment Conference
Please submit a proposal for the 2013 West Texas Assessment Conference. The deadline to submit a proposal is April 30, 2013.
May 14-16: 2013 Department and Division Chair Workshops
Council of Independent Colleges, Cincinnati, OH
May 18-22: 2013 AIR Annual Forum
Association for Institutional Research, Long Beach, CA
*Please consider attending NILOA's sessions. "The Role of IR in Fostering Good Assessment Practice" (Monday, 11:30-12:15) and "Building Effective Partnerships with Government and Public Affairs" (Tuesday, 11:30-12:30).
NILOA is pleased to announce that in April 2013 we will launch our second survey of chief academic officers. The questions focus on institutional level student learning outcomes assessment activities and the results will update the findings from NILOA's first national survey conducted in 2009. The survey will take about 10-15 minutes to complete. With foundation support and assistance from several higher education associations, NILOA will send the survey to all accredited two- and four-year colleges and universities in the United States to gain a current picture of outcome assessment practices nationwide.
Viewpoint
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Embedded Assessment and Evidence-Based Curriculum Mapping: The Promise of Learning Analytics Jane M. Souza, Ph.D. |
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Assessing desired learning outcomes effectively is a complex endeavor. Risking over-simplification, I propose we accept the definition offered by Randy Swing (2010) "Assessment is change management." If we accept that premise and partner it with "Data are resources; people are the agents of decisions and change" (Kramer, Hanson, Olsen, 2010, p. 44), then the locus of control for assessment and therefore change, can reside with the people generating the data. In my school, The Wegmans School of Pharmacy at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York, that means the faculty. Read more... |
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Boston College
Boston College's assessment website is a comprehensive resource for guidance and support for assessment professionals and departments. It features links to the college's assessment cycle and assessment handbook, department outcomes, conversation starters that departments can use to examine their assessment programs, and examples of assessment projects from various Student Affairs departments. Read more… |
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DQP Updates
DQP Resources
NILOA Webinar
NILOA will conduct its third webinar in a series on assessment and the Degree Qualifications Profile on March 29, 2013 from 12:00-1:00 EST. This webinar will feature DQP authors Carol Schneider and Peter Ewell. Register for the webinar here.
Applied Learning
Applied Learning is an approach that emphasizes the relevance of course material to situations and conditions external to the classroom or "real world." It shifts the focus to application of knowledge and skills through solving a problem or implementing a project. Read more about Applied Learning here.
DQP in Action
Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)
WASC is examining the usefulness of the DQP as a framework for assisting institutions to assess the quality of degrees or portions of degree programs. Click here for additional information on WASC's work with the DQP.
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Given the encouragement by WASC to use the DQP as a framework for organizing the overall undergraduate learning outcomes, the college's general education revision committee was able to adapt the learning areas in the DQP to provide a basis for the development of five overarching undergraduate Institutional Learning Outcomes. Read more…
Westminster College (Utah) |
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News
We collect news items from a variety of sources related to learning outcomes assessment for our website. Listed below are some from the past month:
A New SAT
The College Board is planning to redesign the SAT in an effort to better prepare students to make a meaningful transition into postsecondary education by focusing on a core set of knowledge and skills essential to college success.
Improving Teaching One Class at a Time
Faculty members recognize that reforming teaching and learning to effectively engage students has become increasingly important, but difficulties arise in implementing the changes.
GMAC Introduces "Soft Skills" Test, but Not for Admissions
The Graduate Management Admission Council announced a new mechanism to test the "soft skills" of students looking to develop their strengths and improve weaknesses when applying to jobs.
Call for Proposals - 2013 Assessment Institute
The 2013 Assessment Institute is currently accepting proposals for conference sessions. Please submit your proposals no later than March 29, 2013.
The "I" in FIU
Florida International University introduced a new global learning requirement that will give faculty an assessment matrix to evaluate students' global learning engagement and awareness.
Upcoming Conferences and Programs
Here are conferences and workshops on learning outcomes assessment coming up in the next month:
March 15: Call for Proposals - 2013 Student Affairs Assessment & Research Conference
Office of Student Life at the Ohio State University.
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, Phoenix, AZ
Education Policy Institute, Orlando, FL
March 28-29: Big Issues in Testing: Improving Admissions and Learning in Higher Education
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Association of American Colleges & Universities, Network for Academic Renewal, Miami, FL
Higher Learning Commission, Chicago, IL
ANNY Board of Directors, New York, NY
This edition of the NILOA newsletter features NILOA's 17th Occasional Paper, Changing Institutional Culture to Promote Assessment of Higher Learning by Richard H. Hersh and Richard P. Keeling.
Register here for our third webinar on March 29 from 12:00 to 1:00pm EST with guest speakers Peter Ewell and Carol Schneider as they discuss their NILOA Occasional Paper, The Lumina Degree Qualifications Profile: Implications for Assessment.
NILOA Occasional Paper
A new Occasional Paper, NILOA's 17th, is now available:
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Richard H. Hersh & Richard P. Keeling
While a national chorus of criticism reproaches the academy for its high costs, low graduation rates, lack of accountability, administrative bloat, and faculty inefficiency, a more fundamental problem looms: how to address higher education's shortfall in higher learning. To say it plainly: in both quantity and quality, college learning is inadequate. The root cause of this learning crisis is that at most institutions the campus culture itself does not prioritize and foster transformative learning. The purpose of this paper is to help realign the assessment conversation by arguing for institutional culture change that puts higher learning first and simultaneously embraces systemic assessment as a prerequisite of and central condition for a culture in which learning is the priority.
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Viewpoint
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The DQP and the Creation of the Transformative Education Program at Saint Augustine's University |
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A major curricular revision, such as that done at Saint Augustine's University, requires strong leadership, campus-wide agreement on mission and focus, and faculty, staff, and students willing to work together to meet the challenge of improving student learning. Yet, without the coherent structure of the DQP to provide a model for a broad and clearly articulated curricular system grounded in interconnected and ongoing assessment of student learning, it seems likely that the process of transformation would take a very long time to realize. Read more... |
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Salt Lake Community College (SLCC)
This website features Examples of Excellence, a collection of videos in which SLCC professors, instructors, and staff discuss how they have used SLCC's assessment practices to guide and verify student success, utilize SLCC's college-wide outcomes rubric, study student success rates, and more. In conjunction with its academic assessment data, SLCC provides data for each of SLCC's student service departments. Read more…
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DQP Updates
DQP Resources
NILOA Webinar
NILOA conducted its second webinar in a series on assessment and the Degree Qualifications Profile on February 1st, 2013. The webinar provides an overview of the resources on the NILOA DQP Corner. Watch the webinar here.
Register here for our third webinar, March 29th from 12:00-1:00 EST with guest speakers Peter Ewell and Carol Schneider as they discuss their NILOA Occasional Paper on The Lumina Degree Qualifications Profile: Implications for Assessment.
Applied Learning
Applied Learning is an approach which emphasizes the relevance of course material to situations and conditions external to the classroom or "real world." It shifts the focus to application of knowledge and skills through solving a problem or implementing a project. Read more about Applied Learning here.
DQP in Action
Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
HLC is examining a new model of accreditation referred to as Open Pathways through three institutional pioneer cohorts, one of which is focused on the DQP. Additional information on the Open Pathways and the third institutional cohort working with the DQP may be found in the Open Pathway Booklet.
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NDSU asked departments to compare the student learning outcomes and activities in their undergraduate capstone experiences in each major with DQP benchmarks for applied learning. Examining what "graduates can do with what they know," (in the words of the DQP) fits not only the land-grant culture of NDSU, but also had multiple other advantages for their campus. Read more…
North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) |
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News
We collect news items from a variety of sources related to learning outcomes assessment for our website. Listed below are some from the past month:
2013 CHEA Award Winners
CHEA announced the 2013 winners of the Outstanding Institutional Practice in Student Learning Outcomes.
America's Call for Higher Education Redesign
Articles in Inside Higher Ed and The Chronicle highlight the results of a survey by the Lumina Foundation which found the majority of Americans still value higher education, but have doubts about its quality.
Trend to Measure Learning Outcomes Gains Proponents
A number of Canadian universities are now developing measures to assess student learning, but concerns remain among faculty members.
The Curious Birth and Harmful Legacy of the Credit Hour
The Carnegie Foundation's effort to rethink its credit hour unit has this author contemplating how to measure student learning and if the Degree Qualifications Profile can be a suitable framework.
Skepticism About Tenure, MOOCs and the Presidency: A Survey of Provosts
Inside Higher Ed shares the findings of their 2013 survey of university and college provosts which includes self-evaluations of using data to identify and assess student outcomes.
Upcoming Conferences and Programs
Here are conferences and workshops on learning outcomes assessment coming up in the next month:
February 27-March 1: Engaging Faculty in Student Learning Assessment
Charlotte, NC
February 29-March 2: AAC&U General Education and Assessment Conference
Boston, MA. *Please consider attending NILOA's session on March 2nd from 8:00-9:00am.
March 4: Call for Proposals: 38th Annual POD Network Conference
Pittsburgh, PA
March 4-6: Connections 2013 - Beyond the Obvious: Taking Assessment to New Places
Blacksburg, VA
March 8: Call for Proposals - 2013 Student Affairs Assessment & Research Conference
The Ohio State University
March 18-20: Assessment Conference: Quality Through Effective Curriculum Management
Phoenix, AZ
Happy New Year!
This January 2013 edition of the NILOA newsletter features NILOA's 16th Occasional Paper, The Lumina Degree Qualifications Profile (DQP): Implications for Assessment. The lead author is Peter Ewell from the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS). The paper also includes an Afterword by Carol Geary Schneider from the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U).
You can learn more about the DQP and NILOA's work at the 2013 AAC&U Annual Meeting where we will host two sessions. The first, "The Degree Qualifications Profile: What Users Say and What Others Want to Know, " is in the form of a Town Hall Meeting facilitated by George Kuh, Natasha Jankowski, Peter Ewell, Paul Gaston, and Pat Hutchings. The second session, 'Regional Accreditation and Evidence of Student Learning: What Comes Next?," features panelists Peter Ewell, Stanley Ikenberry, Sylvia Manning and Barbara Brittingham.
NILOA Occasional Paper
A new Occasional Paper, NILOA's 16th, is now available:
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Peter Ewell
Afterword by Carol Schneider In January 2011, the Lumina Foundation published its Degree Qualifications Profile (DQP) to challenge faculty and academic leaders in the U.S. to think deeply and concretely about aligning expectations for student learning outcomes across higher education. In order to render the Profile's potential real, institutions and their faculties will need to develop consistent and systematic ways to gather evidence that the competencies that the DQP describes are actually being mastered at the levels claimed. In this paper, Peter Ewell explores some of what needs to be done and provides a few tools and techniques (some of which are already in widespread use) that may help move assessment work forward. In her Afterword, Carol Geary Schneider discusses some of the challenges that must be addressed to realize the promise of the DQP.
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NILOA Updates
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California Lutheran University
California Lutheran University (CLU) has about a decade's worth of experience with developing and implementing student learning outcomes (SLOs) assessment. Guided by its core commitments of Liberal Learning, Professional Preparation, and Character and Leadership Development, CLU has designed 8 detailed institutional SLOs and corresponding rubrics. Additionally, CLU provides resources to students and faculty as they use SLOs. Read more… |
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DQP Updates
DQP Resources
NILOA Webinar
NILOA will conduct its second webinar in a series on assessment and the Degree Qualifications Profile on February 1st, 2013 from 12:00-12:30 CST. This webinar will provide an overview of the resources on the NILOA DQP Corner. Register for the webinar here.
Prior Learning
Prior Learning assessment is a process of evaluating and recognizing learning that helps adults to earn credit for knowledge acquired through work, training, volunteer and union activities, hobbies, and other life experiences. Read more about Prior Learning here.
DQP in Action
SACS
In collaboration with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), 22 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) will use the DQP to map their curriculum, particularly in mathematics and English, and identify weaknesses and strengths in teaching and learning. The mapping exercise will suggest areas of further exploration, in which the HBCUs may engage through use of the DQP.
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California State University, East Bay is using the DQP to develop Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILO) that frame the meaning, quality, and integrity of a Cal State East Bay degree and to examine linkages between general education, academic majors, and ILOs. Read more…
West Coast University |
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News
We collect news items from a variety of sources related to learning outcomes assessment for our website. Listed below are some from the past month:
Tests With and Without Motivation
While many institutions are measuring the value added of a college degree, new research suggests that student motivation on such tests is a clear predictor of student performance.
New Issue of Assessment Update Now Available
The latest issue of Assessment Update: Progress, Trends and Practice in High Education for November/December 2012 is now available.
Top 12 Teaching and Learning Articles for 2012
Based on the number of reader comments, social shares, and other factors, Faculty Focus has highlighted 12 of its 250 published articles related to teaching and learning that stood out in 2012.
Defining Learning Expectations
The American Historical Association is defining learning expectations through a Tuning Project focused on outlining a set of skills and habits of mind that college-educated students should have in relation to history.
Open Positions
Director of Assessment
Open position: Director of Assessment for the School of Leadership and Education Sciences at the University of San Diego. Position entails coordinating accreditation activities, program review, fostering a culture of assessment, and analysis of data.
Director of Learning Assessment Position Open at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth invites applications for the open position of Director of Learning Assessment. Requirements for the position include a bachelor's degree and formal training in survey design and qualitative research.
Director of Academic Assessment
The University of New Haven (CT) is seeking a Director of Academic Assessment. The position involves providing training to faculty to assist with development of learning outcomes; contributing to collection and analysis of assessment data; and contributing to ongoing efforts using surveys, e-portfolios, and program evaluation.
Upcoming Conferences and Programs
Here are conferences and workshops on learning outcomes assessment coming up in the next month:
January 23-26: The Annual Meeting of the Association of American Colleges and Universities
AAC&U, Atlanta, GA. *Please consider attending NILOA's sessions.
College Station, TX. *NILOA's Stan Ikenberry is a keynote speaker.
Valencia College, Orlando, FL
Higher Learning Commission, St. Charles, IL
Higher Learning Commission, St. Charles, IL
Newsletter Archives:
Archives 2012
Archives 2011
2010 and before
George L. Mehaffy |
