Why the long face? …In search of positive Higher Education. As I scanned higher ed news this week in search of an interesting topic to write about, I came across several that would have worked well…
Identifying and Articulating Student Learning Outcomes
When I first joined Virginia Tech, we were two years away from our ten-year reaccreditation report and I was tasked with making sure roughly 240 degree programs were in compliance with accreditation standards. Although we had a strong faculty and curriculum, many people weren’t used to setting learning outcomes and preparing for accreditation. I, of […]
When Schools Dump Their Accreditor
I recently attended several of the accreditation conferences on the Fall conference circuit and spent time learning about current trends and thinking from the perspective of both accreditors and accredited institutions and programs. It was clear that this statement is as true as it was a couple of years ago: “No one really likes accreditation […]
What is Assessment Worth?
Assessment in Higher Education Erik Gilbert’s recent article in The Chronicle, “Does Assessment Make Colleges Better? Who Knows?” and Joan Hawthorne’s response has made for very interesting conversation of late. Gilbert asserts that after all the time and resources spent on assessment, there’s little or no proof student learning has been improved, which is why the students and parents […]