Rethinking Quality

Posted by Tony Adam on Nov 23, 2020 3:25:09 PM

As academic departments work to create rubrics and other measurement tools, defining “quality” at the student performance level is especially elusive. Software can emulate these tools and faculty can enter results, but in a virtual environment are faculty meeting to discuss and assess the aggregate data? Or are they simply letting software compile a final score and trusting that overall students are successful or not successful?

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Topics: Continuous Improvement, Strategic Planning

Planning Beyond the Campus

Posted by Tony Adam on Oct 23, 2020 2:24:54 PM

The COVID pandemic threw institutions worldwide for a loop in 2020. It’s safe to say that every higher education institution, small or large, private or public, had some sort of local strategic plan in place. However, those plans more often than not were either COVID modified or completely revamped because of the need to re-examine goals and objectives for planned initiatives, ongoing projects, and program development.

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Topics: Continuous Improvement, Strategic Planning

Moving Student Assessment Online to Deliver Optimal Learning Outcomes

Posted by Sabrina Balmick on Apr 28, 2020 10:00:00 AM

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, institutions have quickly adopted online learning environments. The move online promotes social distance and safety for students and staff, especially as the coronavirus outbreak continues to grow. This move also provides institutions with the unique opportunity to modernize their assessment processes.

Below, we share some insight into how your institution can incorporate assessment into your online learning environment and why the move online can help your faculty get more done without extra effort.

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Topics: Continuous Improvement, Institutional Effectiveness, Assessment

Assessment in Higher Education: 10 Things to Know

Posted by Joe Bauman, M.S. on Oct 31, 2019 2:10:50 PM

Assessment practices in higher education directly impact many aspects of the institution. This can include student success and continuous improvement, among other areas. Below, we share ten ways your institution can improve your assessment process.

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Topics: Continuous Improvement, Institutional Effectiveness, Assessment

Strategic Planning in Higher Education: 10 Things to Know

Posted by Joe Bauman, M.S. on Aug 15, 2019 11:54:20 AM

Strategic planning can shape the future of a higher education institution, from effectively managing budgeted funds to driving continuous improvement efforts. Below, we outline ten ways your institution can get the most out of its strategic planning efforts.

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Topics: Continuous Improvement, Accreditation, Institutional Effectiveness, Strategic Planning

Assessment of Administrative Units and Support Services

Posted by Joe Bauman, M.S. on May 6, 2019 5:23:40 PM

Each institution generally has the flexibility to define its administrative and support departments as it sees fit. A good starting point is to define administrative and support departments based on the institution’s organization chart. If you choose to define administrative and support departments differently than those shown on the organization chart, just be sure to have a good (and documented) rationale for doing so – your peer reviewers will probably ask about it during your reaccreditation process.

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Topics: Continuous Improvement, Institutional Effectiveness, Assessment

Assessment and Continuous Improvement in Higher Education

Posted by Joe Bauman, M.S. on Feb 13, 2019 7:12:00 AM

It was more than a decade ago that the field of higher education started to focus on assessment. Educators were asking questions about what, and how much, students were learning throughout their experiences in higher education. At first, just assessing student learning and tracking the results was yeoman’s work.

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Topics: Continuous Improvement, Institutional Effectiveness, Assessment

Top Six Elements of a Strategic Plan

Posted by Joe Bauman, M.S. on Jan 7, 2019 3:25:17 PM

Developing or updating a strategic plan for an institution of higher education is a substantial endeavor. Engaging colleagues in committee and subcommittee meetings, discussing the future direction of the institution, and coming to a consensus on goals to guide the institution for the life of the plan: these considerations are at the heart of the collaborative process that is strategic planning in higher education.

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Topics: Continuous Improvement, Institutional Effectiveness, Budgeting, Strategic Planning

How to Establish a Solid Accreditation Process for Higher Education

Posted by SPOL on Aug 29, 2018 5:02:00 PM

One of the most common questions I get from folks implementing is, "How would you suggest we set that up?"  I must always answer that question with one of my own: "What does your process look like?"

The beauty (and the challenge) of SPOL is that it does not require you to conform to a specific process for strategic planning, assessment, budget development, or managing your accreditation self-study. 

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Topics: Continuous Improvement, Accreditation, Institutional Effectiveness

Higher Education: The Benefits of Continuous Improvement

Posted by SPOL on Aug 27, 2018 3:00:34 PM

If your experience is anything like mine, convincing your colleagues to embrace continuous improvement feels like an uphill battle. It feels like more work, “one more thing the college is asking us to do.” While I have rarely had someone ask me point-blank, the question in people’s minds is “What’s in it for me?” I don’t mind this question. I’m not an economist, but I’ve taken enough economics courses in my time to appreciate the model of humans as rational decision makers. If a course of action has no benefit for us, we shouldn’t take that action.

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Topics: Continuous Improvement