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ALAMEDA, CA - The WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) has announced the appointment of seven new commissioners effective July 1, 2018 and the election of two commissioners who filled vacancies during the year.
WSCUC Chair Reed Dasenbrock said, “WSCUC elects commissioners with diverse backgrounds and professional experiences to help advance our mission of rigorous quality assurance and continuous improvement. WSCUC has a long track record of promoting innovation and...
Credit for Prior Learning: Helping Students Complete Degrees More Efficiently and Affordably
Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) allows students to earn credit for learning experiences that take place outside the classroom and are the equivalent of college-level work. As a result, students can streamline the educational pathway, avoid redundant or unnecessary courses, and save tuition dollars.
CPL experiences vary, and institutions can assess CPL experiences...
The 2018 Academic Resource Conference (ARC) brought together institutional leaders and stakeholders from across the WSCUC region to discuss strategies and practices to support quality assurance, student success, and institutional improvement.
The ARC explored how, in the midst of growing public scrutiny, higher education’s mission and value can be strengthened by embracing a renewed focus on results, dedication to...
The 2018 WSCUC ARC theme FUTURE PERFECT (FP) suggested two possible meanings, and I look forward to learning what the organizers will have correctly taught me.
My first musing about FP was to dream of a “perfect future” for higher education, specifically for my health sciences institute, Loma Linda University. The second thought was the grammatical meaning of FP: to project myself into the future and look back at an action that will be completed later. Arguably, this tense is central...
As access to higher education becomes more affordable and convenient, an increasing number of “post-traditional” learners are signing up to earn their degrees.
These learners largely fall outside of what has been the traditional age and stage of 18-22 year olds leaving home for the first time and moving into campus housing for a full-immersion college experience.
Post-traditional learners may be returning to school after an initial (or second or third) attempt, likely work...
After receiving a ten-year reaffirmation, people kept asking me how I did it.
“What software did you use?”
“How did you measure quantitative reasoning across all disciplines?”
“Did all your students exceed your learning outcomes?”
They wanted answers. Instead of telling them “This software did everything,” I told them “I tried several softwares, most of which failed.” Instead of “I developed the perfect universal rubric,” I told them “We developed a rubric for...
San Jose State University (SJSU) developed Project Succeed to help improve retention and graduation rates, while also closing the achievement gap for Under-Represented Minorities (URMs).
The program has three major goals: strengthen SJSU’s core academic performance in graduation and retention, provide an improved supportive environment for URM students, and enhance the delivery and integration of academic and co-curricular support services.
To help achieve these goals, we...
Given we’ve just recently moved, I can’t count how many times I’ve been asked “So, what do you do working at Cal Poly?”
Now begins my instantaneous internal conversation… How to I respond? Where do I start? What is their knowledge level of higher education or assessment? Do I have the time to do this now?
Then my typical response: “I’m the Director of Student Affairs Assessment and Research.”
At this point, they typically insert blank stare and “Woah, that’s a...
Public universities are among the most important and influential institutions in our society. In the best of cases, public universities positively influence society through education of the next generation of leaders and the creation of new knowledge from research programs. But how do public universities ensure that they are appropriately reflecting the values and priorities of those they serve? And what if the public is conflicted about which values and priorities are most important?...
