AQIP Category One  --  HELPING STUDENTS LEARN

Helping Students Learn identifies the shared purpose of all higher education organizations, and is accordingly the pivot of any institutional analysis. This Category focuses on the teaching-learning process within a formal instructional context, yet also addresses how your entire institution contributes to helping students learn and overall student development. It examines your institution's processes and systems related to:

• Learning objectives
• Mission-driven student learning and development
• Intellectual climate
• Academic programs and courses
• Student preparation
• Key issues such as technology and diversity
• Program and course delivery
• Faculty and staff roles
• Teaching and learning effectiveness
• Course sequencing and scheduling
• Learning and co-curricular support
• Student assessment
• Measures
• Analysis of results
• Improvement efforts

Comment:  With the push on assessment - using language like intellectual climate - seems inappropriate.  The types of measurable avenues for this data are already present.

Answer these questions about Helping Students Learn

Context for Analysis (C)

1C1    What are the common student learning objectives you hold for all of your students (regardless of their status or particular program of study) and the pattern of knowledge and skills you expect your students to possess upon completion of their general and specialized studies?

With the emphasis on more and more online programs & degrees, do we need to include reference to equality of learning objectives for ALL methods of delivery?

Note 1: As appropriate, address co-curricular objectives/goals. Category 6, Supporting Institutional Operations, asks how you determine, address and improve your learning support systems to contribute to achieving student learning and development objectives. 

1C2    By what means do you ensure your student learning expectations, practices, and development objectives align with your mission, vision, and philosophy?

Note- IC2 reads as a process item  rather than context and could be incorporated into 1P1. 

Note - Do all institutions have a stated philosophy or are we talking about "guiding principles"?  Does that need to be clarified?

1C3    What are your key instructional programs? What delivery methods are used within these key programs? To what degree is technology used within the formal instructional context?

How do you measure "to what degree?" Hard data preferred to "I think" self assessments. 

I think it would be appropriate here to list the types of technologies used - for both formal and informal instructional opportunities.  To what degree is not practical since different disciplines would require different solutions and levels of technology.

1C4    What practices do you use to ensure your design and delivery of student learning options are preparing students to live in a diverse world and that the options accommodate a variety of student learning styles?

This one becomes more important from the global perspective - shall we stress that diversity includes the global perspective?

1C5    By what means do you create and maintain a climate that celebrates intellectual freedom, inquiry, reflection, respect for intellectual property, and respect for differing and diverse opinions?

Note- 1C5 reads as a process item rather than context -seems to fit after 1P9 as a new process item.

Processes (P)

1P1    How do you determine your common student learning objectives as well as specific program learning objectives? Who is involved in setting these objectives?

1P2    How do you design new programs and courses to facilitate student learning? How do you balance educational market issues with student needs in designing responsive academic programming?  

 When we talk about educational "market" issues, are we referring to business/industry/scientific career needs?  If so, we should clarify "market" as related to "career."

Assuming "educational market issues" can include securing a job related to one's education, how do you measure your graduates' success in getting and keeping jobs? E.g., what percentage of teacher education students (broken down by programs, departments, etc.) get teaching jobs?

This guideline obviously assumes the primary and most important function of higher education is career goals.  We are in danger of make ourselves into trade schools.

1P3    How do you determine the preparation required of students for the specific curricula, programs, courses, and learning they will pursue?

1P4    How do you communicate expectations regarding student preparation and student learning objectives (for programs, courses, and the awarding of specific degrees or credentials) to prospective and current students? How do admissions, student support, and registration services aid in this process?

This is one of the most critical training areas for admissions, student support and registration services, and we may need to re-emphasize the importance of this training in Category Four, Valuing People, the same as we have emphasized the need for appropriate faculty talents.

How do admissions, student support, and registration services communicate with academic departments on such issues?

Also importantly - what role do academics have in helping guide the language used in the recruitment process.  There can sometimes be a disconnect between what is promised in admissions and what is deliverable by the departments.

1P5    How do you help students select programs of study that match their needs, interests and abilities? In providing this help, how are discrepancies between the necessary and actual preparation of students and their learning styles detected and addressed?

1P6    How do you determine and document effective teaching and learning? How are these expectations communicated across the institution?

Note 2: Category 4, Valuing People, examines how you ensure your hiring practices take into account the needs for appropriate faculty talents and credentials and how you ensure your reward and recognition systems are aligned with your teaching and learning objectives.

 

1P7    How do you build an effective and efficient course delivery system? How do delivery decisions balance student and institutional needs?

Note- 1P7 has overlap into Category 6

1P8    How do you monitor the currency and effectiveness of your curriculum? What process is in place for changing or discontinuing programs and courses?

1P9    How do you determine student and faculty needs relative to learning support? How are learning support areas involved in the student learning and development process?

Note 3: Learning support areas to address may include library, advising, and tutoring, as appropriate.

 

1P10    How are co-curricular development goals aligned with curricular learning objectives?

Note 4: From the point of view of the formal instructional process, Category 6, Supporting Institutional Operations, asks how support areas such as residence life, student activities, advising, counseling, etc. address student development performance (learning, behaviors, values, activities, etc.) and determine processes and goals to aid in student development.

 

1P11    How do you determine the processes for student assessment?

1P12    How do you discover how well prepared students completing programs, degrees, and certificates are for further education or employment?

1P13    What measures of student performance do you collect and analyze regularly?

Results (R)

Is it enough to simply note that there are data, or can we find a better way to ask that institutions actually use the data to inform changes?

1R1    What are your results for common student learning objectives as well as specific program learning objectives?

1R2    What is your evidence that students have acquired the knowledge and skills base required by the institution and its stakeholders (i.e., other educational institutions and employers) for the awarding of specific degrees or credentials?

Note 5: Results might address perspectives of other higher education institutions, employers, etc.

 

1R3    What are your results for processes associated with Helping Students Learn?

Note 6: Results might include processes in designing and introducing new courses and programs, using technology and its impact, evidence of effective teaching, processes associated with scheduling, etc.

 

1R4    Regarding 1R1 through 1R3, how do your results compare with the results of other higher education institutions and, if appropriate, organizations outside of the education community?

Note 7: For 1R1 through 1R4, address historical trends and patterns, as appropriate.

 

Improvement (I)

1I1    How do you improve your current processes and systems for helping students learn and develop?

1I2    With regard to your current results for student learning and development, how do you set targets for improvement? What specific improvement priorities are you targeting and how will these be addressed? How do you communicate your current results and improvement priorities to students, faculty, staff, administrators, and appropriate stakeholders?