EVOLVE 2025: Outcomes Goals and Action Steps
Outcomes demonstrate success and opportunity—for students and their institutions. HLC has traditionally underscored its commitment to quality improvement around outcomes through criteria that call for evidence-based institutional commitment to goals, infrastructure, support services, strategies, assessment, and evaluation to support student learning and student success. Building on this tradition, HLC will continue its dedication to Outcomes through EVOLVE by focusing on clarity, transparency, collaboration, innovation, and, most importantly, a heightened sensitivity to institutional context during institutional evaluations and in the delivery of programs to support members.
Goal 1: Develop Definitions and Evaluative Framework
Develop and implement standard definitions of learning outcomes/student success as well as an evaluative framework that links quality assurance and student success.
Timeline
2021–2025
Action Steps
- Convene an external advisory committee to assist with proposing definitions for adoption and a guidance statement related to student success, based on the papers published by HLC in 2019 focused on student success and innovation.
- Modify and adapt Core Component 4.C to reflect agreed upon definitions and expectations.
- Develop a framework for institutions to disaggregate student data, based on documented authentic learner intent, in order to provide a heightened level of awareness of how differing populations of students are being served in terms of access and attainment.
- Develop processes that position institutions to accept the quality assurance credibility within the HLC members for transfer purposes, ultimately determined at the institutional level.
Related Resources
- Criteria for Accreditation
- Testing Student Success: Findings and Recommendations
- Defining Student Success Data publications:
- Recommendations for Changing the Conversation
- Recommendations for Differentiation for Disaggregation
- Recommendations for a Glossary of Terms
Goal 2: Support Alternative Ways of Measuring and Advancing Student Success
Provide support to institutions in exploring alternative ways of measuring and advancing student success appropriate to their institutional context.
Timeline
2021–2025
Action Steps
- Continue to demonstrate prominence and leadership in the higher education ecosystem by convening a national advisory committee, inclusive of non-traditional collaborators, i.e., business entities and peer non-profit organizations, to provide insight and advice regarding the changing credentials infrastructure and evolving needs of today's workforce.
- Building upon the strengths of the HLC Academies and the scholar network, develop a Best Practices series on Institutional Effectiveness and Student Success.
- Explore innovative practices and emerging education models that occurred due to unforeseen crises (e.g., state reductions in funding, natural and health disasters) and how institutional planning was impacted.
- Provide ongoing emphasis regarding the need for adequate resources to support student learning and outcomes (reflecting concerns about the effect of budget cuts on quality educational experiences).
- Work with various agencies and national organizations (e.g., National Student Clearinghouse) to improve data tracking and exchange.
Related Resources
Goal 3: Provide Resources to Support Equitable Outcomes for Students
Ensure all member institutions have access to resources and expertise at HLC that support equitable outcomes for students.
Timeline
2021–2025
Action Steps
- Study the impact of COVID-19 on each institution's ability to equitably meet student needs through crisis management planning. Document ongoing effects of the pandemic with special attention to difference in response and effect by institutional type.
- Develop plans for creating advanced peer review training on the issues related to access and attainment so they can evaluate institutions based on the revised Criteria and guidance statements, with sensitivity to institutional mission and the changes made to peer review processes (i.e., comprehensive evaluations with a mostly virtual peer review team).
- Launch a communications strategy that assists institutions in accessing the most current information/resources independently or by engaging in HLC events.
- Transition/develop online webinars, seminars, and workshops to increase access to support for quality improvement in the areas of greatest need.
- Create COVID/Crisis management focus groups to study how students were supported (and will continue to be) during the crisis in order to learn how HLC can assist institutions. The intent is to not only serve students during the pandemic but also during other unknown crises that might unfold in the future.
- Regularly evaluate the dues and fees schedule for HLC's elective programming to assure equitable participation by members.
Related Resources
Goal 4: Develop Standard Expectations for Tracking Student Learning Outcomes
Develop and implement standard expectations of institutions' tracking and improvement of student learning outcomes to assure academic quality.
Timeline
2021–2025, and then ongoing
Action Steps
- Cultivate the work of the Assessment Taskforce to seek understanding regarding ongoing assessment and student learning challenges, to be used in identifying training and communication needs.
- Commit to taking a deeper look into available data and determine what information must be provided by/and to institutions as they provide evidence demonstrating they have met the Criteria and Core Components related to student learning outcomes.
- Clarify what peer reviewers should require when developing recommendations for monitoring related to student learning outcomes. Establish guidelines for reasonable timeframes for institutions to complete the work. Include consideration of what to review during periods of intense change to ensure learning continues to occur while the reporting mechanisms may be modified.
- Convene an external advisory committee to assist with proposing definitions for adoption and a guidance statement related to measuring and analyzing learning outcomes.
- Explore HLC's potential role in reviewing any non-traditional or non-credit credentials for quality assurance.
Related Resources
- Criteria for Accreditation
- Interim Monitoring: Considerations for Peer Reviewers
- Defining Student Success Data: Recommendations for a Glossary of Terms
Questions?
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