…There is a national push to dramatically increase the number of American degree holders while at the same time gaining greater assurance about the quality of the degrees conferred. The result has been a policy environment, at the state and federal level, set on student outcomes and better assessment of outcomes. These environmental changes have significant implications. In addition to facing the same challenges as any other institution, MSIs are committed to serving students who typically arrive with greater, more complex, challenges to overcome in pursuit of a college degree. Still, degree completion is now, more than ever before, being used as a proxy for institutional effectiveness and a primary measuring stick for continued investment... (Taken from description of program written by James T. Minor, SEF Director of Higher Education Programs)
About SEF’s MSI SLO Institute Program:
SEF’s MSI Student Learning Outcomes Institute Program is designed to assist Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) improve their capacity to assess, document, and articulate student learning on their campuses. The federal government, accreditation agencies, and the public are calling for greater evidence of what students know and are able to do upon graduation. MSIs traditionally serve many students who have acute financial needs, typically take longer to graduate, and arrive to college less prepared academically. Therefore, assessing student learning as a measure of institutional effectiveness may take a slightly different form.
At the 2011 MSI Institute, SEF initiated the “demonstration site portion” of a larger Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) project. SEF engaged a range of MSIs that could potentially serve as sites to demonstrate exemplary or transformational practices related to assessing student learning. The participating institutions are (all links go to the relevant institution's webpage):
Go to previous screen