Colleges find new ways to show what students know and can do

New ways to measure student learning

Better tools for assessment are key in ensuring quality By Susan Headden Layla Quinones, a bright, vivacious 19-year-old, has an unusually impressive Web page. She has posted an attractive photograph of herself, an engaging biography, and a personal statement about her passions and interests. She’s included a page of modern artwork that she likes, with insightful […]

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What should a college graduate know? Find out…

In 2005, the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) started surveying institutions around the country, asking employers, faculty, staff and alumni a fundamental question: “What qualities and skills do you want in college graduates?” It took several years—and a surprising amount of discussion and debate—to arrive at the answers. But the list that AAC&U […]

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Does the credit hour stifle innovation?

One problem with the college credit hour, for those who would like to eliminate it, is that it is not just a measure of supposed student learning, but also a gauge of faculty workload. Does that distinction make it a barrier to innovative teaching? In the opinion of policy experts Jane Wellman and Thomas Erlich, who have studied the subject, if the credit hour does not stifle innovative teaching, it may at least make it more difficult.

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

For Americans to thrive individually and for the United States to compete in today’s global economy, our citizens must be committed to learning—rigorous, relevant, college-level learning.

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Online learning allows working adults to earn degrees at their own pace

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Extras

Terrel L. Rhodes on e-portfolios: Rhodes, a vice president with the Association of American Colleges and Universities, explores the idea of “Making Learning Visible and Meaningful through Electronic Portfolios” in the January/February 2011 issue of Change magazine.
Kathy Cramer Walsh's report: Listen as the University of Wisconsin professor discusses her survey examining Wisconsin residents’ perceptions of her institution.
UW-Madison’s learning outcomes: Educators on the main campus of the University of Wisconsin have forged a list that answers the question: “What qualities and skills do you want in college graduates?”
Degree Qualifications Profile: Lumina Foundation’s proposed framework for clearly defining the skills and knowledge that college degrees should signify.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Susan Headden is a senior writer/editor at Education Sector, a former senior editor at “U.S. News & World Report” magazine, and a freelance education writer based in Washington, D.C.