2007–2008 Event Details
2008
Mixed Method Assessment Meeting at the Center of Inquiry
March 13–15, 2008
Representatives from eight Wabash National Study institutions, along with Teagle Assessment Scholars and Center of Inquiry staff, met together at the Center of Inquiry March 13–15 to discuss Wabash National Study data and to develop a plan for pursuing qualitative assessment on campuses. The eight institutions included Alma College, Columbia College (SC), Connecticut College, Hope College, the University of Kentucky, the University of Notre Dame, Wabash College, and Whittier College.
Institutional teams worked on developing a plan for pursuing qualitative efforts on their campuses in order to better understand specific areas of Wabash National Study data, with the goal of using the information to make changes that will improve student learning.
Lee Cuba (Wellesley College), Kyle Long (Wabash College), and Carol Trosset (Hampshire College) gave presentations on moving from quantitative results to qualitative work, such as the use of focus-group student interviews. (see Wellesley presentation, One-On-One Interviews, A Qualitative Assessment Approach – PDF)
Teagle Scholars Michael Reder, Paul Sotherland, and Scott VanderStoep and Center of Inquiry staff facilitated institutional team discussion about developing qualitative approaches for individual campuses.
See agenda >> (PDF)
2007
NEASC 122nd Annual Meeting and Conference
December 5–6, 2007
Lee Cuba (Wellesley College), Carol Trosset and Steve Weisler (Hampshire College), and Charles Blaich (Center of Inquiry) will give a presentation at the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (CIHE) Forum on "Using Assessment Data to Understand Experiences with Diversity" at the NEASC—New England Association of Schools and Colleges—annual conference on December 6.
Teagle Consortium Meeting at Bard College
October 8–10, 2007
Center of Inquiry staff discussed data from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education at a Teagle Consortium meeting at Bard College October 8–10.
This was the final meeting of the consortium, which, through a grant from the Teagle Foundation, has been conducting a comparative and longitudinal assessment of the development of student writing and other foundational skills for the past two years. In addition, the consortium has been working on creating a common data set, using Wabash National Study data in particular, to inform the improvement of teaching and learning at their institutions.
Consortium institutions include Allegheny College, Bard College, the Center of Inquiry, Hamilton College, Hampshire College, Hobart-William Smith Colleges, Hope College, and Vassar College.
Carol Trosset (Hampshire College) gave a presentation on the consortium's writing project, followed by a panel discussion. Center of Inquiry director, Charles Blaich, shared Wabash National Study data collected in the Fall 2006–Spring 2007 academic year.
A representative from Connecticut College and the dean of faculty at Wabash College, Gary Phillips, also attended the meeting to learn more about their institutions' data.
Bard, Connecticut, Hamilton, Hampshire, Hope, and Wabash joined the Wabash National Study in fall 2006. Allegheny and Vassar began participating in the study in fall 2007.
The Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Cross-Cutting Themes Group Meeting
September 28–30, 2007
The Cross-Cutting Themes group of the CASTL Institutional Leadership program met at the Center of Inquiry September 28–30. This program is part of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning and is designed to facilitate collaboration among institutions committed to improving student learning and developing the scholarship of teaching and learning.
The Cross-Cutting Themes group is represented by the following institutions: Carleton College, the Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts at Wabash College, City College of San Francisco, Douglas College, Eastern Michigan University, San José State University, the University of Charleston, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and Wabash College.
See meeting agenda>> (PDF)
Teagle Collaborative
April 12–14
The Teagle Collaborative, "A Catalyst for Cognizance and Change," includes Kalamazoo College, Colorado College, and Earlham College. The collaborative is carrying out a four-year project, funded by the Teagle Foundation, that combines quantitative and qualitative means of gathering data and stories, in support of narratives about how students become better educated at the three colleges. The collaborative has administered the Cooperative Institutional Research Project (CIRP) Survey, the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), and the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA), and has held student focus groups and annual data-sharing conversations to assess the value added by these institutions to their students' intellectual and personal growth. At the meeting in April, members of the collaborative gathered to share what had been learned through assessment projects on each campus and to make plans for future projects.
AAC&U Annual Meeting 2007, Presentation Information
January 17–20
At the AAC&U Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Kathleen Goodman, Tricia Seifert, James D. Jorgensen, and Jennifer Laskowski (University of Iowa), and Charles Blaich (Center of Inquiry) spoke on the topic, "How Do Race and Socioeconomic Background Influence Experiences of Liberal Education and Good Practices in Undergraduate Education?" on Friday, January 19, 2007 from 1:30 to 2:30. See presentation slides, SES Appendix, and table of significant effects. See also conference program.