JMU RECEIVES NATIONAL AWARD IN 'DEFINING SUCCESS'

Center for Assessment and Research Studies, along with JMU's General Education program, jointly honored by national organization for utilizing new, effective and innovative systems to evaluate and demonstrate student outcomes and provide increasing accountability of that information to the public

March 29, 2006

James Madison University and its Center for Assessment and Research Studies and General Education Program received one of four national awards from the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

A growing focus on how we define success in college may also help set benchmarks to enhance higher education value overall, according to new efforts by experts in college accreditation. Facing an increasingly competitive global economy, prominent leaders in higher education accreditation are reviewing new ways institutions can evaluate and demonstrate student knowledge, skills and outcomes.

CHEA, one of the leading voices in this undertaking, has initiated the first in a series of annual national awards to recognize these efforts, the "2006 Award for Institutional Progress in Student Learning Outcomes." CHEA, with headquarters in Washington, D.C., is the largest institutional higher education membership organization in the nation, with 3,000 degree-granting colleges and universities. It is a private, nonprofit national organization that coordinates accreditation activity in the United States.

The awards, according to CHEA, are meant to encourage institutions nationwide to utilize new, effective and innovative systems to evaluate and demonstrate student outcomes and provide increasing accountability of that information to the public.

The four institutions receiving awards are:

• James Madison University, Center for Assessment and Research Studies, General Education Program, Virginia
  
• The Community College of Baltimore County, Learning and Student Development, Maryland
  
• Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Department of Psychology, Illinois
  
• Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Implementing the Principles of Undergraduate Learning, Indiana.

The four awards were presented by CHEA for excellence in four criteria: articulating and providing evidence of outcomes; providing evidence of success with regard to outcomes; informing the public about outcomes and using outcomes for institutional improvement.

The Center for Assessment and Research Studies and the General Education Program at JMU have developed a longstanding partnership to evaluate the effectiveness of the General Education Program. Explicitly stated learning outcomes describe each of the five main areas or clusters of the program, and are assessed annually. Scientifically based data collection utilizes multiple models, including portfolio assessment of writing, competency testing for information literacy, and pre-test/post-test methods.

The university has developed compelling evidence that JMU students benefit from instruction in its General Education Program, and makes that evidence available to the public on JMU and State Council of Higher Education for Virginia Web sites. Regular monitoring of results has led to ongoing improvement in both assessment methods and courses, and has informed modifications of the curriculum.

"The ability to define and demonstrate success in higher education is a critical factor in raising the overall standards of educational quality," stated CHEA President Judith Eaton. "Students, colleges and society need public evidence of educational excellence in schools and programs in order to compete in a global economy, and accrediting organizations are leading the way in driving these innovations, and in quality assurance and public accountability. These annual awards represent an important benchmark of documented excellence."

Thirty-two applications representing institutions and programs were reviewed by nine members of CHEA's award committee, consisting of high-level educational officials and experts:

• Roger Benjamin, President and Chief Executive Officer, Council for Aid to Education
  
• John Dill, Deputy Chancellor, Office of the Chancellor for Education and Professional Development, Department of Defense
  
• Peter Ewell, Vice President, National Center for Higher Education Management Systems
  
• Bret Eynon, Assistant Dean, Center for Teaching and Learning, LaGuardia Community College
  
• Debra Humphreys, Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs, Association of American Colleges and Universities
  
• Laura Palmer Noone, President, University of Phoenix
  
• Kathleen O'Brien, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Alverno College
  
• Jerry Trapnell, Executive Vice President and Chief Accreditation Officer, The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International, and
  
• Belle Wheelan, President, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

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Press release originally created 3/22/06 by Media Relations, James Madison University