Improving Student Learning at Scale in Higher Education (Learning Improvement)
Join us for a comprehensive virtual workshop, "Improving Student Learning at Scale in Higher Education (Learning Improvement)." Where over five days, you will discover the six essential steps to enhancing student learning at scale, guided by the expert who authored the book on the subject (Improving Student Learning at Scale, Fulcher & Prendergast, 2021).
About Improving Student Learning at Scale in Higher Education (Learning Improvement)
"Learning Improvement" is perfect for individuals with some experience in assessment, teaching, and learning. It is particularly valuable for those managing initiatives aimed at impacting large student populations, such as Quality Enhancement Plans or program-level curricular reforms. This workshop blends synchronous and asynchronous elements to reinforce your learning and equip you with practical skills.
Workshop Topics Include:
- Building a collective will to improve
- Creating a vision for learning
- Establishing a baseline
- Identifying effective interventions
- Implementing interventions with fidelity
- Re-assessing to determine if improvement has occurred
This workshop is facilitated by Dr. Keston Fulcher, Improvement Strategist at the Center for Assessment and Research Studies (CARS), JMU, and supported by Graduate Assistants from CARS, JMU. The registration fee of $2,000 (includes participation and materials including a copy of Improving Student Learning at Scale Fulcher & Prendergast, 2021). Faculty and staff at James Madison University can apply to have this fee waived through a learning improvement scholarship. Approximately three hours of reading are required prior to the first synchronous session.
Upcoming sessions of Improving Student Learning at Scale
Register - February 6, 13, 20, and 27 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET and March 6, 2026, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., over five consecutive Fridays (ET). Registration is open until Monday, January 26, at noon, or until filled.
Register - June 8–12, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Friday (ET). Registration is open until Monday, May 25, at noon, or until filled.
If you would like to join a future cohort, please contact us at assessmentdevelopment@jmu.edu.
FAQs about CARS Events
You can register for as many people as will attend as long as payment is completed for each person by the enrollment deadline. The person sitting for the workshop does not have to be the one completing the registration.
You may cancel your registration up to two weeks prior to the program start date and receive a refund of course registration fees, less a $25 administrative fee. To withdrawal from this course you must send a request to cpdtraining@jmu.edu. Requests received beyond the deadline will receive no refund. For more information, please visit Policies & Notices.
As part of Assessment 101, each participant completes an individual or group project. These projects usually pertain to some aspect of the assessment cycle. For example, an individual may choose to focus on writing student learning outcomes for an academic degree program or identifying an appropriate instrument to measure such outcomes.
Here a few examples from previous projects:
You will receive an orientation email the week before the session that includes the pre-workshop preparation materials. While the specific materials vary by workshop, you can expect no more than two hours of preparation. Additionally, participants new to assessment may benefit from exploring the CARS Professional Development in Assessment webpage to learn more about the Assessment Skills Framework and other freely available resources.
