UNC Charlotte receives national designation for student learning assessment

UNC Charlotte is one of five exemplary colleges and universities nationwide to receive the Excellence in Assessment designation.

This distinction recognizes the University’s “commitment to the comprehensive assessment of student learning outcomes as a means to drive internal improvement and advance student success at the institution level.”

The Excellence in Assessment (EIA) designation is the first of its kind, spotlighting institutions that successfully integrate assessment practices across campus, providing evidence of student learning and using assessment results to guide institutional decision-making and improve student performance. EIA program sponsors are the Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA), a public college and university transparency initiative led by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), in partnership with the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) and the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA).

The EIA designations are directly linked to NILOA’s Transparency Framework. The application process for the designation includes a rigorous and systematic self-study.

EIA sponsors noted the University’s “thoughtful approach to its assessment infrastructure to make its assessment efforts meaningful is quite impressive, especially for an institution of its size. Appropriately reflecting on its strengths and weaknesses, UNC Charlotte is well-served in terms of support and staffing for its assessment work. UNC Charlotte’s Assessment Fellows and recognition awards to committed faculty and staff promotes good assessment practice throughout the campus. Organized around the Transparency Framework, UNC Charlotte’s well-implemented assessment process assists not only in providing and using evidence to improve student learning on its campus but also in its transparency efforts.”

The other 2018 Excellence in Assessment designees are Bowie State University, Harper College, Mississippi State University and Northern Arizona University.