Outcomes

EVOLVE 2025: Outcomes Goals and Action Steps

Outcomes demonstrate success and opportunity—for students and their institutions. HLC has traditionally underscored its commitment to quality improvement around outcomes through criteria that call for evidence-based institutional commitment to goals, infrastructure, support services, strategies, assessment, and evaluation to support student learning and student success. Building on this tradition, HLC will continue its dedication to Outcomes through EVOLVE by focusing on clarity, transparency, collaboration, innovation, and, most importantly, a heightened sensitivity to institutional context during institutional evaluations and in the delivery of programs to support members.

Chart showing timeline of Outcomes goals and action steps

Goal 1: Develop Definitions and Evaluative Framework

Develop and implement standard definitions of learning outcomes/student success as well as an evaluative framework that links quality assurance and student success.

Timeline

2021–2025

Activities

  • HLC’s Assessment Task Force presented its work at the 2021 Annual Conference and received interest and receptiveness to its planned initiatives.
  • The Outcomes Staff Committee is starting the process to revise Core Components 4.B and 4.C, one of the initiatives supported through the plans of the Assessment Task Force.
  • HLC has received data regarding member institutions from the National Student Clearinghouse, as part of a Lumina Foundation funded initiative, and has begun analyzing the data.

Related Resources

Goal 2: Support Alternative Ways of Measuring and Advancing Student Success

Provide support to institutions in exploring alternative ways of measuring and advancing student success appropriate to their institutional context.

Timeline

2021–2025

Activities

  • HLC has refocused its work on outcomes to identify clear and transparent student-focused success metrics in advance of any federal mandates. This work will inform subsequent revisions of the Criteria for Accreditation, particularly in relation to Criterion 4.
  • HLC continues to provide access to resources and expertise that support equitable outcomes for students through the Academies and the various workshops it offers. In the last calendar year, 237 institutions have participated in HLC’s elective offerings.

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Goal 3: Provide Resources to Support Equitable Outcomes for Students

Ensure all member institutions have access to resources and expertise at HLC that support equitable outcomes for students.

Timeline

2021–2025

Action Steps

  • Study the impact of COVID-19 on each institution’s ability to equitably meet student needs through crisis management planning. Document ongoing effects of the pandemic with special attention to difference in response and effect by institutional type.
  • Develop plans for creating advanced peer review training on the issues related to access and attainment so they can evaluate institutions based on the revised Criteria and guidance statements, with sensitivity to institutional mission and the changes made to peer review processes (i.e., comprehensive evaluations with a mostly virtual peer review team).
  • Launch a communications strategy that assists institutions in accessing the most current information/resources independently or by engaging in HLC events.
  • Transition/develop online webinars, seminars, and workshops to increase access to support for quality improvement in the areas of greatest need.
  • Create COVID/Crisis management focus groups to study how students were supported (and will continue to be) during the crisis in order to learn how HLC can assist institutions. The intent is to not only serve students during the pandemic but also during other unknown crises that might unfold in the future.
  • Regularly evaluate the dues and fees schedule for HLC’s elective programming to assure equitable participation by members.

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Goal 4: Develop Standard Expectations for Tracking Student Learning Outcomes

Develop and implement standard expectations of institutions’ tracking and improvement of student learning outcomes to assure academic quality.

Timeline

2021–2025, and then ongoing

Action Steps

  • Cultivate the work of the Assessment Taskforce to seek understanding regarding ongoing assessment and student learning challenges, to be used in identifying training and communication needs.
  • Commit to taking a deeper look into available data and determine what information must be provided by/and to institutions as they provide evidence demonstrating they have met the Criteria and Core Components related to student learning outcomes.
  • Clarify what peer reviewers should require when developing recommendations for monitoring related to student learning outcomes. Establish guidelines for reasonable timeframes for institutions to complete the work. Include consideration of what to review during periods of intense change to ensure learning continues to occur while the reporting mechanisms may be modified.
  • Convene an external advisory committee to assist with proposing definitions for adoption and a guidance statement related to measuring and analyzing learning outcomes.
  • Explore HLC’s potential role in reviewing any non-traditional or non-credit credentials for quality assurance.

Related Resources

Questions?

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