1. Higher Learning Commission
  2. Quality Initiative
  3. Timeline

Quality Initiative Timeline

Key milestones and notable action items for the project include:

 
 
 
 
 

Fall 2020 - Preliminary Project Planning

  • Quality Initiative (QI) proposal drafted and submitted to HLC. 
 
 
 
 
 

Spring 2021 - Project Approval 

  • Proposal approved by HLC.
  • Steering Group convened and initial planning commences.
  • Introductory meeting with academic affairs leadership to introduce QI and to highlight currently available student success data in Tableau, APS, as well as CITL's existing course transformation support resources.
 
 
 
 
 

Summer 2021 - Preliminary Data Analysis

  • Criteria established and target courses identified.
  • Data from 2018-2019 and 2020-2021 provided to colleges.
  • Colleges asked to initiate conversations within their academic programs on needed interventions and support for potential course redesign.
 
 
 
 
 

Fall 2021 - Project Startup

  • Introductory meeting with those who have taught in the past or are scheduled to teach sections of target courses during fall 2021 to introduce QI.
  • Survey of those who taught target courses to better understand why students might struggle in such courses and to seek recommendations from those faculty, analyze results, and share with Steering Group.
  • Prioritize invitations to faculty teaching target courses to ACUE Effective Teaching Practices certification course and ACUE Inclusive Teaching for Equitable Learning microcredential.
  • Begin outlining broader interventions needed. 
 
 
 
 
 

Spring 2022 - Development of Interventions and Course Transformation Plans

  • Share analysis and takeaways from fall 2021 survey of instructors of targeted gateway courses.
  • Compare equity and student success outcomes from fall 2021 with prior years.
  • Colleges provide status on initial efforts already underway and support needed.
  • Form interdisciplinary team around common issues to surface additional ideas for interventions.
  • Seek additional input from students.
  • Collaboratively compile additional ideas, develop, prioritize, and refine planned interventions.
  • Articulate comprehensive plan, including course transformation efforts and comprehensive student support enhancements.
  • Provide course transformation assistance and diversity/equity/inclusion training opportunities.
  • Develop faculty toolkit to promote student success in gateway courses.
  • Include prioritized tactics in updated SEM plan and seek additional resources where needed.
 
 
 
 
 

Summer 2022 - Continued Development of Interventions; Course Transformation

  • Assist faculty in course transformation efforts in preparation for fall.
  • Complete development of interventions.
 
 
 
 
 

Fall 2022 - Implementation of Interventions

 
 
 
 
 

Spring 2023 - Analysis and Revision to Interventions

  • Analyze outcomes and scope revisions to interventions.
  • Begin drafting summary report.
 
 
 
 
 

Summer 2023 - Monitoring and Continuous Quality Improvement

Contact Us

Accreditation, Assessment and Evaluation
Swen Parson 316
DeKalb, IL 60115
815-753-3545
aae@niu.edu

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