In this chapter, we describe strategies teaching and learning centers can use in partnering with programs to conduct action-oriented assessment projects. We illustrate these strategies with examples from an evaluation of a social engagement requirement for art and design students.

In 2006, Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) launched a major initiative, the Top 25 Project, to embed inquiry-guided learning (IGL) into its largest-enrollment courses across the university. These are generally entry-level classes and thus affect many students: 75 percent of incoming students on its main campus in 2010 were in at least one Top 25…

The term "assessment" sends shivers down academic spines. For faculty, it signals marching orders from external parties who may or may not appreciate the subtle and not always quantifiable value of faculty efforts. For administrators, it means the dual challenge of recalibrating internal measures to meet external mandates but also…

Instructional designers working in international settings are often interested in reports on how particular courses or programs have been implemented in other contexts; doing so either confirms or extends their own experiences. In the hope that such information can benefit the larger design community, this article specifically shows how contextual…

Simple strategies employed by the campus in this case study (the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point) illustrate how limited budgets need not prevent renovation of learning environments. (EV)

This case study of a model facilities planning process used at the University of Guelph shows how engagement of users and sound principles can lead to effective action. (EV)

Can computers help with one of the most persistent challenges of large classes: the accurate and efficient measurement of student learning?

Faculty need to be supported and encouraged to integrate disciplinary research and scholarship into undergraduate courses and programs in ways that are beneficial to their students' learning. (Contains 1 figure.)

Describes the shift at King's College (Pennsylvania) from a teaching-centered to a learning-centered campus culture. Issues discussed include the curriculum redesign process, strategies used for developing trust and sustaining change, creating leadership for change, and strategies for motivating faculty. A survey of faculty concerning motivation…

A permutation of the original program, TeamSI represents an ambitious attempt to improve both students' deep understanding of their knowledge in a professional discipline and their self-development as more mature learners and leaders.

Discussion of the problem-based learning approach in higher education looks at its origins in medical curricula, characteristics of the original method, the variety of educational objectives possible with this approach, problem-based curriculum development, advantages of the method, and its use outside the medical domain. (MSE)