The Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence at Benedictine University is guided by the work of Ernest Boyer, and fosters the scholarship of teaching. Thus, the goals of the Center include providing dialogue and professional development opportunities in areas of curricular design, development, teaching methods, and assessment for fostering reflective critiques, informed practice, scholarly investigations into teaching practices, accountability to students and public, and scholarly works.
To achieve these goals, the activities of the Center include:
Presenting seminars and workshops on topics including
Active teaching pedagogies
Working with students with different learning styles and challenges
Development of learning assessment tools
Researching educational outcomes
Grant writing (teaching/learning related)
Effective use of technology in the classroom
Exploration of new instructional tools for improving student learning
Diversity
Interdisciplinary teaching
Classroom management issues
Organizing colloquia
Coordinating with library staff for faculty resources
Providing formative peer teaching reviews.
This website serves as a resource for teaching and learning by providing information about academic assessment and outcomes, Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) activities and accomplishments, use of Desire2Learn, faculty development, and the IDEA student evaluation system.
Contact Huma Ghani [email protected] for workshop registration
Upcoming D2L Training Workshops TBD
Contact Dr. Beth Vinkler [email protected] for additional information
The colloquia provide a true liberal arts forum where we learn about the research and scholarship of our colleagues from across colleges and campuses. In keeping with this year’s theme of community, we are back in person, the hors d’oeuvres are back and so is the social time of relaxation, discussion and camaraderie. For our remote faculty, the hybrid option will be available.
FacultyColloquium22-23_SeriesSpeakers
Contact Dr. Manu Kaur [email protected] for additional information.
Contact Dr. Gregory Ott [email protected] for additional information
What the Best College Teachers Do: A series of open faculty workshops on best teaching practices beginning with a discussion of Ken Bain’s award-winning book. Bain is the Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at New York University. The workshops will be held on Friday, March 20, 2009, Friday, April 3, 2009 and Tuesday, April 21, 2009. Contact the CTLE office assistant, Huma Ghani [email protected] for further information and to register for the workshops.
Teaching the Generation 1.5 Student: This series of two hands-on faculty luncheon workshops led by ESL Specialist Dr. Sandra Kies of the Benedictine University Department of Languages and Literature will assist faculty members in adapting classroom activities and class assignments to meet the special needs of bilingual students who have grown up in a home in which a language other than English is spoken. The workshops are scheduled for Tuesday, March 24, 2009 and Tuesday, March 31, 2009 from 12:20 to 1:20pm. Contact the CTLE office assistant, Huma Ghani [email protected] for further information and to register for the workshops.
Benedictine University’s assessment system is used to produce data that informs actions designed to improve student learning across the University. The system is based on a structure put in place by the University Assessment Task Force in 2015-2016, which delineates the reporting entities and the flow of information between these entities and the programs being assessed.
The University assessment structure consists of three levels 1) the University Assessment Committee (UAC), 2) College Assessment Panels and the General Education Curriculum Committee Assessment Panel and, (3) Program Assessors from each program or unit across the University.
The University Assessment Committee coordinates the assessment of student learning outcomes University-wide and reports on assessment results by 1) initiating University-wide assessment cycles, 2) summarizing results and actions taken in response to those results, and 3) reporting to the University community as appropriate.
The University Assessment Committee consists of a faculty representative from each College (Business, Science, Liberal Arts, and Education and Health Services), a library representative, the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, the Chair of the General Education Curriculum Committee, the Vice-President of Institutional Research, the Assistant Provost for Accreditation and Academic Assessment, the Vice-President and/or Associate Dean of Student Life, and representatives from other non-academic programs. Student senators will be invited to attend meetings of this committee as appropriate.
The College Assessment Panel consists of the Dean and Department/Program chairs of that college, including those from the School of Graduate, Adult and Professional Education (SGAPE) and the Mesa campus, and reviews the assessment results and responds to the results from each program within the college. The Panel then summarizes the results and responses from the Program Assessors and reports them to the University Assessment Committee.
The General Education Curriculum Committee’s Assessment Panel oversees the regular assessment of the General Education curriculum, including co-curricular components, and in the process collects necessary data from programs and co-curricular units that contribute to the general requirements for degree-seeking undergraduates and reports the results of their assessment to the University Assessment Committee.
Program Assessors are representatives from each University program or unit who are charged with regular assessment of and response to the assessment of selected student learning outcomes. They may select these student learning outcomes themselves, or act on a request to assess particular learning outcomes from the College Assessment Panel, the General Education Curriculum Committee Assessment Panel and/or the University Assessment Committee. Full-time and adjunct faculty and staff may be involved in assessment of learning outcomes.
Program Assessors will select the assessment methods and tools that fit their particular programs and determine the schedule of assessment of the selected learning outcomes for their program. They are also responsible for reviewing assessment results and determining appropriate actions in response to them. Program Assessors report their results and actions to the College Assessment Panel, the General Education Curriculum Committee Assessment Panel and/or the University Assessment Committee as appropriate.
Overwhelmingly, a focus on accountability and integrity is the aim of outcomes assessment in higher education; this shift of importance gives central focus to an institution’s ability to demonstrate continuous improvements as related to student learning. Assessment in post-secondary education is the necessary foundation for building a culture of assessment. Within this culture, a college or university demonstrates its commitment to evidence as aligned with the impact on student learning and the institutional mission.
The principal purpose of learning outcomes assessment is to provide indicators of student learning as it is occurring at multiple levels: institutional, programmatically, and at the course level. At each level documentation must be available as to what students know and are able to do at the completion of their years spent in higher education. Are graduates prepared to demonstrate technical or professional competence as evidenced by the outcomes for all academic programs?
Assessment results measure an institution’s attainment of intended outcomes, and interpretation of assessment results enables an institution to identify patterns of achievement or the lack thereof related to student learning. Less than desirable assessments results spark innovative teaching, revisions of the delivery of curriculum and services, new approaches to pedagogies and advising, and opportunities to enhance learning.
Increasingly, accrediting agencies demand quality assurance from institutions of higher education. Therefore, they expect those institutions to have an assessment plan that is more than anecdotal but systematic and ongoing, providing evidence for measuring the assessment of student learning across all academic programs.
Throughout the University, all members–staff, faculty, and students–are fully invested and involved to varying degrees in the assessment process. However, the cornerstone of outcomes assessment is the faculty because they are responsible for the planning and the implementation of a program’s assessment plan. The information generated through the assessment process is valuable to all members of the University as they work toward improving their programs. The data gathered will provide the evidence necessary to guide effective decision making in many areas including changes in programs, pedagogy, support services, policy, and procedure, as well as structural reorganization.
For more information on the university-wide assessment reporting structure, the components of an SLO Assessment Plan, frequently asked questions related to assessment, and other assessment-related information, see the links below.
Learning Guide: Student Learning Outcomes Assessment
Summary of Direct Assessment Techniques
Summary of Indirect Assessment Techniques
University-wide Student Learning Outcomes
Assessment of Student Learning (9 Principles of Good Practice)
Principles for Effective Assessment of Student Achievement (endorsed by HLC)
Benedictine University maintains its accreditation status with the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) through the Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) pathway. This pathway is only available to universities in good standing with the HLC. Using AQIP, we examine and improve our processes and related outcomes in six categories:
AQIP Action Projects strengthen an institution’s commitment to continuous improvement; educate and motivate faculty, staff, and administrators; and improve systems and processes that lead to success in achieving the goals of the institution. Each AQIP institution concentrates its energies on three or four Action Projects that will most significantly advance its goals. At least one of these projects must relate directly to AQIP Category 1: Helping Students Learn. All Action Projects are entered into the online Action Project Network (APN), which contains all current and completed Action Projects undertaken by AQIP institutions.
Each Action Project entails coordination and cooperation among the University Planning Council (UPC), which is charged with assisting the president in achieving the university’s strategic goals, the Action Project Coordinator, who oversees the project and provides progress reports, various academic and operational units that play a role in completing the Action Project, and the Assistant Provost for Accreditation and Academic Assessment, who submits annual updates on Action Projects to the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) for review and feedback.
Social Media in Teaching and Learning
General Resources on Social Media:
Daer, A. & Potts, L. (2014). Teaching and learning with social media. Programmatic Perspective, 6(2): 21-44. Retrieved from: http://www.cptsc.org/pp/vol6-2/vol6-2.pdf#page=25
Joosten, T. (2012). Social Media for Educators: Strategies and Best Practices. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Kivunja, C. (2015). Innovative methodologies for 21st century learning, teaching and assessment: A convenience sampling investigation into the use of social media technologies in higher education. International Journal of Higher Education, 4(2), 1-26.
Social Media in Practice:
Al-Bahrani, A.; Patel, D. (2015). Incorporating twitter, instagram, and facebook in economics classrooms. Journal of Economic Education, 46 (1), 56-67.
Bista, K. (2015). Is twitter an effective pedagogical tool in higher education? Perspectives of education graduate students. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 15(2), 83-102.
Deng, L. & Yen, A. H.K. (2011). Towards a framework for educational affordances of blogs. Computers & Education, 56(2), 441-451. Retrieved from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360131510002575
Dyson, B.; Vickers, K.; Turtle, J. (2015). Evaluating the use of Facebook to increase student engagement and understanding in lecture-based classes. Higher Education: The International Journal of Higher Education and Educational Planning, 69(2), 303-313.
Faulds, D. J. (2015). Overcoming geographical obstacles: The use of skype in a graduate-level social media and marketing course. American Journal of Business Education, 8(2), 79-94.
Giebelhausen, R. (2015). What the tech is going on? Social media and your music classroom. General Music Today, 28(2), 39-46.
Gilfoil, D. M.; Aukers, S. M.; Jobs, C. G. (2015). Developing and implementing a social media program while optimizing return on investment–An MBA program case study. American Journal of Business Education, 8 (1), 31-48.
Maloney, S.; Moss, A.; Ilic, D. (2014). Social media in health professional education: A student perspective on user levels and prospective applications. Advances in Health Sciences Education,19(5), 687-697.
Sessa, Whitney L. (2015). Targeting millennials: Social media strategies within higher education. College and University, 90 (1), 2-11.
Resources from other Universities:
University of Kentucky (n.d.). Social Networking Tools.
Retrieved from: http://www.uky.edu/celt/instructional-resources/teaching-technology/social-networking-tools
Please contact Dr. Steven Day, Learning Communities Coordinator, for more information.
He can be reached at 630-829-6290 or [email protected]
Would you like to join a group of select students who are serious about achieving success academically and professionally? Would you like to be eligible for special benefits such as free books, off-campus learning experiences, and individualized tutoring to help you strengthen your writing skills? If so, consider joining Benedictine University’s Emerging Scholars Learning Community Program.
Students accepted into the Emerging Scholars Learning Community Program will take two classes that will count towards graduation requirements: WRIT 101: Person in Community Writing Colloquium (a required course for all freshmen), and a second class that fulfills a general education requirement. Co-enrollment in both classes is required for eligibility.
To support and enhance your learning, as a member of the Emerging Scholars Learning Community Program you will:
Sound interesting?
If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Steven Day at [email protected]
Enrollment is limited, so submit your application today!
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URSA, Benedictine’s annual Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Arts symposium, was established to encourage Benedictine’s students to pursue undergraduate research by providing them with a more formal venue in which to present their scholarship and other significant academic projects, including artistic work. Students may present their work either in the form of an oral presentation or as part of a poster session. All presentations and poster sessions are open to the campus community; and students, faculty, and staff alike are invited to attend URSA to learn more about the exciting projects that our students have undertaken over the past year.
For additional information, please refer to the URSA website.
Contact information: Dr. Zubair Amir ([email protected]) or Ms. Huma Ghani ([email protected]).
A Catholic University in the Benedictine Tradition, founded in 1887.
Lisle Campus
5700 College Rd. Lisle, IL 60532
(630) 829-6000
Mesa Campus
225 E. Main St. Mesa, AZ 85201
(602) 888-5500
