College assesses the quality of students’ general studies experience

Chadron State College recently completed four years of work assessing how well the General Studies program provides a high quality education to students. The work was part of the Higher Learning Commission’s (HLC) Academy for the Assessment of Student Learning.

The HLC evaluates and accredits CSC’s academic programs. Accreditation is critical to most colleges and universities’ operations, as it is what regulates the transfer of credits between higher education institutions.

“CSC’s last visit from HLC was in 2007 and we did extremely well,” Charles Snare, dean of the school of liberal arts, said.

Snare said the academy presented a way for the college’s faculty and administration to keep the visit’s momentum going, get a better handle on what students are graduating with, and learn how to alter program offerings to ensure that students are getting skills necessary for future success.

Since 2007, CSC has been one of eight schools working through the HLC academy.
On Oct. 1, Mary Jo Carnot, associate professor of counseling, psychology and social work, Wendy Jamison, assistant professor of physical and life sciences, Joel Hyer, professor and department chair of communications and social sciences, Kathleen Kirsch, associate professor of communications, and Snare presented the results of the four years of work. After that, the HLC presented certificates of completion to the eight schools.

Throughout the process, CSC received praise for faculty involvement and a willingness to identify and address problems.

“We were honest and relentless about parsing out parts that didn’t work and coming up with a plan to fix them,” Snare said.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.”

A by-product of completing the academy was learning how dedicated the college’s faculty are to student’s education.

About 80 percent of current faculty took leadership roles in the identification, assessment, and improvement of general studies.

“I don’t think you find faculty who care like that in many organizations,” Snare said. “Faculty here have the highest standards for others and themselves. That illustrates what’s unique about CSC. This is the kind of place you want to be.”

Snare said the academy peer mentor often told him CSC was one step ahead of the curve, during the process.

Snare also said CSC was prudent to get into the academy soon after it formed in 2006.
Lois Veath, vice president for academic affairs, astutely submitted an application, which was granted in 2007.

The HLC academy process is quickly becoming the norm. After the initial eight, the academy has accepted applications from 156 higher education institutions, Snare said.

Members of the team who presented the college’s results in Chicago presented the certificate of completion to Janie Park, CSC president, Monday.

“Everyone was really impressed. I’m really proud of you all. It’s just fabulous,” Park said.