HLC’s Academies
Spark Institution-Wide Change
In these multi-year programs, learn evidence-based strategies that support sustainable institutional improvement.
Designed and led by experienced practitioners, the Academies provide a framework and guidance for institutions to address leading areas of concern in higher ed. The programs are adaptive to the needs of the wide range of institutional types served by HLC and support improvement within the context of an institution’s mission, vision and goals.
HLC currently offers two multi-year Academy tracks: assessment of student learning and student success.
Assessment Academy
Refine or develop a systematic approach to assessing student learning at the institutional and program levels. Get new ideas and techniques for influencing institutional culture, increasing capacity for assessment at your institution and using your data to improve student learning.
Student Success Academy
Move beyond initiative-based solutions and develop a student success plan that addresses systemic barriers to students achieving their goals. Engage in critical introspection to learn more about your student populations and the support mechanisms, infrastructure, and engagement needed to support their success.
Benefits
- In-person and virtual events that serve as team retreats, with dedicated time to connect and plan.
- Expert, tailored guidance from practitioners and scholars.
- SparQ—HLC’s platform for managing your Academy progress, where you can be inspired by new ideas and build a network of support.
- Webinars and virtual consultations providing program support and research findings on promising practices.
- Lasting connections across the HLC community.
The Academies are Customizable to Your Institution’s Needs
On the Open Pathway? Academy participation may serve as the Quality Initiative for your institution.
The Academies may be completed in conjunction with other programs from nonprofits or to meet locally mandated initiatives.
You can also choose to focus Academy Projects on addressing areas for improvement by HLC evaluations or by your institution.
This is just a start for all of us in working together to better understand our students, and I credit HLC’s Student Success Academy for giving us encouragement to assemble the building blocks we needed to make these projects happen.
– Shelley Sawalich, Logan University
HLC’s Academies have a guided process that has truly been a gift to the institution… They have kept our momentum going and we’re not done yet.
– Misty Steele, University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma
The [Assessment] Academy really strengthened what we had been working on. We just didn’t have a clear way that we were going…We’re at a point now where we can look at our work and evaluate it together and we’re all on the same page.
– Mary Pelcher, Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Collage
Mentors and Scholars
Academy Mentors are experienced leaders in assessment and student success efforts at a variety of institution types. Each team is assigned a Mentor that provides detailed, constructive advice on developing and implementing an academy project.
Teams also work closely with a Scholar, a subject matter expert who has designed the curriculum for Academy events.
Applying to the Academies
HLC is not currently accepting applications to join the Academies, but we open the application each spring. Sign up to be notified when the application opens.
Related Resources
