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The CIC Degree Qualifications Profile Consortium
The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) has long been a national leader in voluntary efforts to improve the quality of student learning and a strong advocate of institutional autonomy in accountability efforts. The CIC/DQP Consortium is a two-year project, generously funded by the Lumina Foundation, that allows a select group of 25 independent colleges and universities to examine the usefulness of the Degree Qualifications Profile (DQP) in improving student learning and increasing the successful completion of baccalaureate degrees at independent colleges and universities. More than 80 CIC member institutions applied to participate, enabling the selection of a range of projects to test the applicability of the DQP in the independent liberal arts-oriented college context. The work of the Consortium began late in 2011, with the first meeting held March 2012. There will be two other meetings of the Consortium, in October 2012 and August 2013, and the project will conclude with the publication of the results at the end of 2013. An important aspect of the CIC/DQP Consortium is the opportunity to collaborate with other institutional participants. Expert consultants Peter Ewell and Paul Gaston are guiding the institutions through Consortium meetings, webinars, phone conferences, an online community of practice, and regional campus visits.
Types of Projects
The 25 colleges and universities participating in the CIC/DQP Consortium span a range of projects for using the DQP, loosely grouped in four categories.
1. General Education
· Map general education learning outcomes
· Identifying signature assignments for use in assessment
· Create a method to organize assessment data electronically
· Create e-portfolios and rubrics to align general education outcomes
· Test student understanding of degree requirements and learning expectations
2. Travel/Study-related Experiences
· Create rubrics to assess academic learning in travel/study courses
· Measure specific skills such as oral and writing proficiency in languages
3. General Curriculum Changes
· Integrate writing expectations in the majors with those in general education
· Improve communication to students of the college’s learning expectations
· Align first-year and senior seminars with expected writing skills
· Improve senior seminars in the sciences and in journalism
· Create common standards for senior capstone courses
· Evaluate information literacy, research skills, writing skills
· Articulate degree expectations at the associate, baccalaureate, and master’s levels
· Establish core competencies for programs, identifying courses that reinforce them
· Assess students’ appreciation of diversity
· Inventory and map co-curricular activities
4. Business Programs
· Assure consistent standards in developing three-year degree programs in business
· Assess needed skills of community college transfer students
· Align learning outcomes with expectations of local businesses
· Establish standards in accounting that align with university learning outcomes
Progress to Date
The March 2012 meeting of the Consortium three- and four-person teams from each of the 25 participating institutions presented initial plans for their projects. Based on feedback from the consultants and from other Consortium participants, institutions revised the projects. Subsequently, each institution has developed a detailed action plan to guide the implementation of their projects. Over the summer, five regional meetings hosted by Consortium institutions, allowed campus teams to meet with consultants, receive feedback on project progress, and exchange ideas with other Consortium teams. In July, Consortium member institutions submitted interim reports to CIC. The second meeting of the Consortium will be held October 18–20, 2012, and a final meeting will take place August 1–3, 2013.
CIC Degree Qualifications Profile (DQP) Consortium Participants
Bay Path College, MA / Marymount College, CA
Berry College, GA / McKendree University, IL
Bethel University, MN / Nebraska Methodist College
Chatham University, PA / Point Loma Nazarene University, CA
Concordia University Wisconsin / Saint Augustine's College, NC
Daemen College, NY / Southern New Hampshire University
Davis & Elkins College, WV / Tiffin University, OH
DePauw University, IN / University of Charleston, WV
D'Youville College, NY / Virginia Wesleyan College
Franklin College, IN / Westminster College, UT
Golden Gate University, CA / Wofford College, SC
Holy Names University, CA