Criterion Three. Teaching and Learning: Quality, Resources, and Support

Criterion Three. Teaching and Learning: Quality, Resources, and Support

The institution provides high quality education, wherever and however its offerings are delivered.

     Co-chairs:
     Brenda Coppard, co-chair

     Kevin Graham, co-chair

     Writing Team:

     Tracy Chapman, College of Professional Studies

     Isabelle Cherney, Graduate School (February 2015-2016)
     Mike Kavan, School of Medicine
     Julie Manz, College of Nursing
     Bob Whipple, College of Arts and Sciences
     Student Representative: Evan Daugherty, School of Medicine

     Consulting Team:  Campus colleagues participant list to be added.

Core Components

3.A. The institution's degree programs are appropriate to higher education.

       1. Courses and programs are current and require levels of performance by students appropriate to the degree
           or certificate awarded.
       2. The institution articulates and differentiates learning goals for its undergraduate, graduate,
           post-baccalaureate, post-graduate, and certificate programs.
       3. The institution's program quality and learning goals are consistent across all modes of delivery and all
           locations (on the main campus, at additional locations, by distance delivery, as dual credit,  through
           contractual or consortial arrangements, or any other modality).

3.B. The institution demonstrates that the exercise of intellectual inquiry and the acquisition, application, and integration of broad learning and skills are integral to its educational programs.

       1. The general education program is appropriate to the mission, educational offerings, and degree levels
           of the institution.
       2. The institution articulates the purposes, content, and intended learning outcomes of its undergraduate
           general education requirements. The program of general education is grounded in a philosophy or
           framework developed by the institution or adopted from an established framework. It imparts broad
           knowledge and intellectual concepts to students and develops skills and attitudes that the institution
           believes every college-educated person should possess.
       3. Every degree program offered by the institution engages students in collecting, analyzing, and
           communicating information; in mastering modes of inquiry or creative work; and in developing skills
           adaptable to changing environments.
       4. The education offered by the institution recognizes the human and cultural diversity of the world in
           which students live and work.
       5. The faculty and students contribute to scholarship, creative work, and the discovery of knowledge to
           the extent appropriate to their programs and the institution's mission.

3.C. The institution has the faculty and staff needed for effective, high-quality programs and student services.

       1. The institution has sufficient numbers and continuity of faculty members to carry out both the classroom
           and the non-classroom roles of faculty, including oversight of the curriculum and expectations for student
           performance; establishment of academic credentials for instructional staff; involvement in assessment of
           student learning.
       2. All instructors are appropriately qualified, including those in dual credit, contractual, and consortial
           programs.
       3.  Instructors are evaluated regularly in accordance with established institutional policies and procedures.
       4. The institution has processes and resources for assuring that instructors are current in their disciplines and
           adept in their teaching roles; it supports their professional development.
       5. Instructors are accessible for student inquiry.
       6. Staff members providing student support services, such as tutoring, financial aid advising, academic
           advising, and co-curricular activities, are appropriately qualified, trained, and supported in their
           professional development.

3.D. The institution provides support for student learning and effective teaching.

       1. The institution provides student support services suited to the needs of its student populations.
       2. The institution provides for learning support and preparatory instruction to address the academic needs of
           its students. It has a process for directing entering students to courses and programs for which the students
           are adequately prepared.
       3. The institution provides academic advising suited to its programs and the needs of its students.
       4. The institution provides to students and instructors the infrastructure and resources necessary to support
           effective teaching and learning (technological infrastructure, scientific laboratories, libraries, performance
           spaces, clinical practice sites, museum collections, as appropriate to the institution's offerings).
       5. The institution provides to students guidance in the effective use of research and information resources.

3.E. The institution fulfills the claims it makes for an enriched educational environment.
       1. Co-curricular programs are suited to the institution's mission and contribute to the educational experience
           of its students.
       2. The institution demonstrates any claims it makes about contributions to its students' educational experience
           by virtue of aspects of its mission, such as research, community engagement, service learning, religious or
           spiritual purpose, and economic development.

For a complete list of criteria, full descriptions and components: https://www.hlcommission.org/

We welcome input and ideas from all students, staff, and faculty, and others.  You may direct comments, questions, and suggestions to Contact_Us-HLC@creighton.edu