NWCCU Commendations: The Commission commended CWU for the following:
1. The University’s commitment to understanding, serving, and enhancing the community. The University’s curricular, co-curricular, and collaborative programs and partnerships enhance the community, provide meaningful opportunities for student learning and engagement, and promote goodwill. 2. Building an institutional culture and identity around the University’s commitment to serving students. Students expressed that they feel well supported by the institution. 3. The enthusiasm with which the entire university has embraced the regional accreditation process and participated in the site evaluation. Evaluation Committee Compliments: The NWCCU Evaluation Committee also provided several compliments: • Course Learning Outcomes: The evaluation team complimented CWU on the clear availability of course learning outcomes in the undergraduate course catalog. • Learning Environment: The University creates an effective and supportive learning environment for students. The Academic and Student Life division consists of a number of academic and student development units coordinated to provide students with opportunities for learning and development. The Student Success unit is comprised of educationally purposeful programs that impact student success in and out of the classroom including residential life, the Center for Leadership and Community Engagement and the Learning Commons. Many of these programs are regularly assessed for impact and effectiveness. • Libraries: At the open forum for students, CWU students made it abundantly clear that the CWU Libraries excel at meeting their needs, adding more evidence of the overall campus commitment to student success. • New General Education Program: One of the primary expected achievements is the implementation of a new General Education (GE) Curricular Program. After many failed attempts the faculty were persistent in getting this done. The new GE Program is structured to better prepare students for graduate school, professional school, and post- baccalaureate employment. This new GE is much more interdisciplinary in nature and is developed around three components: 1) Engage, 2) Explore and Connect, and 3) Connect, Create and Empathize. It is very much a forward-thinking and contemporary expression of teaching emphasizing active learning and mastery. The faculty should be complimented on their persistence in developing this curriculum model. Development and implementation of a new General Education Program aligns with a portion of the mission to prepare students for enlightened, responsible, and productive lives. In launching this new GE curriculum, it is imperative that student learning outcomes are assessed as planned and that this information is disseminated campus-wide. Recommendations: The Commission recommended that CWU complete the following: 1. Evaluate the structure and effectiveness of academic advisement to support student development and success. (Standard 2.D.10) 2. Integrate the division plans into a comprehensive institutional plan that is tied to the core themes and assessment data. (Standards 3.B.1 and 3.B.3) 3. Collect and use assessment data to document that students have achieved learning outcomes. (Standard 4.A.3). Use the results of the assessment of student learning outcomes to inform academic and learning-support planning and practices that lead to enhancement of student learning achievements. (Standard 4.B.2)
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