Our Guiding Purpose: We are guided by the academic success of all students. Ultimately, the measures of our success are improvements in students’ persistence, achievement, and graduation rates—particularly students who are the first in their families to go to college and those from groups historically under‐served in higher education. 

Welcome to 2023! As we turn the calendar page to welcome the New Year, it is traditionally a time to reflect on the past year’s accomplishments and to look ahead with anticipation and hope for all that is to come in this fresh, new year before us. For me, this new year is especially meaningful as I have recently accepted the great honor of the Assistant Director position here at the Washington Center for Improving Undergraduate Education, which offers me a unique chance to connect all of my past higher education experience with new opportunities, new things to learn, new people to meet, and new ways to do what I’m most passionate about – supporting authentic, transformative learning experiences for faculty and students. 

As you think about your own intentions and goals for the New Year, we’d like to remind you that the Washington Center has a range of programs and services that may be just the support you need:

Summer Institute for Improving Undergraduate Education (July 10-14). Teams from across the country join us on the beautiful Evergreen State College campus in Olympia, Washington for four days of reflection and collaboration on projects that are most meaningful to their home institutions. Our team of expert resource faculty help guide your project step-by-step. Chat with us for more information or see our website for additional details and registration.

Learning that Matters Course Design Institute (August 4-8) – NEW PROGRAM! A four day institute for individual faculty who want to develop or enhance courses with a focus on making them truly transformative and engaging experiences for students. Facilitated by the Washington Center and the authors of Learning That Matters: A Field Guide to Course Design for Transformative Education.

Individual consultations. Submit a request for a consultation with our director Julia Metzker to discuss any dilemma or challenge you are currently facing and we will help develop strategies and approaches to fit your specific situation.

Free virtual workshops. Join us in February when I’ll be presenting an interactive workshop on strategies for engaging students at all stages of the assessment process. You can register for Seeking Student Engagement in Assessment here.

We are always here to partner with you on projects big or small, and we hope you’ll reach out and let us know how we can support your aspirations, goals, and intentions for this New Year. 

Best wishes and Happy New Year!

In Community,

Jaime O'Connor
Assistant Director
Washington Center for Improving Undergraduate Education

Learning that Matters: the Course Design Institute

August 4-8, 2023
The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA

A four day institute for individual faculty who want to develop or enhance courses with a focus on making them truly transformative and engaging experiences for students. Facilitated by the Washington Center and the authors of Learning That Matters: A Field Guide to Course Design for Transformative Education.

Join our email list to be notified when registration opens

Expanding Horizons through Diverse Learning Community Experiences at FAMU

Team Highlight

A team of six faculty and staff from Florida A&M University participated in the Washington Center Summer Institute in Summer 2022 and recently reported back on the progress they have made on their goals and initiatives. The team was focused on improving and expanding the learning community experience available to students, with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

Since the conclusion of the institute, the team has made great strides towards formalizing their action plan. They have expanded learning community opportunities through partnerships with the honors and study abroad programs.  Also, they have developed surveys to assess the effectiveness of the learning community programs. 

Through the Summer Institute, they learned about best practices for structuring a learning community which resulted in the expansion of the existing steering committee with additional faculty representation, and the development of common learning outcomes. Other planned improvements include the introduction of expanded student incentives, such as international internships, community service spring break trips, scholarships, mentorship, and internship opportunities. They are also working towards a larger revamp to offer a curriculum-based model that will focus on major-specific, non-residential learning communities, which will make the learning community experience available to a greater number of students.

Dr. Jennifer Collins, Assistant Provost in the Office of Freshman Studies, recommends that those considering the Summer Institute in 2023 work in advance to cultivate collaboration and consensus for the team’s goals prior to attending the institute. She also mentioned that having a senior administrator championing the work can elevate the importance of the work. Asia Knowles, Coordinator of Learning Community Programs for the Office of Freshmen Studies, agreed and added that those considering attending should take advantage of the opportunity because it was a great experience for FAMU.

Call for Resource Faculty

If you are interested in coaching and guiding campus teams at the institute, we encourage you to nominate yourself!

The Washington Center Collaborative is a space for higher education faculty, scholars, practitioners, and administrators to come together and discuss emergent issues of importance to our collective work educating and supporting students. The Collaborative consists of free virtual workshops, a newsletter, and a slack space.

Wednesday, Feb 28, 2023 @ 9:00 - 10:30 am (Pacific) / 12:00 - 1:30 pm (Eastern)

Students bring a much-needed fresh perspective to learning outcomes assessment, breaking faculty out of familiar patterns that can sometimes enshrine assumptions and biases contrary to equitable assessment practice. Student engagement in assessment can be accomplished following many models and at any stage of the assessment process. In this workshop, faculty will explore the possibilities for forming partnerships with students within the context of their own course, program, and institution with the goal of gaining insights to improve transparency and equity in assessment.

Facilitated by Jaime O'Connor, Assistant Director for the Washington Center

* stay tuned for future workshops from our talented resource faculty*