University joins national alliance to improve student learning
Virginia Tech is among 70 colleges and universities across the nation who has joined the New Leadership Alliance for Student Learning and Accountability, a national initiative to improve student learning on campuses across the United States.
The alliance, established in 2009 and funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and The Teagle Foundation, is a non-profit advocacy-focused organization that seeks to enhance student learning through voluntary and cooperative professional efforts that will improve significantly the assessment of, and accountability for, student learning outcomes. The broader goal is to increase the number of college graduates with high-quality degrees in preparation for work, life, and responsible citizenship.
Virginia Tech was invited to join the alliance because of its ongoing work in assessing, reporting on, and improving student learning, said Ray Van Dyke, director of the Office of Academic Assessment.
"As the United States sets a national goal to again lead the world in educational attainment, it is critical that undergraduate degrees and credentials reflect a high-quality education," said David Paris, executive director of the New Leadership Alliance for Student Learning and Accountability. "This requires colleges and universities to develop evidence of students' skills and knowledge as they work toward and complete their undergraduate studies."
Member institutions include two and four year, public and private colleges and universities. Participants will assist each other in this work, publicly report their efforts, and encourage other institutions to take similar steps.
The Office of Academic Assessment, part of the Division of Undergraduate Education, will coordinate Virginia Tech's participation in this project.
Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.
