Organizational Culture

These sessions focus on an institution’s strategies and processes for building or strengthening a culture that supports learning as the major priority that permeates the organization. Sessions highlight

• ways institutions ensure that policies, programs, practices, and personnel across the college develop and support integrated strategies for improving student learning while fulfilling the institutional mission (e.g., integrated cross-college professional development; strategic planning);
• internal or external processes for creating a culture that is intentionally focused on learning and on improving the quality and effectiveness of programs and services (e.g., program development or redesign; community partnerships); and/or
• ways evidence is evaluated to enable judgments of the impact college culture has had on effectiveness regarding student learning, program effectiveness, and mission fulfillment (e.g., culture study or review).

Learning Environments

These sessions focus on the college's physical environment and its influence on student learning, as well as the interrelation of various elements that create effective, sustainable learning environments. Session topics include

• designing and creating an organizational architecture that promotes, facilitates, and supports learning;
• designing and equipping physical or virtual space to support and sustain student learning;
• creating physical and virtual environments that reflect the institution’s culture and philosophy of learning; and/or
• creating ecologically and fiscally sustainable learning environments.

Learning Outcomes and Assessment

These sessions focus on

• identifying learning outcomes;
• providing learning activities to facilitate achievement of learning outcomes;
• assessing and evaluating achievement of learning outcomes;
• documenting achievement in meaningful ways; and/or
• using findings in making decisions concerning existing practice.

Learning outcomes and assessment may apply to

• student achievement of learning outcomes;
• program effectiveness in preparing students for success; and/or
• institutional fulfillment of mission.

Student Engagement

These sessions highlight strategies and initiatives to engage students in learning and in the college community, whether on campus or from a distance. Examples of session topics include

• recruitment and retention;
• academic advising and planning;
• effective teaching and learning strategies;
• support services;
• lifelong learning; and
• co-curricular activities.

Inquiry and Accountability

These sessions feature strategies the institution uses to examine itself as it questions

1. its integrity (Are we doing what we say we’re doing?) and
2. the effectiveness of its focus on learning (Does what we are doing improve and expand student learning? How do we know?)