The spread of COVID-19 has caused major disruptions in the higher education space, and colleges and universities faced difficult decisions on how to reopen their campuses. At Indiana University Bloomington, student exposure to other students was reduced by leveraging the existing academic calendar and strategically managing course enrollment…

Large-scale learning assessments can be used to generate performance and contextual data on student learning outcomes. The UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP-UNESCO) has conducted a qualitative study to explore both how and why learning assessment data are used in six sub-Saharan African countries. This Information Sheet…

The current Canadian higher education environment is one in which there is competition for limited resources, learning must be measured and demonstrated, and student demographics are evolving and changing on a continual basis. The field of Student Affairs in higher education, which traditionally provides support services to students and is often…

The November 2022 60-Second Survey invited AACRAO members to share how, if at all, their institution uses degree-audit and/or education-planning technology to support students. There were 653 responses from 11 countries. The majority of responses were from the United States (n = 621) and Canada (n = 23). Sixty-three percent of respondents serve…

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. This report updates the original June 2018 "Emerging Insights" report and…

Although the number of countries conducting large-scale assessments has increased significantly over the past two decades, this has not necessarily led to the effective use of learning assessment data in policy-making and planning. To better understand the reasons for this, the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP)…

Higher education systems and institutions are often viewed as resistant to change or slow to adapt, particularly by advocates and communities urging equity-minded reform of colleges and universities. Yet the COVID-19 pandemic jolted California's colleges and universities into drastically changing course to meet students' basic, mental, and…

The urgent need to equip young people with the knowledge and skills necessary to be agile lifelong learners who can thrive in a rapidly changing economy has never been clearer. As a result, many school districts have been shifting their focus, aiming to better prepare all high school students to graduate ready to succeed both in college and in the…

As a precursor to this annual report, in February 2018, the Department issued its "U.S. Department of Education Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years [FY] 2018-22" ("Strategic Plan") (see ED586968). The "Strategic Plan" establishes four broad, overarching goals--one goal each in the areas of K-12 education, postsecondary…

Helping more students achieve their dreams involves identifying a wider set of student needs--including financial challenges and family responsibilities--and offering redesigned support services to meet them holistically. This holistic student supports approach emphasizes the need for colleges to redefine the way they understand, design, integrate…

The Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) is charged with producing a statewide plan every four years that clearly outlines the priorities and major goals for the State's postsecondary system. The 2013-2017 State Plan for Postsecondary Education, "Maryland Ready," fulfills this charge and is the result of a year-long, collaborative…