The Graduate School at North Carolina A&T State University, in collaboration with the Graduate School at University of North Carolina at Greensboro, has been selected by the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) to receive funds to develop new approaches for enhancing graduate student skills and understanding in the assessment of undergraduate learning.  The award is funded through grants to CGS from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Teagle Foundation.  Other universities selected include Cornell University, Harvard University, Indiana University, Michigan State University, and University of California, Merced.

The awardees have been charged with integrating learning assessment into programs that prepare graduate students for faculty careers.  The project is designed to identify effective institutional models for improving the preparation of future faculty across all fields, while also examining issues specific to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, social sciences, and humanities. CGS will work with partnering institutions to develop their findings into best practice guidelines for integrating assessment into faculty professional development programs such as the Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) program launched in 1993. Project partners will contribute to a web‐based clearinghouse of resources on learning assessment.

The Sloan Foundation has invested in the enhancement of introductory and gateway courses in STEM fields, which are vital to U.S. student persistence in science majors and the cultivation of domestic STEM talent.

Projects to prepare future faculty in the humanities and social sciences are supported by funding from the Teagle Foundation. The project builds upon the results of a prior partnership with the Teagle Foundation to explore needs and opportunities for the integration of undergraduate learning assessment into PFF programs.

The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) is an organization of over 500 institutions of higher education in the United States and Canada engaged in graduate education, research, and the preparation of candidates for advanced degrees. Among U.S. institutions, CGS members award 92% of the doctoral degrees and 81% of the master’s degrees.  The organization’s mission is to improve and advance graduate education, which it accomplishes through advocacy in the federal policy arena, research, and the development and dissemination of best practices.

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is a public, doctoral/ research, 1890 land-grant university committed to exemplary teaching and learning, scholarly and creative research, and effective engagement and public service. The university offers degrees at the baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral levels and has a commitment to excellence in a comprehensive range of academic disciplines. Our unique legacy and educational philosophy provide students with a broad range of experiences that foster transformation and leadership for a dynamic and global society.