Executive Education Certificates

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About the Executive Education Certificate in Assessment in Higher Education

Effectively assessing outcomes and program effectiveness is a critical skill in higher education today, and the Assessment Certificate is a convenient, cost-efficient, and expeditious way to build, expand or update assessment knowledge and skills.

The curriculum provides current higher education professionals with knowledge, skills, and coaching support to facilitate assessment in the workplace.

Participants are introduced to the steps in the assessment cycle, including:

Project planning
Writing outcomes and objectives
Gathering evidence
Interpreting data
Writing results and taking action

Next Steps

Join us for an interactive and engaging information session, or register for the the Executive Education certificate.

“I wanted to be able to confidently distinguish between assessment and research as well as supervise individuals who manage and assess teacher development programs. Upon attaining the certificate and presenting my assessment proposal, I have worked with my team to launch a qualitative program assessment plan during the upcoming academic year.”

— Veronica Womack, Ph.D.
Associate Director of Inclusive Teaching, Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching
Recipient of the Assessment in Higher Education Certificate

Winter-Spring 2025 Session Schedule and Curriculum

Session 1: Friday, January 24, 2025—Introduction to Assessment (2.5 hours)

Session 1 will include an overview of the program curriculum and expectations, a discussion of why we assess and considerations, such as politics and organizational culture, that can influence assessment efforts.

Session 2: Friday, February 7, 2025—Developing a Project Plan (2.5 hours)

During Session 2 participants will dive into project planning, discussing important steps and considerations when developing a quality assessment project. Participants will also begin to build their assessment project plan.

Session 3: Friday, February 21, 2025—Writing Learning Outcomes and Objectives (2.5 hours)

Session 3 will address the importance of choosing relevant outcomes and objectives, how to write measurable and meaningful outcomes and objectives, and how to write good prompts.

Session 4: Friday, March 7, 2025—Data Equity/ Overview of Data Collection Methods (2.5 hours)

Session 4 will provide an overview of principles and practices related to data equity as it relates to data projects, especially projects related to people. Also included will be an introduction to assessment methods.

March 10-21, 2025—1-on-1 Coaching (1 hour)

The first round of one-hour coaching sessions will be scheduled with assigned coaches. During the session, participants will discuss culminating project proposals, draft outcomes, and other assessment-related questions.

Session 5: Friday, April 11, 2025—Quantitative Methods and Analysis (2.5 hours)

Session 5 will discuss considerations for when to collect quantitative data, diverse types of data, steps to collecting data and an overview of how to analyze quantitative data.

Session 6: Friday, April 25, 2025—Qualitative Methods and Analysis (2.5 hours)

Like Session 5, Session 6 will discuss considerations for when to collect qualitative data, diverse types of data, steps to collecting data and an overview of how to analyze qualitative data.

April 28-May 2, 2025—1-on-1 Coaching (1 hour)

The second round of one-hour coaching sessions will be scheduled with assigned coaches. During the session, participants will discuss project data methods, final steps for project implementation, and Culminating Project presentation expectations.

Session 7: Friday, May 2, 2025—Communicating and Visualizing Data Results (2.5 hours)

Session 7 will focus on several ways to communicate assessment results with different stakeholders and audiences. Data visualization is key to effective communication and considerations and examples will be shared to assist in decision-making.

Session 8: Friday, May 16, 2025—Culminating Project Presentations (3 hours)

Culminating Projects provide participants the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned and how they have applied learning through development of the project plan. Each participant will present a 10 minute Culminating Project, followed by 5 minutes of Q & A.

Participants who complete the Higher Education Assessment certificate will receive a certificate from the Higher Education Administration and Policy Program at Northwestern University.

Cost

2024-2025	Registration Fee	No. of Sessions
Higher Education Assessment Certificate (non-credit)	$6,000 (Submit your $100 deposit by December 15, 2024, to secure your spot and pay the remaining amount in two installments)	8

Installment Options

Three Installments

$100 Deposit by December 15, 2024
$2,900 by January 15, 2025
$3,000 by April 4, 2025

Two Installments

$3,000 by January 15, 2025
$3,000 by April 4, 2025

One Installment

$6,000 by January 15, 2025

Payment Methods

Credit Card

Personal and organizational credit cards are accepted. Please note: If a department credit card is used for a Northwestern employee the department cannot be reimbursed through the Employee Certificate Tuition Benefit. Employees must pay personally in order to be reimbursed through the University Certificate Tuition Benefit program.

Check

Checks can be made payable to Northwestern University and mailed to:

Jeanine Breen
Higher Education Administration and Policy
1800 Sherman Avenue, Suite 7300
Evanston, IL 60208

To request an invoice please contact Jeanine Breen at jeanine.breen@northwestern.edu.

Northwestern Employee Certificate Tuition Benefits

Northwestern Employees can utilize Employee Certificate Tuition Benefits to be reimbursed for the cost of the Certificate. Please note that the Employee Certificate Tuition Plan is subject to income tax withholdings of up to 37.6% of the value of the tuition you incur over $5,250 per calendar year. Please see the Tuition Taxation website for more information.

	Employee Certificate Tuition Benefit
Plan ID	EC
Employment Status	Full-Time
Years of Service	One year of full-time, benefits-eligible service
Salary	No Requirement
Benefit	100% Tuition
Annual Limit	$12,000

Department Chart Strings

Northwestern department chart strings are accepted if the department is paying for the employee. Use of faculty lines and grant dollars can fall in this category. Please contact Jeanine Breen at jeanine.breen@northwestern.edu to receive an invoice for payment.

Target Audiences

Mid-level or Senior higher education professionals who have an advanced degree and seek expanded knowledge and skills in assessment, look to increase their capacity to assess programs, or wish to improve their professional abilities
Entry-level higher education professionals who want to build capacity in conducting assessments to better understand program effectiveness and student learning
Cohorts of professionals from the same institution who seek expert training in assessment to support assessment efforts, projects, or proposals on their own campus is encouraged

Instructors and Speakers

Ellen Meents-DeCaigny

Project Coordinator and Instructor, Higher Education Administration and Policy, Northwestern University
About Ellen

Lois Trautvetter

Professor and Program Director, Higher Education Administration and Policy, Northwestern University
About Lois

Lisa Metzger-Mugg

Interim CEO, The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award USA
About Lisa

Amit Prachand

Associate Vice President, Information and Analytics, Northwestern University
About Amit

Rob Aaron

Executive Director, Student Affairs Assessment and Planning, Northwestern University
About Rob

Have the Information You Need?

Contact Higher Education Administration and Policy

Our staff is available to provide in-person assistance Monday-Thursday 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Remote office hours are Friday 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Phone Number
847-491-7526

Email
ms-highered@northwestern.edu

Physical Address
1800 Sherman Avenue, Suite 7-300
Evanston, IL 60208
Northwestern University