News

In the News: Northwestern Prepares for Reaccreditation after 10 Years

March 10, 2025

The Searle Center is immensely proud of its contributions toward successful reaffirmation of accreditation. Senior Director of the Searle Center Jennifer Keys and Senior Assistant Director of Assessment Lina Eskew co-chair Northwestern's Assessment and Accreditation Council (AAC), leading a team of experts from across the University. Alongside AAC member and Searle Center Director of Pedagogy and Assessment Lauri Dietz, the AAC facilitates the ongoing, systematic cycle of assessing student learning outcomes at the program, unit, and school level, and the University's reaffirmation of accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).

Over the past several years, the AAC has championed assessment across Northwestern, developing a strategic framework for assessment, creating research-driven resources to drive curricular change, and showcasing exemplary work through the Assessment Gallery. Every school has contributed to the process, advancing Northwestern's priority of delivering an outstanding educational experience. With pride, the University now prepares for HLC's campus visit on April 28 and 29. Read the full article in The Daily Northwestern.

New Research: How to Use Copilot and ChatGPT to Create Rubrics

January 29, 2025

Senior Assistant Director of Equitable Assessment Lina Eskew provides practical guidance for using generative AI to create quality rubrics in "How to Use Copilot and ChatGPT to Create Rubrics," published in Teaching Repository for AI-Infused Learning.

Eskew shows instructors how to thoughtfully harness this technology to transform the traditionally laborious task of rubric creation into a creative, engaging process that efficiently makes use of instructors' time while ensuring student learning is supported by transparency, consistent grading, and targeted feedback. Read the practical, innovative article.

New Research: Data-Driven Collaboratives for Faculty Development

January 9, 2025

Searle Center educational developers Lina Eskew and Eun Sandoval-Lee discuss the efficacy of applying a comprehensive assessment and evaluation model in the development and implementation of faculty development initiatives in new research published in The Journal of Faculty Development.

Eskew and Sandoval-Lee reflect on the 2023–24 University Practicum on Reimagining Reassessment, offering practical advice on how data can shape faculty programming that is relevant, responsive, and tailored to faculty's varied schedules and preferred ways to engage. Learn more about the innovative research.

Teaching Takeaways from Northwestern's "Resilience Challenge"

January 7, 2025

Health psychologist Elizabeth Addington sits down with Associate Director of Inclusive Teaching Veronica Womack to discuss the power of cultivating positive emotions, the importance of self-compassion, and how individual resilience can enable continued work toward systemic change. Read the full interview.

Northwestern's Generative AI Advisory Committee Leads on AI in Education

November 13, 2024

Searle Senior Director, Jennifer Keys, discusses how instructors can optimize course design and delivery with generative AI in the Daily Northwestern. Read the article.

New Study Identifies Strategies to Combat High Attrition Rates in STEM Majors

Fall 2024

In a new peer-reviewed study, Searle Center Assistant Director of STEM Education, Erika Nadile, demonstrates how tapping into intrinsic motivation (i.e., the drive to learn for learning’s sake) and self-efficacy (i.e., confidence in one's abilities) increases persistence and fights attrition to enhance equity and inclusion in STEM education.

"We now have insight into when particular learners might consider leaving just by examining a single active learning course starting from a place of personal interest."

Nadile's study provides much-needed insight into contributing factors to the high attrition rate of undergraduate STEM majors and identifies a positive new direction for equitable and inclusive STEM education at Northwestern and beyond. Learn more about this transformative research.