October 9, 2026

Wheeling University Faculty Complete Higher Learning Commission Assessment Academy

WHEELING, W.Va., October 9 — Wheeling University faculty participated in the Higher Learning Commission’s (HLC) Assessment Academy on October 6 – 7 in St. Charles, Illinois, concluding a multi-year institutional effort focused on strengthening assessment of student learning and using assessment results to improve academic programs.

Representing Wheeling University were Assistant Professor of Communication, William “Butch” Maxwell; Professor of English, Paula Makris; and Instructor of English, MarQuese Liddle.

The Assessment Academy provides participating colleges and universities with a structured process for developing and implementing projects designed to strengthen the assessment of student learning. Wheeling’s project focused on rebuilding sustainable processes for assessing student learning within the University’s Core Curriculum.

At the Results Forum, the Wheeling team presented the University’s progress, worked with HLC facilitators and representatives from other institutions, and developed priorities for sustaining the work after completion of the Academy.

“The Academy has helped us move assessment away from simply collecting data and toward using evidence to make meaningful decisions about student learning,” Maxwell said. “Completing the Academy is not the end of the work. The next step is making these practices a regular and sustainable part of the University’s academic culture.”

Among the University’s priorities moving forward are expanding faculty training in rubric norming, establishing a regular cycle for reviewing Core Curriculum learning outcomes, strengthening communication of assessment results, and ensuring that assessment findings lead to improvement.

The Higher Learning Commission is the institutional accreditor for West Virginia.