University recognized for learning approach
PRESQUE ISLE — The University of Maine at Presque Isle was honored March 4 by the New England Board of Higher Education during the board’s 14th annual New England Higher Education Excellence Awards ceremony in Boston.
The local university received the Maine State Merit Award in recognition of its personalized learning initiative.
Each year, NEBHE presents Regional Excellence Awards to individuals and organizations that have shown exceptional leadership on behalf of higher education and the advancement of educational opportunity, and State Merit Awards to honor the innovative work of organizations, institutions or individuals in each New England state.
An UMPI delegation led by President Linda Schott attended the ceremony.
“We are so proud to be recognized by the New England Board of Higher Education for the hard work our faculty and staff have been doing in the last two years to transition from a traditional teaching and learning model to one that focuses much more on students’ needs and ensuring that they can show their proficiency of the subject matter,” Schott said. “We are at the national forefront in delivering education in this unique way, and this recognition by NEBHE is a wonderful affirmation of our efforts.”
The NEBHE Maine State Merit Award is bestowed upon an individual or organization that reflects the mission of NEBHE, including excellence in educational programming, engagement in activities which increase access to higher education and/or reduce costs associated with degree attainment, and/or enhance connections between higher education and regional business.
UMPI’s new learning initiative is transforming curriculum to a more personalized approach in both instruction and assessing student learning. This model aligns with changes currently underway for 2018 in K-12 education, which requires students to demonstrate what they have learned and how they have mastered the Maine learning results in order to graduate from high school.
The new approach is still incorporated within a traditional college classroom setting. Students study selected areas of interdisciplinary content, and then demonstrate what they have learned via active evaluation methods such as delivering an oral presentation, assembling a written paper, or using active learning to complete a research project.
This model is flexible and personalized, permitting students who already have skills and capabilities to demonstrate their mastery and accelerate toward degree attainment. It requires active student engagement and participation, which reflects a best instructional practice in higher education.
It also recognizes prior learning, thus increasing access and affordability of higher education for adult learners by focusing on performance rather than on seat time.
