Strengths Questions

Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Instruction

What are the unique strengths of our college or university? What are the primary benefits and features for students? What evidence supports this? Are they sufficient to differentiate our institution?
How do we ensure that student success is at the core of our endeavor? How have we integrated our student success goals across all aspects of our institution?
How do our institutional strengths align with student goals and market demand?
What do our programs cost? What are the high, medium and low return programs? Does delivery modality make a difference? How do we know?
What programs are critical to mission success? What programs are not critical or even impede mission success?
How do we ensure that creativity is valued and supported?
Are we taking advantage of new models for pedagogy and delivery?
Are processes in place for assessing and improving teaching and learning?
Is our process for curriculum development efficient? Does it reference mission and student need?
How do we identify pillars of excellence?
Does our curriculum incorporate current understanding of how students learn, including through digital media?
Are academic and student services aligned regarding learning outcomes?

Have we defined “core” programs and services?
How are core competencies supported and maintained?
Does the general education curriculum support the mission?
Does the general education curriculum reflect consensus on key areas of student learning, or is it a disjoint menu of courses?

How do our strengths capitalize on local, national or global trends now and in the future?
How do we use market inputs to support our strengths?
Are our strengths reflective of employment needs and opportunities?
How are we integrating academic programs with career preparation?

What is the role of research and scholarship at our institution?
What is the appropriate level of emphasis on sponsored research?
Do we have the proper balance between teaching and research/scholarship and service?

What processes are in place to drive continuous improvement in organizational processes?
Do we have the personnel skills and expertise necessary and in the right places?
What student and academic services are critical to students’ success? How do these align with the our level of competency in these areas?
Are all processes that are essential for success identified and evaluated?
Do we have processes to phase out weak or unneeded programs?
Do we have shared definitions of institutional success?
What weaknesses do we have to address to be successful in attaining our mission?

What alternative credential should we offer our students?
Do we have a process for regularly reviewing programs and processes and making necessary changes?
Is the process for developing new programs agile and timely?
Are we willing to innovate or eliminate non-core programs and services?
Do we continue to identify ways to improve on our strengths? How do we keep them relevant?
How successful have we been in developing strong new products and services?

How have we defined and identified our strengths?
What weaknesses need to be addressed to ensure future success?
What is our process for understanding the current and future needs of constituents?
How can technology extend access—in depth and breadth—to our areas of strength?