Defining Statements
Alverno's Mission Statement
Alverno College is an institution of higher education dedicated to the
undergraduate education of women. The student her learning and her personal
and professional development is the central focus of everyone associated with
Alverno.
Organizational Principles:
Creating a curriculum
The curriculum, designed by faculty as the major source for student attainment
of educational goals, includes both a philosophy and a program of education. It
is:
Creating a community of learning
The personal and professional development of students requires an environment
in which expectations regarding learning and development hold for faculty and
staff as well as for students. Faculty
and staff make explicit their goal of creating a community of learning.
Creating ties to the community
In support of its mission, Alverno faculty and staff work in partnership with
business, industry, and the professions, so that Alverno's curriculum
effectively prepares women to enter or continue in the world of work as it is
now.
Creating relationships with
higher education
Alverno faculty and staff hold themselves responsible to contribute to the
development of undergraduate education nationally and to elicit from colleagues
constructive criticism.
Ability-Based
Curriculum
Since the early 1970s, the Alverno College faculty have been
developing and implementing ability-based undergraduate education, redefining
education in terms of abilities needed for effectiveness in the worlds of work,
family, and civic community. The distinctive feature of an ability-based
approach is that we make explicit the expectation that students should be able
to do something with what they know.The specific abilities
identified by our faculty as central to our approach to liberal arts and
professional education are:
The Diagnostic Digital Assessment
Portfolio:
This
first-of-its-kind, web-based system enables each Alverno student anyplace,
anytime to follow her learning progress throughout her years of study. It
helps the student process the feedback she receives from faculty, external
assessors and peers. It also enables her to look for patterns in her academic
work so she can take more control of her own development and become a more
autonomous learner. The Diagnostic Digital Portfolio (DDP) is built on Alverno's student assessment-as-learning
process, making it more transparent to the student and others who seek to
understand this important educational program. It also provides actual,
accessible performance data with which graduates can create an electronic
resume for potential employers or for graduate schools.