The University of Nebraska at Omaha is accredited by the North Central Association/Higher Learning Commission. UNO has chosen the Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) path for accreditation. For more information regarding accreditation and the AQIP process, follow the links below.
AQIP
The Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) infuses the principles and benefits of continuous improvement into the culture of colleges and universities by providing an alternative process through which an already-accredited institution can maintain its accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission. With AQIP, an institution demonstrates it meets accreditation standards and expectations through sequences of events that align with those ongoing activities that characterize organizations striving to improve their performance.
Nine AQIP Categories
As an AQIP institution, we are responsible for assessing and documenting continuous improvement in the following key areas or ‘categories’:
Helping Students Learn
Accomplishing Other Distinctive Objectives
Understanding Students and Other Stakeholders’ needs
Valuing People
Leading and Communicating
Supporting Institutional Operations
Measuring Effectiveness
Planning Continuous Improvement
Building Collaborative Relationships
Full explanations of AQIP principles and processes are available at http://www.aqip.org.
| Accreditation (AQIP Process) |
AQIP Action Projects
One aspect of AQIP accreditation is the identification of institutional action projects. Within the larger sequence of activities and services that constitute AQIP, Action Projects strengthen an organization's commitment to continuous improvement; educate and motivate faculty, staff, and administrators; and improve systems and processes that will lead to success in achieving organizational goals.
Organizations choose their own Action Projects to help them achieve their visions and missions. Annual updates on the progress or completion of Action Projects are required by the HLC. These updates provide feedback, recognition, and assistance if needed.
UNO has identified four action projects for which brief descriptions are provided below. Each project is led by a coordinator and a team of faculty, staff, and students. For more information about each project, contact the teach coordinator.
| Civic
Participation Project Coordinator, Paul Sather, Associate Professor, Political Science The Civic Participation Project includes the American Democracy Project, a multicampus initiative to promote civic engagement for undergraduates enrolled at institutions that are members of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). The goal of these projects is to provide intellectual and experiential opportunities for civic engagement, in the expectation of producing graduates with strong public awareness and a commitment to building and sustaining democracy through meaningful action in local, national, and international venues. |
| Academic Transitions Coordinator, Deborah Smith-Howell, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Academic Transitions provides a coordinated approach for students’ (traditional and non-traditional freshman and transfer students) first year at UNO. The Task Force coordinates, supports, and assesses efforts such as orientation and advising as well as First Year Experience classes, general education courses with large populations of first-year students, and developing relationships with high school students, especially juniors and seniors. |
myMapp
Faculty The UNO ePortfolio project, comprised of ePortfolios for students, faculty/staff, colleges/departments/schools, and the institution, is a comprehensive, campus-wide project that focuses on the design, development and implementation of coordinated ePortfolios for assessment purposes. The faculty/staff ePortfolios will be used for annual review, promotion, tenure, and accreditation processes and can be used for future data mining efforts. |
For more information about UNO's accreditation process, contact Dr. Steve Bullock,Assessment Coordinator and AQIP Contact.