Last month, CET Jordan hosted the inaugural School of Record Assessment Visit as part of our partnership with the University of Minnesota. As School of Record, the Learning Abroad Center at UMN assesses one CET program per year. Assessments review all elements of a program: pre-departure materials, on-site orientation, academics, housing, student life, health & wellness, and program infrastructure. Assessors have full access to CET staff, faculty, and students over the course of the visit and submit a report of recommendations and commendations for CET to review, respond to, and incorporate into the program in the future.
CET Jordan has evolved over the course of the pandemic, adopting a new center and new models of local integration, and CET was eager to receive feedback on these elements in particular from the assessors as we continue to build back better. The final report from the assessment, including assessor recommendations and CET’s response to the recommendations, will be available in the spring, but below are a few of the reflections from the draft report:
- “CET Jordan does an outstanding job upholding rigorous academic standards and providing a rich, challenging, and context-appropriate curriculum, while simultaneously providing a plethora of support services to enable students to meet these ambitious standards.”
- “The development and implementation of the Neighbors program in response to COVID restrictions has been very successful and seems to have a positive impact on participants and their Jordanian Neighbors.”
- “The array of extra-curricular options is impressive and exposes students to the history, culture, and landscape of Jordan.”
Members of the CET Jordan assessment team included:
- Christine Anderson, Learning Abroad Center, Academic Director – University of Minnesota
- Katrien Vanpee, Senior Lecturer, Director of Arabic Language Instruction – University of Minnesota
- Jason Kinnear, Associate Dean of Study Abroad & Exchanges – University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
- Mark Hayes, Executive Director, AU Abroad – Abroad at AU – American University