Leading Improvements in Higher Education with Stephen Hundley

Assessment Institute in Indianapolis

Leading Improvements in Higher Education with Stephen Hundley is an award-winning podcast service of the Assessment Institute in Indianapolis, the oldest and largest higher education assessment and improvement event in the U.S. Learn more at go.iu.edu/assessmentinstitute. The podcast profiles people, initiatives, institutions, and organizations improving conditions in higher education. Join thought leaders for engaging discussions of enduring and emerging topics, themes, and trends affecting colleges and universities. This season of Leading Improvements in Higher Education is sponsored by the Center for Assessment and Research Studies at James Madison University; learn more at jmu.edu/assessment/. 

  1. May 12

    s06e08: Evidence-based Interventions for Student Motivation, Persistence, and Success with Dave Paunesku from The Project for Educational Research That Scales (PERTS)

    In this episode, we discuss evidence-based interventions focused on student motivation, persistence, and success.  Our guest is Dave Paunesku.  Dave is Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Project for Educational Research That Scales, or PERTS, which is based at Stanford University. Link to website mentioned in this episode:   The Project for Educational Research That Scales (PERTS)  https://www.perts.net/   This season of Leading Improvements in Higher Education is sponsored by the Center for Assessment and Research Studies at James Madison University; learn more at jmu.edu/assessment. Episode recorded: January 2026.  Host:  Stephen Hundley.  Producers:  Chad Beckner and Angela Bergman.  Original music:  Caleb Keith.  This award-winning podcast is a service of the Assessment Institute in Indianapolis; learn more go.iu.edu/assessmentinstitute.

    40 min

  2. Apr 22

    s06e07: A Conversation About Program Review in Higher Education with Marilee Bresciani Ludvik

    This episode discusses the role program review plays in strengthening higher education quality. Our guest is Marilee Bresciani Ludvik. Marilee currently serves as the Director of Academic Effectiveness at the University of San Diego, and she has written extensively about program review’s role in assessment and improvement.  Links to publications mentioned during this episode:   Outcomes-Based Program Review Closing Achievement Gaps In- and Outside the Classroom With Alignment to Predictive Analytics and Performance Metrics https://www.routledge.com/Outcomes-Based-Program-Review-Closing-Achievement-Gaps-In--and-Outside-the-Classroom-With-Alignment-to-Predictive-Analytics-and-Performance-Metrics/BrescianiLudvik/p/book/9781620362303   Assessment Update Article, “Rethinking Academic Program Review: A Data-Informed Approach” https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/au.30445   This season of Leading Improvements in Higher Education is sponsored by the Center for Assessment and Research Studies at James Madison University; learn more at jmu.edu/assessment. Episode recorded: January 2026.  Host:  Stephen Hundley.  Producers:  Chad Beckner and Angela Bergman.  Original music:  Caleb Keith.  This award-winning podcast is a service of the Assessment Institute in Indianapolis; learn more go.iu.edu/assessmentinstitute.

    39 min

  3. Mar 23

    s06e06: Becoming a "Champion for Excellence" to Promote Quality in Higher Education with Bridget Dewees

    In this episode, we have a conversation with an assessment leader who adapts The Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award to higher education through a framework known as "Champion for Excellence." Our guest is Bridget Dewees, who serves as Senior Officer for Institutional Effectiveness at the University of Wisconsin-Stout.   Links to resources mentioned in this episode:   Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce): https://www.nist.gov/baldrige/baldrige-award   HBCU-CEEQA (Collaborative for Excellence in Educational Quality Assurance): https://hbcu-ceeqa.org/   This season of Leading Improvements in Higher Education is sponsored by the Center for Assessment and Research Studies at James Madison University; learn more at jmu.edu/assessment. Episode recorded: March 2026.  Host:  Stephen Hundley.  Producers:  Chad Beckner and Angela Bergman.  Original music:  Caleb Keith.  This award-winning podcast is a service of the Assessment Institute in Indianapolis; learn more go.iu.edu/assessmentinstitute.

    26 min

  4. Feb 26

    s06e05: A Conversation with Three Principals Involved in Developing ACCELERATE, an Updated Framework for Higher Education Assessment

    This episode describes an updated higher education assessment framework known by the acronym ACCELERATE, and we will ‘unpack’ each letter of this acronym during this podcast episode. Our guests are Divya Bheda, Daniel Kaczmarek, and Constance Tucker, each of whom is an assessment professional in their respective institutional context. Importantly, these three guests are also representing the larger group involved in developing the ACCELERATE framework.   Link to an article describing the ACCELERATE framework: https://aalhe.scholasticahq.com/article/145101-accelerate-assessment-principles-for-best-practice    This season of Leading Improvements in Higher Education is sponsored by the Center for Assessment and Research Studies at James Madison University; learn more at jmu.edu/assessment. Episode recorded: December 2025.  Host:  Stephen Hundley.  Producers:  Chad Beckner and Angela Bergman.  Original music:  Caleb Keith.  This award-winning podcast is a service of the Assessment Institute in Indianapolis; learn more go.iu.edu/assessmentinstitute.

    1h 2m

  5. Jan 21

    s06e04: A Conversation About Program Theory and Implementation Fidelity with Sara Finney from James Madison University

    In this episode, we discuss the concepts of program theory and implementation fidelity, including their influences on teaching, learning, assessment, and improvement.  Our guest is Sara Finney.  Sara is Professor of Graduate Psychology at James Madison University, where she also serves as Associate Director for Student Affairs Assessment in the Center for Assessment and Research Studies. This season of Leading Improvements in Higher Education is sponsored by the Center for Assessment and Research Studies at James Madison University; learn more at jmu.edu/assessment. Episode recorded: November 2025.  Host:  Stephen Hundley.  Producers:  Chad Beckner and Angela Bergman.  Original music:  Caleb Keith.  This award-winning podcast is a service of the Assessment Institute in Indianapolis; learn more go.iu.edu/assessmentinstitute.

    47 min

  6. 12/17/2025

    s06e03: A Conversation with Leaders from the International Academy of Process Educators

    This episode features two leaders from the International Academy of Process Educators.  Our guests are Josh Morrison and Tris Utschig. Josh is Director of Academic Retention Programs at the University of Indianapolis. Tris is Director for Scholarly Teaching and Professor of Nuclear Engineering at Kennesaw State University. Link to resource mentioned in this episode:   International Academy of Process Educators https://www.processeducation.org/     This season of Leading Improvements in Higher Education is sponsored by the Center for Assessment and Research Studies at James Madison University; learn more at jmu.edu/assessment. Episode recorded: September 2025.  Host:  Stephen Hundley.  Producers:  Chad Beckner and Angela Bergman.  Original music:  Caleb Keith.  This award-winning podcast is a service of the Assessment Institute in Indianapolis; learn more go.iu.edu/assessmentinstitute.

    33 min

  7. 11/17/2025

    s06e02: A Conversation with Colleagues from the Consortium of Organizations for Student Affairs Assessment (COSAA)

    In this episode, we have a conversation with colleagues from the Consortium of Organizations for Student Affairs Assessment, or COSAA, which is a collaborative effort across key student affairs assessment organizations.  Our guests are Shaun Boren, Renée Delgado-Riley, Paul Holliday-Millard, and Sarah LaFrance.  In addition to serving as student affairs assessment professionals within their own institutional contexts, our guests are also national leaders involved in the organizations operating under the umbrella of COSAA. Link to resources mentioned in this episode:   ACPA’s Commission for Assessment and Evaluation https://myacpa.org/groups/cae/   Consortium of Organizations for Student Affairs Assessment (COSAA) https://studentaffairsassessment.org/entries/blog/announcing-the-formation-of-the-consortium   NASPA’s Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Knowledge Community https://www.naspa.org/division/assessment-evaluation-and-research   Student Affairs Assessment Leaders (SAAL) https://studentaffairsassessment.org/   This season of Leading Improvements in Higher Education is sponsored by the Center for Assessment and Research Studies at James Madison University; learn more at jmu.edu/assessment. Episode recorded: September 2025.  Host:  Stephen Hundley.  Producers:  Chad Beckner and Angela Bergman.  Original music:  Caleb Keith.  This award-winning podcast is a service of the Assessment Institute in Indianapolis; learn more go.iu.edu/assessmentinstitute.

    1 hr

  8. 10/23/2025

    s06e01: A Conversation with Co-Authors of Foundations of Assessment: From Theory to Practice, a New Book from Routledge

    As we kickoff season 6 of the podcast, we feature co-authors of Foundations of Assessment: From Theory to Practice, a recently released book from Routledge. Our guests are Joe Levy and Natasha Jankowski. Joe is Associate Vice Provost of Accreditation and Quality Improvement at Excelsior University. Natasha is Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.   Link to resources mentioned in this episode: Foundations of Assessment: From Theory to Practice https://www.routledge.com/Foundations-of-Assessment-From-Theory-to-Practice/Levy-Jankowski/p/book/9781032581569    This season of Leading Improvements in Higher Education is sponsored by the Center for Assessment and Research Studies at James Madison University; learn more at jmu.edu/assessment. Episode recorded: September 2025.  Host:  Stephen Hundley.  Producers:  Chad Beckner and Angela Bergman.  Original music:  Caleb Keith.  This award-winning podcast is a service of the Assessment Institute in Indianapolis; learn more go.iu.edu/assessmentinstitute.

    51 min
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Leading Improvements in Higher Education with Stephen Hundley is an award-winning podcast service of the Assessment Institute in Indianapolis, the oldest and largest higher education assessment and improvement event in the U.S. Learn more at go.iu.edu/assessmentinstitute. The podcast profiles people, initiatives, institutions, and organizations improving conditions in higher education. Join thought leaders for engaging discussions of enduring and emerging topics, themes, and trends affecting colleges and universities. This season of Leading Improvements in Higher Education is sponsored by the Center for Assessment and Research Studies at James Madison University; learn more at jmu.edu/assessment/. 

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