A glossary is an alphabetical list of technical terms in some specialized field of knowledge. The Innovation Exchange glossary provides definitions of many specialized terms that are used in the Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) as well as terms commonly used to talk about continuous quality improvement. These terms are arranged alphabetically, but you can quickly jump to a specific term by selecting its first letter from the index of the Innovation Exchange glossary below.

The Academic Quality Improvement Program operated by the Higher Learning Commission to blend quality improvement principles and accreditation processes.

A worksheet completed by one Team member, summarizing the Independent Category Worksheets provided by all Team members on one particular Category. The Consensus Category Drafts for all nine Categories are the basis for the Consensus Conversation. and result in a final Consensus Category Analysis for each Category.

The stage in the Systems Appraisal when Team members (other than the Team Leader) are assigned to summarize the Independent Category Worksheets for one or two of the Category in order to produce Consensus Category Drafts - one Consensus Category Draft per Category.

The conference call held by the team to reach consensus on the Consensus Category Drafts and the Category Summary Statements for each Category, the Critical Characteristics Analysis and the Strategic and Accreditation Issues Analysis that will be provided to the organization in the team’s System Appraisal Feedback Report.

Analysis produced by the Team Leader following the Consensus Conversation incorporating any modifications made to the Critical Characteristics Draft. This Analysis becomes part of the final Systems Appraisal Feedback Report.

A summary consensus proposal, produced by the Team Leader, based on all of the team members’ Critical Characteristics Worksheets. Distributed to Team members in preparation for the Orientation Conversation.

The stage in the Systems Appraisal when each Team member is independently producing first a Critical Characteristics Worksheet in response to the Organizational Overview, and then working with the rest of the team to reach consensus on a Critical Characteristics Analysis.

Worksheet produced by each member of the team and submitted to the Team Leader, after studying the Organizational Overview and skimming the Systems Portfolio, that attempts to identify the key characteristics that make the organization being appraised unique and distinct.

Broadly, the programs, courses, lectures, discussions, laboratories, studio or shop activities, practica, internships, and all cocurricular activities the institution designs and makes available to promote learning.

How extensively a successful system or process is utilized throughout institutional operations critically affects overall performance. To maximize their value, effective processes must be deployed widely.

How an institution — or its component parts — structures general and specific programs: who does it, when do they do, how long it takes, what steps are involved, what information and resources are used as input to the design process, and what concretely emerges as the output (e.g., paper plans and specifications, written guidelines, tacit understandings among the participants, etc.).

Concrete, factual evidence that supports or proves an assertion constitutes documentation. This evidence is often, but not exclusively, in the form of documents or numerical indices. Undocumented beliefs, intuitions, and tacit understandings are often accurate, but they may not provide as solid a structure for shared understanding or future action as does documentation.

The stage in the Systems Appraisal when each Team member is independently producing a set of Independent Category Worksheets as a review for each of the nine Categories, and a Strategic and Accreditation Issues Worksheet.

Worksheets every Team member produces for each of the nine Categories during the Independent Category Review stage of Systems Appraisal.

A concrete action people at an institution engage in so that the institution will accomplish its mission. In many settings, objective is synonymous with goal, purpose, target, strategy, or expectation.

A five-page introduction to the Systems Portfolio in which the organization answers eight direct questions and describes the key factors and capabilities that underlie its strategies for success. This is also the means for the organization to explain its distinctive mission and context to the Appraisal Team.

A conference call that occurs after the Team Leader has produced the Critical Characteristics Draft. This call can identify questions the team needs answered in order to complete its Appraisal.

The results actually achieved by a system or process, regardless of its objective or targets, and independent of the wishes or expectations of those involved. Often, outcome refers to achieved student learning, but it can also refer to the measured performance of other institutional systems and processes.

Often used interchangeably with system or sub-system, a process is an organized group of related activities that together create a result that is of value to stakeholders.

The degree to which a good or service meets the real, long-term needs of those for whom it was designed and to whom it was delivered determines its quality. Commonly used surrogates for quality include the reputation (or name-recognition) of the manufacturer of a product or service, its cost (or the cost of the resources used to produce it), or the socio-economic status of those who purchase it. Although popular because they are easily measurable, none of these proxies correlate directly with how well a product or service satisfies the requirements of those who use it, and so none can serve as reliable indices of quality.