Assessment Institute Free Webinar Series
2024-2025 Season
The Assessment Institute will host 5 complimentary Zoom-based 60-minute webinars throughout the year featuring national leaders discussing how the RARE Model cultivates collaborative assessment relationships. These webinars are open to anyone in the higher education community.
Previous season recordings were focused on Grand Challenges in Assessment (2023-2024) and HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices (2022-2023).
RARE Model: Cultivating Collaborative Assessment Relationships Webinars
- Wednesday, November 20, 2024, from 3:00-4:00 p.m. Eastern
- Wednesday, February 19, 2025, from 3:00-4:00 p.m. Eastern
- Wednesday, April 23, 2025, from 3:00-4:00 p.m. Eastern
- Wednesday, June 4, 2025, from 3:00-4:00 p.m. Eastern
- Wednesday, August 20, 2025, from 3:00-4:00 p.m. Eastern
Season Overview
Assessment is all about people—whether you're collaborating on assessment plans, interpreting results, or leading institution-wide initiatives. But how do you build strong, effective partnerships in this work? The RARE Model offers a practical toolkit to enhance your interpersonal skills and foster collaboration with faculty, staff, and students. This series is designed to support anyone engaged in assessment projects within higher education, whether it's their primary role or one aspect of their broader responsibilities.
Through practical case scenarios, interactive demonstrations, and guided reflection, you'll gain the tools from this series to:
- Grow genuine connections with assessment partners.
- Foster a culture of engagement around assessment.
- Transform reluctance into shared purpose.
- Empower partners to take ownership in the assessment process.
The presenters will guide you through the RARE Model's four key strategies: Relate, Acknowledge, Reflect, and Empower. Throughout this series, we invite you to bring your experiences, challenges, and questions. Together, we'll create a supportive community of practice, learning from each other as we work to enhance our assessment partnerships.
By the end of the series, you'll have developed a tailored approach to nurturing collaborative relationships at your institution, making your assessment work not just more effective, but also more fulfilling for all involved.
We welcome you to join us for the entire series to gain the full depth of the RARE Model, but each session is designed to provide valuable insights on its own. We look forward to reflecting and growing together in this important work!
This season's Assessment Institute free webinar series is sponsored by Xitracs™ by Concord USA, Inc.
Webinar Schedule and Descriptions
Wednesday, November 20, 2024, 3:00–4:00 p.m. Eastern
Overview & Readiness for RARE Model Strategies
This session will discuss why collaborative relationships are crucial in higher education assessment. The presenters will explore the mission and values inherent in the RARE Model framework, discover who might benefit from engaging in relational work to support assessment; and identify initial steps for implementing the RARE Model. By the end of this session participants will gain insights into how RARE Model can facilitate actionable assessment at their institutions and identify where to begin implementation.
Featuring:
- Emilie Clucas Leaderman, American International College
- Gina Polychronopoulos, The Chicago School
________________________________
Wednesday, February 19, 2025, 3:00–4:00 p.m. Eastern
| EASTERN TIME |
CENTRAL TIME |
MOUNTAIN TIME |
PACIFIC TIME |
| 3:00–4:00 p.m. | 2:00–3:00 p.m. | 1:00–2:00 p.m. |
12:00–1:00 p.m. |
Save Connection Details to Your Calendar:
https://iu.zoom.us/j/83679424265
Relate: Forming the Foundation for Collaborative Relationships
This session will discuss how to create genuine connections in our assessment partnerships. The presenters will explore strategies rooted in person-centered and humanistic psychology, techniques for empathetic listening and non-verbal communication, and approaches to engage individuals who may feel disconnected from the assessment process. By the end of this session, participants will identify specific strategies to build, strengthen, and sustain collaborative relationships within their institutional context.
Featuring:
- Emilie Clucas Leaderman, American International College
- Gina Polychronopoulos, The Chicago School
________________________________
Wednesday, April 23, 2025, 3:00–4:00 p.m. Eastern
| EASTERN TIME |
CENTRAL TIME |
MOUNTAIN TIME |
PACIFIC TIME |
| 3:00–4:00 p.m. | 2:00–3:00 p.m. | 1:00–2:00 p.m. |
12:00–1:00 p.m. |
Save Connection Details to Your Calendar:
https://iu.zoom.us/j/87667040796
Acknowledge: Redefining Assessment Partnerships
This session will explore how we can reframe assessment challenges as opportunities for growth. The presenters will discuss adapting solution-focused strategies to assessment contexts, honoring autonomy while building upon existing strengths, and shifting narratives towards possibilities and providing meaningful choices. By the end of this session, participants will develop skills to help colleagues clarify their goals and envision new approaches to assessment.
Featuring:
- Emilie Clucas Leaderman, American International College
- Gina Polychronopoulos, The Chicago School
________________________________
Wednesday, June 4, 2025, 3:00–4:00 p.m. Eastern
| EASTERN TIME |
CENTRAL TIME |
MOUNTAIN TIME |
PACIFIC TIME |
| 3:00–4:00 p.m. | 2:00–3:00 p.m. | 1:00–2:00 p.m. |
12:00–1:00 p.m. |
Save Connection Details to Your Calendar:
https://iu.zoom.us/j/81823229570
Readiness: Facilitating Thoughtful Assessment Practice
This session will discuss how to create space for genuine reflection in our assessment work. Presenters will explore strategies grounded in motivational interviewing approaches, techniques for "rolling with resistance" and "holding up a mirror," ways to enhance readiness for change through non-judgmental approaches, and nuances for this work based on your specific institutional context. By the end of this session, participants will gain tools to facilitate reflective assessment practice and nurture readiness for change.
Featuring:
- Emilie Clucas Leaderman, American International College
- Gina Polychronopoulos, The Chicago School
________________________________
Wednesday, August 20, 2025, 3:00–4:00 p.m. Eastern
| EASTERN TIME |
CENTRAL TIME |
MOUNTAIN TIME |
PACIFIC TIME |
| 3:00–4:00 p.m. | 2:00–3:00 p.m. | 1:00–2:00 p.m. |
12:00–1:00 p.m. |
Save Connection Details to Your Calendar:
https://iu.zoom.us/j/85394724417
Embolden: Creating a Supportive Assessment Culture
This session will discuss how we can nurture an environment where assessment is viewed as a learning process. The presenters will explore strategies inspired by positive psychology to support assessment practice, approaches to celebrate successes and reframe ownership, and ways to use supportive language and encouragement in assessment work. By the end of the session, participants will develop strategies to create an empowering context for sustainable and meaningful assessment processes.
Featuring:
- Emilie Clucas Leaderman, American International College
- Gina Polychronopoulos, The Chicago School
________________________________