Essential Education Newsblog

Category: Continuous Improvement

Essential Education – Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 Course Planning Tool and Reporting Information

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As noted in the October Tech Today article and the October 15 Essential Ed Newsblog, faculty support Michigan Tech’s Essential Education continuous improvement process by completing Planning Tools at the start of each semester and EA Reporting at the end, following a three-year cycle.

Why This Matters

By reflecting on and refining how their courses support the Essential Abilities, instructors help students engage with a clearer, more intentional course design. This reflection promotes deeper learning and helps students develop and demonstrate the skills essential for academic achievement and career success.

Submitted EA Reports are peer reviewed, allowing colleagues to share constructive feedback and identify trends that inform broader program improvements.

Planning Tool Updates

Thank you to all who are contributing to the rollout of Essential Education courses this year!

From faculty Planning Tool submissions, the Essential Education Course List Teams and Steering Committee responded to instructor requests for support and acted on suggestions to improve processes and available resources.

Instructors teaching in Spring 2026 will notice several updates already incorporated into the new Planning Tools.

Instructor EA Reporting – Soft Launch Expansion

The soft launch for Instructor Essential Abilities (EA) Reporting began last spring with a small number of courses and has now expanded to include three course lists this academic year: Foundations and lower-level Math and Science courses.

Feedback from this phase will guide refinements to both the process and support materials in preparation for the full launch of instructor reporting for all course lists in AY 2026–27, which marks the start of the full Essential Education three-year continuous improvement cycle.

Soft Launch Instructions for Fall 2025 Instructors

Faculty teaching Fall 2025 Essential Education Foundations or lower-level Math and Science courses received an email on October 25 with submission instructions.
When ready to report, instructors should:

If there are multiple sections of the course (the same or multiple semesters), contact essentialed@mtu.edu for assistance.

Important Dates for Instructors

Fall 2025 Courses

  • Monday, August 25 – Planning Tools due (all Essential Ed courses)
  • Friday, January 16 – Instructor EA Reports due (Foundations and lower-level Math/Science only)

Spring 2026 Courses

  • Monday, January 5 – Planning Tools due (all Essential Ed courses)
  • Wednesday, April 29 – Instructor EA Reports due (Foundations and lower-level Math/Science only)

Summer 2026 Courses

  • Planning Tools due the first day of instruction
  • Instructor EA Reports due three days after the final exam period (Foundations and lower-level Math/Science only)

Support and Resources

Workshops are being scheduled upon request, and office-hour sign-ups will be available later in the semester.

For assistance, please contact:

  • Essential Ed Steering Committee and Course List Team Members in your unit
  • The Essential Ed support: essentialed@mtu.edu
  • EA Reporting: Jeannie DeClerck, Assessment Manager
  • HuskyFolio Support: AJ Hamlin, Director of Husky Folio

Thank you for your continued commitment to the Essential Education program. Your time, reflection, and participation are vital to strengthening our courses, supporting student learning, and sustaining meaningful program improvement.

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Building Towards Better Courses: Ongoing Improvement to Strengthen Learning in Essential Education

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Last week’s article introduced the Essential Abilities (EA) continuous improvement process—a faculty-guided approach to enhance student learning through intentional course planning, EA assessment, and reflection. At its center are two core course-level activities:

  • Completing the Planning Tool at the start of each semester to identify targeted EAs, align assignments, and request support
  • EA Reporting, a reflective process at the semester’s end that documents student outcomes, improvements made, and plans for continued course enhancement

Why This Matters

This is more than a compliance task—it’s a collaborative initiative focused on improving teaching and student learning. By intentionally connecting planning, assessment, and reflection, the process:

  • Creates a sustainable, collaborative improvement cycle
  • Supports meaningful student progress toward Essential Abilities
  • Ensures faculty insight and expertise guide course- and program-level decisions

Looking Ahead: The 3-Year Improvement Cycle (Starting Fall 2026)

Starting in Fall 2026, all Essential Ed instructors will follow a 3-Year Improvement Cycle designed to balance meaningful engagement with manageable workload. 

source — https://mtu.instructure.com/courses/1545959/pages/ace-ongoing-improvement-approach-for-essential-ed-program

The cycle includes:

  • Year 1: Submit Planning Tool for each course at semester start; full EA Reports for 1–2 courses at semester end
  • Year 2: Submit Planning Tool for each course at semester start; either a short update or one full EA Report per semester
  • Year 3: Submit only Planning Tool for each course at semester start; focus on reflection, peer learning, or course improvements without end-of-semester reports

Submitted reports will be reviewed over the summer by compensated peer reviewers, who will:

  • Provide individualized feedback to instructors
  • Identify cross-course themes and support needs
  • Share findings with the Essential Ed Steering Committee to inform program development, faculty support, and recognition initiatives

Ongoing Essential Ed team support helps maintain this balance throughout the cycle, and the feedback loop strengthens both teaching practice and the Essential Ed program.

How This Approach Supports Ongoing Improvement

At the course level, this approach helps instructors by providing clear structures for intentional course design, ongoing adjustments, and reflective teaching. By aligning course goals with Essential Abilities (EAs) from the start, addressing challenges in real time, and reflecting on what worked, instructors can continuously improve their teaching methods. This process not only supports student learning but also fosters a collaborative environment where effective practices are recognized and shared.

Core Function What It Does
Promotes Intentional Design Aligns course goals with Essential Abilities from the start
Adjusting in Real-Time Helps instructors address student needs with timely adjustments.
Fosters Reflective Teaching Encourages review of what worked—and what could improve
Supports Recognition Surfaces effective practices through peer feedback
Closes the Loop Links planning to results, enabling meaningful course adjustments

At the program-level, this process highlights effective teaching practices, offering instructors the chance to share successes and be recognized, which leads to improvements in teaching methods, support systems, and the overall structure and effectiveness of program delivery.

This Year’s Soft Launch (Fall 2025 – Spring 2026)

EA Reporting is piloting during 2025–26, focused on first-year courses taught alongside or following the Essential Ed Seminar, where students first encounter the Essential Abilities. Participating courses include:

  • Composition
  • Foundations
  • Lower-level Math and Science List courses

Instructors in these courses will complete an end-of-semester EA Report—using the provided template—to reflect on Essential Abilities integration, student outcomes, and areas for improvement.

If unsure whether your course is included, contact essentialed@mtu.edu.

For full details on the EA Report and preparation guidance, see What’s in the EA Report below or visit the Instructor EA Reporting page in the Canvas Resource Hub.

What’s in the EA Report?

Whether part of the soft launch or preparing for full rollout in 2026, the EA Report offers a structured way to reflect on your course’s support for student learning through Essential Abilities.

Soft launch participants will:

  • Document course learning objectives and their alignment with Essential Abilities
  • Describe assignments and connection to HuskyFolio
  • Explain assessment methods
  • Report student performance (% meeting/exceeding expectations)
  • Reflect on successes and improvement areas
  • Submit two anonymized student work samples (one at Developing level, one at Beginning or Proficient level depending on course level)

Submit all materials via the Canvas upload form.

EA Reporting: What You Can Do Now

Whether you’re submitting this year or preparing for 2026, here’s how to get ready:

  • Review the EA Report template and upload form
  • Revisit your EA plan—are assignments clearly aligned with your selected abilities?
  • Explore the Canvas Resource Hub for sample rubrics, assignments, and performance criteria
  • Evaluate your data plan—will it give you actionable insights?
  • Reach out to your Course List Team for support at any stage

You are Helping Shape This Work

This pilot and the feedback collected will directly influence how EA Reporting evolves into a collaborative, manageable, and student-centered system.

Need Help?

Contact:

  • essentialed@mtu.edu
  • Your Course List Team (specific to your course type) – Refer to Need assistance? in the Canvas Resource Hub 

Thanks for being part of this thoughtful rollout. We’re excited to build this together—one course at a time!

Author: Jeannie DeClerck – Office of Assessment for Curricular Effectiveness

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