As part of the culminating comprehensive evaluation, institutions on the Open Pathway undergo an assurance review, which includes two primary components:  writing an assurance argument that speaks to how the institution meets the Criteria for Accreditation set out by the HLC, and assembling an evidence filing with supporting documentation for the claims made in the argument.

2020 Assurance Argument 

U-M began work on the assurance argument for the 2020 cycle in early 2017. A working group of faculty and staff formed that summer to begin drafting claims. Evidence leads from the schools and colleges, Student Life, and the University Library led the evidence discovery and collection process for their respective units. The core team also worked with other central units to identify and collect additional items and develop an evidence database.

Incorporating input from faculty, students, and staff was essential to the argument drafting process. To foster this critical campuswide engagement, the Office of the Provost and CRLT co-hosted several town hall meetings in March 2019. Hundreds of comments were collected and reviewed to further inform and refine the argument.

To prepare for the campus remote visit on April 20-21, 2020, members of the U-M community can review the assurance argument.

Campus Visit Preparation Workshops

Prior to the remote visit, the Office of the Provost and CRLT will offer several workshops to help U-M faculty, students, and staff prepare for the evaluation by the HLC-appointed peer review team. See the campus visit page for more information.