At College of the North Atlantic (CNA), quality isn’t just a target but a continuous pursuit embedded in every aspect of our teaching, curricula and student experience. Around the world, postsecondary education institutions are grappling with how to prepare students for success in a rapidly changing world. CNA is no exception. We continually ask: Are our programs meeting the evolving needs of today’s learners? Are our courses in step with employer demands? Are we equipping students with the skills, confidence and adaptability to thrive, not just in their first job but throughout their careers?
Answering these questions isn’t left to chance. We built a robust process—academic program assessment—to make sure our programs stay relevant, effective and responsive. This is our internal quality assurance framework for all programs that lead to a CNA credential, from certificates and diplomas to post-diplomas and applied degrees. It’s a comprehensive, evidence-driven process designed to foster continuous improvement while celebrating and building on existing strengths. This approach echoes what researchers have long argued—that quality assurance should not merely ensure compliance but actively support improvement and innovation in higher education.
In postsecondary education, quality assurance can sometimes sound abstract, but for us it’s very practical. It means reviewing curricula to ensure they reflect the latest industry developments. It means talking to employers to see if our graduates are meeting their expectations. It means engaging students in dialogue about what’s working in their courses and where they see room for change. It’s a process rooted in partnership, with faculty, students, alumni and industry all contributing their perspectives.
The Framework: CNA’s 26 Academic Quality Standards
At the heart of every academic program assessment are our quality standards—a set of clear, research-informed expectations that guide the assessment process and ensure consistency across programs. These 26 standards, grouped into the four interconnected themes below, provide a comprehensive lens through which program quality and student success are continuously evaluated:
- Leadership, administration and quality management: focuses on institutional leadership and infrastructure that support academic delivery, including policies, planning processes and physical and technological resources.
- Learner transitions and support: evaluates how well students are supported as they enter, progress through and transition out of their programs, covering areas such as orientation, academic advising and career preparation.
- Teaching, learning and working environment: considers the qualifications and professional development of faculty and staff, as well as teaching conditions, workloads and supervision practices.
- Curriculum and assessment: ensures programs are delivered as intended, that learning outcomes are clearly defined and assessed and that teaching methods remain current and effective.
These standards create a common foundation for meaningful, evidence-based conversations about quality and improvement. In this way, they function not as a checklist for compliance but as a springboard for enhancement.
How the Assessment Process Works
The program assessment process begins months before an assessment team arrives at the site. Campus administrators and faculty first undertake a self-study, looking carefully at every dimension of their program. This process involves collecting and analyzing data on student performance, graduate employment and course completion rates, and it also means reflecting on the teaching and learning experience—what’s effective, what could be better and what opportunities exist for innovation. Input from faculty, campus administrators, deans and other program staff is a key part of this stage of the process, ensuring the assessment reflects the perspectives of those closest to the program.
Once the self-study is complete, we assemble a panel of assessors to conduct a site visit. These assessors—carefully selected external industry experts and internal education experts at arm’s length to the program being assessed—bring a fresh, independent perspective informed by both institutional knowledge and industry best practices. They meet with faculty, students and administrators; visit labs, classrooms and other learning spaces; and examine program materials. Their role is to identify strengths to celebrate, challenges to address and opportunities to explore.
The result of this collaborative process is a quality assessment report, which captures both what’s working well and what can be improved. From there, each program creates an enhancement roadmap—a concrete plan outlining the steps, timelines and responsibilities for acting on the recommendations. Follow-up status reports track progress over time, ensuring assessment leads to real, measurable change.
A recent assessment of the construction/industrial electrician program at our Labrador West campus offers a strong example of how the process leads to meaningful, community-connected change. During the self-study and site visit, faculty and administrators identified a need for stronger employer engagement to better align the program with local workforce needs. In response to the corresponding recommendation in the quality assessment report, the campus developed a targeted strategy to strengthen industry connections, including increased participation in regional events like Lab Expo and MineX, as well as new initiatives like lunch and learns and a local job fair. These steps have opened new pathways for dialogue with employers and are already helping to shape program improvements that reflect real-time industry expectations.
How Academic Program Assessment Connects to Accreditation
While program assessment is CNA’s own internal quality assurance process, accreditation is an external process in which our programs are evaluated against standards and criteria that accrediting bodies set. These agencies, often specific to a profession or field, define their own requirements, which may include curriculum content, faculty qualifications, student outcomes and facility standards.
Where the program assessment process shines is in its ability to prepare programs for these external reviews. An assessment can be scheduled ahead of an accreditation or reaccreditation review to identify and address potential gaps before the accreditation process begins. This proactive approach not only reduces the likelihood of surprises during accreditation but also demonstrates to external reviewers that we are committed to continuous improvement year-round, not just when an accreditation deadline looms.
Overcoming Challenges: From Resistance to Support
Like any new initiative, our program assessment process faced some challenges in its early stages. When the process was first introduced, some faculty members and administrators saw it as just another layer of busy work—something that would take time away from teaching and day-to-day responsibilities without offering much benefit in return. They also viewed program assessment narrowly as a tool for compliance, rather than a mechanism for continuous improvement. Understandably, people were cautious about investing effort into a system they weren’t yet convinced would make a difference.
What is beginning to change the narrative is collaboration. By involving faculty and administrators directly in self-studies, site visits and the creation of enhancement roadmaps, the program assessment process has become less about being audited and more about working together to improve. Faculty members have begun to see their input reflected in action plans. Administrators have begun to see how targeted improvements—whether in curriculum design, learning resources or student supports—have had a measurable impact on program quality. This shift from compliance to cocreation mirrors findings in the literature that faculty ownership is essential for meaningful quality assurance.
Over time, perception has shifted. With over 50 program assessments now completed across the college, stakeholders have become increasingly familiar with the process—and that familiarity has bred trust. Faculty, staff and administrators have come to see program assessment not as a bureaucratic obligation but as a collegial and constructive opportunity for reflection and growth. The fact that the internal assessors are drawn from such a wide variety of departments and units across the college has also played a key role in building positive regard for the process. Following their participation in the assessment process, these assessors often share their positive experiences with colleagues in their respective departments, which helps foster a sense of collaboration and shared purpose. Today, some of the strongest advocates for program assessment are those who once approached it with skepticism. This transformation speaks to one of the process’s greatest strengths: It builds understanding and buy-in by demonstrating its benefits in tangible ways.
A Culture of Continuous Improvement
What makes this approach stand out is that it’s not just about meeting minimum requirements but enhancing programs. This focus on growth fosters an environment where faculty and program teams feel supported to innovate. A program assessment might lead to expanding work-integrated learning opportunities, redesigning course sequencing for better student progression or embedding new technologies into teaching.
Another strength is the culture of openness it encourages. Programs are assessed transparently, with findings and follow-up plans shared among stakeholders. This fosters accountability and encourages cross-pollination of ideas—innovations in one program often spark enhancements in others.
Ultimately, CNA’s academic program assessment process reflects our mission to offer education that is relevant, accessible and of the highest quality. Grounded in clear standards, enriched by the voices of those who teach and learn and aligned with external expectations, each assessment fosters meaningful program enhancement, but this work at its core is about students. Every improvement—whether to curriculum, supports or teaching practices—is an investment in student learning, growth and long-term success.
Quality in education is never accidental. It stems from thoughtful planning, honest reflection and a proactive commitment to evolve. Through academic program assessment, CNA ensures our programs don’t just meet expectations but empower students to thrive in a changing world.
We invite other institutions to join us in redefining quality assurance, not as a compliance obligation but as a shared opportunity to reflect, collaborate and grow. Together, we can build systems that don’t just monitor quality but drive it forward.
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