SEP Institute: Engaging Faculty to Foster Belonging and Student Success
Many institutions are seeking strategies to improve student belonging as part of their equitable student success efforts. The Student Experience Project (SEP), a national collaborative of education organizations, found that engaging faculty in communities of practice to use evidence-based classroom practices boosted student belonging and other aspects of student experience tied to academic success. Participating institutions engaged nearly 300 faculty in communities of practice to utilize new practices and meet regularly to reflect on their teaching and receive direct feedback on students’ experience; these faculty improved student experience in their courses, and students with better experiences were more likely to get A’s and B’s in the course.
In 2023, the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (USU) and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) established the SEP Institute, a two-day in-person intensive followed by monthly virtual cross-cohort meetings to support universities to improve student experience in the classroom. Leveraging tools and frameworks developed and tested in the SEP, the Institute supports campus teams through the process of designing and implementing a faculty community of practice with the potential to transform the learning environment and lead to improved student outcomes. During the two-day intensive, participating campuses will learn about the social-psychology research on belonging and student success from national scholars, receive coaching from student success leaders who have successfully implemented communities of practice with faculty, and get hands-on experience with SEP tools and resources that can support faculty in implementing new teaching practices and gathering student feedback.
About the SEP Institute
Each SEP Institute cohort is limited to 12 -18 participating institutions. Each cohort is selected to maximize learning among campuses and based on potential reach and impact. Priority is given to USU member institutions who have not previously participated in the SEP. USU and APLU members are eligible to apply on an invitation-only basis.
- Your team: Each campus team should have the resources and capacity to launch a pilot community of practice during the Fall 2025. Campus teams may include four to six individuals; team members might include student success administrators, faculty, teaching and learning experts, or others that are integral to the university’s faculty development and student success work. At least one member of the team must be a faculty member who is actively teaching courses, and who is willing to take a leading role in design and facilitation of the community of practice
- Application process: Institutions who have been invited to participate must complete a brief application.
- Coaching and support from leading scholars, practitioners and student success leaders who have previously implemented SEP communities of practice.
- Implementation resources such as sample community of practice curricula, faculty outreach templates, and evaluation protocols.
- Exclusive training materials for faculty to facilitate use of classroom practices
- Subsidized access and premium support for the Ascend platform to measure student belonging, self-efficacy, and other aspects of student experience
- Year-long hands-on support from USU/APLU staff and SEP partnering organizations to support implementation.
Participating institutions commit to launching a pilot faculty community of practice in Fall 2025. Campuses will send a team of 4-6 individuals to the in-person institute and participate in the cohort over the course of the year.
USU/APLU is able to offer the SEP Institute at a subsidized rate due to generous support from the Raikes Foundation.
Registration for the SEP Institute is $650 per person. The registration fee covers program administration, meals during the in-person meeting, and all materials. Participants are responsible for their own travel and accommodation during the in-person meeting.
USU will cover the registration fee for its members.
2024 Cohort
- Boise State University
- Cleveland State University
- Morgan State University
- Temple University
- University of California, Los Angeles
- The University of Texas at Arlington
- The University of Texas at Austin
- The University of Texas at Dallas
- The University of Texas at El Paso
- The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
- University of Washington Tacoma
- University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
- Wayne State University
- Wichita State University
2023 Cohort
- California State University, Northridge
- California State University, Fresno
- Florida International University
- Kent State University
- Rutgers University – Newark
- State University of New York at Albany
- University of California, Riverside
- University of Illinois at Chicago
- University of Memphis
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas
- University of New Orleans
- University of North Texas
- University of South Carolina
- University of Texas at San Antonio