CIEL members are campuses that stand as highly cost-effective models of thoughtful assessment and deep learning in a climate where calls for economic efficiency often seem to compromise these core educational values. CIEL campuses uniformly score very highly on the National Survey of Student Engagement and several have been featured in the ensuing research project, Documenting Effective Educational Practice (DEEP).

We work together to share resources and reduce costs where possible. At our annual meetings, we engage a breadth of expertise from faculty, some of whom are experts in areas such as learning communities, effective assessment practices, and use of new technology in teaching.

By developing articulation agreements for enrolling member students in our study abroad programs, we are reducing duplication—rather than recreating these programs on each campus, we have positioned the campuses to share existing resources.

CIEL representatives have been regular contributors to national higher education meetings and maintain strong ties with a variety of national initiatives and policy groups. Through this effort, we bring national attention to the consortium, share what the schools in the consortium have to offer with a broader audience, and enrich the member institutions.

A continuing goal is to make our ideas and practices accessible to the broader educational community while the CIEL campuses continue to work on significant new questions.