As the leader in software for strategic planning and enterprise assessment management in higher education, Nuventive is once again raising the bar by taking accreditation planning and outcomes assessment to a new level. Already the most configurable application in the market, TracDat Version 4 offers extensive new options including:

- Dashboard that offers visibility into status, progress and role-based tasks outstanding
- Simplified form-based data collection via email regardless of whether an individual is a TracDat user thus improving institutional involvement and data collection
- Calendaring system with email notifications making assignment and follow up of tasks and measures easier than ever
- File management system that enables sharing and linking of data between levels within your institution
- Improved reporting including expanded report formats such as PDF support and configurable reporting
- Tighter integration with SunGard's Banner system for the set up and collection of data

Current customers: watch for your invitation to attend a demonstration of TD4 and details for scheduling your own migration to TD4. Don't wait for release of TD4 to begin planning to take assessment to the next level at your institution! If you are not yet a member of the TracDat community of users, please contact us at sales@nuventive.com to see if you will qualify for pre-release incentives.

In this new "Spotlight" section of Momentum, Nuventive is pleased to focus on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

HBCUs are a source of accomplishment and great pride for the African American community as well as the entire nation. The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, defines an HBCU as: "...any historically black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association determined by the Secretary [of Education] to be a reliable authority as to the quality of training offered or is, according to such an agency or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation." HBCUs offer all students, regardless of race, an opportunity to develop their skills and talents. These institutions train young people who go on to serve domestically and internationally in the professions as entrepreneurs and in the public and private sectors.

HBCUs enroll 14 percent of all African American students in higher education, although they constitute only three percent of America's 4,084 institutions of higher education. In 1999, these institutions matriculated 24 percent of all African American students enrolled in four-year colleges, awarded masters degrees and first-professional degrees to about one in six African American men and women, and awarded 24 percent of all baccalaureate degrees earned by African Americans nationwide. (2007 U.S.Dept. of Education)

For more information on HBCUs, visit http://www.ed.gov/about/inits/list/whhbcu/edlite-index.html

Examine the quality improvement initiative at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College. Review how TracDat provided structure and process to the continuous improvement process including providing links to quantitative data. Learn how learning outcomes documentation is enhanced by the iWebfolio ePortfolio Solution.

The next gathering of our special interest group for community college users is expected to be in Nashville , Tennessee in conjunction with the League for Innovation in the Community College's 2007 Conference on Information Technology, November 11-14 http://www.league.org/2007cit/. Watch for details in the fall.

The next gathering of our special interest group for teacher education users is expected to be next winter at the AACTE Annual Meeting, February 7-10, 2008 in New Orleans. http://www.aacte.org/Events/meeting_exhibits.aspx

If you are interested in the schedule for other groups, including possible summer options, please contact Denise Raney at 877-968-0156 or email suggestions for groups or locations/conference gatherings to dcraney@nuventive.com.

Nuventive keeps an archive of past issues of Momentum so that if you missed one you can catch up on topics of interest to the Nuventive community.

Many of our customers enjoy highlighting and gaining national attention for the unique approaches they are taking to assessment and the documentation of improvement of institutions and individuals. If you would like Nuventive to feature your campus' use of TracDat or iWebfolio in a case study, email us at info@nuventive.com with your contact information and the best way to reach you.

Momentum is produced and distributed using a service called Constant Contact. While the service is a very effective solution for interacting with the Nuventive community, some IT organizations and email systems block delivery of the message. If you or your colleagues are having trouble accessing Momentum, try the suggestions in the link below from the Constant Contact Help Desk.

In the very rare occasion that those suggestions still don't work, please sign up for our mailing list using a personal email account such as Yahoo or Google.