Why Ascend?
Students are more engaged and successful when they experience classroom conditions like identity safety and belonging. Ascend helps educators optimize those conditions through:
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Shared language and change ideas.
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Realtime, actionable feedback for instructors.
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Guides & protocols for collaboration.
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Disaggregated data for monitoring impact.
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Access to a growing, national collaborative.
What I really like about Ascend is the real-time data to see what is working and what is not working in my class… I really felt supported in my ability to create change [so all students feel valued, respected, and capable of earning a college degree].
— Heather Robbins, University of Toledo
How does it work?
Ascend is a data-driven professional learning program that enables college instructors and administrators to learn how their students are experiencing courses and what they can do to make those experiences more equitable, more engaging, and more supportive of student success.
1. Elevate Student Voice
A 5-10 minute, customizable survey shows how students experience each class.
4. Improve & Repeat
Implement the selected strategies. Then start a new cycle to assess impact & keep growing.
Cycle
2. Reflect on Feedback
Timely reports reveal the learning conditions in each class and how they are changing.
3. Select New Practices
Consult practice guides and protocols to decide what new practices to test out.
Cycle
1. Elevate Student Voice
A 5-10 minute, customizable survey shows how students experience each class.
2. Reflect on Feedback
Timely reports reveal the learning conditions in each class and how they are changing.
3. Select New Practices
Consult practice guides and protocols to decide what new practices to test out.
4. Improve & Repeat
Implement the selected strategies. Then start a new cycle to assess impact & keep growing.
The Ascend Community in Action
First launched at Stanford in 2019, today Ascend is used in colleges and universities across the country. It’s always improving through the tireless efforts of a diverse collaborative of educators, researchers, students, and educational organizations.
A Few Ascend Superstars
It was nice to know that our voices were being heard even if we weren’t raising our hand and saying it out loud. You can say it anonymously and still get your point across.
Iyana Bradford
Student
Cypress College
To Support Student Success, Faculty and Campus Leaders Need to Feel a Sense of Belonging Too
I have been wanting to look at my equity gaps in my classes for quite some time, but I didn’t really know where to start, so I really like that they held my hand through this entire process and made it easy for me.
Joyce Lin
Assistant Professor of Child and Adolescent Studies
CSU Fullerton
Our partners are working together to transform student experience across the nation.
Soar to new heights with Ascend!
Sign UpQuestions?
The Ascend knowledge base answers dozens of common questions, including about:
About PERTS
The Project for Education Research That Scales (PERTS) is a nonprofit research and development institute that translates insights from psychological science into cutting-edge tools, measures, and recommendations that educators anywhere can use to foster healthy and equitable academic engagement and success.