What is Academic Rigor

In this chapter, the authors describe their guiding principles for development and improvement of an online program, offering specific examples of how these have played out. They then describe how an evaluative thinking approach allowed them to build an environment conducive to creative design and continual innovations. Specifically, they have a habit of meeting to focus on critical review of work, they value and continually incorporate feedback from diverse stakeholders, and they challenge assumptions through consistent consideration of data. They provide examples throughout the chapter of how an evaluative thinking approach has looked in practice. By including concrete examples, this chapter provides insights to those planning a new program or refining one in place, recognizing that evaluative thinking is a mindset that is valuable in many contexts.