4 - Teaching and Learning: Evaluation and Improvement

The institution demonstrates responsibility for the quality of its educational programs, learning environments, and support services, and it evaluates their effectiveness for student learning through processes designed to promote continuous improvement.

4.A - Core Component 4.A

The institution demonstrates responsibility for the quality of its educational programs.

1. The institution maintains a practice of regular program reviews.2. The institution evaluates all the credit that it transcripts, including what it awards for experiential

learning or other forms of prior learning, or relies on the evaluation of responsible third parties.3. The institution has policies that assure the quality of the credit it accepts in transfer.4. The institution maintains and exercises authority over the prerequisites for courses, rigor of

courses, expectations for student learning, access to learning resources, and faculty qualifications for all its programs, including dual credit programs. It assures that its dual credit courses or programs for high school students are equivalent in learning outcomes and levels of achievement to its higher education curriculum.

5. The institution maintains specialized accreditation for its programs as appropriate to its educational purposes.

6. The institution evaluates the success of its graduates. The institution assures that the degree or certificate programs it represents as preparation for advanced study or employment accomplish these purposes. For all programs, the institution looks to indicators it deems appropriate to its mission, such as employment rates, admission rates to advanced degree programs, and participation rates in fellowships, internships, and special programs (e.g., Peace Corps and Americorps).

Argument4.A. NMSU demonstrates responsibility for the quality of its educational programs.

The New Mexico State University system (NMSU-system) consists of 5 campuses:  The main campus in Las Cruces, NM (NMSU-LC), and four community college campuses in various geographical locations across the state. Three of the community college campuses are independently accredited by the HLC - NMSU-Alamogordo, NMSU-Carlsbad, and NMSU-Dona Anna. The fourth community college is a branch campus located in Grants, NM (NMSU-Grants), and is accredited with the main campus (NMSU-LC). NMSU-LC is located in the southern part of the state, and NMSU-Grants is located in the northern part of the state, approximately 300 miles north of the NMSU-LC campus. In the Assurance Argument, references to "NMSU" include both campuses accredited in this visit (NMSU-LC and NMSU-Grants). When referencing uniqueness by campus, we will identify them by the campus location (-LC; -Grants). Though all campuses are not included in this accreditation, on occasion it will be necessary to refer to "the NMSU-system" which includes all NMSU-system campuses.  

4.A.1. NMSU maintains a practice of regular program review

NMSU has established a process whereby all academic programs participate in either external accreditation by a professional organization or regular program review, or in some cases, a combination of both. The purpose of program review is to ensure programs remain relevant, are fiscally and academically sound, and are operating under a model of continuous review and improvement. 

Below, we will describe the program review process for the NMSU-LC campus. Because of the unique characteristics and constituency of the NMSU-Grants campus, they maintain a parallel process for program review more specifically relevant to the programs offered there. We will describe the program review process on the NMSU-Grants campus immediately following the NMSU-LC description. 

At NMSU-LC, program review occurs at the department level. All programs within a department - including baccalaureate, master and doctoral degree programs - undergo simultaneous review on a 5-year cycle. Exceptions may exist for rigorous specialized accreditation of a particular program.

Several programs participated in a pilot program (2013-14) and one program (Applied Statistics) participated in a complete review in 2014-15. Experience and feedback from pilot programs and the subsequent full implementation resulted in substantial changes to both the process and criteria [need guidelines]. We now have a clearly cemented process and criteria for program review. In 2015-16 and 2016-17, thirteen programs (seven and six respectively) participated in program review. Four programs will undergo program review in 2017-18. Every program without specialized accreditation will have completed one cycle of   program review  [link needs updating w/new website] by the 2019-20 academic year.  

Overview of Academic Program Review

In addition to receiving data [link to content] provided by the Office of Institutional Analysis (IA), the NMSU Library also provides a report [link to template] to departments outlining relevant collections and services, to be used in the self-study.

Departments prepare a self-study [link to template] and after being approved by the dean, submit the self-study to the review team.

A review team - including three members external to the institution and one member from another NMSU-LC department - reviews the self-study, completes a site visit [link to sample itinerary] to the campus, and submits a final report [link to template] on the program.

Departments respond to the report with an action plan detailing specific short-term and five-year objectives. The action plan is negotiated with and approved by the respective Dean prior to approval by the Executive Vice President and Provost (EVPP).

Progress reports [link to template] on status of objectives are submitted annually, until the next scheduled review. 

Recent actions   identified [link to supporting docs; relevant progress reports] include creation of a Climate Change interdisciplinary research group (Department of Geology), development of an undergraduate recruitment plan and potential revision of the departmental Strategic Plan (Department of Anthropology) and development of a Center for Quantitative Excellence (Applied Statistics Program).

Programs exempted from the NMSU-LC program review process because of specialized accreditation meet expectations and requirements for continuous review and improvement through their respective specialized accreditation processes. For example, the business and accounting programs in the Business College are subject to review by AACSB International every five years. Required annual reports detail applications, enrollment, graduation, faculty qualifications and finances. Immediately prior to the five-year site visit the college submits a Continuous Improvement Review report that documents faculty qualifications, assessment of student learning, curriculum improvements and  ways in which faculty, staff and student innovation and engagement have impacted the broader community. Reports also include details about how the college's actions respond to feedback received from the previous accreditation visit. For example, the college has adopted and begun to assess business-specific learning objectives (in addition to those relating

to more general skills and knowledge) and has differentiated the performance standards for the bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration. Engineering College programs are accredited by the Engineering and Engineering Technology Accreditation Commissions of ABET. The programs submit a self-study every six years to address 9 major criteria and policy and procedure requirements. 

NMSU-Grants has similarly developed a systematic process and criteria for academic program review. The ultimate goal of improving overall program quality is grounded in improving student learning and increasing retention and graduation within programs. The current four-year cycle was developed by faculty; [link to NMHEAA team] years 1-3 include brief annual summary reports, followed by a full program review in year four. The fourth year full report is evaluated by an internal committee that provides feedback for program improvement and advises the program manager on an action plan for improvement. At least two programs engage in the full review each academic year. Pilot participation (2015-16) in this revised process included Mathematics, Automotive, Computer Technology and Criminal Justice; [link to reports/action plans] programs in full review during 2016-17 were Communications, Geography and Social Sciences; [link to reports/action plans] programs starting the full review in Fall 2017 are Education and Nursing Assistant. By 2019-20 all programs will have participated in the revised academic program review process.

Overview of NMSU Grants Academic Program Review  

The Assessment Committee monitors the schedule for program review and notifies program managers about scheduled reviews.

The NMSU-Grants Institutional Research Office provides program data to the program manager. Program managers work with assigned mentors from the Assessment Committee to develop a self-

study report. The self-study is evaluated by an internal review team and an action plan is developed through

collaboration between the program manager and the review team. The full program review and action plan are forwarded to the NMSU-Grants President for

approval. Status of action plan details are submitted annually as part of the annual program summary.

Co-curricular Reviews

Although primary focus for program review has been on academic programs, there have been recent reviews of other NMSU-LC programs by external agencies and reviewers:  The Library   underwent review in 2011 and completed numerous progress reports [link] including an update in 2017; graduate education was reviewed in 2012, as was distance education (known on campus as the Huron Report, which was also updated to reflect progress). The latter two in particular stimulated discussions across campus. There were, for example, extended discussions in the Associate Deans Academic Council of both reports in 2013. The Library external review resulted in the development of an internal professional development program, the construction of a Library cafe, and the creation of a Budget Committee, among other things. More recently (2016) the Teaching Academy completed a self study and review and have responded to findings in their report.

Although co-curricular program review is not formalized in the same way that academic program review is, NMSU demonstrates an intentional and consistent practice of self-study and review for continuous improvement. 

4.A.2. NMSU evaluates all the credit that it transcripts, including what it awards for experiential learning or other forms of prior learning, or relies on the evaluation of responsible third parties.

The Office of the University Registrar (OUR) is responsible for oversight and production of all NMSU system academic transcripts. Transcripts contain credits completed at all NMSU campuses as well as those transferred from other institutions of higher education. NMSU also awards credit for Advanced Placement

(AP), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES), Military Occupational Specializations (MOS) based on the American Council of Education (ACE) and challenge exams.

Transfer Credit

Administrative Rule and Procedure (ARP) 6.89 [link-6.89 under revision] stipulates conditions for awarding transfer credit from both accredited and non-accredited institutions of higher education. First, students must submit official transcripts sent directly from the other institution's registrar's office to the NMSU-system OUR. Second, students must meet all criteria for award of credit as described in the ARP and catalog. [link-need update]  Finally, evaluation for award of academic transfer credit is ultimately made by faculty through designated and authorized faculty representatives from departments and colleges, individually (for specific courses) or serving on designated committees.

Both the NMSU-LC catalog and NMSU-Grants catalog include comprehensive regulatory statements about the transfer of credit from other regionally accredited institutions, with detailed information about academic requirements for transfer, evaluation of transfer credit and NMSU's three levels of credit transfer. Level 1 [link] transfers honor established state-wide course articulations created through state-wide higher education faculty collaborations. These courses are automatically awarded equivalency credit by the OUR. Level 2 [link] reflects transfer equivalency courses that have been evaluated through faculty in the department that owns the course prefix. Many of these courses are in the OUR database of commonly transferred courses. In such cases, equivalency transfer credit is awarded automatically. In other cases, information about the course is provided to faculty so that they can evaluate course equivalency. If no NMSU course is deemed equivalent, the transfer credit is awarded by the OUR as elective course credit (100E; 300E). Level 3 [link] transfer includes articulation agreements specific to academic programs.

Additional information [link-update] about transfer of religious center courses, national student exchange, currently enrolled students and transfer credit appeals process is also available in the catalog. [link-update]. 

Process for Evaluating and Awarding Transfer Credit

The evaluation of transfer credits for undergraduate students is initially conducted in the OUR. Courses that do not have established equivalency through the OUR database are forwarded to the college and department for review. In some cases students may be required to provide additional course information (e.g. catalog description; syllabus; contact information for instructor) to the department to assist with evaluation of equivalency. Upon recommendation of the faculty, the OR will award credit for an NMSU equivalent course, or elective credit. 

Transfer credit from institutions that do not have regional accreditation are not evaluated until the student has successfully completed two semesters of full-time enrollment at NMSU. 

NMSU has collaborated with other institutions of higher education within the state of New Mexico to establish statewide articulation. Particularly relevant are courses that satisfy New Mexico general education common core  requirements and articulation/transfer modules for discipline-specific programs such as business, early childhood education and nursing (NMSU Level 1 transfers). This process involves regular review by the institutions; for example, the New Mexico Collegiate Business Articulation Consortium meets two times each year and maintains the business transfer module; the New Mexico Nursing Education   Consortium  meets 6 time each year.

Consistent with state requirements, NMSU maintains policies and procedures for students to appeal decisions about evaluation of transfer credits.

Other Transcripted Credit

NMSU transcripts undergraduate credit based on Advanced Placement (AP), College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES). The amount of credit associated with AP tests and the equivalent course credits is determined by the head of the department in which the course is offered. Similarly, CLEP and DANTES related credits are determined by academic departments and are periodically reviewed. NMSU also awards academic credit to US military personnel for courses and Military Occupational Specializations (MOS) based on the American Council of Education (ACE) guide. Although at both the graduate and undergraduate levels credits may be recorded on the transcript based on successful completion of a challenge exam [Link-Credit by Exam] (exams created by the department to evaluate knowledge of course material), few students attempt to gain credit this way. In the past 10 years fewer than 5 students have taken challenge exams. Of those, 4 were awarded credit.

Transfer and other types of transcripted credit that do not include enrollment in NMSU courses are not generally accompanied by a grade and do not contribute to a student's grade point average (GPA). However, credits taken under the National Student Exchange Program are recorded with grades and included in the NMSU GPA. 

Academic departments may award credit for internships and similar experiences. To receive credit students must enroll in a designated course prior to the experience, and generally there is an expectation that students will engage in academic activities beyond the specific assignment for the duration of the internship. For example, [link examples of course requirements: BUS, ACES, EDU, HON] students may be required to keep a journal detailing how the internship allowed them to apply concepts learned in their courses or they may write a paper concerning the internship experience. 

Residency requirements limit the amount of transfer work that may be completed in the last 36 credits of the degree program to 6, allowing exceptions where academically appropriate. For example, students in the international business major may be allowed to complete some of their major courses as well as language courses while on study abroad in the senior year. Individual programs may have additional restrictions; e.g. in business, students must complete at least 50% of their business credits at NMSU.

4.A.3. NMSU has policies that assure the quality of the credit it accepts in transfer.

To assure the quality of credits accepted for transfer, NMSU policies provide that credits from institutions that lack regional accreditation may only be reviewed after a student has attended NMSU for two semesters in full-time status with satisfactory grades. Only credits from regionally accredited institutions are evaluated at the time of transfer.

Professionally accredited programs may have additional restrictions on the use of transfer credit to fulfill degree requirements. For example, NMSU-LC’s accounting program requires that upper division transfer credits in the accounting major come from programs with AACSB accreditation in accounting. Similarly, transfer credit accepted for the MBA program must be completed at an institution with AACSB accreditation.

Currently enrolled NMSU students must obtain prior approval to enroll in and receive credit for courses completed at another institution. This aspect is regulated by departments and/or colleges. For example, the Engineering College does not approve current students to take courses at another institution unless NMSU is not offering a comparable course. The same is true for the Business College, though exceptions may be granted depending on relevant circumstances.  

International students seeking to transfer credits from foreign institutions are required to obtain authentication and translation of their transcripts through a third party. [link-Michael Schmelzle]

4.A.4. NMSU maintains and exercises authority over the prerequisites for courses, rigor of courses, expectations for student learning, access to learning resources, and faculty qualifications for all its programs, including dual credit programs. It assures that its dual credit courses or programs for high school students are equivalent in learning outcomes and levels of achievement to its higher education curriculum.

NMSU ARP X.XX [link] stipulates that academic matters fall under the purview of faculty. As such, course prerequisites, the rigor of courses and expectations for student learning are established by faculty members in individual academic programs and departments.

Prerequisites

Students must meet university basic skills requirements in both English and math prior to enrolling in upper division courses; this is enforced through Banner registration, as is prerequisite enrollment and course sequencing as set by individual academic programs. For example, many programs require substantial completion of lower division requirements (including general education) prior to enrollment in upper division discipline courses. In some cases students may not be eligible to declare a particular major until they have completed a minimum number of, or specified lower division courses. Some departments also use Banner reports to prevent students from remaining in courses they are not eligible to take: Banner reports may be used to identify students who were enrolled in the prerequisite at the time of pre-registration, but who failed to successfully complete the prerequisite course. It is up to the program or individual faculty members to dis-enroll students missing prerequisites in such cases, or to override prerequisite requirements if circumstances merit. For example, in the Languages and Linguistics Department, a list of all grades is generated and checked to ensure that students have met the grade requirement to proceed to a higher level language course.The Engineering College uses a software program to generate detailed pre requisite reports and automatic emails to students giving them instructions on advisement and dropping the courses in violation. Faculty members are encouraged to make prerequisites clear in their syllabi, and NMSU's newly developed syllabi tool, contains a field for course prerequisite(s). Dual credit courses require the same prerequisites and fall under the same stipulations and enforcement of prerequisites as all NMSU courses. 

Academic Rigor

Rigor of courses is also determined and maintained by faculty. Proposals for new courses and changes to existing courses are proposed at the department level and then approved by the appropriate college-level curriculum committee [source doc] before being forwarded for final approval by the University Curriculum Committee.   [link]. Designated general education (GE) courses (lower and upper division) must also be approved through the General Education Course Certification Committee (GECCC). Lower division GE courses are designated as "G" courses, and upper division courses are designated as Viewing a Wider World (VWW) [link], or "V" courses. After approval by the GECCC, designated "G" course applications must be approved through state-wide faculty committees for inclusion in the New Mexico general education common core. The GECCC includes representation from across the NMSU system and in addition to approving GE course proposals, periodically reviews "V" courses [link] to ensure they continue to meet VWW expectations. 

Over the past year, NMSU has been leading a statewide effort to re-envision the New Mexico general education common core. We have simultaneously been reconsidering general education at NMSU, [link] including system-wide discussions about alignment and enhanced common learning outcomes.

NMSU-LC makes no distinction between courses offered for dual credit and courses not offered as dual credit - appropriate rigor is required of all courses. NMSU-Grants also maintains the same level of rigor,student learning objectives, and relevance for all dual credit classes as compared to all non-dual credit classes.  Dual credit classes at NMSU Grants are usually the same courses that are offered to the regular student population.      

Learning Outcomes

Ownership of the program learning outcomes resides with faculty. All academic programs at NMSU identify program-level learning outcomes, developed by faculty. These have been required through the annual outcomes assessment reporting process since 2009 (NMSU-LC) and 20-- (NMSU-Grants). More recently (beginning Fall 2014), evidence of learning outcomes for undergraduate and graduate programs is recorded for NMSU-LC through Weave software. Weave also provides opportunity for programs to align their learning outcomes with the state-wide articulated GE learning objectives (developed by statewide faculty teams) and the NMSU-LC Baccalaureate Experience (BE) learning objectives [link-how developed]. Faculty at NMSU-Grants have aligned their program learning outcomes with the NMSU-LC BE objectives [link]. 

Access to Learning Resources

Learning resources on the Las Cruces campus include the Library  [link] (with distance education resources), the Student Success Center [link], the Math Success Center [link] and the Writing Center. Tutoring services are offered campus-wide and by departments. NMSU-Grants offers a comprehensive Student Success Center,a Math Lab, Library ,  Pearson Vue Testing Center, two computer outreach centers located in Acoma and Tohajillee, New Mexico, and NMSU partnership programs located in Laguna, Pinehill/Ramah and Thoreau, New Mexico. Because NMSU-Grants serves a widespread geographic area that is very rural these outreach centers and partnerships provide access to the Internet, computer usage and tutoring to our rural and online students. In addition to the resources on campus and through the outreach centers, students can also utilize professional tutoring online via TutorMe. Additional learning resources are also available through the NMSU-system learning management system, Canvas.

Roughly 38% of first time freshman [update/trend data - Judy] enroll in UNIV 150, The Freshman Year Experience or a similar course offered in their college. NMSU-Grants offers COLL 101, College Life Skills as their freshman orientation course which is a required course for all first time freshmen. These courses orient students to NMSU and provide introductions to university resources.

The Office of Career Services offers an array of opportunities for career planning and for students to connect with employers. Events include the Graduate and Professional School Fair, Career Expo, Educator’s Job Fair and Employment Extravaganza. Other services include career advising, information about cooperative education and internship programs [Cooperative Education and Internship Programs 2013-14, KB] and advice on searching for employment including preparation of resumés, mock interviews and business etiquette training. In some cases programs offer discipline-specific assistance on these topics (e.g. the Honors College and Department of Anthropology offer workshops on these topics).

Dual Credit Courses

NMSU-LC’s dual credit courses are regular university courses and are staffed accordingly. Faculty members identify appropriate courses for dual credit and the university maintains a list of such courses. Exceptions to the list for individual students are made in consultation with department heads and associate deans. No special arrangements or exceptions are made for these courses, and dual credit students experience the same environment and rigor as university students enrolled in the course. 

At NMSU-Grants, dual credit courses are taught by qualified high school faculty members as well as faculty members at NMSU-Grants. Instructors, whether on campus or at the high school, are required to present academic transcripts to the NMSU Grants Human Relations Coordinator and receive approval from the Vice President for Academic Affairs in order to establish qualification to teach a specific dual credit course. Any credit-bearing course is eligible for dual credit and must have the same student learning outcomes and expected levels of achievement as the other sections on campus.  Most dual credit courses are taught on the NMSU Grants campus or online with a limited number of dual credit courses offered in the high school setting. Courses that are offered within the high school setting are taught by qualified

instructors and offer the same rigor and objectives as the classes taught on campus. No special exceptions or arrangements are made for dual credit students and they are must meet all the same admission and prerequisite requirements as any other enrolled students.    

Faculty Qualifications

Chapter 5 of the NMSU-system ARP contains descriptions of faculty ranks and qualifications as well as faculty responsibilities relating to teaching. NMSU recently (Spring 2017) updated our ARP to include a section on faculty credentials. ARP   5.14  specifically outlines minimal credentialing requirements, use of tested experience as a substitute for academic credentials, and the responsibilities of department heads, deans and the provost for reviewing and evaluating the qualifications of instructors of record. Consistent with HLC Assumed Practice B.2, this rule clarifies that all faculty, including dual credit faculty, must meet minimal qualifications to teach college-level courses. In addition, the proposed rule solidifies institutional processes for hiring and documentation of credentials. Colleges and departments may have additional policies regarding faculty qualifications, usually driven by specialized accreditation. For example, the Business College has four different classifications of faculty members, consistent with the requirements of AACSB International. These qualifications establish standards for initial status and then requirements for maintaining qualifications through research and other professional development. 

4.A.5. NMSU maintains specialized accreditation for its programs as appropriate to its educational purposes.

The NMSU-system includes 55 specially accredited programs, [link; number; change SD from PROV to ACCRED] 40 of which are maintained on the NMSU-LC campus. NMSU-Grants does not have programs with specialized accreditation. 

Specialized accreditation at NMSU-LC includes all programs in the College of Engineering (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology - ABET), business and accounting programs in the College of Business (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business - AACSB), and all teacher education programs in the College of Education (Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation - CAEP). The Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences College has accredited programs in four departments as does the Arts and Sciences College (Music and Computer Science). The two departments and one school in the Health and Social Services College maintain specialized accreditation. 

In 2012 [check date], NMSU created a position for oversight of accreditation (HLC and specialized) across all system campuses. Currently all accreditations system-wide are in good standing. 

4.A.6. NMSU evaluates the success of its graduates. The institution assures that the degree or certificate programs it represents as preparation for advanced study or employment accomplish these purposes. For all programs, the institution looks to indicators it deems appropriate to its mission, such as employment rates, admission rates to advanced degree programs, and participation rates in fellowships, internships, and special programs (e.g., Peace Corps and Americorps).

NMSU seeks to support, evaluate and acknowledge the success of its graduates in a variety of ways. A graduating senior survey is conducted regularly, including graduates of NMSU-LC and NMSU-Grants. Results are available online. NMSU Grants also conducts a general employer survey to measure perceptions of preparedness of graduates [link : https://grants.nmsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Copy-of-Employer-satisfaction-survey.pdf].    

Individual departments [link: e.g. nursing; education; social work; etc.] make efforts to track student placement in their chosen field or continuing education. Many departments conduct exit interviews with graduating seniors. Optional: In addition, there is considerable anecdotal evidence from individual departments and programs concerning student success. Examples include the Honors College which provides plans of recent students graduating with University Honors or Honors with Distinction for the

coming year and beyond and the Alumni Association’s Outstanding Graduates [Outstanding Graduate Award, KB].

Successful graduates from the past are honored annually by the university through the Distinguished Alumni awards and by the individual colleges: Arts and Sciences Starry Night; Business Hall of Fame. Panorama, [link]  a publication of the Alumni Association, regularly features the successes of graduates in their careers and other endeavors. Similarly, the Engineering College provides Aggie Ingeniero [link] and the Education College offers Alumni Stories [link] on its web page.

Independent measures of success include data on mid-career salaries, available from Beyond College Rankings: A Value-Added Approach to Assessing Two and Four-Year Schools, by Brookings Fellow Jonathan Rothwell and Senior Research Assistant Siddharth Kulkarni. The Brookings study ranked NMSU 89th of 863 institutions in value added to mid-career earnings [link update]. Relevant to our demographics, the Top 100 Colleges and Universities for Hispanics [link] list in the August 2016 edition of The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education magazine recognizes NMSU as one of the best institutions for Hispanics in the country. The College Scorecard published by the U.S. Department of Education provides additional information about student success relative to other institutions. 

IA will complete a survey this Spring for additional evidence. 

Sources

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NMNEC_Overview_2017.03.30 PRES_ChancellorsCornerAggiePathway_2017.02.13 PRES_DistanceEducationExternalReview_2012.10.23 PRES_GraduateEducationExternalReview_2012.11.19 PRES_LibraryExternalReview_2011.06.01 PROGREV_MastersAppliedStatistics_2015.05.08 PROV_DigitalMeasures_2017.02.08 PROV_GeneralEducationCourseCertificationCommittee_2016.07.19 PROV_ProgramReviewWebPage_2015.11.10 PROV_SpecializedAccreditationWebPage_2015.11.10 PROVOST_NMStatewideGeneralEducation_2017.04.18 PROVOST_SyllabusTool_2017 REGIST_EarlyPerformanceGrades_2017.02.20 REGIST_FirstDestinationSurvey_2017.02.02 REGIST_MilitaryAndVeteransPrograms201617UndergradCatalog_2017.02.08 REGIST_NationalStudentExchange_2017 REGIST_TransferStudentsDomestic201617UndergraduateCatalog_2017.02.08 REGIST_UndergraduateCatalogBasicAcademicSkills_2016.07.05 REGIST_UndergraduateCatalogGraduationRequirements_2017.02.08 REGIST_UndergraduateCatalogTransferringNMGeneralEducationCommonCore_2017.02.08 SSC_CampusTutoringService_2017.02.09 SSC_FreshmanYearExperienceUNIV150_2017.02.09 SSC_SSCWorkshops_2017.02.09 TA_ExternalReviewResponse_2017.03.09 TA_ProgramReview_2016 USDOE_CollegeScorecardNMSU_2017.02.09

4.B - Core Component 4.B

The institution demonstrates a commitment to educational achievement and improvement through ongoing assessment of student learning.

1. The institution has clearly stated goals for student learning and effective processes for assessment of student learning and achievement of learning goals.

2. The institution assesses achievement of the learning outcomes that it claims for its curricular and co-curricular programs.

3. The institution uses the information gained from assessment to improve student learning.4. The institution’s processes and methodologies to assess student learning reflect good practice,

including the substantial participation of faculty and other instructional staff members.

ArgumentNOTE:  NEED INCLUSION OF GRANTS PRACTICES IN EACH SECTION

4.B.1 NMSU has clearly stated goals for student learning and effective processes for assessment of student learning and achievement of learning goals.

NMSU clearly states intended student learning outcomes/objectives for students at multiple levels, including course, program and institution levels. Institutional learning objectives for the Baccalaureate Experience (BE) are stated in the Mission for the Baccalaureate Experience, are further defined in the Vision for the Baccalaureate Experience and encompass outcomes across disciplines and the co-curriculum. Institutional goals for the general education (GE) core are also broad-based and align [link] with the BE objectives. NMSU   GE objectives [link] encompass the New Mexico General Education Common Core (NM GE Core) learning objectives [link] for lower-division GE courses (designated "G" courses). NM GE Core learning objectives are included on designated G   course syllabi , [link] which may also include learning objectives as determined by the NMSU-system or the individual instructor. In addition, all graduate and undergraduate programs provide discipline learning goals (objectives/outcomes) [link to Weave;examples in AS (AgEx, CJ, SPED/CD, PHS)] for students. Course- and program-level learning objectives are encouraged [link-syllabi tool] for all course syllabi.   [links in AS -e.g. BUS College, PES, Chem Mat Eng].  

Since the 1990's NMSU has sustained an annual process [link] for reporting on Academic Departmental Assessment (ADA) of student learning. Evolving over time to include review by either a faculty committee and/or the director of assessment, the process has always required annual reports from each department for both graduate and undergraduate programs. Currently, reports are completed using Weave assessment reporting software. Reporting by departments over the last 3 years [Link to reports/table] is strong, and is expected to be at 100% each year. For several years the report reviews were conducted (including feedback provided) by the director of assessment. Starting Fall 2016 this transitioned back to review by a faculty committee [link] under the supervision of the director of assessment, and feedback is provided to departments via their dean in the form of a rubric. [link] Once departmental reports are completed, the director of assessment completes a report for each college [link] and an institutional report. [link] Focus over the past two years has been on closing the loop. While departments can often speak to improvements made in their program as a result of evaluating student work, they do not always include these changes in their reports.

NMSU co-curricular assessment, though not as widespread, incorporates an annual process [link] similar to that of ADA. The long-standing Outcomes Assessment Committee for Co-curriculum,   Administration and

Operations (OAC-CAO), under the guidance of the Director of Assessment, oversees, reviews and provides feedback on co-curricular assessment. 

NMSU also maintains an annual cycle and process for assessing student learning in the GE Core. This program-level process was developed by a faculty team, which later became the formally structured and standing Committee for the Assessment of Student Learning in General Education (CASL-GE). Each iteration begins with the CASL-GE enlisting the assistance of an ad hoc working subcommittee to develop an assessment tool (assignment and rubric) that encompasses broad learning in the GE. The tool is piloted alongside the current-year assessment implementation. The CASL-GE makes changes to the pilot assignment and rubric [link] as needed. Subsequently, the revised pilot assignment and rubric become the assessment instrument for the next year’s assessment cycle.

In the annual GE assessment cycle, the committee chair and director of assessment work with Institutional Analysis (IA) to select a representative sample of Viewing a Wider World (VWW) courses for implementation of the assessment. VWW are NMSU-designated upper-division GE courses and are not considered part of the NM GE Core. These courses are selected because they contain a large population of students who have completed, or are near completion of, the required lower-division NM GE Core courses. Arrangements are made with instructors of selected courses to administer the assessment in the first part of the spring semester. Committee members or other designees administer the assessment and collect student work. A scoring session for departmentally assigned assessment liaisons [link-update on this] and all interested   faculty  [link to notice/invite] is held later in the spring and includes a norming session followed by evaluation of collected student work. IA then analyzes results and provides findings to the committee and director of assessment. The committee hosts an open forum [link] each fall to share results and solicit input on actions to be taken. The chair completes a final report [link] that is submitted to the director of assessment, the University Outcomes Assessment Council and the Provost, all of which consider further action to be taken based on recommendations included in the report.

A systematic process for assessing baccalaureate learning is still underway. In Fall 2008 NMSU launched an effort to develop institutional learning outcomes for undergraduate students. A one-year project [link] to identify outcomes resulted in the Mission and Goals for the Baccalaureate Experience (BE). In an effort to transform this document into meaningful outcomes, in 2009 a team began participating in the HLC Assessment Academy, [link] which resulted in the Vision for the Baccalaureate Experience (BE) and efforts to establish ongoing assessment of baccalaureate level learning. A pilot (Spring 2010 [link]), and then a more comprehensive second assessment (Spring 2012 [link]) --critical thinking and self-awareness respectively--were completed by the team. Lessons learned led us to choose the BE learning objective effective communication (and more specifically student writing), as the improvement project for our Quality Initiative. Chosen for multiple reasons, it was anticipated that focusing on one BE objective across the institution would teach us how to manage a sustainable and dynamic process of institutional assessment that would improve student outcomes. As the QI has developed, the Committee for the Assessment of Student Learning Across the Baccalaureate Experience (CASL-BE) has focused on other aspects of the BE, and subsequent   studies [link - update from David] have focused on student perceptions (also used in support of the QI) and faculty and student awareness of the BE. While we have not cemented a process for evaluating and improving learning on BE outcomes, experiences gained through our QI suggest a longer cycle to focus on institutional learning outcomes may be fruitful. 

While NMSU-LC does not require and does not have an institutional process for reporting and review of course-level assessment, the Advocates for Scholarly Teaching (AST) committee is committed to supporting faculty in course-level assessment and developing scholarly teaching practices. In Fall 2016 this committee shifted its attention to developing stronger departmental assessment and committee members served as reviewers in the ADA process described above. NMSU continues to provide resources focused on improving faculty development, including stating and evaluating achievement of course-level learning goals. Additional networks that support the same are the NMSU Teaching Academy, the Online Course Improvement Program and Quality Matters. 

 

4.B.2 NMSU assesses achievement of the learning outcomes that it claims for its curricular and co-curricular programs.

NMSU assesses achievement of learning outcomes at various levels - institutional (BE), general education (GE Core), in the disciplines (ADA) and in the co-curriculum.

Academic Departmental Assessment (ADA) of student achievement has the longest history at NMSU. ADA is a summative measure of student learning in discipline specific venues, intended for formative use by departments to improve learning. The essential nature of ADA is, internally, to inform departments about student learning in the discipline so that they can make intentional and informed decisions that improve learning, and, externally, to document that departments are reflective and continuously strive to improve learning. 

ADA reports [link to Weave reports for Fall 2016] over the last several years indicate that nearly all academic departments 88-100% [link to report] document actively assessing achievement of stated learning outcomes annually. The trend for increased assessment practices can be observed in reporting from 2007-08 to 2015-16 [link-trend; reports] with the number of academic departments participating in assessment increasing from ---% in Fall 2007 to ---% in Fall 2016. In 2014-15, we integrated ADA assessment with our QI so that departments focused on evaluating student writing during this cycle. 

Co-curricular assessment [link to Weave reports for Fall 2016] of student achievement also has a long history at NMSU. With strong committee [link-OAC-CAO] support, co-curricular assessment has maintained a consistent, albeit not always robust presence in the institutional culture for continuous improvement.  [Do we have an umbrella annual report on co-curricular assessment; lets get # of reports over time; type of reports]

Achievement of learning in the GE Core has been evaluated annually [link] since 2007. Initially a course-level assessment, GE assessment was re-envisioned as program level assessment in 2009 [check date] and has been approached as such since, through work of the CASL-GE. [Are these in Weave?] GE assessment in Spring 2015 [link to report] aligned with the QI and focused on student writing.  

BE learning [link to initial BE reports] assessment is not necessarily on an annual basis, but is ongoing. As the Committee for the Assessment of Student Learning across the Baccalaureate Experience (CASL-BE) objectives have evolved to include meta-assessment of the BE, [link] assessment by the committee has been indirect [link-BE Survey] rather than direct: While initial direct assessments [link to reports] attempted to develop an annual process, more recent activity includes a multi-year approach, instigated through our QI, [link to final report] to collect data and engage the campus community in a broader, inclusive institutional investment in improving comprehensive learning outcomes. Toward this comprehensive effort we integrated our Fall 2014-15 ADA [link to summary of ADA reports on writing] and Spring 2015 GE Core [link] assessments with our QI, such that all assessments focused on student writing. Additional and extensive data [link] related to student writing was also gathered and triangulated so that the multiple approaches informed conversations and understanding about student writing, including... [what we learned]. The new approach lays the groundwork for rotational ongoing assessment of NMSU BE learning objectives. 

Course-level assessment, by design, remains at the purview of individual faculty and sometimes of departments. While faculty are encouraged and supported to systematically document assessment of course-level learning, NMSU has taken the stance that course level assessment should be organic. Developing such a culture takes time, and multifaceted and fruitful processes over the last decade [link-events; programs; etc: ChAMPIONs, TA (national/local), workshops by the DoA, OCIP, QM, NMSU Conference on Assessment 2015, faculty attendance/presentations at NMHEAR, ACA/AST, PRN, NILOS assignment design, Teaching Academy events, etc.(Possibly put programs in text box or table)] demonstrate sustained commitment and intentionality to this endeavor. Student course evaluations provide some assessment of student learning, although indirect.    

4.B.3. NMSU uses the information gained from assessment to improve student learning.

Changed practice is often manifested over time; as we have worked to help our communities recognize the value and necessity of documenting the impact of changed instructional and curricular practices, we are increasingly able to supply evidence of how evaluation of student learning results in improved learning. 

 Annual ADA reports are evaluated based on various components that are essential to effective assessment practices. In recent years NMSU has placed focus on the use of assessment results to improve student learning (i.e. closing the loop). Specifically, we look for evidence supporting well-developed practices in the ADA rubric components "findings," "action plan" and "impact."  Fall 2014, 2015 and 2016 reports [link] respectively indicate that 67%, 68% and --% of ADA reports provide evidence that departments have met definitions of "well-developed" in using information gained through assessment to enact change for improved learning. In addition, departments are asked to identify how actions identified in previous reporting cycles have impacted learning. NMSU has many departmental examples [link] of changes made to affect improved learning. Examples include ------------- [need samples; ask David - ACES and/AS would be good]. For example, in ACES the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology, recently made several substantive changes to their degree program, based on assessment data. These include adding a hands-on lab component to their introductory class (FWCE 110), requiring an internship, and requiring 9 credits of botany in their degree program, which assures they meet minimum academic requirements for many federal job opportunities upon completion of their degree. ACES Plant and Environmental Sciences has included guest lectures on statistics & interpretation of statistics as a specific response to poor student scores in 2014-15 assessments. In response to poor student scores in critical analysis, ACES-PES is developing a “common question” asked of all majors within the department throughout their career (currently in committee development SP17). Questions could respond to water, climate change, etc.

Other reports identify documented changes in learning [link-find examples] as a result of improvement initiatives. For example, the Geography Department collected longitudinal data about -------. They found senior performance on xxx less than satisfactory. In response they changed curricular practices, including.......... 2016 assessment findings indicate........... [link]. Similarly, the Art Department responded to unsatisfactory student performance in writing by creating writing intensive courses. Results indicate that students........ [HRTM may have something as well]

At the meta-analysis level, the director of assessment develops workshops that address systematic weaknesses [link] in assessment practices observed through the review of annual reports. 

Parallel rubrics used to review co-curricular reports show that units are responsive to assessment data. In 2016, ---% of reports indicated actions for improvement; [link to samples] and ---% sited improved results [link to samples] based on interventions.

Impacting student learning at the GE program level is challenging. Advancements in responding to assessment findings have been made in recent years, and we anticipate success in this area will continue to increase as the institution continues to learn how to address, in specific and targeted ways, challenges identified through assessment practices. For example, the GE assessment in Spring 2014 [check dates] resulted in a clear indication that student performance in the area of critical thinking and problem solving could be improved [based on results of two years of GE Assessment]. As a result, the Teaching Academy, in conjunction with the Office of Assessment, arranged to bring in critical thinking experts Tine Reimers and Bill Roberson as pre-conference presenters for the NMSU Conference on Assessment 2015. In addition, the Office of Assessment arranged for NILOA presenter Natasha Jankowski and David Marshall to present workshops for the campus community Spring 2016 on designing effective assignments. Furthermore, results from the Spring 2015 evaluation of student writing were incorporated into our QI, and actions taken in response to collective results are found in our QI report. [link] And although we have not systematically documented it, faculty [collect anecdotal evidence] who participate in GE scoring sessions

often walk away with ideas about how they will redesign elements of their courses based on what they observed by scoring student work. 

A significant impact of our program-level approach to assessment of the GE Core is that it has provided data about the effectiveness of the NM GE Core comprehensively, thereby supporting statewide reform of the Core. For the past several years NMSU's GE assessment has shown there are substantial shortfalls in the current approach to GE. In Spring 2016 the New Mexico Higher Education Department launched a statewide effort, led by NMSU's Executive Vice President & Provost, to strategically reform the NM GE Core. The reform includes increased focus on developing transferable essential learning [link] skills, and decreased focus on content-based outcomes. Because NMSU has evaluated program level learning in the GE Core, we will be able - using current and recent past findings as baseline data - to evaluate the impact of comprehensive GE reform on student learning.

Currently, our BE assessment is inextricably tied to our QI project. [link] During the life of this initiative NMSU used data [link] from both indirect and direct measures to better understand the institutional context for writing. Nationally standardized measures (CLA; NSSE [link]) indicate NMSU students score 'average' compared to their peers, but it is our desire that students experience greater success in writing by the end of their tenure at NMSU. While we continued to collect data, we used existing data to guide initial intervention actions. For example, we offered several workshops [link] on writing; our NMSU Conference on Assessment 2015  featured writing across the curriculum experts Roger and Heather Graves, [link-bios] and included a student writing competition. [link- co-sponsored by ASNMSU, OoA, NYTimes in Ed] At the individual course level, NMSU developed competitive Writing-to-Learn (W2L) mini-grants. Faculty representing all colleges have significantly restructured individual courses [link to reports] to enhance student writing. In the spirit of sharing practices and maximizing impact, mini-grant recipients present their work at the NMSU Teaching Academy workshops, [link-flyers/notices] and the New Mexico Higher Education Assessment and Retention (NMHEAR) annual conference. This has had an impact at the department level, [link to evidence of this-e.g. FCS; NMHEAA teams; etc] wherein departments are experimenting with ways to consistently incorporate and address writing across and within their curriculum. NMSU also sponsored college- and department-level teams [link to updates; posters; reports] to attend the New Mexico Higher Education Assessment Association summer retreat to develop college and departmental actions [link] to improve writing.  As an institution, NMSU is further addressing opportunities to enhance the writing experience [link- QI action plan] of students over the course of their baccalaureate studies. 

A significant and related project to improve student learning was undertaken by Professor Mark Walker in the Philosophy Department. Dr. Walker first assessed the impact of required Socratic note taking in his introductory PHIL 1--- course, and then engaged others in similarly large introductory courses in ----- and ------ to implement the same strategy. Findings [link-Mark Walker] were remarkably strong, showing the impact of this intervention to be effective, and particularly so for at-risk students. As a result, he has implemented change in his course, as have others that participated in the second study.   

4.B.4. NMSU’s processes and methodologies to assess student learning reflect good practice, including the substantial participation of faculty and other instructional staff members.

Currently NMSU uses a five-committee framework to ensure processes and methodologies of assessing student learning reflect good practice and include widespread participation of faculty and other instructional staff. Under the purview of the director of assessment, this system for dynamically engaging faculty in assessment practices has been effective in sustaining ongoing conversations and activities around students and their learning. In addition, it serves to develop assessment expertise among faculty and staff across campus.

Each of the 5 committees has a specified role in NMSU-LC's assessment structure, outlined in each committee's mission, goals and objectives.

The University Outcomes Assessment Council (UOAC) emerged from a working group developed to prepare for our 2008 HLC site visit. An umbrella organization, membership includes representation from both academic and support services. The UOAC "provides collaborative leadership to support a culture of assessment that promotes and reflects a holistic student learning experience." UOAC complements and supports Institutional Analysis, and facilitated the NMSU Conference on Assessment 2015, a full-day event attended by 250 faculty, students and staff. In addition to keynote speakers, [link] NMSU committees, faculty and staff presented --- sessions about their work at NMSU to improve student learning through assessment. 

The Committee for the Assessment of Student Learning in General Education (CASL-GE)   "actively supports faculty, staff, administrators and students in increasing and documenting institutional effectiveness by facilitating meaningful assessment of student learning in the lower-level general education curriculum." Begun as a working group to revise NMSU's GE assessment in 2010, by 2011-12 the team conducted our first full program-level assessment of the GE Core. Now a formalized committee with rotating faculty representation   from all colleges, the CASL-GE continues to lead the annual evaluation of student learning in the GE Core, addressing a different aspect of GE learning (e.g. the arts, STEM, writing, history, humanities, social behavior) with each cycle. The GE assessment cycle reflects careful attention to engaging faculty in various aspects of assessment process. First, the committee itself is made up of faculty from across the NMSU-LC campus; Second, assessment tools are developed by a working group of the committee that may include faculty members with particular expertise that do not serve on the committee. Next, the assessment is administered in courses that are not part of the NM GE Core (in fact are upper-division NMSU GE courses, known as VWW courses), and therefore creates awareness and involvement by faculty outside of the NM GE Core offerings. Scoring sessions are the most intense way in which multiple faculty from across campus are involved, with expectations that representatives [Do we still have ALs?] from each department participate. In scoring sessions faculty are acquainted with the evaluation tools (assignment and rubric), undergo norming processes and evaluate student work. At the end of the session faculty participate in an initial group reflection on what they observed in the student work. Some faculty indicate that they will make changes [link] in their own courses based on what they observed. The following fall the committee presents findings in a faculty open forum to gather feedback and suggested action items prior to finalizing the annual report. [Examples of impact]

The Committee for the Assessment of Student Learning across the Baccalaureate Experience (CASL-BE) "strives to inspire a shared vision of student success for the mutual benefit of students, faculty, staff, administrators and the community." Initially the HLC Assessment Academy Team, the team was expanded and formalized into the current structure in 2012 [?]. Committee membership is primarily faculty, with representation from student affairs. Endeavors by the committee are discussed in 4.B.2. The CASL-BE has worked with the director of assessment to engage the campus community about learning across the BE through open forums, sharing findings at departmental faculty meetings across campus and surveying students and faculty broadly to better understand their differing perceptions of BE outcomes. Perhaps most importantly, it was through initial efforts of this committee that we gathered support for and derived our QI to improve student writing. This committee still has its work cut out for it, as despite widespread faculty engagement in developing the BE outcomes, [link] part of the campus is unaware of NMSU's stated BE objectives, and what they mean to our students.  

NMSU's foundational assessment committee was first know as the Outcomes Assessment Committee 1 for academic departmental assessment. In 2010 [check date] the committee was repurposed and became the Advocates for Classroom Assessment (ACA). As the ACA, the committee developed a 2-semester series of workshops on class-level assessment that resulted in participant recognition as Classroom Assessment Colleagues [link]. During this time and with their support, the assessment office developed the NMSU Rubric for Scholarly Teaching. This rubric is available university wide and can be used as a guide to evaluate engagement in scholarly teaching practices. Further revisions and redefinition of the committee's purpose resulted in the

current name, the Advocates for Scholarly Teaching (AST). Rotating membership includes faculty representation from all academic colleges. The core mission of the AST is to "actively support NMSU in increasing and documenting institutional effectiveness by encouraging, creating and sustaining an environment that focuses on the continuous improvement of student learning through course-level assessment and scholarly teaching."  As the AST, the committee has offered faculty development opportunities through workshops on various aspects of assessment, [link] two iterations of the Peer Review Network (PRN), and Teaching with the   Stars.  In Fall 2016 AST committee members underwent training and subsequently reviewed and provided feedback to departments, via the director of assessment, on ADA reports.  

The Outcomes Assessment Committee for Co-Curriculum, Administration and Operations (OAC-CAO) also originated as one of NMSU's foundational assessment committees and was formerly known as the Outcomes Assessment Committee 2 for co-curricular assessment. The mission of the OAC-CAO is to "actively and intentionally support co-curricular, administrative and operational areas in engaging in continuous assessment that enhances students’ life-learning experiences." Rotating membership includes representation from across NMSU's administrative and co-curricular units. The OAC-CAO, in collaboration with the director of assessment, oversees annual assessment in co-curricular areas and reviews and provides feedback on annual assessment reports from these areas. NMSU recognizes the significant impact co-curricular and administrative units have on student learning, and this committee has been a consistent force [link to resources provided by this committee past and present] in engaging, supporting and developing assessment expertise. More recently (2017) the committee developed and distributed a best practices example set for co-curriculum-, administration- and operations-based assessment reporting. They also identify one department annually to receive Co-curriculum, Administration and Operations Excellence in   Assessment   Award , [link] presented annually at either the fall or spring Convocation. 

The Office of Assessment engages faculty in each department as Assessment Liaisons. [link-if still used] The primary role of Assessment Liaisons is to facilitate ongoing communication between their department and the Office of Assessment regarding institution and department outcomes assessment activities. 

Processes and methods for Academic Departmental Assessment (ADA) are described in sections 4.B.1-3. Over the past several years NMSU has not had an institution-level committee involved in the ADA process, though in Fall 2016 it did engage members of the AST in the review and feedback process. NMSU plans to continue this faculty-involved process moving forward.

In addition to service on institutional assessment committees, faculty in every department engage in assessment practices; how this happens varies by department. Although NMSU has been intentional in encouraging faculty to conduct meaningful assessment at multiple levels, participation is still an area for improvement, as is documenting the use of results to improve learning. Departments without specialized accreditation are particularly susceptible to such challenges. In an effort to bring more attention to the importance of these elements of strong assessment, more recent ADA annual reports are evaluated - among other things - for engagement and impact (in Fall 2014, 63% of departmental reports scored "developed" or "highly developed" for Engagement, and 62% of departmental reports scored the same for Impact; if Fall 2016, respective percentages were --% and --%). There are several examples [link] among ADA reports of departmental activities for improved learning, with ongoing evaluation of the same to identify impact. For example, the Plant and Environmental Sciences (PES) Department identified a need for improved graduate student learning in the areas of statistics and presentation of statistics to a scientific audience. The department was responsive to the findings which led to more graduate student participation in applied statistics courses offered at NMSU and also added statistical guest lectures into the graduate student research orientation course available to most incoming Master of Science students. Re-assessment is scheduled for Fall 2017. 

In addition to the multi-faceted committee structure and departmental and college assessment efforts, the Office of Assessment continues to pursue avenues to advance and sustain a meaningful culture and practice of evidence-based improvement. Maintaining an updated website provides transparency of all assessment activities to the internal NMSU community and to external stakeholders. The Office of Assessment also encourages and provides limited funding for attendance at the New Mexico Higher Education Assessment and Retention conference, [link] and the New Mexico Higher Education Assessment Association summer retreat, [link] both of which support faculty, administrator and staff development in assessment practices.  

In Spring 2017, the NMSU Office of Assessment applied for the Excellence in Assessment Designation through the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA). The self-assessment [link] and application process was used as a framework for internal and external review. The review process included critique of NMSU’s student learning outcomes statements, assessment plans, assessment resources, current assessment activities, evidence of student learning and the use of student learning evidence. Undergoing this process helped identify current strengths and opportunities [link] for improvement. Regardless of the outcome of this application, the process provides valuable input and perspective and will guide our institutional efforts to improve student achievement. [update July-will know outcome]

NEED TO INCORPORATE GRANTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources

A&S_CJGoals_2016.04.06 ACCRED_QualityInitiative_2016.04.06 ACCRED_SpecializedAccreditationWebPage_2015.11.10 ACES_AXEDGoals_2016.04.06 ACES_PESSyllabi_2016.04.06 ASSESS_AcademicProgramAssessmentWebsite_2017.02.16 ASSESS_ADAAnnualReport200708 ASSESS_ADAAnnualReport200809_2009.08.24 ASSESS_ADAAnnualReport200910_2010.09.30 ASSESS_ADAAnnualReport201011_2011.10.17 ASSESS_ADAAnnualReport2013_2015.06.16 ASSESS_ADAAnnualReport201314_2015.06.16 ASSESS_ADAAnnualReport201415_2016.07.09 ASSESS_ADAAnnualReports_2016.04.06 ASSESS_ADAAnnualReports201213_2015.06.16 ASSESS_ADARubric_2016.10.27 ASSESS_AssignmentDesignSymposium_2016.03.04 ASSESS_ASTGuidingDocuments_2013.05.02

ASSESS_ASTMemembershipList_2017.04.06 ASSESS_ASTMission_2013.05.01 ASSESS_BEAssessmentReport2011_2013.05.22 ASSESS_BEAssessmentReport20112012_2013.05.22 ASSESS_BEJune2013NewsBrief ASSESS_CASLBEGuidingDocuments_2013.05.02-2 ASSESS_CASLBEMembershipList_2017.04.06 ASSESS_CASLGEGuidingDocuments_2013.05.01 ASSESS_CASLGEMembershipList_2017.04.06 ASSESS_DistinctAndComplementaryRolesOfInstitutionalAnalysisAndOutcomesAssessment_201

3.05.03 ASSESS_Fall2015InstitutionalReportOnAcademicProgramAssessmentJuly2016_2016.10.27 ASSESS_FiveCommitteesOfAssessmentAtNMSU_2016.02.01 ASSESS_ForStudentsAssessmentTab_2016.04.06 ASSESS_GeneralEducationAssessmentCycle_2016.02.01 ASSESS_InstitutionalStatementOnAssessment_2013.04.23 ASSESS_NMSUConferenceOnAssessment2015_2016.02.01 ASSESS_OACCAOBestPractices_2017.02.10 ASSESS_OACCAOGuidingDocuments_2014.08.28 ASSESS_OACCAOMembershipList_2017.04.06 ASSESS_OACCAOMission_2016.04.06 ASSESS_OAReportingSchedule_2014.08.27 ASSESS_OfficeOfAssessmentMissionStatement_2017.02.10 ASSESS_OfficeOfAssessmentWebpage_2017.02.10 ASSESS_PeerReviewNetwork_2016.04.06 ASSESS_PESGraduateStudent201415AssessmentReport ASSESS_ScholarlyTeachingRubric ASSESS_TeachingWithTheStars_2017.04.06 ASSESS_UOACGuidingDocuments_2013.05.01 ASSESS_UOACMembershipList_2017.04.06 ASSESS_UOACMission_2013.05.01 ASSESS_VisionForTheBEStudentSpring2013 ASSESS_VisionOfBEMissionGoalsObj2013_2013.05.03 BUS_CollegeOfBusinessSyllabi_2016.04.06 EDUC_SPEDCDGoals_2016.04.06 ENG_CHMESyllabi_2016.04.06 GRANTS_AssessmentWebsite_2017.02.16 HSS_PHSGoals_2016.04.06 NILOA_ExcellenceInAssessmentDesignation_2017.02.17 NMHEAR_WritingToLearn_2016.02.25 NMHED_GECoreCompetencies_2017.02.17 NMHED_GeneralEdCoreCourseSubmissionReviewTimeline_2017.02.17 OCIP_IntroductionToQualityMatters_2017.02.17 OCIP_TeachingAcademyListOfLearningObjectives TA_CriticalThinking_2016.03.12 TA_TeachingAcademyListOfLearningObjectives

4.C - Core Component 4.C

The institution demonstrates a commitment to educational improvement through ongoing attention to retention, persistence, and completion rates in its degree and certificate programs.

1. The institution has defined goals for student retention, persistence, and completion that are ambitious but attainable and appropriate to its mission, student populations, and educational offerings.

2. The institution collects and analyzes information on student retention, persistence, and completion of its programs.

3. The institution uses information on student retention, persistence, and completion of programs to make improvements as warranted by the data.

4. The institution’s processes and methodologies for collecting and analyzing information on student retention, persistence, and completion of programs reflect good practice. (Institutions are not required to use IPEDS definitions in their determination of persistence or completion rates. Institutions are encouraged to choose measures that are suitable to their student populations, but institutions are accountable for the validity of their measures.)

Argument4.C. The institution demonstrates a commitment to educational improvement through ongoing attention to retention, persistence, and completion rates in its degree and certificate programs.

4.C.1. NMSU has defined goals for student retention, persistence, and completion that are ambitious but attainable and appropriate to its mission, student populations, and educational offerings.

Goals for student retention, persistence and completion are identified in the NMSU strategic plan, Vision 2020. [link] Current targets and measures are based on first-time entering, full-time student cohorts (referred to as “first-time” from here). NMSU-LC's goal is to achieve an undergraduate first year (fall to fall) retention rate of 80%, with four-year and six-year completion rates at 30% and 55% respectively, by 2020. These figures represent an 8% increase in current first year retention, and 11% and 10% increases in current four- and six-year graduation rates, respectively. Given our land grant mission [link], student demographic [link] and peer institution comparisons, [link] we believe our stated goals are ambitious, yet attainable. 

NMSU-Grants has taken a slightly different approach that is outlined in their campus strategic plan Foresight 2020 [link]. The NMSU-Grants' branch campus mission [link] and student demographic [link] make their goal to increase both retention and completion rates annually by 1% both ambitious and attainable.

Currently NMSU does not have stated goals for retention and completion by transfer students, but by 20--- will have identified target goals for both undergraduate transfer and graduate students. 

 

4.C.2. NMSU collects and analyzes information on student retention, persistence, and completion of its programs.

The Office of Institutional Analysis (OIA) reports retention and graduation rates for first-time, full-time freshmen cohorts annually for the overall cohorts as well as by gender, ethnic group and socioeconomic status. [Link] For first-time full-time students who began their college careers in fall 2010, 45% graduated

from NMSU-LC within 6 years. The one-year retention rate for the NMSU-LC Fall 2015 cohort was 72%. Analysis of the demographic trends reveal a continuing divide between minority and non-minority students. In-depth analyses indicate the combination of minority status, gender and socioeconomic status most accurately defines the achievement gap. The achievement gap between male, minority, low-income students and all other students is of serious concern and has provided critical motivation for implementing programs to reduce this divide. [link IA Data]

In addition to the general cohort rates, colleges and departments have access to an interactive dashboard of one-year retention rates for first-time entering students. This dashboard provides visualized retention data down to the department level for numerous demographics, financial aid and academic factors. The one-year rates help better define, particularly for faculty, the student population and thereby highlight the reality that faculty play a critical role in first-year success. [link IA Data] Furthermore, program retention and completion rates are provided to all programs as they undergo academic program review. Goals for each program are set by the individual programs in consultation with their dean and reflect varying cohort sizes depending on the program.

Increasingly, NMSU is focused on retention and completion of transfer students. NMSU-LC participates in the APLU Student Achievement Measure (SAM) which provides additional enrollment and graduation information on first-time entering students and undergraduate transfer students, including the transfer-out success of students. For example, 58% of full time transfer students starting at NMSU in fall 2009 graduated from NMSU within six years, and another 9% graduated from other institutions in the same time period.

NMSU compares its retention and graduation rates to its peers using the IPEDS Graduation Rates Survey, Graduation Rates 200% Survey and the new Outcomes Measures Survey. 

Retention and graduation data [link] for NMSU-Grants reflect their student population which is high-minority and low-income. Because of the small size of their first-time entering cohorts, their retention and graduation rates exhibit wide swings from year to year. While this limits the usefulness of comparison data, it is clear that retention and graduation rates remain low.

To support the ongoing and increased attention to retention and completion, OIA is expanding both its longitudinal databases and its tools for data dissemination, including first-time student and transfer student data, as well as undergraduate and graduate retention and completion data. 

4.C.3.NMSU uses information on student retention, persistence, and completion of programs to make improvements as warranted by the data.

The analyses described in 4.C.2 show that low income is a complicating challenge to retention at NMSU. This analysis, along with consideration of our high minority and first-generation college population has resulted in strategies aimed at improving retention and completion generally, and particularly for these populations. Many efforts reflect successful national models and utilize increasingly intrusive practices.    

Entrance Requirements

In Fall 2014, based on the recommendation by Complete College America and its “15 to Finish” program [http://completecollege.org/?], NMSU-LC changed its undergraduate tuition structure to encourage students to enroll in 15 credit hours of course work each semester. The new structure provided a reduced rate at 15 hours compared to 14 hours, and is the minimal limit for major university merit scholarships, including the New Mexico Lottery Scholarship. [link] This change was made based on national data that suggest increased credit hour enrollment results in increased retention and more timely degree completion.  

In Fall 2016 NMSU increased the required high school GPA for admission to NMSU-LC from 2.5 to 2.75. Retention analyses indicated that students entering with less than 2.75 high school GPA had a one-year retention rate approximately 20% lower than students with at least a 2.75, and a six-year graduation rate that was nearly 30% lower. [link] Staying true to our land grant mission and commitment to access, this change was not intended to prevent access to higher education, but rather to create a more viable pathway, through our community colleges system, for students who may be less academically and experientially prepared to succeed at a large four-year institution. Classes at the community colleges are smaller, and the shift from high school to college, particularly for students from our rural state, is less dramatic at two-year institutions. 

Students who apply to NMSU-LC and do not meet the 2.75 requirement are invited to participate in the Aggie   Pathway to the Baccalaureate . In the Aggie Pathway, students are admitted to one of the NMSU-system community colleges to begin their college career. Students who attend one of our community colleges and achieve a 2.5 GPA in a minimum of 24 credit hours are guaranteed admission to NMSU-LC. Students are encouraged to complete a reverse transfer of credit upon completion of associate degree requirements at NMSU-LC so that community colleges receive credit for the degree completion. Students in the Aggie Pathway receive peer and staff mentoring and participate in organized visits to the Las Cruces campus for academic, cultural and sporting events. Participation in activities on the Las Cruces campus foster student connections to the campus and are intended to facilitate a successful transition from the community college to the four year campus. Beginning in Fall 2016, ---- [number available in Feb-OIA] students were referred to the Aggie Pathway at NMSU-Dona Ana (NMSU-DA) and NMSU-Alamogordo (NMSU-A).  Students already attending NMSU-DA who expressed an interest in the program were also admitted, for a total number of ---- students enrolled in the program for Fall 2016. Of those, ----- continued in Spring 2017. More promising, the Aggie Pathway has increased the focus on seamless pathways [link] for students to move from associate programs in the community colleges to baccalaureate programs on the NMSU-LC campus.  As with all our initiatives to improve student success, this program will be rigorously evaluated to determine if it is making a positive difference to the students who participate. 

Student Support

NMSU's goal to improve retention was a major motivation for the development of the Student Success Navigator (SSNavigator) program that assists students in transitioning to college life. Modeled after peer mentoring programs in NMSU TRiO Student Support Services and the First-Year Experience Peer Mentor Program at Georgia State University, in Fall 2015, 11 graduate students and 2 full-time staff navigators assisted 1,993 first-time students making the transition to college life. Although the fall to spring retention rate of the cohort showed a slight increase (85.8% for the Fall 2014 cohort to 86.0% for the Fall 2015 cohort), the one-year retention rate decreased (74% for Fall 2014; 72% for Fall 2015). The SSNavigator program was closely examined, changes were made in timing of selection and training of the graduate assistants, and the entering cohort was introduced to their navigators at summer orientation programs rather than at the beginning of the fall semester. In Fall 2016, 24 graduate students (12 continuing and 12 new navigators) assisted 1,842 new students to transition to college life. [update new retention figures as available] Analysis of the program will continue and adjustments will be made to according to the data.

Early Alert Interventions

In 2006, NMSU implemented Quick Connect [link], an early alert system used to communicate and intervene with students who are identified by their instructors as struggling academically. QuickConnect allows faculty to identify and request assistance for students who are not attending class and/or who are performing poorly on assignments. Once identified, students receive a call and/or email from a QuickConnect responder (NMSU faculty or staff volunteer) who has been trained to encourage the student to attend class or to access needed support services. Use of QuickConnect [link to table of data over time] has steadily increased since its inception. In Fall 2006, 135 referrals were received, and 33 students were successfully contacted. In Fall 2016, 618 referrals from 480 individual faculty were received; QuickConnect responders were able to connect with nearly half of the referred students. 

Another form of early intervention was instituted in Fall 2015 when NMSU began requiring faculty to submit course grades for all lower-division courses [link-table of % of courses providing grades] in the student information system (Banner) six weeks into the semester, prior to the mid-semester deadline for withdrawal. Grades are available to students, navigators and advisors. Systematic contact is made with at-risk students by navigators and advisors, and additional support is dispatched through resident assistants in residence halls who directly contact students when they do not respond to emails or phone messages. Essentially this puts students on notice when they are not doing well in a course, with time to take corrective action or withdraw from a course that may cause them to jeopardize their academic standing, scholarship and/or financial aid award. 

An effort that dovetails with early intervention and notification is the offering of mid-semester courses designed to help students develop study, time management and information literacy skills and courses that meet general education requirements. These courses accommodate schedule changes at mid-semester and allow students to maintain their academic progress and financial aid when dropping a difficult course to maintain a satisfactory GPA. The effectiveness of offering mid-semester courses is reflected in the number of students who remain eligible to receive the New Mexico Lottery Scholarship each semester despite withdrawing from a course (or two) in the semester. The strict renewal criteria for this scholarship of 15 graded credit hours and a minimum 2.50 cumulative GPA have encouraged students to enroll in these courses.

 Completion

The Calling All Aggies [link] campaign, initiated in November of 2015, focuses on retention and completion. Again relying on faculty and staff volunteers, this campaign reaches out to students in good academic standing who are not registered for classes in the upcoming semester. After a student's designated registration classification date passes, the student receives an email to remind them to register and provides information on their advisor and financial aid. If they do not register within a given time frame, they receive a call from a volunteer who is trained to provide students with information that will assist them in the registration process. If the student is facing other obstacles that may be preventing them from enrolling, such as a University Accounts Receivable hold, the caller assists them in finding solutions or directing them to appropriate resources that can help them remain in school. From November 2016 until January 18, 2017, Calling All Aggies volunteers made 2,369 contacts (by phone and/or email) to students who had not yet enrolled for spring 2017. After receiving a phone call and/or email from this campaign, 1,631 students completed enrollment for Spring 2017.

In an effort specifically targeting completion, in Spring 2014 NMSU initiated the Aggie Capstone Graduation Challenge. This program helps senior level students who have completed at least 94 credit hours return to NMSU to complete their undergraduate degree. Advisors provide guidance to each student and aid in developing a pathway to graduation plan. Since its inception, ---- [number-Marisa] students have taken part in the program, and --- [number] have completed their degree.  

Additional Programs

Other programs support narrower segments of the student population and strive to increase student success, retention, and graduation. These include TRiO Student Success Services (federally funded [link-http://newscenter.nmsu.edu/Articles/view/11282/nmsu-trio-student-support-services-program-receives-nearly-2-million-in-funding]), American Indian Programs and Indian Resource Development, Black Programs, Chicano Programs , CAMP [link] Program, and Military and Veterans Programs. These programs strive to help minority and veteran students make a successful transition to college life through various avenues, including mentoring, scholarships, library resources, computer resources, social activities and job placement opportunities [link-verify which programs offer what-may need to create a template]. 

Recognizing that many of our students have very limited financial resources and that financial challenges are a factor in retention, persistence and graduation, NMSU provides financial literacy training to students through the Wells Fargo Red to Green Money Management Program. The Financial Aid Office conducts outreach   programs  and all students are encouraged to apply for university, college and department scholarships through Scholar Dollar$ an online application that matches students with available funding.

Retention efforts at the university level are complemented by efforts within colleges and departments that address academic issues related to their programs and courses. For example, the Engineering College recently revised the freshman curriculum, and the Business College significantly reduced the size of its freshman Introduction to Business course (BUSA 111). Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences College pioneered combining a developmental math course with an intermediate algebra course, supported with supplemental instruction. Immersing underprepared students in 8 credits of math has generated good results [link] in both courses, and has moved students more rapidly toward their major and degree. Business benefited from this model as well [did they do it in Business, or are their students taking the ACES courses?]

A similar focus initiated in the College of Arts & Sciences on math success let to the development of AS 103 Quantitative Foundations, a math emporium designed to fast-track students through developmental math. This 3-credit course is designed to prepare students who have some math skills and are comfortable learning via computer, to prepare for college level math (MATH 120/210). While instructors and peer-learning assistants are available to help, students complete their work independently through the on-line, adaptive learning system, ALEKS. Depending on the progress made during A S 103, a student may be able to bypass MATH 120 and go straight into MATH 121G or STAT 251G.

To address retention and completion concerns at NMSU-Grants, a Student Success Committee was initiated in 2011. [date?] The committee meets monthly during the academic year and supports training for faculty in online course development, redesigning and developing web-based STEM and general education courses and updating infrastructure with the goals of increasing student retention, associate degree completion and transfers to four-year degree programs. [need specific actions/impact minutes/reports can be provided on the web)  https://grants.nmsu.edu/about/institutional-reports. Title V project initiatives [link-http://grants.nmsu.edu/title-v-grant/] 

To sustain continued focus on retention and graduation, NMSU reaches out to regional and national experts for the best and tested solutions. In 2016-17, NMSU hosted a Student Success Retreat [link] with Drs. Tim Renick (Vice Provost and Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success at Georgia State University), Loretta U. Griffy (Professor of Mathematics & Statistics and Director for the Center of Teaching and Learning at Austin Peay State University) and Laura Rendon (Professor of Higher Education at UT San Antonio). Dr. Renick made a second trip in October 2016 to speak to a broader audience about approaches to retention and completion being used at Georgia State. In January 2017, Dr. Lyon-Bennett addressed the campus community on The Role of Faculty in Student Success. [link].  Events at the NMSU Teaching Academy [link] also focus on approaches to improve student success, both within and outside of the classroom.

4.C.4. NMSU’s processes and methodologies for collecting and analyzing information on student retention, persistence, and completion of programs reflect good practice. (Institutions are not required to use IPEDS definitions in their determination of persistence or completion rates. Institutions are encouraged to choose measures that are suitable to their student populations, but institutions are accountable for the validity of their measures.) 

The OIA is responsible for university-wide analysis of student retention, persistence and completion. Data reports have traditionally been based on IPEDS definitions and methodology and, as such, focus on first-time entering, full-time cohorts. OIA also participates in the Center for Institutional Data Exchange and Analysis (CSRDE) that utilizes methodology similar to IPEDS. However, CSRDE also provides methodology for reporting retention and graduation rates for STEM programs and for community college

transfer students. Since Fall 2016, OIA has provided more detailed rates and analyses of first-time freshmen based on income level, high school GPA, ACT scores, first semester GPA and other factors more specific to NMSU, but using the same basic “cohort” methodology. Longitudinal databases [link] have been created to report on student success by program, department and college out to ten years after entering NMSU-LC. The IPEDS methodology is also used at NMSU-Grants. [is there more for Grants-Rose]

In 2014-15, NMSU began participating in the APLU Student Achievement Measure (SAM). The SAM project is designed to develop a comprehensive picture of student progress toward graduation and includes tracking students who leave NMSU prior to graduation through collaboration with the National Student Clearinghouse. Although cohort identification reflects IPEDS methodology, additional types of cohorts are included (e.g. undergraduate transfer students).

Because of the variation of program length, start dates and prior degree requirements, methodologies for calculating graduate student persistence and completion have been difficult to implement and have changed over time. A methodology put forth by the Council of Graduate Schools that focused on time to degree did not provide sufficient information for program directors. A new methodology suggested by WASC is currently in use. Comprehensive databases are being created for every graduate program, and rates will be calculated at the program level, and then rolled up to the university level.

Distinct program analyses are provided by OIA on request by the program, such as for Military and Veteran’s Affairs, TRiO Student Success, Greek Affairs and several grant funded programs including RISE and MARC. When separate methodologies are required, OIA works with the program to identify best practices, as well as to gather pertinent data which may not be available in Banner. This collaboration also serves to enhance the more comprehensive longitudinal databases to support more in-depth analyses on student retention at the university level. While first-time cohort analysis is still the predominant methodology in use, effort is being made to expand to all populations of students. Additionally, visualization tools have recently been implemented that help to make the display of the data more appealing and comprehensible. Continued effort in this area will improve the application of success data.

 

Sources

A&S_HowardHughesMedicalInstituteProgramPeerToPeerProgramBioCatsAdCat_2016.02.03 ADMISS_AggieCapstoneGraduationChallenge_2016.02.03 ADMISS_AggiePathwayToTheBaccalaureateProgram_2016.02.01 ADMISS_FormerNMSUStudentsFindHelpFromAggieCapstoneGraduationChallenge_2016.02.03 BOR_Vision2020_2015.12.22 BP_BlackPrograms_2015.12.08 CAREER_FinancialAidOutreachAndRetention_2016.02.03 CP_ChicanoPrograms_2015.12.08 ENG_HeadlinesNMSUsEngineeringFreshmanYearExperienceImprovesRetention_2016.02.03 FINAID_ScholarDollar_2016.02.03 IRD_AmericanIndianProgram_2015.12.08 IRD_IndianResourceDevelopmentForStudents_2016.02.03 MVP_MilitaryAndVeteransProgram_2016.02.03 OIA_Fall2015RetGradMultiCategoriesNewPell_2015.10.13 PROVOST_ProvostPost_2016.01.26 REGIST_CampusEnrollmentFall2015Census_2015.09.06 SAM_StudentAchievementMeasureSAM_2016.11.01 SSC_MidSemesterAndUNIVCoursesAvailable_2016.02.03 SSC_QuickConnectEarlyAlertInterventionProgram_2016.02.03 SSC_StudentSuccessNavigators_2016.02.03

SSC_WellsFargoRedToGreenMoneyManagementProgram_2015.02.13 SSS_TRIOProgramWebpage_2016.01.25

4.S - Criterion 4 - Summary

The institution demonstrates responsibility for the quality of its educational programs, learning environments, and support services, and it evaluates their effectiveness for student learning through processes designed to promote continuous improvement.

SummaryIssues relating to credit transfer, including clear communication to students (e.g. applicability of transfer credits to degree programs, especially those earned after enrolling at NMSU) that are currently being addressed include the efficiency of credit transfer processes, transparency to potential and current students, communication between the OR and colleges and departments. Beginning in 2016 (??) a Transfer Credit Working Group began meeting to resolve some of these issues. Accomplishments to date include: revised transfer rule 6.86, revised catalog information on award of transfer credit, conceptual configuration of transfer at 3 levels, website revision, development of course equivalency module on website) [Need Source docs/updated information on each of these].

NMSU, both LC and Grants, takes the success of our students very seriously.  As a Land Grant, Hispanic-Serving Institution, we are aware and committed to the success of all of our students.  Through growing our capacity to identify areas of weakness and areas of strength using data and analyses, and introducing new programs based on national, state and local innovations, we will achieve our goals.  

SourcesThere are no sources.