support program assessment november 18-19, 2014 ryan j. mclawhon, ed.d. director institutional...
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Support Program AssessmentNovember 18-19, 2014
Ryan J. McLawhon, Ed.D.DirectorInstitutional [email protected]
Elizabeth C. Bledsoe, M.A.Program CoordinatorInstitutional [email protected]
Kimberlee PottbergSr. Admin CoordinatorInstitutional [email protected]
assessment.tamu.edu
• Components of the WEAVEonline Assessment Plan & expectations of each
• Assessment Review Process
• Question and Answer Session
Agenda
SACS Comprehensive Standard 3.3.1
3.3 Institutional Effectiveness
3.3.1 The institution identifies expected outcomes, assesses the extent to which it achieves these outcomes, and provides evidence of improvement based on analysis of the results in each of the following areas: (Institutional Effectiveness)
3.3.1.1 educational programs, to include student learning outcomes
3.3.1.2 administrative support services
3.3.1.3 educational support services
3.3.1.4 research within its educational mission, if appropriate
3.3.1.5 community/public service within its educational mission, if appropriate
SACS Expectations
SACS Comprehensive Standard 3.3.1
3.3 Institutional Effectiveness
3.3.1 The institution identifies expected outcomes, assesses the extent to which it achieves these outcomes, and provides evidence of improvement based on analysis of the results in each of the following areas: (Institutional Effectiveness)
3.3.1.1 educational programs, to include student learning outcomes
3.3.1.2 administrative support services
3.3.1.3 educational support services
3.3.1.4 research within its educational mission, if appropriate
3.3.1.5 community/public service within its educational mission, if appropriate
SACS Expectations
and provides evidence of improvement based on analysis of the results…
The Assessment Circle
Develop Program
Mission & Outcomes
Design an Assessment
Plan
Implement the Plan &
GatherInformation
Interpret/Evaluate
Information
Modify & Improve
Adapted from: Trudy Banta, IUPUI
Develop Mission and Outcomes
Develop Program
Mission & Outcomes
• The mission statement links the functions of your unit to the overall mission of the institution.
• A few questions to consider in formulating the mission of your unit:
– What is the primary function of your unit?
– What should stakeholders interacting with your unit/program experience?
Mission Statement
• Brief, concise, distinctive
• Clearly identifies the program’s purpose and larger impact
• Clearly aligns with the mission of the division and the University
• Clearly identifies the primary stakeholders of the program: i.e., students, faculty, parents, etc.
Characteristics of a Well-Defined Mission Statement
• Limited in number (manageable)
• Specific, measurable and/or observable
• Meaningful
Outcomes/Objectives should…
There are two categories of outcomes:
Learning Outcomes
Program Objectives
Outcomes/Objectives
• Students participating in service learning activities will articulate how the experience connects to their degree and understanding of their field.
• Students will identify and discuss various aspects of architectural diversity in their design projects.
Examples of Learning Outcomes
• Process statements– Relate to what the unit intends to accomplish
• Level or volume of activity (participation rates, turnaround time, etc.)• Compliance with external standards of “good practice in the field” or
regulations (government standards, etc.)
• Satisfaction statements– Describe how those you serve rate their satisfaction with your
program, services, or activities
Program Objectives
• Process statements
– The Office of Safety and Security will prevent and resolve unsafe conditions.
• Satisfaction statements– Students who participate in Honors and
Undergraduate Research core programs will express satisfaction with the format and content of the programs by acknowledging that these activities contributed toward their achieving learning outcomes for undergraduate studies.
Examples of Program Objectives
Design an Assessment Plan
Design an Assessment
Plan
• Measurable and/or observable– You can observe it, count it, quantify, etc.– Specifically defined with enough context to understand
how it is observable
• Meaningful– It captures enough of the essential components of the
objective to represent it adequately– It will yield vital information about your unit/program
• Triangulates data– Multiple measures for each outcome– Direct and Indirect Measures
Measures should be…
• Define and identify the sources of evidence you will use to determine whether you are achieving your outcomes and how, if necessary, how that will be analyzed/evaluated.
• Identify or create measures which can inform decisions about your unit/program’s processes and services.
Assessment Measures
There are two basic types of assessment measures:
Direct Measures
Indirect Measures
Types of Assessment Measures(Palomba and Banta, 1999)
• Direct measures are those designed to directly measure what a stakeholder knows or is able to do (i.e., requires a stakeholder to actually demonstrate the skill or knowledge)
OR
• Direct measures are physical representations of the fulfillment of an outcome.
Direct Measures
Indirect measures focus on:
stakeholders’ perception of the performance of the unit
stakeholders’ perception of the benefit of programming or intervention
completion of requirements or activities stakeholders’ satisfaction with some aspect of the
program or service
Indirect Measures
• Surveys
• Exit interviews
• Retention/graduation data
• Demographics
• Focus groups
Common Indirect Measures
Some things to think about:
– How would you describe the end result of the outcome? OR How will you know if this outcome is being accomplished?
• What is the end product?
– Will the resulting data provide information that could lead to an improvement of your services or processes?
Choosing Assessment Measures
• An achievement target is the result, target, benchmark, or value that will represent success at achieving a given outcome.
• Achievement targets should be specific numbers or trends representing a reasonable level of success for the given measure/outcome relationship.
• What does quality mean and/or look like?
Achievement Targets
• 95% of all radiation safety inspections assigned will be performed monthly, to include providing recommendations for correcting deficiencies. This target was established with departmental leadership based on previous years' performance and professional judgment.
• A 5% increase in products and weights of EHS recycled materials (e.g., used oil, light bulbs) from the previous year will be realized.
Examples of Achievement Targets
Implement & Gather Information
Implement the Plan &
GatherInformation
• The results of the application of the measure to the collected data
• The language of this statement should parallel the corresponding achievement target.
• Results should be described in enough detail to prove you have met, partially met, or not met the achievement target.
Findings
Interpret/Evaluate Information
Interpret/Evaluate
Information
Analyzing Findings
• Three key questions at the heart of the analysis:
– What did you find and learn?
– So What does that mean for your unit or program?
– Now What will you do as a result of the first two answers?
Analysis Question Responses should…
• Demonstrate thorough analysis of the given findings
• Provide additional context to the action plan (why this approach was selected, why it is expected to make a difference, etc.)
• Update previous action plans – results of implementation
Modify/Improve
Modify & Improve
• After reflecting on the findings, you and your colleagues should determine appropriate action to improve the services provided.
• Actions outlined in the Action Plan should be specific and relate to the outcome and the results of assessment.
– Action Plans should not be related to the assessment process itself
Action Plans
An Action Plan will…
• Clearly communicate how the collected evidence of efficiency, satisfaction, or other Findings inform a change or improvement to processes and services.
• This DOES NOT include:– Changes to assessment processes– Continued monitoring of information– Changes to the program not informed by the data
collected through the assessment process
Assessment Review
Mission Statement
Outcomes/Objectives
Measures
Targets
Findings
Action Plans
Analysis Questions
• Assess what is important
• Use your findings to inform actions
• You do not have to assess everything every year
Take-Home Messages
OIA Consultations
• WEAVEonline support and training• Assessment plan design, clean-up, and
re-design
– And we can come to you!
• New Website: assessment.tamu.edu
Questions?
http://assessment.tamu.edu/conference
The Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement. SACS COC. 2008 Edition.
Banta, Trudy W., & Palomba, C. (1999). Assessment Essentials. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Banta, Trudy W. (2004). Hallmarks of Effective Outcomes Assessment. San Francisco: John Wiley and Sons.
Walvoord, Barbara E. (2004). Assessment Clear and Simple: A Practical Guide for Institutions, Departments, and General Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Assessment manuals from Western Carolina University, Texas Christian University, the University of Central Florida were very helpful in developing this presentation.
Putting It All Together examples adapted from Georgia State University, the University of North Texas, and the University of Central Florida’s Assessment Plans
References