Institutional Effectiveness Workshop

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Institutional Effectiveness Workshop

• Presented to Student Development
• July 25, 2003

2
Concepts

• Institutional Effectiveness and Outcomes
  Assessment
• SACS Accreditation Expectations
• Institutional Effectiveness Model
• Implementing Institutional Effectiveness in your
  unit

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Terminology

• College Mission Statement and Goals
• Unit Purpose Statements
• Unit Objectives/Intended Outcomes
• Inputs, Processes, Outcomes
• Strategic Planning
• Outcomes Assessment

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Unit Plans

• Developing a Unit Purpose Statement
• Writing Unit Objectives/Expected Outcomes
• Developing Procedures/Methods of Assessment
• Identifying the Criteria for Success
• Reporting Assessment Results
• Using Results for Improvement (Closing the Loop)
  

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Other Expectations ?
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Emergence of the Assessment Movement

• Began in early 1980s
• To Strengthen Quality in Higher Education (NCHE,
  1982)
• W. Bennett Secretary of Education
• A Nation at Risk, 1983
• To Reclaim a Legacy, 1984
• Involvement in LearningRealizing the Potential
  in American Higher Education (NIE, 1984)

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Emergence of the Assessment Movement

• In Search of Excellence Peters and Waterman,
  1982
• Each Commission / report called for
• a reform in higher education
• development of excellence in education,
• assessment of achievement / student learning

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Emergence of the Assessment Movement

• 1990s
• National Education Goals 1991
• Higher Expectations for Higher Education- 1993 -
  called for increased focus on student learning
• Publications and articles on applying Continuous
  Quality Improvement (CQI) in colleges and
  universities appeared

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Emergence of Assessment Movement

• Reauthorization of Higher Education Act 1992
• Called for more data student completion rates
• Wingspread Conference 1994
• Called for Accreditation reform assurance of
  quality in higher education

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Emergence of Assessment Movement

• Interest at the state level
• Critical Success Factors
• Accountability Measures and Standards
• Performance Funding
• Program and Services Reviews

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Shift to Outcomes Assessment

• 1987 - The Federal Government (Bennett) adopted
  new policies requiring regional accrediting
  associations to require colleges and universities
  to measure and document their effectiveness
  for accreditation

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Role of Accrediting Associations

• Plays a Gatekeeper role
• Ensures to the public that institutions meet or
  exceed established regional standards
• Without accreditation status, institutions cannot
  participate in federal programs and its students
  are not eligible to receive federal financial aid

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Shift to Outcomes Assessment

• How was Institutional Effectiveness to be
  measured?
• Mission/Purpose appropriate to higher education
• Educational Objectives consistent with the
  Mission /Purpose
• Regular evaluation of student academic
  achievement
• Use of results for improvement
• Evidence/documentation to prove it

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Shift to Outcomes Assessment

• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
  (SACS), Commission on Colleges (COC) was first to
  require colleges/universities to implement
  institutional effectiveness and outcomes
  assessment
• Criteria for Accreditation 1987
• Section III Institutional Effectiveness
• Principles of Accreditation Foundations for
  Quality Enhancement 2003

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Shift to Outcomes Assessment

• Accrediting associations followed SACS in
  implementing outcomes assessment
• Early 1990s
• North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
• Middle States Association
• Mid to late 1990s
• Western Association
• Northwest Association

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Criteria and Principles

• Both the SACS Criteria for Accreditation and the
  Principles of Accreditation represent minimum
  standards of good practice in higher education.

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Criteria Section IIIInstitutional Effectiveness

• The college MUST
• Develop a broad -based system to determine
  institutional effectiveness appropriate to its
  Mission
• Use the Mission as the foundation for planning
  and evaluation
• Use a variety of assessment methods
• Demonstrate the use of the results of planning
  and evaluation to improve of both educational
  programs and support services

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Criteria Section IIIInstitutional
Effectiveness

• Educational Quality will be judged finally by
  how effectively the institution achieves its
  mission and goals (Criteria, p.19)

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Definition

• Institutional Effectiveness is the extent to
  which an institution is
• achieving its Mission and Goals.
• matching our performance to purpose

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Criteria Section III Institutional
Effectiveness

• All Programs and Administrative and Educational
  Support Services MUST
• Establish a clearly defined purpose
• Formulate educational goals to support its
  purpose
• Develop and implement procedures to evaluate the
  extent to which the goals are achieved
• Use the results of the evaluations to improve
  educational programs and administrative and
  educational support services

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Principles of AccreditationFoundations of
Quality Enhancement

• College must comply with
• The Principles defined as integrity and
  commitment to quality enhancement
• 12 Core Requirements
• 53 Comprehensive Standards
• 8 Requirements mandated by the 1998 Higher
  Education Amendments

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Principles of AccreditationFoundations for
Quality Enhancement

• Accreditation is based upon an institutional
  commitment to student achievement.
• The concept of quality enhancement is at the
  heart of the COCs philosophy of accreditation
  this presumes each member institution is engaged
  in an ongoing program of improvement and can
  demonstrate how well it fulfills its stated
  mission.
• ...an institution is expected to document
  quality and effectiveness in all its major
  aspects.

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Principles of Accreditation Foundations for
Quality Enhancement

• Core Requirement 5
• The institution engages in ongoing, integrated,
  institution-wide research-based planning and
  evaluation processes that incorporate a
  systematic review of programs and services that
  (a) result in continuing improvement and (b)
  demonstrate that the institution is effectively
  accomplishing its mission.

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Principles of AccreditationFoundations of
Quality Enhancement

• Core Requirement 10
• The institution provides student support
  programs and activities consistent with its
  mission that promote student learning and enhance
  the development of students.

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Principles of AccreditationFoundations of
Quality Enhancement

• Institutional Effectiveness - Comprehensive
  Standard 16
• The institution identifies expected outcomes for
  its educational programs and its administrative
  and educational support services assesses
  whether it achieves these outcomes and provides
  evidence of improvement based on analysis of
  those results.

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What are Outcomes ?

• College as a Linear System
• INPUTS PROCESSES OUTCOMES
• Resources registration
  knowledge
• Students teaching
  skills
• Employees policies
  attitudes
• Facilities services
  behaviors
  
• Finances
  satisfaction
  
  Suggestions for Improvement
  

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What is Assessment?

• Assessment is the systematic process of gathering
  and interpreting information to discover if a
  program or service is meeting their established
  objectives and then using that information to
  improve the program or service.

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A Model for Implementing Institutional
Effectiveness (Outcomes Assessment)

• Meets accreditation requirements ?
• Compatible with state accountability initiatives?
  
• Mission and Goals driven ?
• Student and customer centered ?
• Provides the framework for
• outcomes assessment
• use of results for improvement ?
• documentation of quality and effectiveness?
• Is SIMPLE to implement and maintain?

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Definition

• CFCC Institutional Effectiveness Process
• A college-wide continuous improvement planning
  and evaluation process that provides evidence the
  college is effectively accomplishing its mission
  and goals.

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How does Institutional Effectiveness (Outcomes
Assessment) Relate to Strategic Planning and
other types of planning taking place on campus?
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Strategic Planning

• Examines the bigger issues
• Colleges overall intent (mission and goals)
• Fit in the service area, community
• Answers What actions should we take How much
  will it cost
• Focus is means resources inputs
• Examples budget planning, facilities master
  planning, enrollment and FTE projections, program
  planning, five year equipment plans, staffing,
  parking, supplies, materials

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Institutional Effectiveness (Outcomes Assessment)

• Focus is Outcomes desired results
• Answers tough questions
• What effect have our resources (inputs) and
  actions had on students?
• Do graduates know what we think they know and
  can they do what their degree implies?
• How do we prove that ?
• This is a more challenging thought process

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Goals and Objectives

• Goal overall statement of intent broad in
  scope
• Ex. Provide excellent vocational programs that
  prepare graduates for jobs.
• Objective/Expected Outcome - more specific
  statement of intent measurable
• Ex. Graduates of the welding program will have
  the skills required for entry level employment in
  the welding field.

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Goals and Objectives

• To eliminate confusion with goals and objectives
• we use
• College Mission and Goals
• and
• Unit Purpose and Objectives / Expected Outcomes
  

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Relationship of College Mission and Goals to
Unit Purpose and Objectives

• Verification that the college mission and goals
  are being accomplished is determined through
  assessment of objectives/expected outcomes at the
  unit level.

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Relationship of College Mission and Goals to
Unit Purpose and Objectives

• College Mission/Goals
• Potential for layering
• Unit Purpose
• Unit Objectives/Outcomes

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• Developing a Unit Plan for Institutional
  Effectiveness (Outcomes Assessment) is like
  Following a Blueprint.

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The Assessment Plan Blueprint

• Step 1 Establish your Units Linkage to the
  College Mission and Goals
• Step 2 - Prepare your Unit Purpose Statement
• Step 3 Develop Administrative and Educational
  Support Services Objectives/Expected Outcomes
• Step 4 Identify Procedures/Methods of
  Assessment and Criteria for Success
• Step 5 Conduct Assessment Activities Report
  Results
• Step 6 Document Use of Results for Improvement

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Unit Planning Model

• Link to College Mission and Goals
• Prepare Unit Purpose
• Make Improvements
• (Close the Loop)
  Write Objectives/Expected Outcomes
  
• Implement Plan
• Assess Results
• Develop Criteria for Success Identify
  Procedures / Methods of
  Assessment
• 
  

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Step 1 Establish Link to the College Mission
and Goals

• Identify the portions of the Cape Fear Community
  College Mission Statement and Goals that your
  unit supports.

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Step 2 Prepare the Unit Purpose Statement

• The Unit Purpose should describe the units
  primary functions, services, core activities, and
  clients

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Step 2 Prepare the Unit Purpose Statement

• The unit purpose statement serves as an
  intermediate link between the College Mission and
  Goals and the more specific Unit
  Objectives/Outcomes.

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Step 2 Prepare the Unit Purpose Statement

• Career Services Center
• College Mission and Goals Linkage
• Provide a comprehensive program of students
  development services that assist students in
  achieving their goals including appropriate
  placement
• Unit Purpose Statement
• The Career Centers services and programsto
  assist students in the successful transition from
  the classroom to the world of work. The Career
  Center offers an array

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Step 2 Prepare the UnitPurpose Statement

• Getting Started
• Unit manager might draft a statement for review
• Have unit employees staff list major functions,
  services, responsibilities
• Review examples from peer institutions
• Discuss list in staff meeting
• Combine list into statement
• VP/supervisor approves for accuracy
• Review annually and update

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Exercise

• Share Unit Purpose Statements
• with Student Development staff.
• Does it meet the criteria ?

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Step 3 - Develop Objectives/Outcomes

• Administrative Objectives/Expected Outcomes
  support the Unit Purpose Statement

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Step 3 Develop Objectives/Outcomes

• Three categories of Objectives Process, Outcome
  and Satisfaction
• 1. Process Statements concern the accomplishments
  of your units functions
• Level or volume of activity
• Efficiency with which you conduct processes
• Compliance with regulations, Professional
  Standards, Good Practices in the Field

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Step 3 Develop Objective/Outcomes

• 2. Outcome Statements concern gains you want
  those you serve to make for example, what can
  someone do after interacting with your services
  or program?

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Step 3 Develop Objectives/Outcomes

• 3. Satisfaction Statements describe how those you
  serve rate their satisfaction with your units
  processes or services.

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Step 3 Develop Objectives/Outcomes

• Majority of administrative objectives will be
  process and client satisfaction oriented
• Educational Support Units (ex. Career Center,
  Counseling, LRC,) and Units contributing directly
  to student learning will include statements
  focused on the outcome of students involvement
  with the Unit

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Process Objectives

• Level or volume of activity
• Registrar - number of students registered
• Academic Advising counts of student contacts
• Accounting number of accounts maintained,
  transactions processed
• Library number of user transactions
• Administrative units often justify their
  existence based on amount of service provided or
  work accomplished

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Process Objectives

• Unit efficiency
• Unit efficiency might include improvements
  concerning cost savings and time.
• These types of objectives might seek to analyze
  the units efficiency compared to normative
  data at similar institutions ( ex. NACUBO)

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Process Objectives

• National Association of College University
  Business Officers (NACUBO) Normative
  Comparisons for Registration Functions
• Average Turnaround Time to Process Official
  Transcript Request
• Average Turnaround Time to Process Student
  Enrollment Verification Request
• Average Turnaround Time to Process Grade Reports
• Average Turnaround Time to Process Graduation
  Eligibility Determination

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Process Objectives

• Professional Standards or good practice in the
  field
• Voluntarily adopted or forced by a regulatory
  agency
• Examples
• Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS)
• American Institute of Certified Public
  Accountants
• OSHA or Fire Marshalls standards for facilities
• Health Department requirements for food services
• Federal Government

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Process Objectives

• Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS)
• Sample of Functional Area Standards and
  Guidelines
• 1. Academic Advising
• 2. Admissions Programs and Services
• 3. Alcohol and Other Drug Programs
• 4. Campus Activities
• 5. Career Planning and Placement
• 6. Counseling Services
• 7. Disability Support Services
• 8. Financial Aid
• 9. Registrar Programs And Services
• 10. Student Orientation Program
• 11. Outcome Assessment and Program Evaluation

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Examples of Process Objectives

• 1. The college bookstore will provide textbooks
  to students and faculty in a timely manner.
• 2. Food Services will receive superior ratings
  from monthly Health Department Inspections.
• 3. Energy management activities will result in
  cost savings to the college.
• 3. The Accounting Office will process vendor
  statements in a timely manner.
• 4. The Financial Aid Office will receive clean,
  audits with no exceptions or concerns.

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Outcome Objectives

• Concern gains you want those you serve to make
  Ex. What can someone do after interacting with
  your service or program?
• The ability of students/patrons to use library
  resources following an orientation or workshop
  session on those services
• The students ability to prepare a resume based
  upon guidance provided in the Career Center
• The facultys ability to utilize instructional
  media based upon equipment and training provide
  by the Media Center

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Examples of Outcomes

• 1. Students will be able to access library
  resources using a variety of formats.
• 2. Graduates will be able to write a resume.
• 3. Students will know how to complete the
  registration process online.
• 4. Faculty will be proficient in the use of
  Smart Boards.
• 5. Unit managers will understand how to write
  objectives for their units.

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Satisfaction Objectives

• Range from student, graduate and/or client
  overall satisfaction with services to
  satisfaction with components of individual
  services

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Examples of Satisfaction Objectives

• 1. Students will be satisfied with the
  registration process.
• 2. Faculty and Staff will be satisfied with the
  employee benefits services provided by the
  Personnel Office.
• 3. Students be satisfied with intramural
  activities.
• 4. Patrons will be satisfied with the LRC hours
  of operation.
• 5. Employees and students will be satisfied with
  the cleanliness of the facilities.

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Duration of Administrative Objectives

• Normally, administrative objectives are
  established for one year.
• Some objectives may require accomplishment
  incrementally beyond a year.
• Others may be accomplished in less than a year.

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Guidelines for Developing Administrative
Objectives

• Must be linked to the College Mission and Goals
  and the Unit Purpose
• This is necessary to turn what otherwise would
  be Unit effectiveness into overall Institutional
  Effectiveness.

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Guidelines continued

• Ask Given the personnel and resources we
  currently have, how can our unit improve its
  services ?
• Writing objectives for the primary purpose of
  making requests for additional resources
  undermines improvement because
• The absence of resources will be used as a reason
  for not making improvements.

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Guidelines continued

• Avoid tendency to develop only those objectives
  you are certain you can accomplish
• Write objectives that stretch the unit to be
  effective and improve services for clients
• Units should be free to stretch without fear
  that results will be used punitively or for
  personnel evaluations

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Guidelines continued

• First, identify a potential long list of
  administrative objectives supporting the Unit
  Purpose
• From the long list, select between 3 and 5
  objectives to assess at a time
• Make sure that each objective includes only one
  concept or service
• Keep your long list and update annually

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Unit Exercise

• With members of your unit, develop a long list of
  objectives and record the long list on the
  flip chart.
• Review the Unit Purpose Statement including unit
  functions, services, and core activities.
• Objectives should be results oriented
  statements

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Unit Exercise

• Consider these questions
• What are the most important results or impacts
  that should occur as a result of your units
  activities?
• What are your critical work processes and how
  should they function to be effective?
• Does your unit effect the abilities of
  students/clients after services have been
  provided?
• What should the end user experience and gain
  through interaction with your unit?

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Unit Exercise

• Are there any professional standards or
  regulatory requirements your unit should meet?
  
• Efficiency ?
• Volume or level of activity ?

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Step 4 Identify Procedures/Methods of Assessment

• Once objectives are developed, you must define
  and identify the sources of evidence you will
  use to determine whether you are achieving the
  objectives.

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Step 4 Identify Procedures/Methods of Assessment

• Exactly How will the objective/outcome be
  accomplished ?
• What source(s) will provide or generate the
  information or data to know if the unit
  objectives are being met?
• Where will you find documentation /evidence ?
• These questions lead to the identification of the
  Procedures/Methods of Assessment for each
  objective.

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Step 4 Identify Procedures/Methods of Assessment

• Common Assessment Methods
• Client Satisfaction - Attitudinal Surveys
• Direct counts of unit services, records data,
  minutes, reports,
• External Evaluation - neutral party, auditors,
  professional standards, consultants, peer groups,
  benchmarking
• Outcomes - pre post tests, observations,
  assessment tests, workshop evaluations

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Client Satisfaction Methods

• Surveys
• Locally developed
• Surveys designed, administered, tabulated and
  distributed in-house by colleges own staff.
• National Standardized
• Surveys developed for college use by vendors
• American College Testing (ACT)
• Educational Testing Service (ETS)
• Noel Levitz

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Client Satisfaction Methods

• First, know your clients
• Examples
• Admissions Office - students, parents
• Career Center - students, employers, faculty
• Library Students, faculty, public
• Media Services faculty, students indirectly
• Personnel employees, job applicants
• Maintenance college departments, students
  indirectly

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Client Satisfaction Methods

• National Standardized Surveys
• Advantages
• normative data for comparison with other colleges
  
• well designed instruments
• process, mail, distribute results
• customized reports
• Limitations
• cost
• no distinction made for differences in unit
  functions or services across colleges
• does not include services unique to a campus
• lacks institutional appearance / not tailored to
  the college

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Client Satisfaction Methods

• Locally Developed Surveys
• Advantages
• survey items tailored specifically to college
  structure
• ability to adjust, change items as needed
• focuses on services you want to assess
• permits point-of-contact surveys for individual
  units
• Limitations
• lack of comparable results among peer colleges
• labor intensive to prepare, tabulate, distribute
• software (ex. Bubble Publishing) to support
  process

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Client Satisfaction Methods

• Cape Fear Community College Surveys
• Graduating Students on-going collect at
  intent to graduate point
• Early Leavers fall semester
• Currently Enrolled Students program review
• Employers program review annual state survey
  
• Advisory Committees program review
• Faculty and Staff annually spring semester
• Point-of-Contact Surveys as needed

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Client Satisfaction Methods

• CFCC Surveys collectively
• provide good preliminary assessment of client
  satisfaction with services educational programs
  
• raise a flag for services with satisfaction
  ratings less than what the unit thinks they
  should be
• provide early warnings for further study
• identify opinions/trends common to different
  client groups
• Some surveys do not provide detailed questions
  for detailed analysis of unit services.

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Client Satisfaction Methods

• Point - of- Contact Surveys
• collects more detailed information on particular
  aspects of services
• Distributed, collected at the time client
  receives services
• 3 circumstances
• as a routine assessment
• when service is not performing as it should
• when services were rated less than desirable on
  one of the other institutional surveys

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Client Satisfaction Methods

• Point-of-Contact Surveys
• Advantages
• detailed enough to provide specific information
  leading the unit to direct corrective action
• unit receives instant feedback and tabulation
• unit can immediately put a fix in place
• unit was involved so they attach credibility to
  results

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Client Satisfaction Methods

• Point- of- Contact Surveys
• Limitations
• time required for constructing, administering
• tendency toward over surveying students
• response rates tend to decline if over surveying
• Avoid over reliance on point-of-contact surveys
  if there is another way to do the assessment.
• Swap surveys with other institutions to help
  identify appropriate survey questions for each
  unit.

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Client Satisfaction Methods

• Improving Credibility of Surveys
• depends on nature of questions asked
• use 4 or 5 point scale
• provide a not applicable
• conditions which questions are answered
• Anonymity important
• overall response rate
• avoid mailing
• use captive audiences

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Client Satisfaction Methods

• Improving Credibility of Surveys
• depends on survey design
• questions should solicit feedback suitable for
  analysis
• centralized support
• survey design
• survey software
• data analysis
• coordination to avoid over surveying

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Direct Methods

• a simple count of volume or level of unit
  activities
• data that already exists or is to be collected
  and kept in records, reports, minutes, files

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Direct Methods

• Direct Counts of Unit Efficiency or Effectiveness
  
• Foundation funds raised scholarships awarded
• Counseling- use of services count of contacts
• Campus Parking availability of parking
• Maintenance work order response time
• Personnel vacancies processed filled
• Registrars Office grade postings
• Printing Services printing response time
• Financial Aid financial aid applications
  processed
• Business Services audit exceptions

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External Evaluation Methods

• Auditors -FTE, Fiscal, Inventory Control,
  Financial Aid
• OSHA Safety Inspection Reports
• Fire Marshall Inspection Reports
• Health Department Inspection Reports
• State Board Inspections (Cosmetology,Child Care)
• Consultants
• Evaluation by Peer Groups
• Benchmarking with similar colleges
• American Library Association (ALS) Standards
• Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS)

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Methods for Measuring Outcomes

• Outcomes are the skills or knowledge attained by
  clients once a service is received.
• Examples of Methods
• Observations/Records of Performance
• Workshop Pre- and post tests
• Assessment of student performance by someone
  outside the unit
• Workshop evaluation form (attainment of skills,
  knowledge))

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Procedures/Methods of Assessment

• SACS stresses the importance of using multiple
  Procedures/ Methods of Assessment for each
  objective whenever possible.

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Unit Exercise

• 1. From the long list of objectives/expected
  outcomes, select the 3 to 5 that you plan to
  implement this year.
• 2. Identify at least two procedures/methods of
  assessment for each objective/expected outcome.

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Unit Exercise

• What sources of evidence will provide the
  information/data you will use to determine
  whether you have achieved the objective /expected
  outcome?
• Think about the different methods surveys,
  counts, records, audits, professional standards,
  pre and post tests, observations, etc.

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Step 5 Developing Criteria for Success

• Criteria are the targets for success, achievement
• Targets indicate what ought to be and not what
  is (the baseline data)
• Always aim for a criterion level that stretches
  your units performance

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Examples - Criteria for Success

• The quarterly physical inspections report
  (method) will reveal a 25 decrease in the number
  of deficiencies noted in the previous year.
• Eighty percent (85) of the faculty responding to
  the annual Faculty/Staff Survey (method) will
  respond either agree or strongly agree with
  the statement The bookstores performance in
  ordering textbooks and supplies meets my
  expectations

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Examples Criteria for Success

• The number of thefts which are described in crime
  reports (method) as easily preventable by
  appropriate crime prevention strategies will be
  zero for the college each fiscal year.
• The FTE audit report (method) will reveal no
  exceptions or concerns for the college for FY
  2001-2002.

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Step 5 Developing Criteria for Success

• Avoid setting success criteria at a high level
  and only for services you are positive are being
  done well (no need to assess this)
• Avoid setting targets so low that it is easy to
  accomplish and does not result in significant
  improvement

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Step 5 Developing Criteria for Success

• Getting Started
• Alternative Scenario Approach
• a. unit selects a percentage or level of
  improvement
• b. then, discuss what the service would be like
  if it reached that level
• c. choose two other levels, one higher and one
  lower than the original and discuss these
  choices
• d. this discussion usually leads to a level of
  improvement the staff is comfortable and is
  realistic given the resources available

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Step 5 Developing Criteria for Success

• Peer Institutions and Professional Meetings
• Contact individuals at a peer institution
  providing the same service to compare objectives
  and criteria
• Many professional meetings have sessions dealing
  with expectations for services

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Step 5 Developing Criteria for Success

• Two ways to win
• 1. Meet your criteria and celebrate success
• 2. Do not meet your criteria but implement
  procedures for further improvements to meet your
  criteria at end of the next cycle

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Unit Exercise

• Establish the Criteria for Success for your
  Objective.
• Identify more than one criteria that will be your
  targets for determining if you have met the
  objective.
• Ask If our unit is functioning the way we think
  it ought to function, what will be our scores
  for measuring achievement?

101
Step 6 Conduct Assessment Activities Report
Results

• Put your Assessment Plan into Action
• Set a schedule for assessment activities
• Determine activities to be carried out at college
  level or by personnel in the unit
• Consult with Research Office
• Ensure survey items relate to the units
  objectives to yield useful information
• Consider time to prepare point-of-contact
  surveys, sampling, when and how to administer,
  etc.
• Put data collection methods in place

102
Step 6 Conduct Assessment Activities Report
Results

• Reporting Results
• Results should summarize key findings based upon
  the assessment methods and success criteria
• Results should be related directly to the
  objective they were designed to measure
• The results should be complete enough to convince
  reader assessment took place
• Keep detailed documentation of results on file
  for at least 3 years prior to a SACS visit.
• If incomplete, SACS Team will ask for actual
  surveys, spreadsheets, etc.

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Unit Exercise

• Report results for your objective based on the
  procedures/methods of assessment and the criteria
  for success.

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Step 7 Document Use of Results for Improvement

• Implementing your plan and documenting the
  results provide the transition to the most
  important part of the Units activities
• Use of Results for Improvement
• (Closing the Loop)

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Step 7 Document Use of Results for Improvement

• Documenting the use of results to improve
  services provides evidence of the extent to which
  the Unit Purpose is accomplished and ultimately,
  the extent to which the College Mission and Goals
  are achieved.

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Step 7 Document Use of Results for Improvement

• Analyze your results
• What can you infer from the data?
• What changes/improvements have you made (or will
  make) based on assessment results?

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Step 7 Document Use of Results for Improvement

• Use your Results
• Typical changes and improvements
• Organizational
• Resources
• Revamping Unit Procedures and Policies

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Step 7 Document Use of Results for Improvement

• Use your Results
• Modifying or expanding relations with public,
  external agencies, other units
• Changes to comply with regulations
• Decisions regarding action may also lead to
  restructuring or revision of your units
  objectives for following year

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Step 7 Document Use of Results for Improvement

• It is absolutely necessary to create a paper
  trail for describing assessment activities
  throughout the college and resulting
  improvements.
• According to one of the accrediting association
  employees,
• If is is not written down, it did not happen.

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Step 7 Document Use of Results for Improvement

• In arms negotiations between President Ronald
  Reagan and Mr. Mikhail Gorbachev, President
  Reagan said that he would Trust, but verify.
• SACS will trust, but will verify through a review
  of your documentation that assessment has taken
  place and improvements have been brought about.

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Step 7 Document Use of Results for Improvement

• Create Occasions to Review Results
• Staff meetings
• Retreat
• There are never enough occasions to recognize
  and celebrate achievements !

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Unit Exercise

• Think of at least two improvements or changes
  that could be made based on the use of results.

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Internet Resources for Assessment

• Internet Resources for Higher Education Outcomes
  Assessment
• http//www2.acs.ncsu.edu/UPA/assmt/resource.htm
• CFCC Institutional Effectiveness web page
  www.cfcc.net , go to Departments
• Contact us Ext. 7003 (Gerry), 7327 (Monica) or
  7006 (Patsy)

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• The End
• Have a Great Weekend!!