WASC and the SelfStudy

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WASC and the Self-Study

• Our Polytechnic Identity in the 21st Century
• Academic Senate
• October 6, 2009

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What is WASC?

• WASC is the Western Association of Schools and
  Colleges one of six regional organizations that
  the federal government has authorized to accredit
  institutions of higher learning. We must be
  accredited to be eligible for federal funding and
  for our credits to be recognized by other
  institutions.

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What is the self-study?

• Every ten years, we must re-affirm our commitment
  to institutional capacity and educational
  effectiveness. The vehicle for doing this is the
  self-study the university doing a dissertation
  on itself.

If you are already engaged in outcomes-based
assessment or strategic planning, you are already
contributing to this process. Thanks!
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What have we proposed to do?

• In Spring 2007, a representative committee
  proposed a self-study based on four themes
• Our Polytechnic Identity
• Learn-by-Doing
• The Teacher-Scholar Model
• Integration and Student Learning

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How long will this take?

• The self-study develops in three stages
• WASC accepted our Institutional Proposal in
  December 2007.
• Capacity and Preparatory Review (CPR) will
  culminate with a site visit in February 2010.
• Educational Effectiveness Review (EER) will
  culminate with a site visit in October 2011.

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Where are we now?

• Over the last year
• The working groups investigated each theme as
  outlined in the proposal.
• The chairs drafted essays in response to
  specific questions.
• The steering committee oversaw the whole
  process.
• The strategic plan developed with input from
  the self-study and vice-versa.

Susan Sparling, ISL Chair
Randy Knight, OPI Chair
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Where are we going?

• During this quarter we will
• Make presentations to college councils in
  October.
• Release the essays for comment on October 12.
• Revise the essays based on your feedback.
• Deliver the report to WASC by December 1.
• We are asking you all to prepare for the site
  visit by engaging in a process of reflection
  based on existing data and a WASC rubric used by
  visiting teams.

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The Educational Effectiveness Framework
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Using the EEF Rubric

• October. Faculty groups use the modified rubric
  to
• consider the departments contribution to a
  culture of evidence and inquiry.
• November. College assessment councils use the
  rubric to consider the colleges contribution.
• December. Deans discuss the results with the
  Provost.
• By doing this youll help to ready the university
  for the site visit in February 2009.

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How can I help?

• Participate in the self-assessment.
• Read and respond to the draft essays. See the
  handout for abstracts and action items.
• Encourage your colleagues to do the same.

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How can the Senate help?

• The draft CPR proposes specific action items
• Revise the Mission Statement to include staff.
• Revise the syllabus policy to include outcomes.
• Revise the senior project policy to make it
  integrative.
• Adopt a common change-of-major policy.
• Adopt a statement on the Teacher-Scholar Model.
• Adopt Boyers definition of scholarship as
  discovery, application, integration, and
  teaching/learning.