Core Component 2C:
The organization’s ongoing
evaluation and assessment processes provide reliable evidence of institutional
effectiveness that clearly informs strategies for continuous improvement.
Evidence of institutional effectiveness is collected from a variety of sources, by a number of offices and individuals on campus. We have increased staffing for this purpose in recent years, as the university moves further along the path of data-based decision-making.
Data Gathering for Change and Continued Improvement
The Office of Institutional Effectiveness provides campus support for planning, as described earlier. The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), the St. Cloud State University Survey, and other surveys are used to provide an overview of the college experience and allow for planning for student services, advising, use of technology for communication, and course content delivery. The office also gathers information on how students interact with one another, and how these interactions might be enhanced, particularly among individuals from differing backgrounds. This is important for planning for student services throughout the institution, and led to the creation of the First Year Experience program and the appointment of additional staff in the Advising Center, the Honors program, and Counseling.
Information in the Summary of Academic Data is used extensively for external reviews or accreditation visits where detailed summaries of credit-hour generation, student enrollment, and degree completion statistics are required. Departments and colleges also use this information to determine need for faculty positions and to gauge demand for existing programs. Ultimately this type of information assists in determining the need to modify existing programs. Several colleges and individual departments use data to make decisions regarding program effectiveness as mandated by accrediting boards; these include the College of Education, the Nursing Program, the College of Business, and the engineering and computer science programs. Program and departmental assessment plans are aligned with college goals, mission, and vision; see the St. Cloud State University Strategic Plan for details of this alignment.
Another means of providing feedback to campus units is through regular audits, both financial and service-related. The university and the St. Cloud State University Foundation prepare annual financial statements that are independently audited. The recent audits express unqualified opinions of the auditors as to the accuracy of the statements. There are also regular audits of our financial aid program. Occasional compliance audits are conducted internally by MnSCU or others. Recently audits of Capital Project Management and Wireless Internet Security have been completed. In both cases the university was found to be compliant. (See copies of all recent financial and compliance audits available in the Resource Room.)
Related to feedback for faculty and their teaching, the MnSCU/Inter Faculty Organization (IFO) Master Agreement specifies that faculty professional development plans include student assessments (Article 22, Section D, Subdivision 1). Beyond individual course assessments, there are a number of other points at which information is gathered and used for improvement. Non-returning students are surveyed to determine their reasons for leaving. NSSE and ACT data have been collected since 2001 and have been used as action guides for student life and development staff as well as for improvements in academic support and academic programs. We discussed the use of these surveys earlier under Core Component 2A.
There are multiple examples of units in Academic Affairs that effectively gather, store, and use assessment data for decision making. Decisions have been made based on analysis of data in the College of Education, College of Business, and College of Science and Engineering. For example, the Departments of Nursing, Engineering, Social Work, Communication Sciences and Disorders, and Philosophy and the Herberger College of Business regularly collect and analyze assessment data for course development, curriculum revisions, budget allocations, and the re-evaluation of mission and goals. The Communication Sciences and Disorders Department developed a Fluency Group on campus in response to their assessment of clinical opportunities available to students. The Statistics and Computer Networking Department included more in-depth instruction in Minitab, based on assessment results. The College of Business added more writing to address a weakness reported by employers. The Mathematics Department added supplemental instruction to some courses to improve students’ performance. The College of Education opened a Praxis Center to help prepare students for the teacher certification examinations.
The Herberger College of Business established the Office of Information and Planning (OIP) to provide assessment and research on effectiveness for the college. It aggregates and reports assessment results and other performance-based information to the college’s executive committee. Information gathered by OIP indicated that students have weak writing and problem-solving skills, leading to changes in the curriculum for Math 196 and the creation of a Director of Communications position for the college. Concerns about advising also led to the creation of the Undergraduate Programs Office within the college. Expansion of the Atwood Student Center was undertaken in response to students’ need for more space for meetings and student organizations. The Multicultural Resource Center in the Miller Center was established as a response to student demand. So too was the increase in staffing in the Office of Student Disabilities Services and the extension of hours in the library. Based on NSSE data, the university added staffing for the Volunteer Link office; we host an Americorps staffer and most recently, a regional Veterans’ Center. The National College Health Assessment was implemented to assess and benchmark programs and services. Based on these results and the benchmarking activities with the Healthy Campus 2010 goals, efforts are being focused on student mental health, specifically depression and suicide. A Psychological Issues Group was created, and its members hosted sessions on depression to residence hall staff and several other campus groups.
To continue improving services to students, and better coordinate activities between Student Life and Development (SLD) and the Office of Academic Affairs, an SLD director joined the Assessment Steering Committee and an SLD Assessment Committee was organized in fall 2006. The committee subsequently developed an assessment plan for the division.
A student referendum supported the construction of the addition to the Recreation Center and the renovation of the student union, and students lobbied for additional parking, leading to the decision to build a parking garage. Surveys were also used to determine critical elements of the dining services to be included in the contract with the new food service vendor, selected for the start of this academic year.
The University’s Commitment to Assessment and Evaluation
St. Cloud State University is committed to assessment and evaluation at all levels. This is evidenced by the creation of the full-time position of University Assessment Director, who coordinates assessment activities across the university with the assistance of a support person. There are also designated assessment directors for each college and one for general education. These individuals work with the college assessment committees to collect and evaluate data to be used for program evaluation and improvement. All college assessment directors and some department coordinators have reassigned time for this task.
Through its Assessment Office, the university has provided support to faculty in a number of ways. These include funding for grants, conference attendance, and other activities. Assessment resources are available in the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. The assessment website has been established and provides additional resources and basic information. The university Assessment Office has conducted campus-wide workshops on various assessment topics and luncheons to connect the broader campus community and draw others into the process. The university also provides support for program assessment as part of accreditation processes and program reviews for individual departments. The program review process includes an external review component either by an external consultant or an accrediting agency. Goals are aligned from university to college to department to individuals through the Professional Development Plan/Professional Development Report (PDP/PDR) system. Progress toward goals is thus measured in numerous ways, including college and departmental accreditation, program reviews, assessment of learning, and collection of external feedback.
Additional support for assessment should be considered. Moreover, non-academic areas such as advising, residential life, and even custodial services need to be considered in the assessment of student learning. The NSSE data and other national studies provide evidence of the need for a stronger connection between academic and non-academic areas. The university assessment plan itself should be evaluated. Annual departmental reports should be standardized throughout the university. St. Cloud State University also expects to expand and improve its assessment work through its participation in the HLC Assessment Academy, to which it has been admitted. The university has also been accepted by Penn State’s Parsing the First Year of College Assessment Program. Participation in these two activities will expedite the process of making assessment a regular and permanent feature at the university.
Across the university, data-based decision-making is developing and becoming an integral part of the university’s planning process.
Evaluation of Core Component 2C
Regular accreditation and review cycles for both programs and colleges help provide data for the university’s future planning. The academic distinction area of the university’s strategic plan has assessment components defined through performance indicators. All colleges have assessment directors and committees, and an Assessment Office and Assessment Steering Committee serve the university as a whole, including providing a comprehensive website and resource room. The administration strongly promotes assessment and use of assessment data for planning, with the goal of creating a “culture of assessment” throughout the university. Such support should be continued and strengthened, perhaps through establishing a way of evaluating assessment plans, standardizing assessment reports across campus, and increasing means for data analysis.
One of several examples of accelerated use of data and assessment is the Herberger College of Business, which has two software programs and an Office of Information and Planning to support its assessment and evaluation efforts.
The university’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness makes available student and academic data for various uses throughout the university. There are numerous other data sources, such as surveys of non-returning students, student exit surveys, and professional examination pass rates that help evaluate progress toward the mission and goals and plan for the future. As one example, student data from the NSSE resulted in the creation of the First Year Experience program (FYE).
The balanced scorecard initiative, a new system for managing information, will give all faculty and staff access to performance indicators based on data and will provide transparency at all levels, helping the university progress toward the goals it envisions.
Finally, both the university itself and its Foundation have independently audited financial statements.
Strengths: The university has created an infrastructure to provide data for the evaluation of performance and the assessment of student learning outcomes. The Office of Institutional Effectiveness has been enhanced, and assessment directors have been authorized for the university, individual colleges, and general education. Numerous meetings have been held to explain assessment processes. Nearly all departments have identified learning outcomes and are at various stages of measuring student performance against these outcomes. Some departments have applied assessment data and made changes to their programs in response. At the university level, data has been used to inform numerous changes, from facilities needs to the process for allocating faculty positions, to the establishment of the Office of Undergraduate Studies and the First Year Experience, and the implementation of the Early Warning System.
Initiatives in Progress: Implementation of the Balanced Scorecard will enable the university to identify trends and measure performance more quickly and across a wider range of parameters. Participation in the HLC Assessment Institute will provide impetus for all programs to make use of assessment data to improve student learning.
Challenges: Full implementation of assessment in all academic, student support and administrative services will enable the university to improve educational outcomes and demonstrate excellence in all areas.
