The Next Step

1
The Next Step

• Initiatives in
• Student Outcome Assessment
• 2002-2003

2
Welcome

• Chancellor and Provost
• Comments on Assessment

3
Where We Are
4
2000-2001 Benchmarks

• 28 Assessment Plans Approved
• Assessment Director establishes on-going
  communication within units and between academic
  and administrative structures
• Development of Assessment Web-page
• http//assessment.umflint.edu

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2001-2002 Benchmarks

• 8 additional Assessment Plans Approved
• 16 programs implemented plans
• General Education Plan Initiated
• Successful Focused Visit on Nursing and Physical
  Therapy programs
• Unit level positions create to provide support
  resources to program initiatives
• NCA consultant provided specific guidance

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2002-2003 Benchmarks

• Approach 100 program participation
• General education feedback loop implemented
• Integrate assessment with decision making
  processes
• Foster Climate of Assessment
• Increased Student Involvement
• Collaboration within and between programs/units
• Disseminate assessment and feed-back loop
  findings
• Self study prepared for Focused Visit

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The Next Step 2002-2003

• Institutional Culture
• Shared Responsibilities
• Institutional Support
• Efficacy of Assessment

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Discussion Topic Institutional Culture

• Values
• Mission

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Discussion TopicShared Responsibility

• Faculty
• Administration and Board
• Students

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Discussion TopicInstitutional Support

• Resources
• Structures

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Discussion TopicAssessment Efficacy
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General Education

• Written and Oral Communication
• Critical Thinking
• Science and Math Skills
• Diversity
• Arts and Humanities

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General Education Interdisciplinary Discussions
Assessment Efforts in General Education
Structure, Strategy, and Schedule
Diversity on Diversity
Interdisciplinary Discussions
General Education Curriculum
Continuum of Interdisciplinary Cross-Linking
(Sociology)
Establishing Mechanisms
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Structure, Strategy, and Schedule of General
Education Assessment
Structure Packet of Handouts
    Current General Education Curriculum    
Seventeen Specific Goals of General
Education     Assessment Areas     Assessing
Written Communication Skills     Assessing
Critical Thinking     Assessing Science and Math
Skills
Strategy Incremental
    Develop and obtain CAASP approval of each
area of General Education as they are developed.
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Schedule of Implementation
Winter 2002
     Piloted post ENG 112 Assessment of
Writing      Obtained CAASP Approval of GE
Assessment Plan (writing component)     
Obtained CAS Approval for CAS 101, Introduction
to the UM-Flint
Spring 2002
     Assess 100 Random Essays from ENG 112     
Pilot Senior Level Writing Assessment
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Schedule of Implementation (continued)
Summer 2002
     Offer First Section of CAS 101      Pilot
Critical Thinking Assessment Plan      Pilot
Quantitative Reasoning Assessment Plan
Fall 2002
     Develop Diversity Component of GE
Assessment Plan      Obtain AAC Approval and
Implement Critical Thinking Component of GE     
Obtain AAC Approval for and Implement
Quantitative Reasoning Component of GE
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Diversity on Diversity
Questions for Individual Consideration
    Write what you perceive your program thinks
students should know about diversity.     What
content is particular and/or important in your
program regarding the understanding of diversity?
Issue for Group Discussion
    What Emerging Themes (Convergent or
Divergent) Can Your Group Identify Across
Programs/Units?
Report to Session and Pass Along to CAS
Assessment Coordinator
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INTERDISCIPLINARY DISCUSSIONS
General Education is a clear case of where
Interdisciplinary Discussions would be
beneficial.
Though the College of Arts and Sciences is where
General Education is Housed, other Academic
Units and Programs also
    have a stake in how General Education is
conducted,    are concerned with the results of
GE Assessment, and    should contribute to the
Plans Feedback Loop.
However, there are many other instances where the
Assessment Process will profit from such
discussions.
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SPHERES OF INTERDISCIPLINARY DIALOG
    Cross-Listed Courses       Prerequisite
Courses       Service Courses      
Collaborative Programs       Joint Programs
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Examples From Sociology
Within A Single Department
 SOC 210 (Introduction to Social Research) is a
requirement for a Bachelors Degree in both
Sociology and Anthropology.
Within the College of Arts and Sciences
 Students can fulfill the Criminal Justice
statistics requirement with either SOC 215
(General Statistics) or PSY 301 (Basic Statistics
and Probability)
Across Academic Units
 SOC 210 is a prerequisite for students entering
the BSN program in the School of Health and
Professional Studies  SOC 323 (Statistical
Packages) is a service course for the Physical
Therapy program in the School of Health and
Professional Studies
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Building Bridges of Interdisciplinary
Discussion  
Questions for Individual Consideration
 How does your program communicate with other
programs in which your discipline makes a
contribution?  What communication links has your
program developed or instituted?
Issue for Group Discussion
 What mechanisms can your group identify that
may be useful for sharing assessment information?
Report to Session and Pass Along to CAS
Assessment Coordinator
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Discussion TopicDiversity Content

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Interdisciplinary Discussions

• Shared responsibility for program delivery
  between units
• Content Area Expertise of Colleagues

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Discussion TopicInterdisciplinary Discussions
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Brief Break
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Student Involvement
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Assessment

• Major focus of accreditation
• Matter of integrity

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Assessment

• Do students know what they need to know?
• Are students able to do what they need to do?
• Have students developed values appropriate to
  their disciplines?

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• Shared Responsibility
• FacultyAdministrationStudents

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Goal

• Students are actively engaged in the process of
  assessment at the program and University levels.

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Beginning steps Purposeful communication with
students about assessment

• Who is involved
• What is assessment
• How is it carried out
• What are students roles and responsibilities
• Why is it important to current and future students

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Who is involved
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What is assessment

• More than grades or passing classes
• More than completing degree requirements
• Process of determining level of achievement of
  meeting goals for general education and goals for
  degree program
• Knowledge
• Abilities
• Values

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How is it carried out

• Methods
• Expectations

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Students Roles and Responsibilities

• Design
• Implementation
• Best effort
• Best participation
• Analysis
• Feedback loop
• Committee membership
• Sharing of results and engaging in discussions

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Importance

• To Current and Future Students

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Discussion TopicStudent Involvement
Strategies to enhance involvement Department
level University level
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Feedback Loop
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Assessment Feedback Loop
Assessment
Data
Faculty Discussion
Black Hole
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Assessment Feedback Loop
Assessment
Data
Implement Changes
Faculty Discussion
Recommended Changes
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Assessment Feedback Loop

• Continuous Improvement
• Possible Changes
• Instrument
• Goals
• Curriculum

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Discussion TopicUM-Flint Success Stories
on the Feedback Loop
43
Business

• The low scores in Ethics and Common Core
  Examination were hypothesized to be artifacts of
  the assessment materials. Accordingly, a case
  designed to elicit ethical-based reasoning was
  created. Moreover, the consensus among faculty
  is that each course must emphasize ethical-based
  reasoning. If this approach does not indicate
  improvements in future assessment results, a
  required stand alone course in ethics for all
  SOM students may be indicated. A better exam to
  assess the common core of business knowledge was
  deemed desirable.

44
Radiation Therapy

• All of the defined goals were successfully met,
  except one. The Professional Membership
  Objective 3 goal was not met. Therefore
  additional methods to increase membership
  enrollment will be evaluated and this issue will
  be discussed at the fall advisory meeting.

45
Med Tech Program

• Valuable feedback has been supplied by graduates
  in response to open-ended questions regarding
  suggestions for program improvement. Additional
  courses have been added to the MTP course
  offerings (MTP 398 and MTP 401) as a result of
  feedback data supplied by survey respondents.

46
English Program

• We look forward to examining student portfolios
  and discussing our findings. We discussed using
  the portfolio data to develop more specific
  survey questions to better understand how their
  training helped them and how the study of English
  has changed their perceptions.

47
Philosophy Program

• In the category of content, 80 of the papers
  met the threshold score of 3 or higher. In the
  remaining three categories, 60 of the papers met
  this threshold. However, this shortfall is, in
  my view, quite trivial. With a total pool of
  just 10 papers under review, a small variation
  can affect the percentages dramatically.

48
Chemistry Program

• There is continuing concern with the students
  ability in written communication. Many faculty
  are already addressing this issue.The department
  will be discussing how we can improve writing
  instruction within existing courses. One concept
  under consideration is a coordinated effort with
  rising expectations for proficiency in writing
  from the 100 level, through the 200 level, to the
  upper division courses.

49
Earth and Resource Science

• To address shortcomings in the areas of the
  atmosphere and oceans, GEO 282 (Weather, Climate
  and Oceanography) is now being being offered on a
  regular yearly schedule.
• ERS began to offer GEO 497 (Professional
  Development). These short courses are designed to
  provide specific skills to prepare ERS graduates
  for the workplace.

50
Bachelor Nursing Program

• Continue efforts to increase students best
  efforts.. There is on-going anecdotal evidence
  reported by exam proctors that a number of the
  students are not taking the exams seriously.
  This is compromising meaningful data and
  analysis.
• Explore ways to increase response rates of
  Employer Surveys to 40. Reconsider giving the
  survey to alumni to give to employers, and
  consider direct appeal to employers.

51
Social Work Program

• reflection on the magnitude of the discrepancies
  revealed that some goals were unrealistically
  conceptualized by faculty bias rather than
  measurement or curriculum error. Faculty
  adjusted the a-priori goals to reflect the
  insight gathered in the comparison process
• Austin Peay Exam
• Goal 1.1 will be reduced to 86 from 95...
• Goal 1.3 will be reduced to 60 from 80 ...
• Goal 1.4 will be reduced to 10 from 15

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Certificates of Appreciation
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Closing Remarks