The SACS Re-accreditation Process: Opportunities to Enhance Quality at Carolina Presentation to the Faculty Council September 3, 2004

Quick Overview SACS = Southern Association of Colleges & Schools 10-year accrediting cycle SACS accredits the entire institution, not individual programs Campus reports are due Fall 2005; visiting team will come in Spring 2006

Dual Focus of SACS Review Policies & Outcomes (Compliance Review) Quality Enhancement Plan Planning & Evaluation

Evaluating Our Policies and Outcomes (Compliance Review) Mission Academic Programs Faculty Planning & Assessment Graduate & Professional Policies Learning Resources Student Services Student Development Finances

Carolina systematically evaluates outcomes to determine our effectiveness in accomplishing the University’s mission and strategic goals… Measures of Excellence: institutional quality indicators benchmarked against peers The Academic Plan Metrics: Indicators of progress in strengthening the academic experience we offer students, and achieving other priorities Five Year Financial Plan: evaluation of the adequacy of resources and support services necessary to realize the University’s mission. Diversity Assessment Project in Honor and Integrity Assessment, Intellectual Climate Assessment, late 1990s Documenting involvement in public service Examples:

SACS will also emphasize… Assessing student learning outcomes at the program level Assessing what are students are able to: – Know (cognitive), – Think (attitudinal) – Do (behavioral) as a result of the educational program. Purpose: To help program faculty answer the following questions: –Are our students learning what we think is important? –Are they learning what they need to succeed in this field or profession? –Should our curriculum or teaching strategies be modified? –Are there other techniques or additional resources that would help our students learn more effectively?

Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Differs from…. Program Review Process -- focuses primarily on measuring program inputs (quality of entering students, faculty resources, etc.) and outcomes that are important to other areas of the mission but not directly related to student learning (e.g., research productivity) End-of-Course Instructor Evaluations – measure student perceptions about individual teaching behaviors, not actual learning. Individual Student Evaluations – assessment for program improvement purposes is based on aggregated student performance data; not intended to give feedback to student.

Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Cycle Define intended educational outcomes (3-5) Identify methods of measuring outcomes Measure outcomes on a staggered basis –Focus on only 1-2 outcomes a year Review results and use to make decisions regarding program improvement Repeat assessments in subsequent cycles to track improvements, change, trends, relevancy

Student Learning Outcome Assessment Techniques Standardized tests Performance on licensure or professional exams Essays Exhibits Performances Course assignments Portfolios of work samples Authentic assessments Job placement rates Student surveys Graduate follow-ups Focus groups Exit interviews DirectIndirect

Important Points A faculty-owned and managed process Objective is to provide feedback to the faculty about how well they are meeting their program goals; not an administrative tool for making decisions regarding program cuts. “Closing the Loop” – Documenting how you used results to make program improvements is as important to SACS as the actual results of the assessment.

The Process of Assessing Student Learning Outcomes at Carolina During , documentation on assessment activities to be collected by the deans from every program. Use what you are already doing as much as possible: –Standards/requirements of professional associations and discipline-based accrediting bodies –Local methods of assessing learning already in place Training and technical support available from: –Office of Institutional Research & Assessment –Center for Teaching and Learning –Outside consultants as needed

Quality Enhancement Plan What is a “Quality Enhancement Plan?” A carefully designed and focused course of action: ”Making Critical Connections” A well-defined set of topics related to enhancing student learning: –New curriculum requirements, fall 2006 –Internationalization –Undergraduate Research Experience A complement to UNC-Chapel Hill’s planning mechanism and evaluation process –Academic Plan –Measures of Excellence –Financial Plan

What should our QEP ”Making Critical Connections” provide to Carolina? A plan to evaluate and assess the goals of the new curriculum –Fundamental skills to facilitate future learning –Broad experience with the methods and results of the most widely accepted approaches to knowledge –A sense of how one might integrate these approaches to knowledge in a way that can cross traditional disciplinary boundaries –A thorough grounding on a particular subject Long term plans to enhance the University’s status as an international university Additional opportunities for undergraduates to be involved with basic and applied research, departmental honors programs, and make presentations at national meetings

How will this be accomplished? Wide campus involvement initiated by committees, led by –Professor Sue Goodman, Curriculum –Professor Patricia Pukkila, Undergraduate Research –Professor Peter Coclanis, Internationalization Surveys, a series of fora, presentations throughout the campus, analysis of on-going activities, brainstorming, consulting with our colleagues and peers, development of ideas, review of new initiatives, etc.

Timeline for QEP Fall 2004: Committees are constituted, charged and begin work Early Spring 2005: A series of campus-wide engagements with the process, including the development of a timeline, resources, assessment schedule and the ideas Late Spring and Summer 2005: Draft report created Early Fall 2005: Draft report reviewed by UNC-Chapel Hill community and revised as needed December 1, 2005: QEP submitted to SACS March/April 2005: On-site review Summer 2005: SACS response to QEP Fall 2005 to Sprint 2010: QEP implemented March/April 2010: Five-year assessment submitted to SACS