Leveraging Outcomes-Driven Program Assessment for Sustainable Development in Higher Education

1. Outcomes-Driven Program Assessment as a Component of Sustainable Development at an Innovative College ABET Best Assessment Practices Symposium April 25-26, 2008 – Atlanta, GA

2. 4-year, State College in the University System of Georgia • Authorized by GA Legislature in May 2005 • President hired in September 2005 • Campus opened with 118 students and 10 faculty in August 2006 • Current headcount is 876 students and 90 faculty • Offers 4 degree programs: BS in Information Technology; BS in Biology; BS in Psychology; BBA in Business • Home of the Grizzlies!

3. Reimagining Higher Education for the 21st Century • Commitment at every level to student learning and effectiveness • Institutional focus on interdisciplinary/ integrated education • Openness to going “outside the box” – provided there is a plan for assessment • Created the opportunity for a ground-up design of an INSTITUTIONAL assessment plan

4. Designing Assessment In from the Beginning • Listening and looking for best practices • Alverno • West Point • AAC&U General Education Conference 2007 • ABET/Gloria Rogers • Major overarching points • Faculty commitment is critical • Cross-disciplinary discussion is critical • Requires a serious investment of time and resources

5. In order to get “…ongoing, integrated, and institution-wide research-based planning and evaluation processes…[SACS]” for our academic programs we needed: • Structure and resources • Faculty involvement • Consensus and agreement

6. Initial Efforts (2006-07) • Program level student learning outcomes and assessment plans • General Education curriculum designed around student learning outcomes • Agreement to develop and assess for institutional student learning outcomes • Agreement to integrate curricular and co-curricular student learning efforts • Leading to: Integrated Educational Experience (IEE) Student Learning Outcome Goals for GGC

7. Structure and Resources • Assessment Steering Committee • Review Committee Chairs, VPASA, Other VP Reps • Integrated review of all assessment results • Strategic analysis of results; impact on strategic plans • IEE Assessment Review Committee • Goal Team Chairs, Dean, Dir of IE • Communication • Integrated review of IEE assessment results Administrative Review Committee General Education Committee General Education Goal Teams • IEE Goal Team • Interdisciplinary • Operationally define & plan assessment(s) • Integrated review of program findings Program Goal Teams

8. Benefits To Date • 100% of current faculty are engaged in thinking about and discussing assessment • Substantive discussion about Student Learning Outcomes • Deepening awareness of value and role of student learning outcomes in course design and assessment • Expanding awareness of issues and concerns of faculty in other disciplines • Building common vocabulary about learning and assessment • Emerging interest in and commitment to Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

9. Challenges to Date • Articulating the initial task of the Goal Teams: To operationally define each Student Learning Outcome • Managing expectations • Implementing program-level assessment plans while still developing the institutional framework

10. Linking Outcomes Integrated Educational Experience Non-Academic Activities Program Goals General Education Course Goals Lesson Objectives

11. IT Program Goals Business Track • Have a strong foundation in business and management theory and practices and be able to apply this foundational knowledge to solving IT problems • Evaluate, propose and implement plans for effective use of information technology within organizations • Demonstrate knowledge of enterprise management in a heterogeneous environment Systems and Security Track • Identify information system requirements for a client and then develop information systems that meet those requirements • Demonstrate a working knowledge of security practices to optimize information assurance • Demonstrate a knowledge of current legal requirements for information and system security Software Development Track • Effectively apply software development practice over the entire lifecycle of a design project including the analysis, prototyping, design, implementation, and testing of the new design • Use software tools effectively in all phases of software development • Demonstrate knowledge of algorithms, operating systems, theory of computation, and computer architecture Common IT Program Goals • Demonstrate a strong foundation in mathematics and science, and apply this fundamental knowledge to solving IT problems • Work as individuals and as members of a collaborative team that solve IT problems. • Demonstrate competence in effectively communicating technical information using oral, written, and digital presentation techniques • Demonstrate a desire and ability to continuously refine their computing knowledge and skills and learn to use new tools and processes • Demonstrate a working knowledge of multiple programming languages and system environments • Demonstrate knowledge in the design, implementation, and improvement of network and database systems

12. Assessment Data as a Basis of GGC Strategic Analysis Strategic Analysis Factual Data Constituent Input • Faculty • Board of Regents • Foundation Board • Community • Business • Societal trends and issues • Higher education trends and issues • GGC’s opportunities and challenges • Best practices/other universities’ plans • SACS and ABET Strategic Choice, Strategic Framework • Operating Principles • Strategic priorities • Vision, Mission • Institutional Goals Strategic Implementation • Action areas and activities Assessment Data

13. Sustainable Development • Traditionally, the challenge of sustainable development is to reach some balance among several components: economical aspects, social aspects, institutional (administrative) aspects, environmental aspects, and strategy of growth • Sustainable development requires a quantitative approach to analyze the set of problems

14. Sustainable Development

15. SustainableDevelopment • According to UN universities, colleges, and other higher education institutions can contribute to sustainable development in several ways: • First, by giving sustainable development a place in all university and research programs. • Second, by playing an important role as local knowledge centers for sustainable development. • Third, by making sustainable development a leading principle in their own logistics and management processes

16. Why Simulation? The Benefits of Simulation: 1. Simulation Provides a Virtual Way for Doing System Experimentation 2. Develop A Thorough Understanding of the Behavior of a System 3. Evaluate Various System Operating Strategies Without: • Building the system, • Disturbing the system (operating system which is costly and/or unsafe to experiment with it), • Destroying the system (if it is required to determine its limits of stress).

17. Model Building

18. Abstraction Formalization of the System Formalized Environment of the Investigator Simulation Model Hierarchical Levels of Models Interpretation Initial Model Data Specification Principal Variables Selection Initial Description A Particular College System Real-world Object Real World of the Investigator

19. Scenarios of Simulation Experiments Efficiency Criteria, Constraints Simulation Model Interpretation Abstraction Hierarchical Models of the System and Subject Principal Variables Selection Options of Structural Solutions Investigator Simulation for Systems Analysis and Design Formal Simulation Environment Subject Description Design Solutions Environment of the Investigator Recommendations

20. Students Computer Systems Faculty College Facilities College Economics Administration Structure University System of Georgia Gwinnet County Environment Gwinnet County Market and Community Gwinnet CountyAdministration The GGC System Boundaries

21. College Administration Students Computer Systems Faculty College Facilities College Economics Administration Structure Local Environment Local Community and Market Government and Local Administration Innovative College Systems College Monitoring Systems Students Database Computer Systems Database Faculty Database Administration Structure Database College Facilities Database College Economics Database Simulation Management Team goals, criteria, constrains, set of strategies Simulation Scenarios Simulation Models and Calculations Decision Support System Strategy of the college sustainable development Set of Simulation Models for Analysis and Planning of Sustainability of GGC

22. Next level of model hierarchy DataModel of Subject Domain GGC IT Program goals GGC Courses goals Data specification Initial Model of Subject Domain Initial description of the students Tests Assignments Projects Presentations Data Channels Subject Domain Students Outcomes-Driven Program Assessment as a Component of GGC Sustainable Development Simulation Model Hierarchy

23. GGC IT Program Outcome Goals Bachelor of Science – Information Technology Major Concentration – Systems and Security Program Outcome Goals Graduates who complete the Information Technology Major (Systems & Security Concentration) will be able to: PG1. Demonstrate a strong foundation in mathematics and science, and apply this fundamental knowledge to solving IT problems PG2. Work as individuals and as members of a collaborative team that solve IT problems. PG3. Demonstrate competence in effectively communicating technical information using oral, written, and digital presentation techniques PG4. Demonstrate a desire and ability to continuously refine their computing knowledge and skills and learn to use new tools and processes PG5. Demonstrate a working knowledge of multiple programming languages and system environments PG6. Demonstrate knowledge in the design, implementation, and improvement of network and database systems PG7. Identify information system requirements for a client and then develop information systems that meet those requirements PG8. Demonstrate a working knowledge of security practices to optimize information assurance PG9. Demonstrate a knowledge of current legal requirements for information and system security

24. Outcomes-Driven IT Program Assessment as a Component of Sustainable Development at GGC