Creating a Culture of Assessment in Non-Instructional Areas

1. Creating a Culture of Assessment in Non-Instructional Areas 2012 West Texas Assessment Conference Kara Larkan-Skinner, Director of IR and IE& Kristin McDonald-Willey, Assessments Coordinator

2. Session Outline Speaking Request: Discuss how Amarillo College (AC) addresses the following SACSCOC requirements: • 3.3.1.2 Administrative Support Services • 3.3.1.3 Academic and Student Support Services • 3.3.1.5 Community/Public Service Within Mission • Note: 3.3.1.4 Research is not applicable within our mission Focus Areas: • Discuss AC’s process for evaluating 3.3.1.2 - 3.3.1.5 • Discuss AC’s accountability practices • Discuss how AC guides the institution toward improvement • Discuss how AC tackled the recent SACSCOC compliance demands in the 2012 reaffirmation reports and documentation

3. Session Goal Give you a few ideas/tools to aid you in your assessment practices. Key Points: • One size does not fit all • Change is not instant • Considerations • Type of institution • Size of institution • Number of administrators/staff

4. AC’s process for evaluating 3.3.1.2 - 3.3.1.5Planning Evaluation and Tracking (PET) Process • Based on organizational chart, notify “people responsible” • Invite Non-Instructional (NI) area representatives to a training • Discuss Measurable Goals • Discuss Writing Good Outcomes and Direct Outcomes • Walk through PET Form Template • NI areas given a template called a PET form • Requirements: • Purpose Statement • 1 Goal/Outcome from Strategic Plan • 1 Goal/Outcome from Achieving the Dream (AtD) which is also called No Excuses • 1 Direct Outcome • 1 Set of Results and Analysis • 1 Past Improvement and 1 Future Action Plan • PET form reminders/materials sent up until the due date • IE staff or NI committee offer assistance when needed • PET Form Submitted (See Sample PET Form Content: Next Slide)

5. AC’s process for evaluating 3.3.1.2 - 3.3.1.5SAMPLE PORTION OF PET TEMPLATE • Goal Statement #1: • Outcome/Objective Statement #1A(Be sure to include audience, behavior, conditions, degree/benchmark, and evaluation method): • Results (If Applicable, Provide Numbers and Percentages for Quantitative Data) • 2010-2011 Data: Numbers = ___ out of ____ and Percentage =s ____% • 2011-2012 Data: Numbers = ____ out of ____ and Percentage =s ____% • Analysis • Provide Previous Data/Result Analysis (Include if benchmark was met and how results relate to outcome statement): • Improvements • List any Improvements Made in the 2011-2012 (Last Academic) Year: • Evaluate Why Improvements Were Successful/Were Not Successful: • What Budget Implications Were Involved with this Improvement? (Please Provide Cost Estimate/Details): • Recommendations/Actions for 2012-2013 • Person Responsible (Who will complete the action?): • Action Plan: • Expected Time Frame Needed to Implement Action Plan (Please provide specific deadline date): • What Budget Implications Are Involved with this Action? (Please Provide Cost Estimate/Details):

6. AC’s process for evaluating 3.3.1.2 - 3.3.1.5Planning and Evaluation Tracking (PET) Process • PET Form Reviewed by NI Assessment Committee • Response Form Returned to Person Responsible • Needed Edits Made to PET Form by Person Responsible • Extent of Outcome Achievement Documented • Final PET Form Information Passed On For Improvements: • NI Assessment Committee • President’s Cabinet • Anyone Who Needs Access to Specialized Information

7. ACCOUNTABILITY PRACTICES-How do you get participation?- Use Your Verbal Judo Skills! To Get Compliance • Encourage wide representation, but have 1 primary person responsible • Copy supervisors on all PET-related communications • Clearly define in advance how the PET form will be used and who will see it • Small trainings with “like” groups help peer pressure into compliance To Get Cooperation (A.K.A. “Buy In”) • Simplify as Much as Possible • Make Process Fair • Clearly defined guidelines • Clearly defined evaluation process • Prove that the Process is Meaningful • Tie it to other institutional initiatives • Answer the “why” and the “so what?” questions To Get Collaboration (Ultimate Goal) • Involve NI people in Forming and Evolving Your Process • NI Assessment Committee (at AC, minimum 10 members) • Invite all NI staff/administration to “Chats and Stats” discussions

8. Guide institution toward improvement -How do you Use the information?- Improvement for NI Areas in Creating Outcomes/Objectives • Multiple Training Opportunities (Outside of “Assigned” Time) • Ability to Work with IE employees or NI Committee Members • Feedback Offered via NI Assessment Committee Response Forms • Opportunity to Edit and Improve Form Based on Feedback • Opportunity to Improve from NI Assessment Committee Recommendations • Improved Results (See Handout) Improvement for Institution as a Whole Based on PET Form Information • Budget – President’s Cabinet reviews to assess institutional needs. • Strategic Plan – President’s Cabinet can see where we are at on institutional priorities and avoid duplication of effort. • No Excuses – Identify how each area can help guide students toward success either directly or indirectly.

9. Guide institution toward improvement Improvement for Those Who Oversee the Assessment Process • Use NI Assessment Committee Comments to Improve • Use SACSCOC Comments to Improve • For example, choose terminology you use in your responses very carefully • Use Collaboration with All Possible Stakeholders to Improve • For example, we now collaborate with Academic Affairs because they do oversee some of the student and academic support areas and thus have an invested interest in the process

10. Summary: -How Did We Use our process to MEET SACSCOC GUIDELINESS?- • AC Identifies Expected Outcomes • Writing Outcomes: Audience, Behavior, Condition, Degree, Evaluation (A-E) Model • PET Process • Training and Training Support Information • AC Identifies the Extent to Which it Achieves These Outcomes • Brief overview on where and how the achievement of outcomes is identified • Information on methodology that outlines how outcomes will be assessed • AC Provides Evidence of Improvement Based on Result Analysis • Examples provided for key words identified in SACSCOC handbook • Information on reports that document improvements made by NI areas • Response Form Information • Information on Review Process After PET Submission

11. Questions

12. Amarillo College Resources • A-E Method for Writing Outcome Statements • Institutional Effectiveness Web site • PET Form Template • 2012-2013 Non-Instructional PET Forms PowerPoint Training • PET Response Form (Blank) and Response Letter Sample • PET Methodology (Updated 2012-2013) • PET Web site

13. Other Resources • Bloom’s Taxonomy Action Verbs Chart Useful in writing outcome’s statements (Clemson University) • SMART Goals Alternative to A-E Method (Top Achievement Web site)