Tulane University SACS Accreditation Re-Affirmation

1. Tulane University SACS Accreditation Re-Affirmation Faculty Information Sessions Fall, 2008

2. What is SACS? • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools • Accrediting body in the eleven U.S. Southern states • Commission on Colleges • Performs the accreditation process for SACS • Level refers to the highest degree offered by an institution. • Level I - Associate Degree • Level II - Baccalaureate Degree • Level III - Master's Degree, • Level IV - Master's Degree and Education Specialist Degree • Level V - 3 or fewer Doctoral Degrees • Level VI - 4 or more Doctoral Degrees

3. Basic Components of Accreditation Process • Compliance Certification • Institutional Effectiveness • Faculty Credentialing • Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) • New initiative • Student learning focus • Off-Site Review Committee • Reviews Compliance Certification Documents • On-Site Review Team • Reviews QEP • Reviews responses to Off-Site comments • Reviews Institutional Effectiveness

4. Tulane's Abbreviated SACS Timeline • “Re-Affirmation” occurs every ten years; last was in 2001 • September 2010 • Compliance Certification documentation submitted • November 2010 • COC Off-Site Committee reviews Compliance documents • December 2010 • Off-Site Committee reports findings to Tulane • January 2011 • QEP, Focused Report submitted • March 2011 • COC On-Site Committee visits • Fall 2011 • Recommendations, responses

5. Department/Program Needs – Fall 2008 • Syllabi (more) • One for each course; electronic format • Posted on Blackboard; collected by department/program • Must contain learning outcomes (more) • Mission Statements (more) • Program Outcomes • What do you expect your graduates to be able to do? • Should be consistent with Mission Statement • Organizational Chart • Only necessary if department is not the basic unit • Faculty Credentials • Entered into Digital Measures (more)

6. Sample Syllabus

7. Learning Outcomes • Statement of what the student is expected to know and do upon completion of the assignment/course/program… • “Students will be able to….” • Outcomes start with command words (see Bloom’s Taxonomy) • Identify • Calculate • Compare and Contrast • Analyze • Differentiate Between • Write, Read (languages) • Must be measureable • The “A” word • Identify assessment technique wherever possible

8. Bloom's Taxonomy (Cognitive Domain)

9. Mission Statements - Tulane • Tulane's purpose is to create, communicate and conserve knowledge in order to enrich the capacity of individuals, organizations and communities to think, to learn and to act and lead with integrity and wisdom. • Tulane pursues this mission by cultivating an environment that focuses on learning and the generation of new knowledge; by expecting and rewarding teaching and research of extraordinarily high quality and impact; and by fostering community-building initiatives as well as scientific, cultural and social understanding that integrate with and strengthen learning and research. This mission is pursued in the context of the unique qualities of our location in New Orleans and our continual aspiration to be a truly distinctive international university.

10. Faculty Credentials • Inputted to Digital Measures by end of 2008 • https://www.digitalmeasures.com/login/tulane/admin/authentication/showLogin.do • All faculty, including adjuncts and part-time • Faculty roster linked to Workforce Management database • Scheduled Teaching linked to Student Information System (SIS); eventually Banner • Required information by end of 2008: • Education • Professional Certifications • Additional information may be required for school annual reports

11. Questions? • Ana Lopez Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs lopez@tulane.edu 314-2249 • Brian Mitchell Associate Provost for Graduate Studies and Research brian@tulane.edu 314-2818