Advancing Your Assessment Plan: Measuring What You VALUE

1. Advancing Your Assessment Plan: Measuring What You VALUE Assessment Workshop SUNY Oneonta April 24, 2012

2. Presenter: Patty Francis Associate Provost for Institutional Assessment & Effectiveness

3. Context and Background • Development of College’s Action Plan for Planning and Assessment (Spring 2008) • Endorsement by College Senate (12/2008) • Approval by President’s Cabinet (Spring 2009) • Formation of Institutional Assessment Committee (IAC) (Spring 2009) • Development of assessment guidelines by IAC and approval by President’s Cabinet (11/2009) • Distribution of guidelines in 12/2009, with first plans due June 1, 2010 • Revision of guidelines by IAC in June 2011 • Submission of first assessment reports in June 2011, with second reports due June 2012

4. Some Assessment Basics • Establishing congruence among institutional mission and goals, programmatic and unit objectives, unit activities, and assessments • Linking goals and objectives to outcomes through action plan • Assessment as an ongoing, iterative process • Using a variety of meaningful measures, both quantitative and qualitative, in search of convergence • Using existing data sources as much as possible

5. Most Important • Done correctly, assessment: • Serves to align mission, goals, objectives, and assessments across all levels of the institution • Initiates a “never-ending” dialogue among staff members regarding programmatic priorities, objectives and effectiveness • Offers multiple, rich opportunities for professional interaction and development • Provides (mostly) affirming data in support of existing programs and services • Provides a systematic, focused direction for change and future activities

6. Goals, Objectives, and Outcomes: What’s the Difference? • Goals ->Objectives ->Outcomes = More General (and Less Measurable)->More Specific (and More Measurable) • Goals: • Statements about general intentions/purposes that are broad and more long-range in scope and not directly measurable • May come directly out of unit mission statement • Usually developed at programmatic or divisional level and often are in the form of a “process” statement (i.e., begin with verbs like “establish,” “provide,” “enhance”)

7. Goals, Objectives, and Outcomes: What’s the Difference? (cont.) • Objectives: • More specific than goals • Typically there are multiple objectives for each goal • Usually developed at the unit level to reflect “upper-level” goals

8. Goals, Objectives, and Outcomes: What’s the Difference? (cont.) • Outcomes: • Very specific statements that “translate” into assessable measures • Process- vs. results-oriented statements • Two kinds, depending on assessment stage • “Expected outcome” refers to anticipated results of assessment – should include criterion to be used in determining success • “Actual outcome” refers to actual results of assessment

9. Finance and Administration Example Goal Develop and implement processes that deliver value to the institution and campus community. Objective To identify and carry out strategies that result in the strategic allocation of resources. Expected Outcome During 2011-12, the total funds expended on institutional priorities will increase by 20%.

10. Developing Outcomes: Some Tips • Outcomes often include: • Institutional effectiveness performance indicators (especially System-wide as appropriate) • Documentation of all services and programs offered • Tracking of use of services (and by whom) • Constituent satisfaction with services/programs • Direct impact of services/programs on constituents (including student learning if appropriate) • Comparisons with comparable units at other institutions as appropriate (i.e., benchmarking)

11. What is Ultimate Goal of Measurement? • To determine whether or not the unit is meeting its objectives • Requires a priori identification of appropriate measures for each objective and statement of expected outcome (i.e., what is the unit aiming for?) • Utilization of services/programs (i.e., quantity) • Performance measures (i.e., quality) • Satisfaction surveys • Comparisons with other units (i.e., benchmarking)

12. Measuring Outcomes: Recommended Actions • Develop a detailed action plan linking objectives to outcomes, specifying strategies/actions intended to accomplish each objective and, for each action, a timeline, person/persons responsible, resources required, measures to be used, expected outcomes, and actual outcomes once assessments have been conducted • Use a wide variety of information sources, including existing data as much as possible • Develop and administer satisfaction surveys to internal and external constituent groups • Establish criteria for unit effectiveness through comparisons with information provided by similar units at other institutions or other relevant sources (e.g., certification agencies, national organizations) • Units whose functions are evaluated through SUNY-wide measures (e.g., the Student Opinion Survey, the National Survey of Student Engagement) should include these measures as performance indicators in their assessment plan

13. Essential Components of Action Plan • Goals and Objectives for Unit • Strategies or Actions Intended to Accomplish Goals and Objectives • For Each Action: • Timeline • Person/Persons Responsible • Resources Required • Expected Outcomes • Actual Outcomes (Once Actions are Complete)

14. Action Plan Example - IT Goal: Plan and deliver integrated information services to enable members of the campus community to access information when and where they need it.

15. Action Plan Example - GSR Goal: To facilitate development of new degree programs and the revision of existing programs at the graduate level and to ensure their ongoing quality.

16. Action Plan Example - GSR Goal: To provide support services to faculty and staff for the promotion and development of sponsored programs.

17. Your Turn!