Accountability Measures

1. Accountability Measures Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications Annual Meeting Denver, Colorado November 2002

2. Presenters(alpha order) • Kate Carey, Ohio Learning Network • Patricia Cuocco, California State University - Office of the Chancellor • Karen Paulson, National Center for Higher Education Management Systems WCET – Accountability Measures

3. Overview of Accountability Karen Paulson National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS)

4. Accountability is • “Demonstrating results in order to justify funding.” • “The systematic collection of input, process, and outcome data, as well as the use of these data, to make decisions about the effectiveness of schools, districts, or states.” WCET – Accountability Measures

5. In the Past, Accountability Was • Externally Imposed • Resulted in a “Compliance Mentality” • Has Evolved in the Past 10 Years WCET – Accountability Measures

6. Now Accountability Is • Diagnostic for Internal Purposes • Takes Into Account Multiple Stakeholders • Shared with External Constituencies WCET – Accountability Measures

7. Types of Accountability • Legal • Fiscal • Programmatic • Negotiated • Discretionary • Anticipatory From “Public Accountability and Higher Education: Soul Mates or Strange Bedfellows?” by Stephen Daigle and Patricia Cuocco, Vol. 2002, Issue 9, Educause Center for Applied Research Bulletin. WCET – Accountability Measures

8. Three Aspects to Consider • Is the technology capacity appropriate to the purposes? • Digital Plan • Are the users satisfied with the technology infrastructure and the associated services? • What results are there to show? • Student Learning Outcome Assessment WCET – Accountability Measures

9. A New Organization; A New Assessment Kate Carey OLN

10. A New Organization A New Assessment • OLN History – 3 year old state-funded E-Learning consortium • Offers grants, training, online catalog, communities • Assessed by NCHEMS in a two-part process WCET – Accountability Measures

11. OLN Mission • …significantly expands access to Ohioan’s learning opportunities by linking them to education content to meet their needs. • …assists colleges and universities in their capacity and effectiveness to use technologyin instruction and research by supporting leading edge activities. • …helps Ohio thrive in a work market by facilitate partnerships and collaborations among higher educational institutions, schools, business and industry and local communities. WCET – Accountability Measures

12. OLN GOALS • Statewide technology infrastructure – advocate for policies and funding • Leadership in philosophies, tech, programs and tools • DL opportunities for continuous learning in knowledge economy WCET – Accountability Measures

13. NCHEMS Traditional Assessment • Web-Survey • Interviews • Phone • In Person • Documents review WCET – Accountability Measures

14. A New Review • NCHEMS staff attended OLN annual conference • Futures Panel created • Bruce Chaloux, SREB-Electronic Campus • Darcy Hardy, Telecampus • Jack Wilson, Umass Online • Holly Zanville, OregonONE WCET – Accountability Measures

15. Futures Meeting • July – Futures Panel, Assessment Committee, Gov Bd Exec, Director, Asst Director • White Paper – set context • Overview of other state’s activity • Focused conversation WCET – Accountability Measures

16. Town Meeting - Who • By Invitation • Organization • Organization constituents • Higher Ed community • Legislators • Governor’s Office • Regents • Business and Industry WCET – Accountability Measures

17. Town Meeting - How • Small, but Influential Audience • Set Context for Discussions • Other states activities by directors • Focused conversation/Small group interaction • Ohio context • Structure, funding, culture • Education deficit 400,000 strong WCET – Accountability Measures

18. Outcomes • Accountability • Rests with OLN Governing Board not Regents! • Flexibility, Entrepreneurship, Speed for Action • Shift in Goals to meet Vision • Move from Association to Leadership • Aggregator of Resources and Services • Services to Students/Ohioans, Faculty-Institutions • Funding • Responsive to Communities • Higher Educations • Citizens • Business/Industry/Government WCET – Accountability Measures

19. Accountability – A Case Study Patricia Cuocco California State University – Office of the Chancellor

20. Accountability in the CSU • Since 1996 CSU has had a strategic plan for information technology called ITS • Focus is on Outcomes with Initiative Areas containing projects to achieve outcomes • Success of initiatives and outcomes depended on improving the infrastructure. WCET – Accountability Measures

21. Infrastructure Costs • How Bad Could That Be? • 23 campuses all needing to be upgraded to a minimum baseline level of telecommunications pathways, spaces, media and electronics • $250Million WCET – Accountability Measures

22. If at First, etc. • State said NO! • CSU had a history of trying to get technology funded as a capital investment • State feared the implications • State told CSU to be “creative” • State found CSU’s “creativity” too politically risky. WCET – Accountability Measures

23. Accountability – the Price for State Support • Good budget times – voters passed bond • State still had to approve expenditure • State still nervous about implications of technology as capital expense • Wanted assurances that money would be well spent WCET – Accountability Measures

24. Negotiated Accountability • State wanted to tie learning outcomes to miles of fiber and copper installed • Where do you even begin? • Went back to strategic plan • Showed how reaching outcomes relied on initiatives which relied on infrastructure WCET – Accountability Measures

25. Measures of Success • Agreed on what was to be measure – increasing success of individual ITS initiatives • Formal data collection – User Data and Institutional Data • Yearly report – first year format. • Second year – baseline data WCET – Accountability Measures

26. Measures of Success • Third and subsequent years – changes to baseline • This is third year of data – can show trends. • Hard to maintain validity and interest of CIOs • Useful in many unforeseen ways • http://its.calstate.edu/systemwide_it_resources/data_collection.shtml WCET – Accountability Measures