NRC Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs Kick-off for Program Contacts

1. NRC Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs Kick-off for Program Contacts

2. Introductions • Rebecca Bryant • Sally Mikel • Karen Carney • Dean Richard Wheeler, Institutional Coordinator • Carol Livingstone, DMI • Barb Welge, Planning & Budgeting

3. Assumptions • May not yet know how you fit into the NRC Assessment project here at Illinois • Worried about finding & validating data • Have a lot of questions • Anxious about ratings!

4. Goals for Today • Provide general overview of NRC Project process at Illinois • Identify resources that can help • Discuss the “division of labor” for your collection of program-level data • Hopefully help you feel less anxious about the process

5. Ask Questions • Please ask questions • If these relate to topics covered in depth later in the agenda, we may ask you to hold questions.

6. Agenda Items • Thumbnail Guide to NRC Questionnaires • Resources • Role of NRC Program Contacts & Graduate College • List of Programs • Program Questionnaire & Your Role

7. Thumbnail Guide to NRC Questionnaires • Four main questionnaires collect data from four different perspectives: • Institutional • Program • Faculty • Student • Summer/Fall timeline • Challenges

8. Resources • Graduate College maintains up-to-date NRC information—see handout. • www.grad.uiuc.edu/nrc

9. Have questions? • Emailgradnrcsurvey@uiuc.edu • This is the most reliable way to reach one of us in the Graduate College over the summer months. • We will respond as soon as possible.

10. Graduate College Role • Coordinate campus project, data collection, and communications • Collaborate with university institutional researchers to facilitate data gathering from a multitude of resources • Facilitate data collection for doctoral programs • Communicate with and submit data to NRC

11. Provost NRC DMI Students GRADUATE COLLEGE P & B Faculty Doctoral Programs

12. Role of NRC Program Contacts • Collaborate closely with GC to validate data: • Faculty • Students • Postdoctoral scholars • Complete Program Questionnaire in collaboration with Graduate College • Encourage faculty participation in faculty survey

13. A note on the NRC Project & Timeline • The timeline we have provided you could change. • A lot of decisions still need to be finalized by NRC • We still expect changes to Faculty & Student Questionnaires, and small changes to Program Questionnaire • NRC has not yet begun IRB review • Still unclear on how surveys/data will be delivered • NRC receiving pressure to extend timeline

14. List of Participating Programs • First part of the Institutional Questionnaire • Mapping of Illinois programs to NRC taxonomy due June 30 • Mapping document & NRC taxonomy available on GC NRC web site, www.grad.uiuc.edu/NRC/taxonomy.cfm. • Contacting dept heads (cc: NRC contacts, DGS) for verification

15. FAQ’s Answered • One UIUC program  1 primary field, (with the option for 1+ additional field(s) • Multiple UIUC programs may map to the same NRC field, but will be rated as separate programs • Additional fields will not be rated (Note: this is our current understanding.) • Questions?

16. Your Role? • Visit the web site at www.grad.uiuc.edu/NRC/taxonomy.cfm to review mapping • Verify that your department head has reviewed the taxonomy mapping • Contact us before June 30 if you have questions

17. The Program Questionnaire What do YOU need to know?

18. Program Questionnaire Overview • The only questionnaire that directly impacts your program • The most data-rich questionnaire • One for each participating program • Completed jointly by GC & your program • Due to NRC in December

19. Program Questionnaire Completion • Collaborative • www.grad.uiuc.edu/nrc/pgm_questionnaire.htm • Graduate College addresses data-intensive questions • Access to institutional resources and data sets • Consistency between programs and with peer institutions • Programs answer remaining questions • Multi-stage data gathering & review process

20. Your Role • Complete GC Doctoral Program Survey • Review Faculty Lists • Review Student Cohorts • Review Postdoctoral Scholars • Validate responses completed by Graduate College • GC will provide additional resources • Complete questions not addressed by GC • Review final draft before submission

21. Graduate College Doctoral Program Survey • Preliminary data gathering, via web-based survey • Admission & candidacy • Preliminary question completion • Your participation is essential for us to provide you with the completion matrix and many other program questionnaire questions

22. Your role? • Complete by June 30 & return to the Graduate College

23. Faculty Lists • Needed for: • Program Questionnaire • Faculty Survey

24. NRC Faculty definitions • Core • New • Affiliated • (Other faculty) • (Other committee members) Note: • Emeritus faculty should not to be included • Should not include “outside readers” for dissertations

25. Core Faculty Faculty members who are currently employed at your university, have a formal appointment to your program, and who satisfy at least one of the following criteria: • Chairs or has chaired a dissertation committee in the past 5 academic years (2001-2002 through 2005-2006). • Serves on committees on doctoral admissions or curriculum for the doctoral program. • Serves or has served on a dissertation committee in the program in the past 5 years and does not hold emeritus status.

26. New Faculty Faculty members who have been • hired in tenured or tenure-track positions in the past 3 academic years, • are currently employed at your university, and • who are expected to become involved in doctoral education in your program.

27. Affiliated Faculty Faculty members who are not part of your program but who have • served on dissertation committees in your program in the past 5 years and • are currently employed at your university.

28. Faculty Lists • Early/mid July: GC will send you a preliminary list of faculty for your program,compiled from various campus data sources • Validate and add/subtract names & return by late July • You will have a second chance to review in early September • NRC submission deadline: Sept 15

29. Sources for Faculty Lists • Dissertation Committees • Tenure Track Academic Appointments (as of May 1)

30. Faculty—Issues & Concerns • How will you represent a faculty member’s distribution/split appointments? • Can a faculty member be listed as “core” in more than one department? • How will the faculty lists be produced? Delivered? • Other questions?

31. Completion Template

32. Student Cohort • A cohort is the group of students entering a doctoral program in a given academic year • Needed for completion matrix (question C11) • Also will be used for other questions • Prior master’s degree • Attrition • Student Support (part E)

33. Student Cohort • Identify all students who are associated with a program • Check multiple sources • Separate out master’s from PhD • Early attrition • New to campus • Determine year of entry • Based on first year of graduate enrollment on campus

34. Student Cohort • Examine all doctoral student activity for this program from 1994-2006 to build a preliminary list of students • Graduate Admissions • Graduate Registrations • Preliminary and/or Final Tests • PhD Degree Granted

35. Student Cohort • Program Review • List of Included Students • Student identification information • Cohort year • Justification for inclusion • Graduate entry date • Other students

36. Faculty Survey • Faculty Surveys will be distributed electronically • Alert faculty in your program to expect the survey & encourage their participation. • Distribute information in advance to facilitate completion of the survey • October distribution. Dec close.

37. Have questions? • Emailgradnrcsurvey@uiuc.edu • This is the most reliable way to reach one of us in the Graduate College over the summer months. • We will respond as soon as possible.

38. Student Survey • Student Surveys will be distributed electronically (for eligible programs) • Alert student in your program to expect the survey & encourage their participation.

39. Have questions? • Emailgradnrcsurvey@uiuc.edu • We will respond as soon as possible.