Assessment

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Assessment Accreditation

• A Presentation to the WSU Higher Education Academy

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Assessment Accreditation

• Part I Introduction
• Whats in it for me?

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Assessment Accreditation

• Part II External Validation
• Accreditation and other Recognitions

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Question?

• Name five excellent colleges or universities and
  state why these schools are excellent.

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Assessment Accreditation

• Measures of quality

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Assessment Accreditation

• Middle States Association of Colleges and
  Schools, Commission on Higher Education
• Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New
  Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, and
  the U.S. Virgin Islands
• New England Association of Schools and Colleges,
  Commission on Institutions of Higher Education
• Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
  Rhode Island, and Vermont
• North Central Association of Colleges and
  Schools, The Higher Learning Commission
• Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana,
  Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri,
  Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio,
  Oklahoma, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin,
  and Wyoming, including schools of the Navajo
  Nation
• Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
• Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and
  Washington
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools,
  Commission on Colleges
• Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana,
  Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina,
  Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia,
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges,
  Accrediting Commission for Senior (Junior)
  Colleges and Universities
• California, Hawaii, the United States territories
  of Guam and American Samoa, the Republic of
  Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, the
  Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and
  the Republic of the Marshall Islands

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Northwest Accreditation Standards
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The Accreditation Process
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Accreditation

• When granted, accreditation by the Northwest
  Commission on Colleges and Universities is not
  partial. It applies to the entire institution in
  operation at the time of the most recent
  comprehensive evaluation. It indicates that the
  institution as a whole is substantially achieving
  its mission and that it meets the Commission's
  expectations for compliance with the
  accreditation criteria.

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Does Accreditation Matter?
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Does Accreditation Matter?
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Does Accreditation Matter?

• Earning regional accreditation is important for
  colleges because it allows students to receive
  federal financial aid and helps students transfer
  credits to other institutions.

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Does Accreditation Matter?

• Compton Community College, in California, a large
  two-year public institution--Action
  Accreditation removed. The institution remains
  accredited pending an appeal.
• Barber-Scotia College, in Concord, N.C., a small,
  historically black, four-year Presbyterian
  institution--Action accreditation rescinded.
• D-Q University, in Davis, Calif., a small,
  comprehensive community college and California's
  only tribal institution--Action show cause --
  the last step before loss of accreditation

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Other Types of Accreditation
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College of Applied Science Technology

• Automotive Service Technology AAS programs
  (National Automotive Technicians Education
  Foundation)
• Electronics Engineering Technology, Manufacturing
  Engineering Technology, Mechanical Engineering
  Technology (Technology Accreditation Commission
  of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and
  Technology)
• Interior Design Technology (National Kitchen
  Bath Association) Endorsement

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College of Arts Humanities

• Music (National Association of Schools of Music)

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John B. Goddard School of Business Economics

• All undergraduate and graduate programs in
  business (AACSB - Association to Advance
  Collegiate Schools of Business)
• School of Accountancy--all undergraduate and
  graduate programs in accounting (AACSB -
  Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of
  Business)

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Jerry and Vickie Moyes College of Education

• Athletic Training (Commission on Accreditation of
  Allied Health Education Programs)
• Early Childhood Education (National Association
  for the Education of Young Children Teacher
  Education, National Council for Accreditation of
  Teacher Education)
• Elementary Education (Association of Childhood
  Education International)
• Family Studies (National Council on Family
  Relations Standards for the Certified Family Life
  Educator)
• Melba S. Lehner Children's School (National
  Association for the Education of Young Children
  Standards)
• Physical Education Teaching (National Association
  for Sport and Physical Education)
• Teacher Education (National Council for
  Accreditation of Teacher Education, Utah State
  Board of Education Standards)

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Dr. Ezekiel R. Dumke College of Health
Professions

• Clinical Laboratory Sciences (National
  Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory
  Science)
• Dental Hygiene (Commission on Dental
  Accreditation of the American Dental Association)
  
• Emergency Care Rescue (Committee on
  Accreditation of Educational Programs in the
  Emergency Medical Services Professions)
• Health Administrative Services (Association of
  University Programs in Health Administration)
• Health Information Management, Health Information
  Technology (Council on Accreditation of the
  American Health Information Management
  Association)
• Nursing (National League for Nursing Accrediting
  Commission)
• Respiratory Therapy (Committee on Accreditation
  for Respiratory Care)

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College of Science

• Chemistry (American Chemical Society)

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College of Social Behavioral Sciences

• Social Work (Council on Social Work Education)

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Professional AccreditationPrescriptive Standards

• In 2001, the Foster College of Business
  Administration at Bradley received its third
  reaffirmation of full accreditation from AACSB
  International - The Association to Advance
  Collegiate Schools of Business for both business
  and accounting programs. With only163 having
  achieved both accounting and business
  accreditation. This puts Bradley in an elite
  groups of schools.

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Assessment Accreditation

• The Rankings

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U.S. NewsWhat Factors Matter
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WSUs Categorical Ratings

• Americas Best Colleges 2006 Edition
• (released Aug. 19, 2005)
• 3680 Weber State University
• Category Universities Masters (West)
• Final Tier 1
• Final Rank 49
• Final Overall Score 36
• Peer Assessment Rank 34
• Financial Resources Rank 119
• Graduate and Retention Rank 54
• Student Selectivity Rank 36
• Faculty Resources Rank 71
• Alumni Giving Rank 78
• Graduation Rate Performance Rank (National
  Universities and Liberal Arts Colleges only)
  Not Applicable

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Assessment Accreditation

• Part III Assessment

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Assessment Basic Questions

• Do we know how we are doing?
• Are we doing a good job?

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Possibilities

• 1) We believe we know something, and we have
  evidence to support our belief.
• 2) We believe we know something, but we dont
  have evidence to support our belief.
• 3) We dont know anything, but we could know
  something if we had evidence.
• 4) We dont know anything, and we believe
  knowledge is unattainable.

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The Path to Knowledge
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The Scientific Method

• 1. Observe some aspect of the universe.
• 2. Invent a tentative description, called a
  hypothesis, that is consistent with what you have
  observed.
• 3. Use the hypothesis to make predictions.
• 4. Test those predictions by experiments or
  further observations and modify the hypothesis in
  the light of your results.
• 5. Repeat steps until there are no discrepancies
  between theory and experiment and/or observation.

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An Accreditors View of Assessment

• Concerned with Student Learning
• Focused on Outcomes
• Oriented Toward the Assessment Process

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Is Student Learning the Only Thing?

• Student satisfaction
• Student placement
• Student retention
• Student graduation

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Do Inputs Matter?

• Accrediting standards, which are overwhelmingly
  concerned with institutional inputs and processes
  rather than academic results, have done nothing
  to arrest any of those trends.

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Do inputs matter?
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Do inputs matter?

• Lemon Spaghetti Recipe courtesy Giada De
  Laurentiis
• 1 pound spaghetti 2/3 cup olive oil 2/3 cup
  grated Parmesan 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about
  3 lemons) Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  1 tablespoon lemon zest 1/3 cup chopped fresh
  basil leaves
• Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted
  water until tender but still firm to the bite,
  stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
  Meanwhile, whisk the oil, Parmesan, and lemon
  juice in a large bowl to blend.
• Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking
  liquid. Toss the pasta with the lemon sauce, and
  the reserved cooking liquid, adding 1/4 cup at a
  time as needed to moisten. Season with salt and
  pepper. Garnish with lemon zest and chopped
  basil.

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SEVEN PRINCIPLES FOR GOOD PRACTICEIN
UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION

• Good practice in undergraduate education
• encourages contact between students and faculty,
• develops reciprocity and cooperation among
  students,
• encourages active learning,
• gives prompt feedback,
• emphasizes time on task,
• communicates high expectations, and
• respects diverse talents and ways of learning.

By Arthur W. Chickering and Zelda F. Gamson
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Question?

• Should you examine inputs, process, or outcomes?

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The Issue of Process
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Question?

• How much does the process matter?

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Assessment Accreditation

• If it is that easy whats the problem.

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Assessment Accreditation

• Setting goals

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Where are we going?
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Assessment Accreditation

• Gathering data
• Everyones an expert

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Assessment Accreditation

• Interpreting the data

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Assessment Accreditation

• Observation In many parts of Europe, medieval
  farmers stored grain in barns with thatched roofs
  (like Shakespeares house). As a roof aged, it
  was not uncommon for it to start leaking. This
  could lead to spoiled or moldy grain, and of
  course there were lots of mice around.
• Conclusion It was obvious to them that the
  mice came from the moldy grain.

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The Scientific Method

• 1. Observe some aspect of the universe.
• 2. Invent a tentative description, called a
  hypothesis, that is consistent with what you have
  observed.
• 3. Use the hypothesis to make predictions.
• 4. Test those predictions by experiments or
  further observations and modify the hypothesis in
  the light of your results.
• 5. Repeat steps until there are no discrepancies
  between theory and experiment and/or observation.

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Assessment Accreditation

• Using the information for improvement
• Time to go to Work

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Assessment Accreditation

• Lets look at some data

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Faculty Satisfaction with Work
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WSU 2005 NSSEPositive Relative to Peers
Examinations challenged students to do best work
(F, S) Participated in activities to enhance
spirituality (F, S) Worked on problem sets taking
more than one hour (S) Quality of relationship
with faculty (S) Amount of time studying
(S) Received support needed to succeed
academically (S) Acquired work-related knowledge
(S) Satisfaction with entire educational
experience (S) Would attend WSU again
(S) Commuting (lower) (F, S)
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WSU 2005 NSSENegative Relative to Peers
Made a class presentation (F) Worked with other
students during class (F) Worked with students
outside class (F, S) Tutored other students (F,
S) Used the Internet (or other electronic medium)
(S) Used email to communicate with the faculty
(F, S) Discussed assignments with instructor
(F) Discussed ideas with faculty outside class
(F) Received prompt feedback on assignments
(F) Worked with faculty on non-course activities
(F) Had conversations with diverse students (F,
S) Synthesized ideas (F)
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WSU 2005 NSSENegative Relative to Peers
Wrote a paper of 20 pages or more (S) Wrote
papers of 5 to 17 pages (F) Attended cultural
event (F) Participated in a learning community
(F) Did foreign language coursework (F,
S) Pursued independent study (S) Capstone
experience (S) Quality of relationship with other
students (F) Worked for pay on-campus (lower)
(S) Worked for pay off-campus (higher) (F,
S) Co-curricular activities (F) Partying/watching
TV (higher) (F, S) Contact with diverse students
(F)
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WSU 2005 NSSENegative Relative to Peers
WSU helped cope with non-academic demands
(F) Social support (F) Campus events (F) Speaking
effectively (F) Thinking critically (F) Using
information technology (F) Working effectively
with others (F) Voting (F) Understanding yourself
(F) Understanding people of different backgrounds
(F) Solving complex problems (F) Developing
values (F) Contributing to the community (F)
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Some 2005 NSSE Data

• 16 percent of WSU first-year students often come
  to class without doing the required reading.

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Some 2005 NSSE Data

• 85 percent of WSU first-year students never work
  with faculty on activities other than coursework.

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Some 2005 NSSE Data

• 59 percent of WSU first-year students never talk
  with faculty members outside class.

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Weber State University Retention of First-Time
Students
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Weber State University Graduation Rates
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Weber State University Retention Compared to
4-Year USHE
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Weber State University Graduation Rates
Compared to 4-Year USHE
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Some 2005 NSSE Data

• 8 percent of WSU first-year students and 9
  percent of WSU seniors never had a serious
  conversation with students who were different in
  terms of religious beliefs, political opinions or
  personal values.

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Some 2005 NSSE Data

• 20 percent of WSU first-year students and 17
  percent of WSU seniors never read an unassigned
  book for personal enjoyment or academic
  enrichment.

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A Question?

• How College Affects Students
• ..simply going to collegemakes a major
  difference
• however the researchers were unable to uncover
  significant differences between colleges once the
  quality of entering students was taken into
  account.

Research by Ernest Pascarella and Patrick
Terenzini Referenced in Richard Hershs What
Does College Teach, Atlantic Monthly, November
2005
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Some 2005 NSSE Data

• 13 percent of WSU seniors never wrote a paper
  longer than four pages.

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Some 2005 NSSE Data

• 8 percent of WSU first-year students and 5
  percent of WSU seniors never examined the
  strengths and weaknesses of their own views on a
  topic or issue.

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Some 2005 NSSE Data

• 34 percent of WSU first-year students and 35
  percent of seniors have never attended an art
  exhibit, gallery, play, dance, or other theater
  performance.

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• Questions?