Assessing Presidential Effectiveness
Oh, no! You won't be getting a printed SCUP–45 Preliminary Program in the mail this year. Instead, SCUP is going green and regularly updating this digital version (PDF), which you can download at any time. Check it out! You don't want to miss higher education's premier planning conference, and your one chance this year to assemble with nearly 1,500 of your peers and colleagues: July 10–14, Minneapolis.
SCUP Link Assessing Presidential Effectiveness is a new book from the Association of Governing Boards (AGB) of Colleges and Universities by Richard Morrill. You can also read this lengthy article on the in Trusteeship, also by Morrill. More description of the book: In this publication, Richard Morrill focuses on the president, the board, and other decision-making systems and relationships. An assessment should be an opportunity “for the board to deepen its understanding of the president and the organization,” he writes, “to connect and integrate elements of its own responsibilities, to intensify its engagement with the institution and to broaden its influence in shared leadership.”
Chapters on the board’s responsibilities in appraisal and development, annual and comprehensive assessment, procedures and protocols, and policies and materials, as well as valuable resources and sample assessment questions and forms provide a solid for institutions to begin this most important process.
Drawing on his background as president emeritus of the University of Richmond, Morrill, now president of the Teagle Foundation, not only shares personal experiences but also situates the theory and practice of presidential evaluation in the landscape of higher education today.
SCUP's Planning Institute: Enjoy the F2F company of your colleagues and peers while you engage in one of the three SCUP Planning Institute Steps. In addition to being offered on demand, on campuses to teams of campus leaders, the institute steps are also offered to all professionals at varying times and venues. Currently scheduled are: - May 22–23, Ann Arbor, MI - Step I
- July 10, Minneapolis, MN - Step I (in conjunction with SCUP–45)
- October 2, Ann Arbor, MI - Step I
- January 21–22, Tuscon, AZ - Step II and Step III
Labels: AGB, assessment, presidents
Different Paths to Full Professor at Ohio State University
 At Ohio State University, president E. Gordon Gee, and many faculty, want to rewrite the rules for tenure to essentially allow a dual track: Those who excel at research and those who excel at teaching. Scott Jaschik outlines the concept in Inside Higher Ed (lots of interesting comments): [T]he key missing element to giving teaching and service a fair shot at equal consideration in promotions to full professor is measurement of impact, which is easier for research. He said that if good criteria could be developed, not only would teaching-related activities be rewarded, but so would research that has practical use. "Measuring impact is always difficult, particularly when it comes to teaching and service," he said. "But it can be done if we focus on the significance of these activities as it extends beyond our own institution -- just as we expect such broad effects with traditional scholarship. Thus, indicators of impact on other institutions, recognition by professional associations, broad adoption of teaching materials (textbooks, software, etc.) by other institutions, evidence of effects on policy formulation and so on -- all these are appropriate independent indicators of effectiveness."
Regional SCUP Events! Enjoy the F2F company of your colleagues and peers at one of three SCUP regional conferences this spring: Labels: assessment, faculty, learning outcomes, N-C, Ohio State University, productivity, tenure
States Collect Information on Students, Report Says, but Don't Use It Enough
The DQC's website is useful, including a set of resources on ARRA funding resources that can be used for data-related activities. "Since 2005, the Data Quality Campaign (DQC) has supported state development of longitudinal data systems that provide policymakers with information to create and adjust policies and practices to improve student achievement." The DQC conducts an annual survey about what student data states are collecting, and how they are using it, then matches the states' actions to its own 10 Essential Elements. The results of that survey are available on its website. Here is a brief item in The Chronicle of Higher Education by Eric Kelderman titled "States Collect Information on Students, Report Says, but Don't Use It Enough."
Regional SCUP Events! Enjoy the F2F company of your colleagues and peers at one of three SCUP regional conferences this spring: Labels: assessment, data, Data Quality Campaign, DQC, institutional research, states
'Credit Hours' or 'Chunks of Learning'?
Credit hours? Chunks of learning? The Chronicle's Goldie Blumenstyk observes that the recent angst between the DOE's Inspector General and the North Central's Higher Learning Commission has given new life to the question of "credit hours." Are they outdated? A relic? Do they do more harm than good? Along the way, Blumenstyk mentions an interesting Lumina-backed effort to create a new college ecosystem ( DGREE, it has a conference going on this week), touches base with Carol A. Twigg at NCAT, and notes an internal Department of Education initiative to redefine "credit hour": Meanwhile, the Education Department may itself take that step. Last month, during negotiations with 16 representatives of colleges and associations over new rules to govern federal student aid, the department proposed its own credit-hour definition, based on the Carnegie Unit (one credit would equal one hour of class time or direct faculty instruction and two hours of out-of-class work per week for approximately 15 weeks; in cases where there was no formal class, the college, with the accord of its accreditor, could establish equivalents). It's uncertain if this proposal will be adopted. Negotiators are expected to vote on the credit-hour definition, along with other proposed rules, in late January.
Regional SCUP Events! Enjoy the F2F company of your colleagues and peers at one of three SCUP regional conferences this spring:
 Labels: academic planning, assessment, credentials, credit hours, credits, learning outcomes, quality
Measure, Measure, Measure . . . Then What?
Scott Jaschick of Inside Higher Ed recently spent some time listening to folks heavily engaged in various assessment activities. He writes here about NSSE, National Survey of Student Engagement, and here about a report from the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA). The latter study found that the top use of assessment data is, no surprise, for another form of assessment: accreditation. The NSSE folks and the NILOA folks, according to Jaschik, each would like to see more use of assessment data in order to effect change. T he Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education finds success can be had by using NSSE assessment data to effect change. The NILOA report, which can be found in its entirety here, breaks down assessment data in a number of use type categories and in a number of institutional categories.
Labels: accreditation, assessment, learning outcomes, NILOA, nsse, quality
The New Guys in Assessment Town: Companies
[T]here’s a new kind of help on the way, from outside the institution. Of course many campuses have engaged external consultants to jumpstart the assessment process; that’s not new. And neither is the use of tests and instruments designed by others. What’s new is an influx of for-profit assessment providers offering tools and services that promise, variously, to make assessment easier, faster, less intrusive, more useful, and/or more cost effective.
Some of these firms were founded in the last two or three years and are just getting started. Others have a longer, already prosperous history of work in other aspects of education (like course management) and are now moving into the assessment niche. A few have their roots in other industries—like quality assurance in health care—and have recently added student assessment to the mix. Some are run by academics or former academics and some by people with a corporate background.
Labels: academic planning, accreditation, assessment, industry, it, quality, technology
It's the Learning, Stupid: Learning Matters Most!
This is the Howard R. Bowen Lecture given by Lumina Foundation president Jamie P. Merisotis at Claremont Graduate University on October 14: Learning doesn't just matter. It matters most . . . All of these efforts, and others that I lack time to mention today, are rooted in and serve to amplify two basic truths: The first is that learning - all types of learning - can be objectively measured. And the second is that these measurements are absolutely vital in ensuring the relevance and value of a college credential. Labels: assessment, learning, learning outcomes, Lumina, quality
History of Accreditation and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Connotation, Quality, Accountability. . .
How College Affects Students: A Third Decade of Research
Getting Past 'Accountability'
Very interesting, fun, and even useful essays about various "syndromes" and how to get past them. For example, one syndrome is the "Sisyphus Syndrome: Institutional inquiry is paralyzed by questions framed at such a general level that answering them is overwhelming and impossible. As a result, the institution pushes and pushes but never gets to meaningful analysis and reflection." To which the answer is: "Ask manageable questions that can be answered empirically." Read about them here: http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2009/06/02/behrLabels: academic planning, accountability, assessment, quality, strategic planning, syndrome
Louisiana: Tougher College Admissions Standards Boost Graduation Rates
This Times-Picayune article contains a link to a chart of graduation rates of state institutions and is somewhat focused on the State University of New Orleans' plans to increase graduation rates by having tougher entry standards, following the apparently successful process already undertaken by Louisiana State University Baton Rouge over the last decade. It briefly addresses concerns that state budget cuts will affect student support services. We also provide a link to the Louisiana State Board of Regents Planning, Research and Performance website. Times-Picayune article: http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/tougher_college_admissions_sta.htmlLouisiana State Board of Regents Planning, Research and Performance: http://regents.state.la.us/Planning/prphome.htmLabels: access, accountability, assessment, budget cuts, graduation rates, Louisiana, picayune, quality, student services
Which Colleges Actually Graduate Their Students (and Which Don't)?
A new report, titled "Diplomas and Dropouts," from the American Enterprise Institute begins: "In the fall of 2001, nearly 1.2 million freshmen began college at a four-year institution of higher education somewhere in the United States. Nearly all of them expected to earn a bachelor’s degree. As a rule, college students do not pack their belongings into the back of a minivan in early September wondering if they will get a diploma—only when. . . . For many students, however, that confidence was misplaced. At a time when college degrees are valuable—with employers paying a premium for college graduates—fewer than 60 percent of new students graduated from four-year colleges within six years." We have a link to a USA Today story about the report here: http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-06-03-diploma-graduation-rate_N.htmAs well as a link to where you can download the full 80-page document: http://www.aei.org/paper/100019Labels: accountability, AEI, assessment, graduation rates, quality, USA Today
Peace in Accreditation Land
Writing in Inside Higher Ed, Doug Lederman summarizes recent happenings in "accreditation land" this way: "In stark contrast to 2007, federal negotiations over accreditation rules end in accord, overcoming dispute over student learning outcomes that might have derailed the proceeding[s]." "Those issues were on the agenda again as another panel of negotiators completed several months of work on accreditation at an Education Department office building Tuesday, but with a dramatically different result (and dramatically less drama). The college administrators, higher education lobbyists, accreditors, state officials and others around the conference table -- including Education Department staff members -- reached "consensus" on a package of 16 regulatory proposals to carry out changes Congress made in legislation to renew the Higher Education Act last summer. (When such negotiating sessions end with "consensus" among the parties on a package of regulatory changes, a federal agency is bound to propose them as is; when no consensus is reached, the agency can essentially do whatever it wants.)" Read the full article here: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/05/20/accreditLabels: 2007, accountability, accreditation, assessment, DOug Lederman, Inside Higher Ed, policy, quality
Higher Education Community Engagement and Accreditation: Activating Engagement through Innovative Accreditation Strategies
Lorilee R. Sandmann, Julie E. Williams, and Eleanor D. Abrams, studied two very different public institutions and, in Planning for Higher Education, share the benefits they see in linking accreditation with an institutional commitment to student engagement.
"Convergence is occurring between external demands placed on U.S. higher education institutions, such as those from state and federal governments for greater accountability, and calls for higher education’s recommitment to public purposes. One important example of this convergence is the redesign of accreditation processes and standards. Because of this redesign, accreditation—traditionally an academic and administrative activity—now has the potential to elevate and advance an institution’s commitment to greater community engagement, a more contemporary, innovative institutional priority. "
Link to Planning for Higher Education: http://ams.scup.org/i4a/ams/amsstore/category.cfm?product_id=8601Labels: assessment, engagement, in Planning for Higher Education. accreditation, quality
Towards a European Higher Education Area
This post quotes a message received by SCUP. We attended this event and it was very comprehensive and enlightening. We hope you will enjoy it via iTunes. The iTunes album is well organized.
The European Union Center of Excellence at the University of Michigan announces new content on iTunesU at U-M: Album "Towards a European Higher Education Area.” The international workshop "Towards a European Higher Education Area: Bologna Process and Beyond," took place in March 2009 at the University of Michigan's School of Education and explored how the Bologna Process relates to broader processes of globalization, internationalization, and diversification. Conveners were Janet Lawrence and Michael Bastedo, University of Michigan. Panelists included: Patrick Clancy, University College, Dublin; Anne Corbett, London School of Economics; Judith Eaton, Council for Higher Education Accreditation; Heather Eggins, Staffordshire University; Ase Gornitzka, University of Oslo; D. Bruce Johnstone, State University of New York at Buffalo; Barbara Kehm, University of Kassel; Marek Kwiek, Poznan University; Peter Maassen, University of Oslo; Christopher Morphew, University of Georgia; Christine Musselin, Sciences Po; and Bjorn Stensaker, Norwegian Institute for Studies in Innovation, Research and Education. Links: Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education http://www.soe.umich.edu/cshpe/ Center for European Studies-European Union Center http://www.ii.umich.edu/ces-euc or http://www.ii.umich.edu/ces-euc/academics/projects/bologna Album "Towards a European Higher Education Area” http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/umich-public.2086929890
Labels: assessment, Bologna, Europe, quality
Accountability Measures
Subtitled, " States rely on new "data systems" to track institutional success and student outcomes," this author concludes that it does not require "new ways of doing things" for states to do a better job of collecting data about institutional performance—models that work exist right now, they're just not widely distributed. More institutions are using what some call information analytics: What state accountability systems don't tend to do is the one and only thing that accountability systems are ultimately for: improve colleges and universities on behalf of students and the public at large. This we know because affordability is declining, graduation rates are stagnant, and the few indicators of college student learning we can find, such as the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, are so terrifying (most college graduates aren't proficient on a test of prose literacy) that we all but pretend they don't exist.
Fortunately, there are reasons to be optimistic. While most states are not gathering useful information about teaching and learning in higher education, some are. While most states do not use the information they gather to create real incentives for institutional change, some do. If every state did nothing but adopt the best practices that already exist elsewhere, higher education accountability in America would be greatly improved. This possibility is further enhanced by the single biggest difference between 1986 and the present: the explosion in availability of inexpensive, timely and reliable information. Labels: assessment, data, information analytics, quality
Towards a European Higher Education Area
This post quotes a message received by SCUP. We attended this event and it was very comprehensive and enlightening. We hope you will enjoy it via iTunes. The iTunes album is well organized.
The European Union Center of Excellence at the University of Michigan announces new content on iTunesU at U-M: Album "Towards a European Higher Education Area.” The international workshop "Towards a European Higher Education Area: Bologna Process and Beyond," took place in March 2009 at the University of Michigan's School of Education and explored how the Bologna Process relates to broader processes of globalization, internationalization, and diversification. Conveners were Janet Lawrence and Michael Bastedo, University of Michigan. Panelists included: Patrick Clancy, University College, Dublin; Anne Corbett, London School of Economics; Judith Eaton, Council for Higher Education Accreditation; Heather Eggins, Staffordshire University; Ase Gornitzka, University of Oslo; D. Bruce Johnstone, State University of New York at Buffalo; Barbara Kehm, University of Kassel; Marek Kwiek, Poznan University; Peter Maassen, University of Oslo; Christopher Morphew, University of Georgia; Christine Musselin, Sciences Po; and Bjorn Stensaker, Norwegian Institute for Studies in Innovation, Research and Education. Links: Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education http://www.soe.umich.edu/cshpe/ Center for European Studies-European Union Center http://www.ii.umich.edu/ces-euc or http://www.ii.umich.edu/ces-euc/academics/projects/bologna Album "Towards a European Higher Education Area” http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/umich-public.2086929890
Labels: assessment, Bologna, Europe, quality
Accreditation: "Would You Still Need Me, Would You Still Feed Me, Without Title IV?"
Related, A concurrent session at SCUP–44, July 18–22: Promoting Institutional Progress: Integrating Priorities and Processes Through Strategic Planning
This is a top-notch story by Doug Lederman reporting from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges annual conference: Sylvia Manning has heard all the complaints about accreditation before -- heck, she thought a lot of them herself during her nearly 40 years as a college administrator. Colleges find the process to be a mere obligation because it focuses on minimum standards and too often produces little of value to help the institutions improve. Critics who want more higher education accountability question whether accreditation is rigorous and transparent enough. Potential educational innovators say the process is inflexible and discourages creative approaches.
The critiques flow largely from the fact that higher education accreditation seeks to do two totally different things: ensure a minimum level of quality (with the accreditors in effect playing a compliance role on behalf of the federal government) and encourage individual colleges to improve themselves.
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Manning, who nine months ago became president of the country's largest regional accreditor, the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, almost immediately appointed a committee to rethink the commission's approval process with those and other critiques in mind. This week, at the commission's annual meeting here, she unveiled a proposal to overhaul the accrediting agency's process for renewing its approval for already accredited colleges. Labels: accreditation, assessment, Higher Learning Commission, North Central Association, quality
Is Europe Now Doing a Better Job of Assessment?
The Bologna Process for U.S. Eyes: Re-learning Higher Education in the Age of Convergence (PDF) is a new report by Clifford Adelman for the Institute for Higher Education Policy. The associated press release has some nice summary statements and choice quotations from the 258-page report itself, which is available online for free download. While the United States remains concerned about its standing in terms of participation in global higher education and completion of degrees, 46 countries in Europe have been working for a decade on a completely different set of issues: bringing their higher education systems closer together in terms of standards for degrees, credit systems, more flexible pathways into and through higher education (hence, access), and accountability criteria. They call their undertaking “The Bologna Process,” and it is still a work in progress.
The Institute for Higher Education Policy’s (IHEP) new study, The Bologna Process for U.S. Eyes: Re-learning Higher Education in the Age of Convergence, contends the nation has misplaced its focus with pointing out that the countries involved in the Bologna Process are producing more and better degrees whose reference points in student learning outcomes is transparent—something that cannot be said for American awarded degrees. Countries outside of Europe have already recognized the profound revolution rolling from Cork to Vladivostok with parts of the Bologna Process having been imitated in Latin America, North Africa, and Australia, resulting in a global shift in higher education leadership.
For a long time, U.S. higher education did not pay much attention to the Bologna Process, but since IHEP published a long essay in May 2008, titled The Bologna Club: What U.S. Higher Education Can Learn from a Decade of European Reconstruction, the U.S. higher education has started listening seriously. Our nation is now starting to act, most notably, on learning outcomes in the context of the disciplines.
In fact, three state higher education systems—Indiana, Minnesota, and Utah—have begun their work examining and testing the Bologna “Tuning” process in six disciplines to determine the forms and extent of its potential in the United States contexts. Scarcely a year ago, such an effort, called “Tuning USA,” would have been unthinkable. Labels: accreditation, assessment, Bologna, Europe, quality
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by Ernest Pascarella and Patrick Terenzini. "I have utilized this volume both in my administrative and faculty capacities and have encouraged staff and students to tap it as well. . . . [It] immediately joins other classics that have earned their place on the bookshelf of any scholar and practitioner of the college student experience." - 