Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness

            The Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness goals set forth by the Provost are framed within the Institutional Effectiveness strategic plan, and are indicated in parentheses. Strategies to complete all goals were implemented within the Institutional Effectiveness office and appropriate reporting departments.

Goal 1: Establish a coordinated assessment process that assists university stakeholders in their multiple assessment activities with regard to planning, student learning outcomes, and survey administration. This process will be designed to ensure departments have easy access to assessment information as well as assistance in carrying out assessment activities. In addition, the process can ensure that surveys are designed well and administered at appropriate, coordinated times; knowledge and use of internal and external assessment data is more widespread; and benchmarking can be accomplished by the use of agreed-upon performance standards in university departments and offices.

• Determine factors that are critical in obtaining SACS accreditation and assure that Texas State has a plan to address those factors. (Provost Goal)

• In Fall 2004 the AVPIE reviewed all changes in SACS requirements and interviewed appropriate parties, including Bob Smallwood and Bob Gratz to determine new information. In addition, she and the reporting areas of University Planning and Assessment, and Institutional Research attended the national SACS conference in Atlanta to get a clearer picture of the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) and determine steps to take toward SACS accreditation in 2010. The Presidential Fellow also attended. Meetings were held with the University Planning Steering Committee to discuss SACS issues, including the QEP, and recommendations for an alternate timeline to develop the QEP were put in place. A timeline for completing all tasks ending in 2010 accreditation to the President’s Cabinet. 

• Work with the deans and departments to identify student learning outcomes and appropriate measures of such outcomes within each department. (Provost Goal)

• Upon President Trauth’s request, the AVPIE worked with the Presidential Fellow on a plan to address student learning outcomes. Benchmark institutions were chosen from which to create a plan to address student learning outcomes, as well as educate academic departments on this issue. The president indicated that departments should have their learning outcomes in place by May 2006. The AVPIE and reporting areas developed a three part plan and timeline to ensure that learning outcomes for all departments and support outcomes for all administrative divisions will be in place by that time. An overview of the task was presented to Council of Academic Deans. A draft of outcomes to be sent to us by March 1, 2006 so that they may be reviewed and edited for a May 1, 2006 deadline. The second year of the timeline will involve discussions and education with regard to assessment of these outcomes.

• Assist the Provost in developing Texas State’s response to the new performance and accountability standards from the Coordinating Board. (Provost Goal)

• In Fall 2004 Provost Moore and the AVPIE met to discuss the accountability measures response. The AVPIE reviewed the measures and worked with the director of IR to submit a draft version to Provost Moore.   The draft was finalized and submitted to the Coordinating Board. This item is complete.

• Suggest ways to improve assessment efforts at Texas State. (Provost Goal)

• As a result of Provost Moore’s decision to move academic assessment into Institutional Effectiveness, we have already been able to make much progress on improving university assessment. Specific steps taken this year toward improving assessment include the following: 1) AVPIE worked with the Presidential Fellow and the Director of University Planning & Assessment to develop a draft process to assess student learning outcomes at the department and unit levels. The process will be the first step toward developing and maintaining a process that coordinates and aligns all college and division assessment activities at a university level, while directly linking to the planning process; 2) The Director of Academic Assessment and the Director of IR collaborated to extensively revise the alumni survey and received the highest return rate we have ever had on this instrument. Real-time online results allow for internal benchmarking (i.e., comparison of departments and colleges) of the results; 3) Adapting the University of Central Florida’s assessment approach as a model to educate faculty and staff on campus about outcomes assessment, we have created a draft workshop that will be offered to faculty and staff beginning Fall 2005. The workshop will assist departments in integrating various kinds of assessment. This fall the Committee for University Planning will be reconfigured to address assessment issues; 4) The HERI faculty survey was completed, a committee was formed to review results, and a report will be completed in Fall 2005.

• Provide workshop opportunities for departments to study student learning outcomes.

• As noted earlier, student learning outcomes workshops have been drafted and will begin in the fall, following approval by the Council of Deans and the Provost.

Goal 2: Establish a coordinated Center to foster and support excellence in teaching, learning, research, leadership, and professional support and assist in reinforcing a sense of community among diverse Texas State stakeholders. The center will coordinate programs, information, and development opportunities for faculty, staff, and graduate students. In addition to providing specific objectives toward addressing the Provost’s request to “suggest ways to improve faculty development efforts at Texas State,” I have also included objectives to improve Professional Development.

• Suggest ways to improve faculty development efforts at Texas State. (Provost Goal)

• The Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness proposed and had approved the Center for University Excellence, which will encompass all non-technology training and development for faculty and staff across campus. The Center will expand programs on teaching effectiveness and research, as well as offer a training program for all new academic advisors and adjunct lecturers.  In addition to programming resulting from responses to our needs survey, workshops on various kinds of assessment, including student learning outcomes will be added to programming. 

• Create a program through Faculty Advancement (now Academic Development and Assessment) addressing adjunct and GTA teaching issues.

• Progress on this goal is outlined above. The AVPIE made initial contacts with persons to lead programs for both adjunct lecturers and GTAs.  The curriculum for these programs will be developed over the summer and workshops will begin in Fall 2005.

• Through Faculty Advancement (now Academic Development and Assessment), review and revise New Faculty Orientation to include programs offering broader initial knowledge of the university.

• The AVPIE worked with the Director of Faculty Advancement and the Director of Professional Development to completely revise new faculty orientation. We are now limiting the orientation to full time and tenure track faculty members. Panels addressing first year faculty issues have replaced “information” sessions.  The orientation has been shortened and moved to a day that does not interfere with departmental meetings.  Employee related issues have been separated from the orientation and will take place in Human Resources on a separate day. New employees will be notified about the orientation, as well as other important campus related activities, via a packet that will be sent out in early August. We look forward to seeing the results of these major changes via a survey assessment that will follow the orientation.

• Increase ability of Faculty Advancement to tape faculty in the classroom and include roundtable sessions with “mentor” faculty to discuss and critique on a volunteer basis.

• Because the Director of Faculty Advancement and Director of Academic Assessment positions have been consolidated and no other hires have been made, opportunities to tape faculty are limited. It is my hope that we will be able to get graduate interns to assist the new director in addressing this goal in Spring 2006.

• Hire a new Faculty Advancement Director.

• The Director of Faculty Advancement position has been merged with the Director of Academic Assessment position to become Director, Academic Assessment and Faculty Development. A person to fill the interim position has been hired for a one year period.

• Through Professional Development, increase number of diversity workshops that assist in meeting the goals of the university diversity plan.

• The Director of Professional Development submitted two proposals for the one time Diversity Plan funding sponsored by Equity and Access. Her office was awarded $9500.00 to bring in speakers addressing diversity issues through the Office of Professional Development. These will be offered in the 2005-2006 academic year. In addition, Professional Development ran a series “Understanding Culture” featuring Hispanic and African American speakers.

• Through Faculty Advancement and Professional Development, increase programming in various assessment areas, such a student learning outcomes and portfolio assessment.

• As noted earlier, curriculum is being developed, and workshops will begin in Fall 2005.

• Through Professional Development, offer classes that will be available to the Round Rock staff via the technology that is already available for the distance classes. 

• The Director of Professional Development proposed to IT that her office could offer classes to the Round Rock faculty and staff during FY 05 via the technology already available for the distance courses. However, the extra demand on the IT workshop areas for SAP-related classes posed a problem. In addition, extra staff would be necessary to add the Round Rock classes because additional coordination would be needed since these classes would be offered from the Alkek workshop area and handouts, etc., would be handled long distance. Professional Development proposes offering two workshops during FY 06 with existing staff.

Goal 3: Lead committees and oversee special projects as determined by the Provost.

• Assist the Provost in overseeing the implementation of the Academic Plan and providing progress reports in its implementation. (Provost Goal)

• All steps outlined in the university planning calendar have been completed on schedule. Institutional Effectiveness gathered information from all colleges that was distributed and discussed at the May, 2005 provost retreat. The information is being compiled, and a summary document will be ready to distribute to administrative divisions for review before President Trauth’s July 2005 retreat. This information will also be used to update the Academic Affairs by August, 2005.

• Chair a university committee to explore possible models for the administration and operation of RRHEC. (Provost Goal)

• In November 2004 the AVPIE created and chaired the Committee to Study the RRHEC Organizational Structure. The committee met throughout the fall and early spring. A written report outlining recommendations was submitted to Provost Moore on March 11, 2005. This item is complete.

• Chair an academic committee to review and revise the current program review process.

• A committee was formed, and the Director for Planning and Assessment and the AVPIE had preliminary meetings to integrate the program review process with the SACS and strategic planning processes. Measurement of student learning outcomes is included in the new draft. In addition, the AVPIE also discussed the possibility of further breaking down data (from departmental data to program data) with the Director of IR, who is working on this change. This will give us more accurate information.