INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT SERVICE AREA OUTCOMES

March 23, 2011

Today’s OutcomesBy the end of today’s workshop, participants will be able to . . .

Revise and/or finalize SAOs within their areas

Discover and articulate commonalities to use for Institutional Support Core

Discuss a finalized broad Core and drafted sub-core elements with their staff

(if time today) discuss practical assessment tools with their staff

Without Outcomes Assessment:

When assessment is absent, recurring crisis-management usually takes its place ... episodic events of laborious, broad data-gathering in response to a criticism or mandate … culminating in the usual hastily written (hopefully credible) report that is soon filed and forgotten.

  ---from Nutshell Notes, The University of Colorado at Denver, v. 4,

n.

With Outcomes Assessment

In contrast, outcomes assessment continuously gathers essential data in ways that address clearly formulated hypotheses. More importantly, this assessment creates a system of routinely utilized knowledge that can be easily built upon. Assessment prevents crises.

---from Nutshell Notes, The University of Colorado at Denver, v. 4, n.

What are Outcomes?

Goals are what we plan to do or accomplish.

Outcomes are what we expect will happen when we do what we planned (what should happen as a result of what we do).

Outcomes should ...

describe stakeholder behaviors that staff would accept as evidence that the support area is performing its function.

Offer who will do what and

when (WWW)

Outcomes are ...

Brief statements of results

Describe behaviors of stakeholders

Refer to results of processes

Used to assess effectiveness and provide improvement information

Activity 1Which is a goal and which is an outcome? Increase student voice in the

decision-making model by establishing a student government association.

Students will participate more in college-wide committees/councils, task forces, and focus groups.

Activity 1Which is a goal and which is an outcome?

Faculty, staff, and students will have access to electronic resources from off-campus locations.

Increase access to LRS resources; implement remote user access to electronic resources.

Activity 1Which is a goal and which is an outcome?

Office of Research and Planning will provide planning, assessment, and evaluation services to meet the needs of the College.

Faculty, administrators, and staff will use information to make decisions or assess the effectiveness of their area.

Activity 2

Create an outcome statement that would provide ‘evidence’ that demonstrates achievement of the following goals (remember to state the WWW):

Write an outcome statement for the goal:

Peace, order, and safety on the campus will be promoted by deterring and preventing criminal activity.

Write an outcome statement for the goal:

Provide safe, clean, maintained and visually attractive buildings and grounds to be enjoyed by students, faculty, and staff.

Write an outcome statement for the goal:

Expand outcomes assessment to all areas of the College.

Activity 3Get in small groups to discuss the draft outcomes your areas have created. Does the outcome state what stakeholders

should be able to do as a result of what your area does?

Does the outcome state the WWW? Is the outcome action-oriented? Would the outcome be clear to someone

outside of your area? Is the outcome measureable?

Institutional Support Core Outcomes

Definition: The collective expression of the results of our individual institutional support service efforts to facilitate student learning.

Resources

SAOs Core Competencies Strategic Plan

Activity 4

What does support service mean in your area?

Activity 4

What do we want our institution to be known for in terms of serving our ‘client’ (defined as students, faculty, staff, community)?

INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT SERVICE AREA OUTCOMES

Assessment

Start with specific criteria and methodology: What data will be used? How will data be gathered? When? Who is responsible? How will data be analyzed? What standard defines success?

ExampleOutcome: Faculty, staff, and students will feel safe when they are on campus.

What? Faculty, staff, and student opinions How? Customer Satisfaction Survey When? Annually in the Spring Who? Police Chief and Staff, R&P office How analyzed? Calculate, by group, the

percentages of respondent responses Standard of success? 90% report

feeling safe

ExampleOutcome: Instructional and non-instructional College units will complete program review and 3-year plans, using data from outcomes assessment, by May of each year.

What? Reviews and plans How? Research & Planning tracking system and

assessment committee rubric When? Annually by May Who? Deans/Directors as appropriate, R&P,

assessment committee How analyzed? Count the number of units who

have completed the plans and reviews; evaluate quality based on rubric

Standards of success? 100% complete on time, quality outlined in rubric

Summarize & Analyze Data What did you find out? Were the criteria met? What problems need

addressing? What successes were

identified?

Create an Action Plan & Implement Changes

What changes need to be made? What additional data are needed? What resources are needed? What actions do you plan to take? Who is responsible?

Identify & Assess Impact How has your area improved

the quality or quantity of what you do as a result of your changes/action plan?

Assessment Tips:

Keep it simple Focus on essentials you can

address Use existing data as much as

possible Collect only information you

will use Incorporate assessment

procedures into routine operations of the area

Homework

Finalize SAOs Discuss Institutional

Support Core with your area (present, brainstorm, revise)

Brainstorm possible assessment tools with your area