Frequently Asked Questions General Documents  Annual Progress Report Program Review Institutional Effectiveness Calendar Institutional Effectiveness News Assessment Methods Where to Get Help on Campus Resources Institutional Effectiveness Committee Office/Contact Info Site Index Acrobat Reader Download	Institutional Effectiveness News Feb 13, 2003 Peter Ewell, Noted Assessment Authority, Speaks at UK Peter Ewell, an internationally known expert on higher education assessment, accountability and public policy, spoke at our Feb. 13 keystone event, "UK Assessment: Moving Toward a New Culture." He discussed the challenge of assessing student learning for research universities and the critical need to document what graduates know and are able to do. He also provided suggestions for developing a culture of assessment in our campus context. President Todd and Provost Nietzel were both on hand to thank IE committee members for recommendations and to highlight the importance of this work for our campus community. Following Ewell’s address, there were two sessions. "New Practices in Institutional Assessment" by Connie Ray (VP, Institutional Research, Planning, and Effectiveness) and Deb Moore (Director of Assessment). The session provided a summary of changes in Program Review/Annual Progress Reporting policies and practices that have evolved from the IE Task Force recommendations. The second session involved participants in the identification of working groups that will be featured in the new structure supporting future campus assessment efforts. In addition to working groups, the new model will also feature a steering committee which will support efforts to enhance campus assessment work. It will define campus assessment policies and priorities, improves communication and transparency, align assessment goals with other university goals . These sessions were facilitated by current IE advisory group members: Heidi Anderson (Pharmacy), John Pica (College of Arts & Sciences), Brenda Teague (MC Institutional Research and Decision Support), & Judy Wiza (UK Libraries). Ewell's presentation: Assessment that Matters: Creating Cultures of Evidence in a Research University Setting Ray & Moore's presentation: New Practices in Institutional Assessment April 10, 2002 Plan to Centralize the Institutional Research and Effectiveness Functions On April 9, President Lee T. Todd announced the implementation of a plan to centralize the institutional research and effectiveness functions of the University under the leadership of a Vice President, effective May 1, 2002. The decision to move forward with this action is based on several related considerations. In fall 1998, Dr. James Nichols, a nationally recognized institutional effectiveness consultant, conducted an extensive evaluation of the University's institutional research and effectiveness (IR/IE) program, and as a result, recommended the centralization of the IR/IE offices distributed across the University. His recommendation was validated by the following recommendation in the recently completed SACS Self-Study, which stated: The Study recommends that these efforts be coordinated in a single institution-wide office rather than divided between the Medical Center and Lexington Campus as is done currently. Furthermore, as the University considers the recommendations of the Top 20 Task Force and the Futures Task Force, the time is right to establish a central institutional research and effectiveness office that can work efficiently to meet university-wide needs for the evaluation of progress and productivity. The basic components of the centralization plan are as follows: The current position of the Vice Provost for Planning and Institutional Effectiveness, currently held by Dr. Connie Ray, will be changed to the Vice President for Institutional Research, Planning and Effectiveness. Dr. Ray will have leadership responsibility for coordinating university-wide institutional research and effectiveness activities. The Vice President for Institutional Research, Planning and Effectiveness will have direct reporting lines to both the Office of the President and the Office of the Provost. The units to be coordinated under the leadership of the Vice President for Institutional Research, Planning and Effectiveness include the Provost Area Office of Assessment and Institutional Research, the Medical Center Office of Institutional Research and Decision Support, the Office of Research Assessment currently under the Vice President for Research, and the Graduate School Assessment Analyst position, all of which serve the academic mission of the University. Part of this centralization has already taken place, as the Provost Area Office of Assessment and Institutional Research was re-organized under the Vice Provost for Planning and Institutional Effectiveness in July 2001. The Medical Center Office of Institutional Research and Decision Support, the Office of Research Assessment, and the Graduate School Assessment Analyst will maintain direct reporting lines to their current supervisors. Strong coordination of the units by the Vice President will be represented organizationally by a dotted line and will include the ability to prioritize and re-structure IR/IE activities, while preserving the unique contribution each unit makes to its primary academic area. By centralizing coordination of the current IR/IE offices, duplication of several activities will be reduced, providing additional resources to focus on the assessment of Top 20 indicators. Additionally, productivity measures will be developed to provide analytical information that informs planning, policy development and budgetary decision-making at all levels of the University. Overall coordination and development of the University Strategic Plan will remain focused in the Office of Planning, Budget and Policy Analysis. The Vice President for Institutional Research, Planning and Effectiveness will coordinate strategic planning activities for academic units across the University. The centralization of institutional research and effectiveness efforts will benefit the planning, budgeting and evaluation process of the University of Kentucky, and help the institution achieve its goals. March 4, 2002 Third Annual Symposium On The Scholarship Of Teaching The Creative Classroom: Student Assessment and Professional Effectiveness The Third Annual Symposium On The Scholarship Of Teaching was held last Saturday in the Whitehall Classroom Building. Presentation topics included: Development and Assessment of a New Anatomy Multimedia Program The Flexnor Awards Program: Recognizing Excellence in Education Assessment of a Digital Neuroanatomy Laboratory for Health Professions Students Assessing Writing in the Major Field Experience in College Classrooms: Research in Action - A Roundtable Discussion Assessing Teacher Training: How Mentoring and Support Affect New Teacher Adjustment Assessing an Assessment Tool: A Study on the Impact of Feedback Options on Learning Outcomes Understanding PFF: Challenges in Assessment and Institutionalization. Principles of Good Practice: Assessing Student Learning - A Communication Perspective An Overview of a Student Questionaire Evaluating Web-based Instruction (SQEWBI) The keynote speaker was Prof. Virginia Anderson of Towson University. Prof. Anderson is a nationally known assessment activist and author, who is actively engaged in departmental, general education, and university assessment at Towson University. She and Barbara Walvoord, University of Notre Dame, co-authored Effective Grading: A tool for Learning and Assessment in 1998. The symposium was sponsored by: UK College of Arts and Sciences, UK Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education, UK T. H. Morgan School of Biological Sciences, UK Department of Spanish and Italian, UK Teaching and Learning Center February 5, 2002 Creation of Institutional Effectiveness Committee In February, President Lee T. Todd established a university-wide committee to review the Administrative Regulations with an eye toward simplifying assessment policies and procedures, if at all possible. The Committee's charge is to a comprehensive plan to: simplify the process of collecting and reporting assessment data and reduce the level of bureaucracy associated with such efforts; make institutional effectiveness activities more meaningful to the university community, and establish a campus culture committed to the continuous improvement of its programs and services through the collection, analysis, and use of assessment data. By July 1, 2002, the Institutional Effectiveness Committee will complete the first two objectives and will develop a strategy for accomplishing the final objective. The Committee is chaired by Dr. Connie Ray, Vice Provost for Planning and Institutional Effectiveness. May 30, 2001 Deborah Moore Hired as Assessment Specialist Deborah Moore has been hired as an Assessment Specialist on the Lexington Campus for the upcoming academic year. Ms. Moore's nine-month appointment will begin in September 2001 and end in May 2002. The Assessment and Measurement Psy.D program at James Madison University (JMU) was established three years ago. It is one of the few programs in the country that prepares professionals for careers as evaluation specialists in applied settings ranging from education and health services to business and government. Ms. Moore has over ten years of experience working in the field of assessment. She has published several scholarly articles, presented at numerous regional and national assessment conferences, and consulted with various colleges in the South and Midwest. Prior to her work at the Center for Assessment and Research Studies at JMU, Ms. Moore served as an Assessment Specialist at the University of Maryland at College Park from 1996-1999. She was also employed as the Assistant Director in the Office of Academic Assessment at Ball State University from 1993-1996. Ms. Moore has expertise in instrument design, Item Response Theory, performance assessment, and Generalizability Theory. She is knowledgeable about a wide range of assessment methods, including the conversion of paper/pencil tests to computer-based and web-based formats. And she has experience conducting interviews and focus groups to supplement assessment efforts. At UK, Ms. Moore is expected to collaborate with others on a plan to assess the revised University Studies Program. She will work with faculty and staff to conduct a series of assessment workshops on campus. Finally, Ms. Moore will work extensively with one or two departments' institutional effectiveness programs. Departments interested in consulting with Deborah Moore on assessment-related issues should contact Dr. Roger Sugarman at rpsuga0@email.uky.edu or 7-7989. April 30, 2001 The Spanish Department is the Recipient of an Assessment Grant from The Office of Institutional Planning, Budgeting, and Effectiveness! The Spanish Department recently received an assessment grant to help finance a four-day workshop to train faculty to assess and measure oral proficiency levels in Spanish. This is an intensive introduction to the techniques of administering and rating the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI). The OPI is a standard measurement of language proficiency devised by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. This measurement is nationally accepted as the appropriate tool for oral proficiency assessment. Proficiency testing is widely used to assess learning outcomes and to reconsider curricular issues in light of current pedagogical methods. It is the most efficient and effective way to gauge levels of achievement in speaking skills. The workshop will include lectures, demonstrations, practice interviews, a critique of interviews and ratings, and group and individualized instruction. The entire Spanish faculty will participate in this workshop. Faculty will use their newfound knowledge in the classroom and in the department's review of short- and long-range goals involving instructional effectiveness. Other departments interested in applying for an assessment grant should contact Dr. Connie Ray, Associate Vice President for Institutional Planning, Budgeting and Effectiveness Phone: 257-5701 E-mail: connie@email.uky.edu Additional information on the Assessment Grants Program can be found at www.uky.edu/Assessment/ann.shtml
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