Group Working Session

Small Group Working Session

Friday, March 15, 2002
8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. SESS01

1.[30 min] Attendees were asked to collect the following documents.

a. Institutional Strategic Plans & Mission Statements (documents used to communicate institutional goals, particularly regarding teaching and learning)
b. Academic Plan(s) (master academic framework)*
c. Information Technology Strategic Plan*
d. Guidelines for funding teaching and learning projects*
e. Library Strategic Plan*
f. Accreditation review documents concerning teaching and learning
g. Project Assessment Guidelines and Programs*
h. Previously conducted evaluative studies or assessment reports regarding teaching and learning or related topics*
i. Regular reports issued by your Institutional Research department

Discussion:
1.1 In going through the exercise of collecting and reviewing the documents, what did you discover?
1.2 Did the documents exist within your institution?
1.3 How "alive" were the documents (available, accessible, and actually used for decision-making beyond the symbolic)?
1.4 What was your most significant finding or insight in completing the pre-meeting preparation?

2. [45 min] Transformative assessment occurs when a number of studies at different levels align with each other, and with processes of planning and implementation, so that over time they all help guide and accelerate the desired improvements in the educational program. For example, an institution might value "collaboration and community" or "access for potential students who can't often come to campus."

2.1 First of all, are the desired improvements clearly articulated in the documents and are the operational implications of the desired improvements manifested at all the required levels of planning?
2.2 How well did the documents reflect the overall strategic goals?
2.3 Specifically, how well did any assessment programs and practices map to the institutional strategic plan and goals?

2.4 Which of the following best describe the degree to which current studies are aligned? (check as many as apply)
__ We aren't doing enough studies for this to be an important question
__ Some of our studies at one level (e.g., studies of courses OR studies at an institutional level) are about the same topic, so that their findings illuminate one another and the larger issue
__ Some of our studies at different levels (e.g., studies of courses in different departments, AND studies of IT support, AND a study of alumni are all examining the influence of computing, for better and worse, on collaboration and academic community)

2.5 Which of the following best describe the alignment of studies and other aspects of planning and implementation of technology use at your institution?
__ Our faculty development and support tends to emphasize some of the same kinds of educational uses of technology as our studies do.
__ Our faculty development program helps faculty think about what students are supposed to do with the technology and how those changes in activities can improve course outcomes.
__ Our budget planning documents are reviewed in light of program plans and our institutional mission. Those same ideas also influence studies of educational uses of technology.
__ Our faculty development, faculty support, planning and implementation efforts are disconnected and often are pursuing different needs and priorities.

2.6 Do at least some studies of policies and services, and evaluations done of courses, and policy, planning and implementation processes feed into one another so that, over a period of years, they combine to help students and improve institutional performance?

2.7 For any previous studies conducted and data collected - were the data actually used for policy making and if not why not and if so why? What did you discover in talking to the individuals involved in conducting the studies and those who were the audience for the results?

3.0 [15 minutes] Wrap - Up. Did any patterns emerge in this discussion? What are the group responses to the top 3-5 questions?