Texas Tech University

Office of Planning and Assessment Fall 2019 Newsletter

Dr. Angela Lumpkin

OPA Assessment Spotlight Interview

OPA is glad to recognize TTU faculty and staff who exhibit an exceptional commitment to academic assessment. Dr. Angela Lumpkin, Professor and Department Chair in the Department of Kinesiology and Sport Management, is someone who encourages excellence among the College of Arts & Sciences assessment practices. Dr. Lumpkin works side-by-side with faculty to produce quality assessment reports that reflect a commitment to improving students' experiences within the KSM degrees. Click here to read more about Dr. Lumpkin.



Associate Director Announcement

Libby Spradlin

OPA is pleased to announce that Libby Spradlin has been promoted to Associate Director in the Office of Planning and Assessment. Libby joined OPA in 2015, during Texas Tech's reaffirmation activities. Libby brings extraordinary experience into this role, especially as she has served in two key roles within the office – first as an institutional assessment administrator and more recently as a senior administrator responsible for degree program assessment. Libby has been charged with overseeing academic and non-academic assessment compliance for TTU's institutional effectiveness efforts.

Having grown up in Lubbock and receiving both of her degrees at Texas Tech, Libby has a passion for the institution and West Texas. Libby completed her M.Ed. in Counselor Education in 2014 and received her B.A. in Psychology in 2010. She has previous TTU experience working in the Division of Undergraduate Education and Student Affairs and has counseling experience at the University Career Center and Women's Protective Services. Libby also serves as an Adjunct Instructor in Integrative Studies teaching Career and Professional Development to undergraduate students. Welcome, Libby!


Kenny Shatley Joins OPA Office

Kenny Shatley

Kenny Shatley joined the Office of Planning & Assessment in Summer 2019 as the office's Administrator for Faculty Credentialing. We're happy to have Kenny join our team! Kenny previously worked in the Graduate School and the Office of International Affairs. He brings a wealth of digital expertise and program review knowledge to our office, and he's been instrumental in launching new innovations and collaborations with TTU colleges and offices. Welcome, Kenny!


Assessment Innovation Grant Award Winners

OPA is happy to announce the winners of this year's Assessment Innovation Grant! We awarded four $500 grants to individuals who demonstrated a commitment to innovative assessment practices within their department. This year's winners are:

Educational Psychology and Leadership:

Jaehoon Lee, Assistant Professor and Associate Director

Jaehoon Lee

 

Family and Consumer Sciences Education:

Kristie Storms, Assistant Professor of Practice

Karen Alexander, Associate Professor

Kristie Storms
Karen Alexander

 

Architecture:

Dora Epstein Jones, Associate Professor and Chairperson

Dora Epstein Jones

 

College of Education:

Lane Sobehrad, Research Associate

Marcelo Schmidt, Director of Assessment and Accreditation

Lane Sobehrad
Marcelo Schmidt


Tradition of Excellence Texas Tech Fifth-Year Report: 2021

Fifth-Year Update

OPA continues to lead the development of the University's SACSCOC Fifth-Year Report, which is due in March 2021. We have been facilitating team meetings throughout the Fall 2019 semester, and we are also collecting and analyzing data in preparation for the 22 standards that are a required element of this reporting cycle. All 22 standards have their own unique data needs and compliance elements, and OPA will synthesize these standards into an electronic portfolio.


OPA wishes to acknowledge the following team leaders for their extraordinary efforts thus far:

Fifth-Year SACSCOC Standards TTU Team Leader

5.4 (Qualified Administrative/academic officers)

The institution employs and regularly evaluates administrative and academic officers with appropriate experience and qualifications to lead the institution.

Ms. Jodie Billingsley,

Assistant Vice President

CR 6.1 (Full-time faculty)

The institution employs an adequate number of full-time faculty members to support the mission and goals of the institution.

Dr. Rob Stewart,

Senior Vice Provost

6.2.b (Program Faculty)

For each of its educational programs, the institution assigns appropriate responsibility for program coordination.

Dr. Rob Stewart,

Senior Vice Provost

6.2.c (Program coordination)

For each of its educational programs, the institution assigns appropriate responsibility for program coordination.

Dr. Rob Stewart,

Senior Vice Provost

CR 8.1 (Student achievement)

The institution identifies, evaluates, and publishes goals and outcomes for student achievement appropriate to the institution's mission, the nature of the students it serves, and the kinds of programs offered. The institution uses multiple measures to document student success.

Dr. Patrick Hughes,

Vice Provost

8.2.a (Student outcomes: educational programs)

The institution identifies expected outcomes, assesses the extent to which it achieves these outcomes, and provides evidence of seeking improvement based on analysis of the results in the areas below:

a. Student learning outcomes for each of its educational programs.

Ms. Libby Spradlin,

Associate Director

CR 8.1 (Student achievement)

The institution identifies, evaluates, and publishes goals and outcomes for student achievement appropriate to the institution's mission, the nature of the students it serves, and the kinds of programs offered. The institution uses multiple measures to document student success.

Dr. Patrick Hughes,

Vice Provost

CR 9.1 (Program content)

Educational programs (a) embody a coherent course of study, (b) are compatible with the stated mission and goals, and (c) are based upon fields of study appropriate to higher education.

Professor Genevieve Durham DeCesaro,

Vice Provost

CR 9.2 (Program length)

The institution offers one or more degree programs based on at least 60 semester credit hours or the equivalent at the associate level; at least 120 semester credit hours or the equivalent at the baccalaureate level; or at least 30 semester credit hours or the equivalent at the post-baccalaureate, graduate, or professional level. The institution provides an explanation of equivalencies when using units other than semester credit hours. The institution provides an appropriate justification for all degree programs and combined degree programs that include fewer than the required number of semester credit hours or its equivalent unit. the nature of the students it serves, and the kinds of programs offered. The institution uses multiple measures to document student success.

Professor Genevieve Durham DeCesaro,

Vice Provost

10.2 (Public information)

The institution makes available to students and the public current academic calendars, grading policies, cost of attendance, and refund policies.

Ms. Lindsay Halloway,

Director

10.3 (Archived information)

The institution ensures the availability of archived official catalogs, digital or print, with relevant information for course and degree requirements sufficient to serve former and returning students.

Ms. Lindsay Halloway,

Director

10.5 (Admissions policies and practices)

The institution publishes admissions policies consistent with its mission. Recruitment materials and presentations accurately represent the practices, policies, and accreditation status of the institution. The institution also ensures that independent contractors or agents used for recruiting purposes and for admission activities are governed by the same principles and policies as institutional employees.

Dr. Ethan Logan,

Associate Vice President

10.6 a-c (Distance and correspondence education)

An institution that offers distance or correspondence education

(a) Ensures that the student who registers in a distance or correspondence education course or program is the same student who participates in and completes the course or program and receives the credit.

(b) Has a written procedure for protecting the privacy of students enrolled in distance and correspondence education courses or programs.

Dr. Justin Louder,

Associate Vice Provost

10.7 (Policies for awarding credit)

The institution publishes and implements policies for determining the amount and level of credit awarded for its courses, regardless of format or mode of delivery. These policies require oversight by persons academically qualified to make the necessary judgments. In educational programs not based on credit hours (e.g., direct assessment programs), the institution has a sound means for determining credit equivalencies.

Professor Genevieve Durham DeCesaro,

Vice Provost

10.9 (Cooperative academic agreements)

The institution ensures the quality and integrity of the work recorded when an institution transcripts courses or credits as its own when offered through a cooperative academic arrangement. The institution maintains formal agreements between the parties involved, and the institution regularly evaluates such agreements.

Dr. Jennifer S. Hughes,

Managing Director

CR 12.1 (Student support services)

The institution provides appropriate academic and student support programs, services, and activities consistent with its mission.

Dr. Cathy Duran,

Vice Provost

12.4 (Student complaints)

The institution

(a) publishes appropriate and clear procedures for addressing written student complaints,

(b) demonstrates that it follows the procedures when resolving them, and

(c) maintains a record of student complaints that can be accessed upon request by SACSCOC.

Dr. Cathy Duran,

Vice Provost

13.6 (Federal and state responsibilities)

The institution

(a) is in compliance with its program responsibilities under Title IV of the most recent Higher Education Act as amended and

(b) audits financial aid programs as required by federal and state regulations. In reviewing the institution's compliance with these program responsibilities under Title IV, SACSCOC relies on documentation forwarded to it by the U.S. Department of Education.

Ms. Shannon Crossland,

Senior Director

13.7 (Physical resources)

The institution ensures adequate physical facilities and resources, both on and off campus, that appropriately serve the needs of the institution's educational programs, support services, and other mission-related activities.

Mr. Brandon Hennington,

Managing Director

13.8 (Institutional environment)

The institution takes reasonable steps to provide a healthy, safe, and secure environment for all members of the campus community.

Mr. Ronald Phillips,

Chief Compliance Officer

14.1 (Publication of accreditation status)

The institution

(a) accurately represents its accreditation status and publishes the name, address, and telephone number of SACSCOC in accordance with SACSCOC's requirements and federal policy; and

(b) ensures all its branch campuses include the name of that institution and make it clear that their accreditation depends on the continued accreditation of the parent campus.

Dr. Jennifer S. Hughes,

Managing Director

14.3 (Comprehensive institutional reviews)

The institution applies all appropriate standards and policies to its distance learning programs, branch campuses, and off-campus instructional sites.

Dr. Justin Louder,

Associate Vice Provost

14.4 (Representation to other agencies)

The institution

(a) represents itself accurately to all U.S. Department of education recognized accrediting agencies with which it holds accreditation and

(b) informs those agencies of any change of accreditation status, including the imposition of public sanctions. (See SACSCOC policy “Accrediting Decisions of Other Agencies.”)

Dr. Jennifer S. Hughes,

Managing Director


Texas Association for Higher Education Assessment

2019 TxAHEA Conference

General Overview

The Texas Association for Higher Education Assessment Conference (TxAHEA) hosted its second annual conference in San Antonio, Texas on October 1-2, 2019. The goal of this conference is to bring together higher education professionals across Texas and the surrounding states to share ideas and information about accreditation and assessment.

The 2019 TxAHEA planning committee was comprised of faculty and staff from Texas Tech University along with 20 additional colleges and universities across the state of Texas: Angelina College, Angelo State University, College of the Mainland, Dallas County Community College District, Lamar State College – Port Arthur, Midwestern State University, North Central Texas College, Palo Alto College, San Jacinto College, Stephen F. Austin State University, Tarrant County College, Texas A&M International University, Texas A&M University – Commerce, Texas A&M University – Central Texas, Texas State University, Texas Woman's University, The University of Texas at San Antonio, University of Houston-Downtown, University of North Texas, and West Texas A&M University. Following the success of this year's conference, several additional universities have requested to join the planning committee.

Keynote Speaker

The Keynote Speaker for the 2019 TxAHEA Conference was Dr. Ashley Finley. Dr. Finley is the Senior Advisor to the President and Vice President of Strategic Planning and Partnerships for the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). Dr. Finley's research and campus consultations focus on connecting best practices for program implementation, assessment design, and equity with institutional outcomes for student success and strategic planning.

Dr. Ashley Finley

Conference Highlights

This year, there were 207 registered attendees along with an offering of 39 sessions, including presentations, workshops, panels, and roundtables. Presenters traveled from all over the country and the state of Texas, including Southern Methodist University, Sam Houston State University, Tarrant County College District, Western Dakota Tech, Daytona State College, Virginia State University, Texas Lutheran University, Galen College of Nursing, University of the Incarnate Word, Palo Alto College, Texas Tech University, Texas A&M International University, and Texas A&M University-Commerce.

 

What was your main reason for attending this conference? 82% Professional Development; 15% Networking; 3% Other

 

 

What was your satisfaction with the keynote presentation? 24% somewhat satisfied; 5% dissatisfied; 6% neutral; 65% extremely satisfied

 

 

What was your satisfaction with the conference as a whole?

Planning for 2020 TxAHEA Conference

The planning committee confirmed the 2020 conference will be held in San Antonio, Texas. The committee, as well as OPA, is very proud of the result of this year's conference and we will continue to work hard to ensure that the TxAHEA conference successfully grows every year. Registration will open in Spring 2020 – we hope to see you there!


DigitalMeasures Logo

DM Enhancements

Faculty Collaborations and Trainings

The Fall 2019 semester has been a busy period of changes to DigitalMeasures (DM), both major and minor. One of OPA's primary strategies for promoting the use of DM has been to increase our presence across campus to train, discuss, and alter the software to get as much out of it as possible. Departments we have collaborated with during the fall semester include the College of Education, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, University Libraries, Rawls College of Business Administration, Office of Research and Innovation, University Outreach and Engagement, Division of Diversity, Equity Inclusion, and Media and Communication.

This began as basic trainings or presentations and walking through the process of maintaining required information to reach full compliance for House Bill 2504. Through these trainings, we realized that while some faculty are brand new, TTU has many faculty who have been using DM's basic tools for mandatory reporting but have not delved into what DM can really do. Since that realization, we began holding two targeted trainings depending on the audience.

  • The first is for faculty who have never used DM before. During this training, we cover uploading syllabi and entering educational information for faculty to keep our records up-to-date and ready for reporting TTU compliance.
  • The second training has been developed as a brown bag style training, where anyone can come and ask specific questions or have hands-on training. We have found both to be very effective, and it allows us to find individuals who may want to transfer data from previous institutes or import data from integrated services in DM.

While these functional changes have helped us reach and train faculty in DM, we are working with many entities across campus to utilize DM in ways that consider the unique administration and field of each department. We are developing new reports and annual faculty review templates, submitting frequent work requests to DM to improve functionality and clarity, and most importantly, finding ways to connect and draw conclusions with the data that DM provides.

Three major projects since July 2019 have included an update to prior data for the College of Business, as this directly improves their ability to run an automated report for external accreditation. We also partnered with the Application Development team to help identify problems with integration from Banner to DM. In particular, this included a new system of reports prior to the start of a term that will allow us to capture issues in the DM-Banner communication to reduce issues at the beginning of term, specifically those that can hinder the creation of new accounts or that affect the rollover of courses. We have already updated DM for the Spring 2020 rollover and expect there to be less issues in the beginning of the term.

Integration with Raiders Engaged

Our most intensive and long-term project has been updates to Raiders Engaged and its integration with DM. At this point, we have developed a system for faculty to upload Outreach & Engagement in the DigitalMeasures environment. This will allow faculty to stay within the DM environment to enter Raiders Engaged data. Faculty can still enter Raiders Engaged, but we have developed functionality for either option, with a preference on utilizing DM. Once faculty have entered this data, we are developing an automatic communication between DM and Raiders Engaged to fill in the missing data from one or the other, allowing redundancy to occur between Raiders Engaged and DM. This allows us to pull specific O&E information from DM without sifting through the multi-page survey, thus allowing us to include this information in faculty reviews. This solution will also allow us to gather more data overall. Aside from having more options to enter this information, we can also now give several projects or details of projects involving O&E even if a faculty member does not enter Raiders Engaged information. With the edits we have made to DigitalMeasures, we can now identify O&E-related activities, even if Raiders Engaged was not completed for that activity, allowing for more correct reporting on-demand.

DigitalMeasures Work Requests

Below is a chart that shows the yearly increases in changes to DM since 2016 for August through November of each year. Since 2016, yearly DM changes for the Fall term have increased threefold. Because DigitalMeasures operates on a ticketing system, this would suggest that we are having more requests for data transfers from individuals who previously were employed by institutions that used DM, as well as more departments and colleges across campus taking a more involved role in utilizing DM to best suit the area's needs. Many of the work requests were data transfers or minor changes to screens in DM. This would also suggest that we are perfecting and polishing DM.

DM Work request

Office of Planning and Assessment