Texas Tech University

newsletter heading

Spring 2016 CAAP Testing

 
Testing for the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) is taking place across campus from January 26th through February 26th. The CAAP is a standardized, nationally normed assessment that enables postsecondary institutions to assess, evaluate, and enhance student learning outcomes and general education program outcomes. TTU administers two modules every year, Writing Skills and Mathematics, to assess student learning in core areas. The TTU CAAP results are compared to the results from national samples to evaluate how TTU students compare to other undergraduate students nationally. Our office has received substantial support from the following faculty:
Course Instructor
BIOL 4305 Jorge Salazar-Bravo
AAEC 3301 Darren Hudson
BIOL 1305 Deborah Carr
ENGR 1315 Nimat Shamim
SPMT 4356 Angela Lumpkin
PR 4312 Alan Abitbol
PR 4312 Matthew VanDyke
ART 1309 Bryan Wheeler
GEOL 1303 Jeremy Deans
SOC 1301 Jerry Koch
CFAS 4330 Nichole Morelock
HONS 4302 Gary Elbow
AAEC 4317 Shaikh Rahman
PSY 1300 Mandrila Das
ADV 4313 Ann Rodriguez


TTU CAAP Data

HB 2504 Spring 2016 Compliance

 
Fall 2015 marked the fifth anniversary and the 21st semester/session that Texas Tech faculty and instructors of record have supplied basic CV information and course syllabi to comply with Texas HB 2504. The deadline for Spring 2016 compliance was January 29, 2016. Elaina Cantrell Robinson is currently contacting instructors and departments who did not meet the compliance deadline. Information needed for compliance with HB 2504 includes documentation of earned degrees, previous and current academic positions, and significant scholarly works. To view this documentation, you can access Texas Tech's webpage, Public Access to Course Information, at http://www.ttu.edu/courseinfo/.
Information contained in DigitalMeasures has been used for purposes such as SACSCOC Faculty Rosters, 18 Characteristics reports, and the TTU Strategic Plan Report. The Public Access to Course Information webpage is primarily used to provide the general public with undergraduate course information.

RAIDERS ENGAGED

 
The latest Raiders Engaged administration began on November 2, 2015 and concluded on January 7, 2016. A total of 546 outreach and engagement projects were reported through the survey, the largest data set gathered since the launch of the instrument. The data collection process was improved this year, allowing for more frequent access to submitted entries to vet and clean data. OPA also contacted project directors to ensure accuracy and completeness of data. Improvements in the survey distribution led to a 28.47% increase in projects reported. Information gathered through the survey will serve as supporting documentation for TTU Strategic Priority 4: Further Outreach and Engagement.

OE Number of Projects

PORTFOLIO

 
Texas Tech University has initiated an electronic portfolio program, iPortfolio, for approximately 150 undergraduate students. We are currently in the pilot stage of implementation. Below is an example of a current Texas Tech student's iPortfolio. The second example illustrates the use of an instructor-embedded rubric to conduct an assessment of a student's academic artifact.
Student Portfolio Example

Student Portfolio Example

 
Instructor Rubric Assessment Example in iPortfolio

Instructor Assessment Example

Accreditation Across Campus

 
Did you know that Texas Tech is accredited by a host of accrediting agencies besides SACSCOC? Here is a brief sampling of agencies that accredit Texas Tech degree programs and departments:
 
  • American Psychological Association
  • Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation
  • Council for Interior Design Accreditation
  • National Association of Schools of Music
  • United States Department of Agriculture – Food Safety and Inspection Service
 
OPA is reviewing documentation on disciplinary accreditation, known as Accreditation Across Campus (AAC), to determine which departments need to update information. This information is annually reported to SACSCOC. Upon initial review, twelve departments need to update AAC information and six departments will be reaccredited in 2016. OPA staff will be meeting with these departments to ensure documentation is up-to-date. To view how OPA manages Accreditation Across Campus, go to https://www.depts.ttu.edu/opa/campus_accredidation/campusaccreditation_2015.php

Important Deadlines

 
Texas Tech is fully reaffirmed with SACSCOC until 2025. As OPA prepares the university's monitoring report on CS 3.3.1.1, there are several critical deadlines needed to meet the SACSCOC September 6, 2016 deadline.
 
  • February 15, 2016 – Degree program coordinators will receive feedback from OPA professional staff regarding their assessment documentation.
  • March 2016 – OPA coordinates and manages an Assessment Peer Review process for faculty to provide substantive peer feedback on program-level assessment documentation.
  • April 1, 2016 – Degree program coordinators will receive feedback from the Assessment Peer Review process.
  • July 1, 2016 – Deadline for degree program coordinators to submit their 15-16 assessment evidence AND 16-17 assessment plans.
  • August 1, 2016 – OPA completes a final round of data analysis on the revised assessment reports. Degree programs that require revision will have two weeks to complete their revisions.
  • August 15, 2016 – Deadline for degree program coordinators to submit final revisions.
  • August 31, 2016 – Monitoring report is sent to SACSCOC via FedEx overnight.

TracDat V Training Options

We have recently upgraded to TracDat V, and we are pleased to announce three training options for you and your faculty/staff. Thanks for all you do to document student learning.
1. Watch a 3-minute training video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc7e1GDtOe4
2. Attend a face-to-face TracDat training session in the TLPDC. We have sessions scheduled throughout the Spring semester. Please register through the TLPDC website: https://eraider.ttu.edu/signin.asp?redirect=http://events.tlpd.ttu.edu/Login.aspx&
3. Contact our office to schedule an in-office session for you and/or your department. Please contact Kahlie Callison (kahlie.callison@ttu.edu) to schedule.

Office of Planning and Assessment