Maximizing Resources for Student Success: Focus on Assessment and Grading Activities Dr. Lou Guthrie| Director National Higher Education Benchmarking Institute Moving Forward with Assessment, 2015 Regional CC Assessment Conference © Johnson County Community College All rights reserved.

Maximizing Resources Website

Activity Based Costing: What is it? Maximizing Resources for Student Success: –An introduction to the project. –Instructional Activities Assessment and Grading as an Activity Conclusions: Need for changing the way we manage higher education. Session Outline

Activity-Based Costing An analytical framework for better information

ABC Costing Allows colleges to: –Target cost reductions to specific activities –Calculate the effect of innovations and their cost structure –Reward effective and efficient departments –Provide incentives for inefficient departments to improve

Without knowing the cost of educational activities, there is no way to improve productivity in a systematic and sustainable manner. Maria Anguiano Vice Chancellor of Planning and Budget UC Riverside

Activity-Based Costing Framework Activity-based costing: –A costing methodology that identifies activities in an organization –Assigns all related costs to activities –Relates the cost to cost driver –Direct costs roll-up, they are not allocated down

Activity-Based Costing Framework ABC systems focus on the work activities of people and the associated costs ABC recognizes the equipment and materials required to provide each service or accomplish each activity ABC includes the space and costs of that space that is required to provide an activity

Example: Activity-Based Costing Framework Activity Teaching Advising Grading Salaries and benefits Classroom / office spaces Materials Etc. Cost driverCosts # of students % of Costs for teaching # of students Cost of activity per student

Implementing ABC Activity based costing changes ” the rules of the game” You will find surprises

Maximizing Resources for Student Success Changing Higher Education Cost & Outcomes Management

Perfect Timing Grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to research costs JCCC participated in pilot study, Maximizing Resources for Student Success

Maximizing Resources For Student Success National fiscal benchmark project for community colleges Teaches how to implement a simplified version of ABC Pilot study completed in fall 2013 All data shared here is from the pilot 19 community colleges used in the analysis

Project Partners

Developed by National Advisory Board Broome Community College, NY California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, CA Chandler-Gilbert Community College, AZ College of Southern Nevada, NV Florida Keys Community College, FL Johnson County Community College, KS Lone Star College System, TX Metropolitan Community College, MO Montcalm Community College, MI Normandale Community College, MN Ozarks Technical Community College, MO St. Charles Community College, MO State University System of Florida, Board of Governors, FL Tallahassee Community College, FL University of Hawaii Community Colleges, HI

Tremendous Amount of Useful Data Minimal data collection burden Members can be on the leading edge of this new trend IR offices can provide key financial metrics to their executive leadership Gives you the ability to look at costs and outcomes and tie them together

Project Deliverables National Reports Peer Comparisons Institutional Report ABC Guide

Activities InstructionStudent Services Admissions Recruitment Advising Counseling Career Services Financial Aid Registrar / Student Records Tutoring Testing Services Co-curricular Activities Veterans Services Disability Services Program Development Course Development Teaching Faculty Tutoring Faculty Advising Academic Service Assessment and Grading Professional Development Academic Support Instructional Technology Support Library Services Experiential Education

ABC: Managerial Assessment Enlist deans or heads of divisions: Report the percentage of time faculty spend on instructional activities, such as teaching, grading, course development –Salaries and Benefits –Full Time Equivalent Faculty Executive, Clerical and Professional Staff Non-Labor Operating Costs Not including facilities and capital costs

Time spent on instructional activities

Instructional Costs Cost of Instructional Activities

Assessment and Grading as an Instructional Activity Costs and impact on outcomes.

Definition used in study. Assessing prior and current learning; developing and selecting assessment methodologies; evaluating student assignments and performance to award course credit, and contributing to broader assessment of student learning outcomes.

Advisory committee did it Why did we combine Grading and Assessment? Educational assessment, the process of documenting knowledge, skills, attitudes, and beliefsEducational assessment Grading (education), a teacher's evaluation of a student's performance in classGrading (education)

Instructional Activities with Student Success

Cost of Assessment and Grading had a positive impact on: 3 Year Graduation and Transfer Rates Fall to Next Term Persistence Rates Fall to Fall Persistence Rates Means that colleges that spent more per student on assessment and grading had higher rates of the following:

Institution Report: 2015 Study

© Johnson County Community College All rights reserved.

Conclusions Assessment and Grading is one of the more expensive components of instructional activity Faculty spend more time on Assessment and Grading than any other instructional activity, except teaching Spending time (and thus money) on assessment and grading can have an impact on student success

Conclusions Colleges need data to establish relationship between costs and student outcomes ABC moves colleges from budgeting to strategic finance Relatively easy to implement a barebones version of ABC Benchmarking provides –Information on the cost / quality relationship –Opportunities to increase efficiencies –The ability to spend funds on activities that have the greatest impact on student success

Learn More about Benchmarking and Best Practices JCCC.edu/Benchmark

Contact Information Lou Guthrie © Johnson County Community College All rights reserved.