NEAIR November 2005 The Role of IR in Supporting the Accreditation Process: A Chair’s Perspective Dr. Barbara R. Sadowski Chief Planning Officer Marywood University

NEAIR November 2005 Two Distinct Roles for IR  Support for the self-study process Preparing for the self-study (Year 1) During the self-study (Year 2) Preparing for the campus visit (Year 3)  Documenting Institutional Effectiveness Critical Success Factors/benchmarks Developing a plan

NEAIR November 2005 Preparing for the Self-study  Start early – at least three years before expected visit (2003 summer for spring 2006 visit)  Activities: (Year 1) Determine what accreditation process and standards require as evidence – MSA Website Inventory current survey coverage  Conduct surveys where necessary – plan for funding  Sign up for surveys where needed, e.g., faculty, CLA, alumni Scan important documents, e.g., accreditation reports

NEAIR November 2005 Preparing for the Self-Study  Make survey data readily accessible to campus users  Provide campus with organized and easily interpreted data  Suggestions that worked:  Intranet IR site for campus users Scanned documents as PDF files Survey reports across years Survey data in easily interpreted format, e.g, Excel files with multiple years, use conditional formatting for significant differences

NEAIR November 2005 Preparing for the Self-Study  Link accreditation standards to survey results Cross-walk between MSA elements and NSSE items Organize list of IR resources by MSA standards  Table of Resources for Self-study Design  Organize resources by study group Relate items from surveys, e.g., SSI, CSS to MSA elements  Special topics self-study requires a roadmap relating documentation evidence to elements of MSA standards

NEAIR November 2005 Example of Cross-walk between Survey data and Standards NSSE Item  Worked on a research project with faculty outside of course…  Quality of relationships w/ faculty  Community Service  Attending campus events and activities MSA Standards 10, 13, 14 6, 9, 10 6, 13, 14 1, 11

NEAIR November 2005 During the Self-Study  Use on-line surveys to handle ad hoc requests for data, e.g., Survey Monkey  Refer requests for survey data to website with resources for self-study accreditation  Check initial drafts of self-study for correct interpretation of survey data  IR staff serve on relevant study groups as resource person(s)

NEAIR November 2005 Preparing for the Team Visit  Two distinct aspects to supporting evidence: Charts and graphs in appendices to self-study document Evidence for documentation room  Assemble the documentation room evidence  Create a CD with self-study text and links to supporting material  If a special topics self-study, then a roadmap linking elements and evidence needs to be developed

NEAIR November 2005 Documenting Institutional Effectiveness  MSA standard on assessment of institutional effectiveness  Role of IR is not as support for accreditation process but rather as the primary source for documentation of institutional effectiveness  Mission statement including goals and objectives determines what needs to be documented as evidence of institutional effectiveness

NEAIR November 2005 Documenting Institutional Effectiveness  Institutional Assessment is more comprehensive than Student Learning Outcomes Assessment  A distinction between direct and indirect evidence of outcomes needs to be clear  NSSE data provide direct evidence of institutional environment for learning, not evidence of learning outcomes.

NEAIR November 2005 Documenting Institutional Effectiveness  Benchmarks comparing institution indicators against a peer group  Dashboard indicators track self-referenced critical success factors Selection of no more than 10 indicators - very important Across institution finance, enrollment, quality, advancement Relate to both institutional goals and strategic goals

NEAIR November 2005 Documenting Institutional Effectiveness  Dashboard indicators Provide 5 years worth of data (hidden graph) Indicate high and low points Indicate current year’s value and assessment of change from previous year (color-coded)  Positive  Negative  Stable