The Report of the Provost’s Advisory Group on the SUNY Assessment Initiative September 2009 Tina Good, Ph.D. President Faculty Council of Community Colleges October 2009

The Provost’s Advisory Group Charge The SUNY Board of Trustees, under its Reengineering SUNY initiative, is seeking to streamline and simplify functions and processes throughout the State University. Given this context, the expectations of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, and the recent resolutions adopted by the University Faculty Senate and the Faculty Council of Community Colleges, the Provost’s Advisory Group shall advise the University Provost on ways in which the SUNY Assessment Initiative could be streamlined. Where appropriate, the group shall make specific recommendations with respect to Trustee policy that could facilitate such streamlining.

Membership Chairperson – Susan D. Phillips, Ph.D. Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs University at Albany/SUNY

Membership Representatives from the Office of the SUNY Provost Faculty, also including – Tina Good, President of the Faculty Council of Community Colleges – Ken O’Brien, President of the University Faculty Senate Assessment Coordinators Chief Academic Officers

Preface Middle States Commission on Higher Education – The Advisory Group considered the SUNY Assessment Initiative within the context of the current external accreditation environment. The Advisory Group focused specifically on the assessment of student learning outcomes.

Preface The Advisory Group encourages SUNY to broaden its assessment initiative to include the assessment of institutional effectiveness. The purpose of assessment is for excellence and improvement in programs, pedagogy and student learning, not for the evaluation or comparison of persons, programs, or institutions.

Design Principles The Advisory Group identified a set of design principles to use as a basis for developing its recommendations.

Design Principles Design Principle #1 – SUNY System Administration should play a facilitative rather than a regulatory role. Design Principle #2 – The ownership of assessment by faculty and campus leadership is critical. Design Principle #3 – Meaningful benefits of engaging in assessment should be more readily apparent than they currently are, and resources should be committed to the recommendations that emerge from assessment results.

Design Principles Design Principle #4 – It is time to streamline the General Education requirements. Design Principle #5 – Current SUNY assessment processes largely duplicate external accreditation requirements. Design Principle #6 – An effective assessment process should reflect the diversity of campuses, their missions, their needs, and their constraints, within the overall mission of the State University of New York.

Issues and Recommendations The Advisory Group applied the design principles when considering how streamlining might be accomplished.

Issues and Recommendations Recommendation #1 – The SUNY Provost should distribute the draft Design Principles generated by the Advisory Group for stakeholder comment and input.

Issues and Recommendations Issue #1 – To implement SUNY Board of Trustee policy on assessment, the Provost asks campuses to develop and implement multi-year plans for assessing: SUNY General Education Learning Outcomes The campus academic environment (using NSSE and CCSSE) The undergraduate major – This requirement is consistent with (though not identical to) the assessment expectations of the Regents, Middle States and programmatic accrediting agencies.

Issues and Recommendations Recommended Actions for Issue #1 – Recommendation #2 The SUNY Provost should charge an advisory group to draft an amendment to the Board of Trustees’ 2004 resolution that would eliminate duplication of SUNY requirements and procedures in assessment and develop an updated role for systemwide assessment. The Provost should forward draft to SUNY Board for consideration.

Issues and Recommendations Recommended Actions for Issue #1 – Recommendation #3 The SUNY Provost should commission the redesign of the SUNY Assessment Initiative to reflect the Design Principles. The redesign should include an evaluation of how SUNY resources can be best allocated for campus- based assessment purposes.

Observations It would be helpful for SUNY to convene discussions within the disciplines to share ideas about assessment in the major. The use of CCSSE continues to present problems for the community colleges that need to be addressed. Current guidelines for assessment of the major may be out of line realities at community colleges.

Issues and Recommendations Issue #2 – GEAR advises the Provost on general education assessment and sets procedural and technical standards for general education assessment plans and measures. – GEAR reviews general education assessment plans and advises the Provost on plan approval or needs for revisions. – GEAR requests Closing-the-Loop Reports.

Issues and Recommendations Recommended Actions for Issue #2 – Recommendation #4 A “GEAR” of some kind should provide guidance and feedback to campuses but should not be restricted to general education. The funding of this assessment resource group should be supported by System Administration.

Issues and Recommendations Issue #3 – The SUNY Provost asks campuses to report their assessment schedules and maintain records for their own use and in case they are selected for a periodic audit.

Issues and Recommendations Recommended Actions for Issue #3 – Recommendation #5 System Administration should affirm that recordkeeping is a campus responsibility. – Recommendation #6 Recordkeeping should be conducted in compliance with the requirements of external accreditors.

Issues and Recommendations Recommended Actions for Issue #3 – Recommendation #7 System Administration should maintain a set of forms and materials that may be helpful as campuses prepare and maintain their accreditation records. – Recommendation #8 Campuses should maintain materials and assessment calendars that can be available on request for System use. – Recommendation #9 System Administration should develop a list of information/documents that are needed for SUNY to meet its external reporting requirements.

Issues and Recommendations Issue #4 – The SUNY Provost provides contracting and financial support to campuses for the use of GEAR-approved measures to be used in strengthened-campus based assessment.

Issues and Recommendations Recommended Actions for Issue #4 – Recommendation #10 System Administration should assist campuses in developing electronic assessment management systems. – Recommendation #11 The purchasing power of SUNY should be used whenever possible. – Recommendation #12 Sufficient resources should be allocated to address assessment costs.

Issues and Recommendations Issue #5 – The Provost facilitates partnerships with AIRPO, Middle States, faculty governance and others to promote good practice in assessment within the University.

Issues and Recommendations Recommended Actions for Issue #5 – Recommendation #13 and #14 System Administration should coordinate partnerships in order to facilitate campus-based assessment. – Recommendation #15 SUNY should continue and strengthen its presence in national policy dialogues.