1. 1 VSA UPDATE The Next Generation of the College Portrait Presentation by William E. Kirwan USM Chancellor Association of Governing Boards Sunday, April 19, 2009

2. 2 Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA) Initiative by public 4-year universities to supply basic, comparable information on the undergraduate student experience to important constituencies through a common web report - the “College Portrait” Sponsored by AASCU & NASULGC Funding from Lumina

3. 3 Goals of VSA Demonstrate accountability and stewardship to public Assemble information that is –transparent –comparable –understandable Measure educational outcomes to identify and enhance effective educational practices

4. 4 VSA Participation 320 institutions from 49 states and Puerto Rico –As of April 2, 2009 61 percent of 520 NASULGC & AASCU institutions More than 225 College Portraits posted on www.collegeportraits.org

5. 5 College Portrait Student & Family Information –student/campus characteristics –cost of attendance –success/progress rate Student Experiences & Perceptions –group learning / active learning –interaction with faculty –institutional commitment –diversity experiences –student satisfaction

6. 6 College Portrait Student Learning Outcomes –Pilot project to measure learning gains in critical thinking, analytic reasoning, written communication at institution level –Measured and reported in a standard way using either CAAP, CLA, MAPP –Learning gains (value-added) are the difference between actual and expected scores of graduating and entering students after controlling for academic ability

7. 7 Comparison not Ranking Public presentation of common data for users to easily access and compare info Breadth and variety of data so users can focus on elements important to them Policy Statement of VSA Board on appropriate use of VSA data “vigorously oppose any ranking scheme”

8. 8 Demand for Learning Outcomes Not a fad but reasonable response to changing information needs –Learning outcomes reporting has bipartisan support in Congress –Intervention from associations prevented mandate in Higher Education Opportunity Act –Bologna Process

9. 9 College Portrait Display College Portraits (CP) hosted on central website –Compatible with assistive technology –Users can search by state/institution –Users can directly contact institutions –Ability to track user traffic Institutions continue to place CP Logo on website with direct link to own CP

10. www.collegeportraits.org

11. University Contact Info Link to CP Link to University website Send email to Admissions

12. Links to specific data elements University & Community info on first page

13. 13 College Portrait Application Web-based data entry Benefits & Features: - Standard professional display - More robust creation process - Error checks/data validation - Individual institution access, user account mgt - Upload of selected data

14. Administrative Home Page Access to Data Entry Pages Upload XLS & NSC files

15. User Permissions 2 user role options Control access to sections/functions

16. Previewing Pages After validating data preview link will appear at top of page

17. show Initial preview displays first page of section Click on menu links to view other validated pages

18. 18 Support Resources VSA website, participant only area - Archived introductory webinar - Administrative Guide Within CP Application - In context HELP text - Administrative Guide Support Team: support@collegeportraits.org

19. 19 Application Work in Progress Improved formatting for print versions -Preview -Published Email distribution list More “information request” elements Interactive help for users

20. 20 Upcoming Events Integrate VSA Cost Calculator within CP application -Beta testing in Summer 09 -Released in early Fall 09 (tentative) Learning Outcomes Seminars -Summer 2009: Focus on administration of tests -Summer 2010: Focus on application of results

21. 21 Timelines April 17 (extended): Deadline for posting CP with Fall 2008 CDS data Summer 2009: Update Future Plans, Cost of Attendance as appropriate Fall 2009: release of integrated VSA cost calculator October/November 2009: Submit Fall 2003 NSC cohorts January/February 2010: Release of CP, v4