Lessons learned in writing a periodic review report

1. Lessons learned in writing a periodic review report Kara O. Siegert, PhD Special Assistant to the President, Institutional Effectiveness & Assessment Robert M. Tardiff, PhD Professor, Mathematics & Former Associate Provost

2. Session Objectives Attendees will be able to: • describe how a representative and effective committee of faculty and staff is an essential ingredient in developing a meaningful PRR. • outline a proven method for creating a PRR document. • identify key documents and reports that should be utilized in creating the PRR.

3. About Salisbury University • Master’s level comprehensive institution with 42 undergraduate & 14 graduate programs • Member of the University System of Maryland • Has 4 privately endowed schools (Liberal Arts, Science & Technology, Education & Professional Studies, and Business) • Enrolls about 8,600 students with 92% in undergraduate programs • 570 faculty (300 TT) and 900+ support staff

4. MSCHE PRR Objectives • To assess the impact of significant major developments, changes, or challenges subsequent to the last evaluation • To assess the institution’s response to recommendations resulting from the previous evaluation • To review the institution’s enrollment trends, financial status, and enrollment and financial projections • To determine the current status of the implementation of plans for the assessment of institutional effectiveness and the assessment of student learning outcomes (accreditation standards 7 and 14) • To assess the extent to which linked institutional planning and budgeting processes are in place

5. PRR Sections • Executive Summary • Response to Recommendations • Challenges & Opportunities • Enrollment and Finance Projections • Assessment of Institutional Effectiveness & Student Learning • Linking Institutional Planning and Budgeting

6. Attend MSCHE PRR Workshop • Chair(s) attend a MSCHE PRR Workshop • Learn • What the PRR must address • What reviewers of the PRR look for • Review successful PRR’s both at the workshop and online

7. PRR vs. Grant Proposal • PRR is similar to a grant proposal • Consultation with agency professionals • Clear guidelines equate to the Request for Proposal • Peer Review • Concise with limited extraneous, PR-type comments • Presented using one “voice”

8. Lesson #1: Developing the Committee • Create a representative & informed committee that: • Reviews PRR Guidelines & previous accreditation documents • self-study • visiting team’s report • institutional response • follow-up actions • Endorses a timeline (example) allowing for feedback from all constituents (e.g., governance bodies, Executive staff, editors)

9. Lesson #1: Developing the Committee • Review the sections of the PRR and determine who can serve as leaders and who knows campus history • Consider positions that served on the last self-study and those that are a part of institutional Strategic Planning • Key campus representatives:

10. Lesson #2:Organizing the Committee & Content • Organizing the committee: • Round 1: based on previous self-study sub-committees • Round 2: based on themes identified during brainstorming • Brainstorming identified institutional highlights relevant to each PRR section • Reviewed notes to determine common themes and identify those that were related to MSCHE standards (qualitative approach)

11. Lesson #2:Organizing the Committee & Content Round 1 Subcommittees:

12. Lesson #2:Organizing the Committee & Content Round 2 Subcommittees:

13. Lesson #2:Organizing the Committee & Content • Template for each theme (example) • Broken down by PRR section • Included statements/thoughts collected during the brainstorming sessions • Sub-committees elaborated on the statements and provided context to be used by the writing team • The writing team collected the templates and reviewed PRR documents from other institutions to organize the content

14. Section 3: Challenges & Opportunities

15. Lesson #2:Organizing the Committee & Content • Executive Summary • Response to Recommendations • The University should define what “proficient” means for General Education. • General Education Curriculum: • It is unclear in the General Education curriculum how students are developing skill in oral communication; • Oral communication and quantitative reasoning are not included in the Honors “core curriculum.” • It does not appear that the Technology Fluency Policy adheres to MSCHE guidelines for Information Literacy • SU General Education learning outcomes include outcomes related to the SU strategic emphasis on diversity and globalization. However, only 18% of existing General Education courses purport to address this outcome. The majority of students graduate without experiencing courses with these learning emphases. • There are substantial differences in General Education between transfer and “native” SU students. These need to be critically examined to ensure that the SU degree is comparable for all students .

16. Lesson #2:Organizing the Committee & Content • Challenges & Opportunities • Review history and forecast the future. Must relate to MSCHE Standards • Enrollment and Finance Projections • Audited financial statements, IPEDS, & projections • Assessment of Institutional Effectiveness & Student Learning • Goals, assessment methods, & examples of closing the loop • Linking Institutional Planning and Budgeting • Opportunity to align your budget with the Strategic Plan *Strategic Plans *Program reviews *Peer comparisons *Dashboards example *DE Study example

17. Lesson #3:Writing the Executive Summary • Utilize your faculty and staff resources for writing expertise • Provide an institutional overview & outline and connect the main themes. This is your opportunity to tell a story. • We did this FIRST • We knew the major themes • We wanted verification from the committee that we were on the right track

18. Lesson #3:Writing the Executive Summary What to include: • Overview of the institution • Institutional approach to the PRR • Summary of major changes & developments since the last self-study • Abstract of the PRR sections • Certification Statement *mission *enrollment *resources *structure Must be related to the MSCHE Standards

19. Lesson #4:Utilizing Existing Resources • Exploit work that has already been done! • Public documents have already been vetted and approved • Internal reports may demonstrate institutional effectiveness and assessment efforts • May include data to support statements made in the PRR • No need to replicate enrollment, budget, faculty/staff, and other routinely reported information

20. Lesson #4:Utilizing Existing Resources • Closing the Achievement Gap • Strategic Plans • University of DE Study of Instructional Costs & Productivity • Peer Comparisons (IPEDS) • Academic Program Review documents • Annual departmental reports • Surveys

21. Lesson #5:Sharing With the Campus • Purpose of the PRR is to demonstrate that we are meeting the MSCHE accreditation standards • Review for accuracy & completeness • Not a public relations document or list of grievances

22. Lesson #5:Sharing With the Campus • University developed website to collect feedback • Executive Staff • Deans • Faculty governance body • Staff governance body • Student governance body

23. Contact: Kara Siegert kosiegert@salisbury.edu