Chapter One: Institutional Effectiveness

An assessment of a university’s institutional effectiveness reveals how well the institution is achieving its mission and goals. To evaluate institutional effectiveness, you must measure results through ongoing assessment activities and then use the results to aid in decision-making and improvement. The entire assessment cycle involves a systematic and continuous process of collecting data, analyzing and interpreting data, and using the results of that data to make changes to improve the program/unit mission and purpose.

Basic Questions for Assessment:

• What is the academic program/administrative unit trying to accomplish?
• How well is the academic program/administrative unit accomplishing its intended mission/purpose?
• What evidence is available to support the claim that the academic program/ administrative unit achieved its goals?
• How can the academic program/administrative unit improve?

Master Plan/Progress Report

At McNeese State University, administrative units/academic programs complete a Master Plan/Progress Report on an annual basis. The Master Plan/Progress Report is prepared for internal purposes as a requirement of the institution and for external purposes to satisfy requirements of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools/Commission on Colleges. Internally, the Plan should enable an administrative unit/academic program to assess performance on an established cycle to see how well they have accomplished the mission and to make modifications, as needed, for improvement. The external purpose for preparing the Master Plan/Progress Report is to document that institutional effectiveness is integrated into programs/units. Specifically, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools/Commission on Colleges states in the Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement:

Core Requirements 2.5: The institution engages in ongoing, integrated, and institution-wide research-based planning and evaluation processes that incorporate a systematic review of program and services that (a) results in continuing improvement, and (b) demonstrates that the institution is effectively accomplishing its mission.

Comprehensive Standard 3.3.1: The institution identifies expected outcomes for its educational programs and its administrative and educational support services; assesses whether it achieves these outcomes; and provides evidence of improvement based on analysis of those results.

Traditionally, the Master Plan/Progress Report is prepared each spring. The Plan should be prepared for you, the user, to chart the course you wish to pursue in an effort to achieve an outcome/objective, to monitor the achievement of that outcome/objective, and to use the results of that achievement to make changes in the year ahead.

The Master Plan preparation process is undergoing a paradigm shift in 2005 in an effort to improve institutional effectiveness at McNeese. Beginning with the 2005 Master Plan, each plan submitted will be evaluated by the McNeese Assessment Team (MAT) to ensure that academic programs/administrative units are properly incorporating assessment. The Office of Institutional Effectiveness offers training in early spring for individuals new to or not yet comfortable with the concept of assessment. Once Master Plan/Progress Reports are prepared, plans are submitted to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. A plan template is used to establish conformity and to instruct preparers regarding the components of the Master Plan. The Office of Institutional Effectiveness, in turn, distributes plans to the McNeese Assessment Team (MAT) for review.

McNeese Assessment Team (MAT)

Dr. Hebert, McNeese President, formulated an assessment team in Spring 2005 in an effort toward ensuring that assessment and continuous improvement were key components of program/unit Master Plans. The MAT is composed of one member from each College and a representative from the Library, Student Services, and Institutional Research. The MAT reviews individual plans to ensure that outcomes/objectives are clarified, assessment methods are appropriate, performance indicators are set, actual outcomes/objectives are measured, and plans for continuous improvement are specified.

The MAT is divided into three sub-groups with three members per group. The sub-group is tasked with reviewing the plans assigned to them, commenting on the assessment of each plan, and submitting directives for action to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. The Institutional Effectiveness Director is tasked with meeting one-on-one with plan preparers to review the MAT comments. The Institutional Effectiveness Director may also provide feedback or request clarification in understanding, when needed. Program/unit plan preparers have the opportunity to make changes to the submitted Master Plan/Progress Report before resubmitting them to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. The respective Department Head or Administrative Supervisor that is over the submitted plan conducts the final review.

Master Plan/Progress Report Assessment Model

Defining the Mission or Purpose

Master Plan/Progress Reports begin by stating the program/unit Mission or Purpose.

• The Mission should be a broad statement of what the program/unit is, what it does, and for whom it does it.
• The Mission should include a clear description of the purpose of the program/unit.
• The Mission should reflect how the program contributes to the education and careers of graduating students or how the unit serves its customers.
• The Mission should align with the University mission.
• The Mission should be distinctive for the program/unit. (If you took away the title could someone tell which program/unit the mission statement was written for?)

Structuring the Mission

The mission or purpose of the (name of the academic program/administrative unit) is to (describe your main purpose for being) by providing (list your primary activities, not everything you do) to (name your stakeholders).

Remember:

• Be concise
• List stakeholders
• State a clearly defined mission/purpose
• Support the University’s mission
• Be uniquely related to the program/unit

Example Mission or Purpose Statements

Library

The Library’s mission is to provide access to information for both the McNeese community and the Southwest Louisiana community. The Library accomplishes this mission through service, resources, and the administration of collaborative projects.

Scholarships and Testing

The purpose of the Scholarships and Testing Office is to administer institutional, state, federal, and private scholarship and testing programs. The Scholarships and Testing Office also serves to provide information/services to students, prospective students, and parents regarding scholarship sources/application procedures and educational testing services.

College of Business

The mission of the College of Business is to provide quality business education that will enhance the opportunities for a diverse undergraduate and graduate student population to achieve success in a changing technological, global, and ethical environment. Through academic excellence and linkages with the business community, the College is committed to being a resource for economic development in Southwest Louisiana.

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

The Office of Institutional Effectiveness educates, guides, and supports assessment activities throughout administrative units and academic programs to support the University’s continuing accreditation and to improve the University’s effectiveness. The Office also handles Faculty/Staff Handbook revisions, manages catalog updates, prepares Institutional Reports, facilitates faculty/staff evaluations, administers enrollment management scholarships, and serves as the Documentation Repository.

College of Nursing

The mission of the College of Nursing is to provide education that will enable graduates to improve the health care system and the quality of life in the multicultural community of Southwest Louisiana, value lifelong learning, and enhance the profession of nursing through a focus on:

• Critical thinking
• Communication
• Therapeutic nursing interventions
• Role development
• Professionalism
• Service to the community

Fundamental to this mission is the faculty commitment to excellence in teaching, community service, faculty practice, creative scholarly activity, and research in nursing. The College of Nursing offers two undergraduate degrees, the Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) and the Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing (BSN) and as a member of the Intercollegiate Consortium for a Master of Science in Nursing (ICMSN), the graduate degree, the Master of Science in Nursing Degree (MSN).

Institutional Mission Reference

The Institutional Mission Reference should address how the program/unit mission or purpose supports the University’s mission.

McNeese State University, a selective admissions institution, provides education, research, and service that support our core values of student success, academic excellence, fiscal responsibility, and university-community alliances. The University’s fundamental educational mission is to offer associate, baccalaureate, and graduate curricula distinguished by academic excellence. The University engages in collaborative ventures to benefit industry and to enhance economic development and cultural growth in this region and beyond.

The foundation for student success begins with faculty commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and creative and scholarly activity. At McNeese State University, a member of the University of Louisiana System, students cultivate skills for critical thinking and effective expression and gain an understanding of the global community. The learning and social environment integrates discipline-specific knowledge with the values of lifelong learning, ethical responsibility, and civic engagement.

Institutional Goals Supported

The program/unit should support one or more of the institutional goals and should demonstrate how the goal is being supported through the assessment of its outcomes/objectives. McNeese’s institutional goals are as follows:

Core Value – Student Success

1. Foster a climate that enhances student learning, focuses on retention, values advising, and enriches the quality of campus-life.
2. Nurture an environment to support cultural diversity.
3. Present students opportunities for leadership.
4. Provide venues for learning to attract non-traditional students.
5. Provide an aesthetically-pleasing campus, functional facilities, and state-of-the-art equipment.

Core Value – Academic Excellence

1. Emphasize excellence in instruction.
2. Develop programs that are viable, innovative, and relevant to market needs.
3. Infuse a global outlook and ethical standards in course content and curriculum development.
4. Uphold the commitment to regional and national program accreditation.
5. Encourage undergraduate and graduate research in appropriate disciplines.

Core Value – Fiscal Responsibility

1. Engage in continuous assessment, evaluation, and improvement.
2. Utilize the role of technology to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of campus operations.
3. Garner outside funding sources to support the University mission.
4. Capitalize on efficient use of resources.
5. Support efforts to obtain federal funding.

Core Value – University-Community Alliances

1. Support mutually beneficial university/community collaborations.
2. Strengthen economic development through partnerships that provide technical assistance and information transfer to business and industry.
3. Enhance artistic, humanistic, and cultural opportunities in the area.
4. Retain certification and maintain competition in NCAA athletic programs.
5. Partner with educational agencies to improve the quality of life in our region.