Learning Assessment Summary From:

Report Of A Comprehensive Evaluation Visit to Missouri State University-West Plains, ID #2095, November 17-19, 2003, for the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Advancement Section

II. B. Transition to Mature Level of Assessment (pp. 3-4)

Missouri State University-West Plains has taken seriously its challenge to develop an effective faculty-driven assessment program. While the institution has made some notable strides over the past five years to improve its assessment program, the Team is concerned that the institution does not have in place the leadership that is needed to implement a viable assessment program at the course, program, and institution levels. As such, the Team suggests that the institution identify a faculty member who will coordinate the development and implementation of its assessment program, provide this person with partial release time from academic responsibilities, arrange for this person to obtain extensive training, and retain this person in this position until the implementation of a revised assessment program is in place and Missouri State University-West Plains has developed a sophisticated assessment culture. The Team further suggests that the institution identify an administrator to work closely with this assessment coordinator and that the institution create an assessment budget controlled by this assessment coordinator.

One of the first steps the institution will need to take under the leadership of the assessment coordinator is to revise its assessment plan to account for the assessment of student learning at the course, program, and institution levels, with emphasis placed on the documented use of multiple direct and indirect measures to assess student learning and on the documented use of assessment data to improve student learning. This plan needs to be thorough yet simple. It needs to establish an approach toward assessment, including an assessment vocabulary, which is understood and used by everyone at the institution; it needs to establish a realistic timeline so that the revised plan can be implemented within three years. The Team has seen too many assessment plans fail because they promise to assess everything every second of the day and night. An effective assessment program is built on sound assessment principles and is focused on those specific assessment measures that will best inform the institution how well students are learning specific ideas at the course, program, and institution levels.

Assurance Section

V. C. 3. Evidence that demonstrates the criterion requires institutional attention and Commission follow-up (pp. 14-15)

Documents, formal meetings, and interviews confirm that the college's assessment program needs further development. According to Higher Learning Commission guidelines, an effective assessment program uses the information gained from systematic collection and examination of data to document and improve student learning. Such a program is structured, organized, and has a recognizable conceptual framework; is ongoing and sustainable; and is in place at the course, program, and institutional levels. While assessment efforts have been reinvigorated by new faculty and administrative leadership and progress has been made, this progress has been hindered partly by frequent changes in the leadership and membership of the Assessment Committee. The following are examples in which the college's assessment program does not meet HLC guidelines:

• The college has not demonstrated widespread understanding of direct and indirect assessment measures and the importance of incorporating both types of measures into assessment activities;
• The college has not adopted and implemented a structured means for faculty to identify and report assessment methods, including the outcomes of assessment efforts, the analysis of results, and the use of this analysis to improve student learning;
• Confusion remains at the college about how to proceed with assessment at the program and institutional levels and the benefits that can be derived from these assessment processes; and
• While the college has identified coherent general education requirements that ensure breath of knowledge and promote intellectual rigor and while faculty are actively integrating teaching methods to meet these requirements, the college has not assessed learning outcomes for these requirements.

V. D. 3. Evidence that demonstrates the criterion requires institutional attention and Commission follow-up (p. 16)

• While the institution shows strong evidence of long-range planning with broad based input--including processes and procedure--the planning effort has not linked goals to budgeting.
• Clear evidence of planning for extended sites, including the China site, needs to be provided.
• Furthermore, if the assessment program is appropriately designed and implemented, assessment results should be linked to long-range planning and budgeting.

VI. C. Focused Visit (p. 19)

The Team recognizes that although assessments have begun, Missouri State University-West Plains is not consistently meeting HLC assessment guidelines at the course, program, and institutional levels. There is also some evidence that student learning outcomes assessment is being confused with other forms of evaluation.

The Team recommends a focused visit in 2006-07 to evaluate the implementation of the assessment program and linking planning to budgeting. A focused visit is warranted since the Team views the current level of implementation to be sufficiently early in its evolution that Missouri State University-West Plains will benefit from having in-depth and face-to-face external review in 2006-07. By the time of the focused visit in 2006-07, there should be evidence that Missouri State University-West Plains has implemented the assessment programs at all three levels and documented the use of assessment data to improve student learning. Additionally, at the time of the focus visit, Missouri State University-West Plains should have transformed the long-range planning process into strategic planning, demonstrating the direct linkage of planning to budgeting.