Baiting the Hook: Creating a Culture of Assessment Evilu Pridgeon & Lisa Casto

The Art Institutes

Baiting the Hook: Creating a Culture of Assessment

Evilu Pridgeon & Lisa Casto

Texas Association for Institutional Research February 6, 2008

The Art Institutes

Overview of Presentation

AiDallas

History

SACS

How it happened

What we did

The Results

The Art Institutes

The Art Institute of Dallas

Private College

SACS accredited since 1997

Program Accreditation in Interior Design and Culinary Arts

1700 students

100 full- and part-time faculty (60/40)

The Art Institutes

Degrees Offered Culinary Arts Associate of Applied Science (AAS)

Restaurant & Catering Management, AAS

Art of Cooking Certificate

Design

Advertising, Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)

Graphic Design, Associate of Applied Arts (AAA), BFA

Web Design and Interactive Media, BFA

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Degrees (Con’t.)

Fashion Design, AAA, BFA

Fashion & Retail Management, BFA

Interior Design BFA

Media Arts & Animation

Video Production AAA

Digital Filmmaking & Video Production BFA

The Art Institutes

History at AiDallas Accredited in 1997

Re-accreditation visit by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), Commission on Colleges (COC) in 2003

After two monitoring reports, placed on probation Dec. 2006 because of lack of adequate documentation of ongoing assessment

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How It Happened

Confusing directions

Poor communication

Lack of support from leadership

Perpetual crisis mode

The Art Institutes

How It Happened

Models were too complicated

Each department was insulated

IE Committee was a “rubber stamp”

Only two people reviewed plans

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What We Did Created an action plan

Made major staff changes (president, DIER)

Hired Institutional Effectiveness Associates (IEA -- Jim and Karen Nichols) for training of entire faculty/staff and IE Committee

Developed timeline and shared with Ai community

Hand-picked committee

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Training Nichols

All Faculty and Staff

Grouped by Administrative/Support and Academics

Rubrics

Five column model

Constructive feedback

Objective writing (SMART)

Committee

Selected members attended conference

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Best Interest of the Student (BIOS)

All outcomes and objectives were student-focused

Academics: improve the programs to benefit students

Administrative/Educational Support: customer service focused to improve services to students

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The Institutional Effectiveness CommitteeKey to Our Success Hand-picked from recommendations

Primarily faculty – should always be faculty-driven

Committed to the success of the school

Motivated to assist

Possessed leadership skills with opportunity for further development

Nearly all academic departments represented

Included a few curmudgeons – to keep us honest

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The Institutional Effectiveness Committee -- Key to Our Success

Varied Skill Sets (writing, math, reasoning)

Continued training in assessment

Invested in the school’s success

Provide communication and leadership

Continue to reward and recognize committee every quarter

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Outcomes/Objectives Development

Faculty/staff brainstormed as a group in each department

From the long list, a short list was chosen

Turn into IE Committee for review each year

Outcomes/Objectives change yearly

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Rubrics Development Increased resources in library

All IEC members received reading material

Faculty in each department developed rough drafts

Refined by small group which included some IE members, faculty from within the department as well as wordsmiths from other departments

Rubrics are continuously refined based on faculty and Professional Advisory Committee (PAC) members.

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The Total Process

Plans are turned in quarterly with previous quarter’s assessment data

Each plan reviewed by two or more members

Constructive feedback

Focus on meaning and logical processes, not grammar

Chair and IE Director review and give feedback, sometimes in person

Departments make corrections and resubmit

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Finalization Departments submit narrative describing department

changes and explaining significant data

Subset of committee edits narratives and plans into one report

Report is reviewed by President and VPAA

Final report submitted to SACS

Significant changes are reported at all faculty and staff meeting

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Communication Updates provided at school-wide meetings

Improvements in programs/services announced yearly

Annual Presentations to:

Executive Committee

Board of Trustees

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The Results Mock Visiting Committee said:

Real sense of shared commitment

If you involve people in the process – the decision- making -- they own it.

IE process was embraced

Faculty/staff felt they were being heard and validated.

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Mock Visit Results (Con’t.)

Employees expressed feeling empowered

Feel involved, believe it has been a worthwhile process and hope it will continue

“It has become part of the culture”

Lots of positive comments about the IEC

“It (IEC) has worked very well; has been very helpful”

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Comments from Special Visiting Committee

“No basis for making recommendations” in any area

“The Committee perceived the results of those changes (action plan) to be very positive in establishing an evaluation system that apparently has significant support from the faculty and administration as well”

“. . . the Committee perceived a strong commitment from those parties [faculty and academic administrators] to continue with the efforts underway to enhance the quality of learning among their students”

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December, 2006

The Art Institute of Dallas was removed from

probation with no further sanctions

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TIMELINE FOR FY 2008DATE EVENT RESPONSIBLE PARTY

August 9, 2007 All FY 08 plans due All

August 11, 2007 Institutional Effectiveness Meeting Lisa, Pridge

November 1, 2007 Data Collection Point for Summer 07 EC and Directors

November 5, 2007 Institutional Effectiveness Meeting Lisa, Pridge

January 28, 2008 Data Collection Point for Fall 07 EC and Directors

Week of January 28 Institutional Effectiveness Meeting Lisa, Pridge

May 5, 2008 Data Collection Point for Winter 08 EC and Directors

Week of May 5 Institutional Effectiveness Meeting Lisa, Pridge

August 14, 2008 All FY 08 IE plans due EC and Directors

Week of August 14 Institutional Effectiveness Meeting Lisa, Pridge

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Ongoing Institutional Effectiveness is a part of our culture

Ongoing training for new faculty and committee members

The road goes on forever…

and the party never ends

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Contact Information Lisa Casto, Director of Library Services

Chair, Institutional Effectiveness Committee

[email protected]

214-692-8080, ext. 1246

Evilu Pridgeon, Director of Institutional Effectiveness & Research

[email protected]

214-692-8080, ext. 1177