Neag Assessment Committee Meeting Minutes
October 16, 2012; Time: 11:00am-1:00pm
Location: Gentry Room 144; Lunch: Lasagna, soup, and salad
Lunch, Welcoming, and Introduction
At 11:00 AM, the meeting began with a quick introduction from everyone in the room. Mary reviewed background information on the Neag Assessment Committee (NAC) for new and returning members, including how often NAC meets and how multiple departments are represented in the membership. Next, the vision, mission, and support statements of the Office of Assessment that were endorsed by the NAC andsections of the Neag School of Education Assessment Plan (see Agenda handout) were reviewed. The group then went over to the objectives from last year as well agreed to our priorities for this year. The 2012-2013 prioritiesapproved were: plans to complete, administer, and create a report for the Neag Climate Survey; implement our new Neag program assessment reporting system that will replace the old OATS system; complete information on the alumni; and discussion about the Neag Entrance/Soon-to-be Graduate Surveys for programs that do not currently have their own surveys.
School Climate Survey
After background on some of the school climate surveys administered to Neag faculty, and the work of the NAC ad hoc group, the committee then went carefully over a draft of the survey, including both qualitative and quantitative sections. (See appendix at the end of this document to see modifications to the survey made by committee members during this meeting and incorporated into the Face/Content Validity phrase.) This survey will go out for to all in November.
While going over the proposed background questions on the survey, a number of questions were raised and discussed. Some members asked about how information would be disaggregated. The group decided that, to avoid certain groups of people to be identified, despite the anonymous nature of the survey, that data would not be disaggregated if the group number is less than 5, for example. The group agreed that any rule of this kind should be explicitly stated at the beginning of any climate survey so as not to discourage anyone from responding. Other points raised during the discussion on open-ended, qualitative questions should be more specific, as opposed to the more general questions asked in the draft-form.
Program Assessment Reports (PAR)
The NAC was reminded that the university is no longer requiring the OATS system; each school/college has to operate its own system. The “knows” were then articulated. Each program needs an assessment plan. This is stated in the University’s communication regarding the New England Accreditation of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). The plan should still follow the graphic that has been provided; the plan has a vision, mission, goals, objectives, measures, data, and summary of what needs to be changed as a result of collecting the data. The minimum of 6 required objectives was restated.
Aschool-based preliminary annual program report (PAR) system using the online applicationCheckbox was demonstrated. NAC members’ questions were addressed. Then, the committee recommended the following:
Ø Checkbox appears to better than the OATS system for implementing the program assessment reporting (PAR) requirement.
Ø Those reporting the same elements of PAR for accreditation purposes, using Checkbox, should be excluded from this requirement.
Ø “Certification” programs (such as program evaluation, PBIS), should be excluded from this requirement.
Ø The committee felt that the next step would be to bring this forward to department heads. This would include the final determination of the “programs” that would meet the requirement.
Other Assessment Items
Some other updates were provided. This included the dissemination of guidelines to conduct studies approved by the NAC last spring, which has now been disseminated to all faculty via the list serve. Next, the group was briefed over the work of one ad hoc group that proposed changes to the Assessment website last spring; everyone thenreceiveda “tour” of the new website so that the group saw how the website was organized and how they could navigate it. Finally, the group was given an update on Spotlight on Assessment (statewide summer forum, colloquium series, Spotlight article).
Wrap-Up
Mary thanked everyone for attending and for their help with the committee work. Members should expect to receive minutes within a week of the meeting. The next meeting will be in the spring, most likely March. Members should expect to receive an email in early January regarding their availability in March.The NAC meeting concluded at 1:00.
Follow-up to Meeting
While the first attachment represents the version of the survey discussed during the meeting, the second incorporated the NAC members’ comments/modifications which are now being sent to our dozen critical friends.
Appendix A
Neag School of Education Assessment Committee (NAC)
DRAFT – School Climate Survey
# / Statement / Faculty/Staff Survey / Student SurveyA / Respect and Trust
1 / I feel appreciated by those in the school community. / X / X
2 / I am treated fairly by faculty. / X / X
3 / I am treated fairly by administration. / X
4 / I feel respected by the Neag community.(repeat – Diversity) / X / X
5 / Interactions with my colleagues are positive.(repeat – Diversity) / X / X
6 / There is consistent demonstration of expected ethical behavior and attitudes. / X / X
7 / Mutual respect is practiced between/among groups (students, staff, faculty, administration). / X / X
8 / Equity is practiced in promotion and hiring. / X
9 / There are opportunities for team building. / X / X
B / Communication/Info Sharing
1 / There are opportunities for networking. / X / X
2 / I am satisfied with communication in the Neag School. / X / X
3 / Information on assessment is available. / X
4 / I am informed about significant changes in the Neag School. / X / X
5 / I am aware of the goals of the department. / X
6 / Information on technology is available. / X
7 / The administration uses a variety of means to communicate with the school community. / X / X
8 / Transparent and informed communication is practiced consistently throughout the school community. / X / X
9 / The reasons for school changes are communicated to all concerned in a timely manner. / X / X
10 / School administration is responsive to faculty, staff, and student input. / X / X
11 / The school is proactive in creating and applying solutions to problems with input from faculty/staff. / X
12 / Faculty is proactive in creating and applying solutions to problems with input from students. / X / X
13 / I am familiar with the school’s conceptual framework. / X / X
14 / I am clear about what my job responsibilities are. / X
C / Supervisor/Administration Support
1 / Resources are distributed fairly. / X
2 / The mentoring process is well-established. / X
3 / I can offer input in major decisions at the Neag School. / X
4 / Opportunities for travel for professional purposes are supported. / X
5 / The performance evaluation system provides constructive feedback. / X
6 / The student assessment process provides constructive feedback. / X
7 / The merit process is clear and objective. / X
8 / The performance evaluation process is clear and objective. / X
9 / The student assessment process is clear and objective. / X
10 / Policies used in budget making for the school are transparent. / X
11 / Management/Administration acknowledges peoples’ concerns. / X
12 / Faculty acknowledges students’ concerns. / X / X
13 / Faculty here are friendly and easy to approach. / X / X
14 / Faculty give good guidance to students. / X / X
D / Diversity
1 / I feel respected by the Neag community. (repeat – Respect and Trust) / X / X
2 / Interactions with my colleagues are positive.(repeat – Respect and Trust) / X / X
3 / The school actively demonstrates diversity throughout the community by the number of diverse students. / X / X
4 / The school actively demonstrates diversity throughout the community by the number of diverse faculty. / X / X
5 / I feel diverse perspectives are valued in interpersonal interactions. / X / X
6 / Accommodations are made for individuals with exceptionalities. / X / X
7 / I feel there is a sense of freedom to express diverse perspectives. / X / X
8 / There are ongoing efforts focusing on diversity and respect from multiple perspectives. / X / X
E / Academic Challenge
1 / Faculty challenge students to meet academic standards. / X / X
2 / I feel my scholarly work is usually recognized. / X
3 / I feel my academic work is usually recognized. / X
4 / I feel my workload is reasonable. / X
5 / I feel my academic workload is reasonable. / X
6 / Academic departments work together to establish consistent standards for academic performance. / X / X
7 / Students are taught and encouraged to observe standards of academic integrity. / X / X
8 / I feel individual faculty set clear standards for academic performance / X / X
9 / Faculty model appropriate standards of academic integrity. / X / X
10 / I feel individual faculty challenge all students to meet academic standards. / X / X
F / Community Building
1 / There are adequate events for social functions. / X / X
2 / Morale is high / X / X
3 / Graduate student satisfaction is strong. / X / X
4 / Undergraduate satisfaction is strong. / X / X
5 / I feel I am included in social events. / X / X
Qualitative Questions
Faculty/Staff
1. What are the 2-4 most important reasons you choose to work at the Neag School?
2. Overall, what are the 2-4 best things for you about working for the Neag School?
3. What are 2-4 things that you would improve? How would you improve them?4. If there is anything important about climate that we have not asked, tell us. Please note that your suggestions could be considered as part of future climate surveys.
Students
1. What are the 2-4 most important reasons you choose to study at the Neag School?
2. Overall, what are the 2-4 best things for you about studying at the Neag School?
3. What are 2-4 things that you would improve? How would you improve them?
4. If there is anything important about climate that we have not asked, tell us. Please note that your suggestions could be considered as part of future climate surveys.
Background Questions
Faculty/StaffWhat is your position?
· Tenured
· Not tenured, but faculty member on the tenured track
· Not tenured and a faculty/clinician not on the tenured track
· Not tenured and not a faculty/clinician
· Staff member
Years working at the Neag School:
· 0-2 years; 3-5 years; 6-8 years; 9 or more years
Students
Which best describes you?
· Junior; Senior; Master’s Student; 6th Year Student; Doctoral Student
What department are you in?
· Curriculum and Instruction; Educational Leadership; Educational Psychology; Kinesiology
· Years attending the Neag School (statement added at meeting)
o 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Neag School of Education Assessment Committee
Face/Content Validity Critical Friend Form
As a “critical friend,” the Neag Assessment Committee (NAC) wishes to obtain your feedback on the final draft of a climate survey with two versions - faculty/staff and student. Much time was spent looking at the scholarly literature in this area. Additionally, after identifying domains, and we sought guidance from our Diversity Committee, Robert Colbert. Each version of the survey will be in three parts: Likert-response statements, qualitative open-ended queries, and background questions.
Now we are at the final stage of development, a stage which ascertains face/content validity to the proposed instrument. By completing this attached form, you will provide input so that we can judge the final draft with respect to their relevance, clarity, and representativeness of its elements. After receiving all responses on the form, information will be used to make any final revisions to the survey. On behalf of the NAC, thank you.
Part I. Quantitative Statements with Likert-type Response
On the next page, please complete the table with three pieces of information.
Which domain do you think the statement is most aligned with?
Please put an “X” in one of the columns to indicate the domain assess by the statement. Again, please select only one of the domains for each statement. The letters stand for the following domains:
Aca = Academic Challenge
Com = Communication/Information Sharing
Div= Diversity
Resp = Respect and Trust
Sup = Supervisor/Administrator Support
How strongly do you feel about your decision about placing the statement in that particular domain?
Please answer on the following 4-point Likert-scale: 1 = highly disagree, 4 = highly agree.
If appropriate, please provide any suggestions modifications or other issues regarding that respective statement.