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Winona State University |
Office of Assessment |
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Traditionally, measurement in higher education has focused on inputs and/or outputs. More recently, the measurement of “value-added” effects have been included in the assessment of higher education. To date, few higher education assessment models have taken into account what changes in student learning take place as a result of the teaching / learning process itself. The WSU Quality Process Model attempts to take into consideration all phases of the teaching / learning process including input variables, process variables, output variables (or results), and also incorporates the concept of a feedback loop.Winona State's Quality Process Model (QPM) is an integrated system-based model, conceptually related to the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle. The QPM identifies 'inputs', 'processes,' 'outcomes' and a feedback loop. The goals in the Quality Process Model are from Winona State's Mission Statement and its Long Range Plan . The indicators in the plan are drawn from the university wide indicator base.
The Quality Process Model identifies key goals and indicators in the areas of inputs (students, faculty, staff and administration, and resources), processes (curriculum management, instruction, student development, and learning communities), and outcomes (student success and student satisfaction).
Input Goals
A. Incoming Students
Goal 1: To attract and admit students who have appropriate preparation for success in a university setting.
Goal 2: To create a diverse community of learners by attracting students with diverse cultural backgrounds, talents, experiences.
Goal 3: To attract an increased proportion of highly talented students.
B Faculty, Staff and Administration
Goal 1: To attract and retain high-quality, full-time, culturally-diverse faculty and staff who manifest potential for excellent teaching, scholarship, service to students, WSU and community.
Goal 2: To create and maintain a strong program of faculty and staff development for individuals in all phases of their careers.
Goal 3: To create a sense of community between faculty and staff which fosters collegial intellectual and social contact.
C. Resources, Facilities and Space
Goal 1 : To provide academic and non-academic facilities which insure appropriate space for programs and curriculum delivery methods (i.e. labs, lecture rooms, faculty offices, etc.)
Goal 2: To acquire, provide, implement, and maintain up-to-date technology and resources for teaching and administration.
Goal 3: To develop and maintain instructional facilities and resources that meet the needs of students and faculty (books, materials, technology, staff and space).
Goal 4: To allocate the fiscal resources in such a manner to effectively implement quality academic processes and learning outcome goals.
Process Goals
D. Curriculum & Instruction
Goal 1: To offer a strong curriculum across disciplines characterized by outstanding teaching, intellectual rigor, and high expectations for both student and faculty performance.
Goal 2: To offer a system of curriculum delivery that encourages optimal learning conditions allowing for timely degree completion.
Goal 3: To offer a strong general education program in the liberal arts tradition that provides the tools for students to be life-long learners.
Goal 4: To assure that academic, student, and administrative support units provide services to faculty, staff and students in a comprehensive, timely, and courteous manner.
E. Goals for Student Development & Learning Climate
Goal 1: To deliver a strong, on-going program of student development for all students which complements the academic orientation of the university.
Goal 2: To encourage active and responsible citizenship and civility on and off campus and provide a cultural setting in which people of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds feel welcome.
Results Goals
F. Goals for Graduating Students: Success and Satisfaction
Goal 1: To ensure that all graduating students have a core of knowledge and skills, an awareness of the professional ethics of their selected fields. and an ability to independently integrate and apply new information.
Goal 2: To create learning communities within and across disciplines characterized by a great deal of interaction among students and between students and faculty.
Goal 3: To ensure that all graduating students are scientifically and mathematically literate, able to communicate orally and in writing, and able to read and understand complex texts.
In addition, they should possess higher order thinking skills, an understanding of global issues, be aware of and sensitive to their own and others' arts and cultures, prepared for life long learning and responsible citizens.
Goal 4: To ensure that graduating students who choose to pursue graduate education will be well prepared.
Feedback Goals
G. Goals for Promoting and Enhancing Winona State
Goal 1: To be perceived as a high quality university by students, parents, employers, legislators and the general public.
Goal 2: To attract a diverse pool of highly qualified applicants (new students, transfer students, and graduate students).
Goal 3: To attract a diverse and highly qualified pool of applicants for faculty vacancies.
Goal 4: To create a network of alumni through sponsorship of alumni groups, gatherings, activities and publications.
Goal 5: To actively seek external funding from grants and private sources.
Goal 6: To secure adequate funding from the legislature.
Goal 7: To encourage faculty presentations at local, state, regional and national meetings.
H. Goals for Continuous Improvement
Goal 1: The university will evaluate the information / results provided by the assessment process for the purpose of improving student learning, curricula, and instruction.
Goal 2: The university will annually reevaluated the long range plan and outcome indicators.
The Quality Process Model is a conceptual plan that ties together the Mission statement, Long Range Plan and university level indicators. This model will help us collect, analyze and interpret data on the critical indicators in each of these categories. In addition, the conceptual model also contains a "feedback loop" which measures the longer term impact of the university on employers and graduates. As Winona State strives to improve performance in each of the three goal areas (input, process and outcomes), the impact should be felt in the feedback loop, with tangible evidence of improvement in such areas as alumni contributions, the number of student 'legacy' applications (son or daughter or sibling of graduate), and employer feedback.
The goal of the Winona State University's assessment plan is to improve the quality of education for Winona State students. We plan to do this by creating a database on both the department and university-level that will allow decision making based upon fact (data) as opposed to decision-making based upon intuition.
Winona State's NCA assessment plan is considered WSU's primary assessment document for external audiences. This plan has been reviewed and received approval from the North Central Accrediting Association. It has a strong foundation in the WSU Long Range Plan and Quality Assurance and Assessment Plan.
New assessment initiatives (from MnSCU or elsewhere) will be reviewed in relation to the NCA plan, and the NCA plan will be revised as the result of new ideas, new initiatives, new data and new technologies. The goal is to make the NCA plan as comprehensive as possible, without sacrificing its format, utility or communicability. This will provide a framework for our continued thinking and eliminate unnecessary duplication of assessment efforts.
While the NCA plan limits the number of indicators studied, the entire set of indicators from the WSU Quality Assurance and Assessment Plan will continue to be collected and analyzed, though the majority of this data set is more likely to be useful to internal audiences.