Category: Uncategorized

Identifying At-Risk Online Students

An article in Inside Higher Ed featured a community college and a for-profit online university which are both using features of learning management systems to track student engagement data and alert faculty and administrators to online students who may be at risk. This is one of the advantages in online instruction: student engagement in the course can be more thoroughly recorded and documented. We asked Mark Parker, assistant provost at University of Maryland University College, to offer some further advice on using LMS data to identify and respond to at-risk students. Metrics to Watch Parker recommends focusing on posting or conferencing as the most critical metric. In the first week of a course, look not only at whether the student has participated but also: Have they met the minimum requirements (for example, word count) How timely are they in submitting assignments? Is the student having difficulty with university-level American English? “If a student consistently posts her work at 11:59 p.m. Sunday night when the deadline is midnight”, Parker advises, “this might be a red flag. It might indicate the student is too busy, or lacks time management skills.” “The first week is critical. If a student fails to engage in the […]

Laying the Groundwork for Effective Faculty Evaluation

Recent incidents in the news — at DePaul University and elsewhere — highlight the importance of building an effective faculty evaluation and tenure review process. While some problems are specific to faculty evaluation systems at particular institutions, most often the underlying issue is a lack of clarity on the criteria by which faculty are to be evaluated. Avoiding “Connoisseurship” Raoul Arreola, professor emeritus at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and author of Developing a Comprehensive Faculty Evaluation System, and Mike Theall, associate professor at Youngstown State University, offer some advice for academic leaders who want to ensure effective faculty evaluation: In the absence of clear qualifications and standards, faculty evaluation may operate according to what could be called a “connoisseurship model,” in which review depends on the taste and values of the individual committee members. It’s critical to define what type of faculty work is most important to the institution. Define Evaluation Criteria As Specifically As Possible Arreola points to “service” as an example of an area of required performance that often causes confusion. “Letting faculty know that they will be evaluated on service does not give them specific parameters for performance,” he remarks. The faculty evaluation handbook needs to […]

Differentiating Your Academic Programs

According to a survey of chief financial officers by The Chronicle of Higher Education, the financial crisis that has caused upheavals in other sectors hasn’t prompted radical changes in how most colleges operate (with a few big exceptions). This may be a sign that the full effect of the economic fallout has yet to hit home on many campuses, or that strong enrollments and stimulus funds have helped institutions in the short-term. But as stimulus funds are not recurring, it is especially vital that public institutions make substantive, long-term moves to ensure their sustainability. Many institutions are already engaged in budget scenario planning to prepare for that fallout, but that may not be enough. Given both continuing budget constraints and rising demand for higher education, this is the time to ensure your academic program mix is positioning your institution for future success. Don’t Lose Sight of the Mission Some institutions chase the latest demand at the expense of their mission, while others stick too closely to tradition, and miss critical new opportunities. The key to differentiating your academic programs is to find the right intersection between your institution’s mission and changing demand in the marketplace. Even if a particular program […]

Creating a Culture of Assessment in Higher Education

A report by the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment draws attention to the fact that while 92% of American colleges and universities are now using at least one assessment tool to evaluate academic programs, most colleges are having difficulty integrating the results into a system of continuing improvement. It’s clear that often the roadblock to action isn’t a lack of data, nor is it the lack of an assessment process. The roadblock is the lack of a culture of assessment on campus. As one example, 66% of provosts surveyed said what they needed most in order to translate assessment into action was more faculty involvement. Donald Norris, president of Strategic Initiatives, Inc. and a key thinker on this issue, offers some practical strategies for moving people to take action based on assessment. Dealing with Issues of Turf “Turf battles should disappear based on one simple question: What do we need to do to maximize student success and academic performance?” Donald Norris, Strategic Initiatives, Inc. To adopt a culture of assessment, it is key to relay succinctly — and repeatedly — to all stakeholders the message that what is at stake is the success of the student. Bring the critical question into key […]

Communicating Your Institution’s Value

The College Board’s recent Trends reports on college pricing and student aid have painted a not unexpected picture of rising college tuition coinciding with rising demand for student aid. In this financial climate, it becomes all the more critical for colleges and universities to communicate the value of their offerings clearly to financially concerned prospects and applicants. We asked Robert Massa, vice president for communications at Lafayette College, for some key strategies on how colleges can better convey to their audiences why they are worth the price, even as tuition continues to rise. Massa emphasizes the importance of developing a clear message that connects the cost of education, how the cost impacts price, and the specific value students are getting for that price. Connect Cost, Price, and Value In many cases the public is not aware of everything that adds to the cost of education — faculty salaries, the price of information technology, health insurance, facilities costs, specialized programs such as study abroad or majors with extensive fieldwork. “So first,” Massa advises, “convey the cost.” Second, clarify how cost affects pricing. For private institutions, more of the costs are passed on to the students through tuition; for publics, states are […]