First Year Program Annual Report 2004

Section 7: Assessment

  1. Extra-campus Initiatives: American Association of State Colleges and Universities, Foundations of ExcellenceTM Project
    1. The Foundations of ExcellenceTM in the First College Year project is a collaboration of the Policy Center for the First Year of College and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities as well as their partners at Pennsylvania State University's Center for the Study of Higher Education, Bentley College, and Marietta College. Funded by Lumina Foundation for Education and The Atlantic Philanthropies, the project, begun in February 2003, has designed a model for the first college year to which colleges and universities may aspire and against which they may measure their achievements.
    2. UNK participated in a national project to determine the Foundations of ExcellenceTM for first-year experience programs. (See Appendix G: Foundations of ExcellenceTM Program. Though this Report is quite lengthy, I've included it as an Appendix because its assessment of the academic atmosphere at UNK is significant not only to the First Year Program but also to the campus in general.) This initiative took place May 1 - June 16, 2003. Subsequently, we submitted an application to become a Founding Institution, which was not approved, but we were selected as an Affiliate Institution. The campus Task Force, comprised of faculty, professional staff, administrative staff, and administration, met and explored the first year students' academic and personal needs on campus. Over a six-week-period the committee divided into subcommittees and investigated various aspects of the first-year experience. This collected information is particularly important in terms of UNK's role in Nebraska as an residential, undergraduate institution and its mission to education the "whole" student. Individual comments included:
      • "Through the process of obtaining [information for subcommittee #3] I have a greater understanding of the complexity of achieving these hallmarks. My experience reinforces the idea that the success of these hallmarks lies in the systematic and consistent application of these values throughout the university." [political science professor]
      • "What I would most like to see each student receive from their First Year Experience is a better sense of the university community and their role in it. They should have a better understanding of the rigors of a four-year university program of study, and be developing an understanding of how to develop their own plan of study and establish academic and career goals. They should also have a greater sense of connection to UNK and what it has to offer to its student population." [music professor]
      • "A university education is expensive and time-consuming. The more a university can draw new students into the academic culture, the better and more successful experience students can have. ... It is also worth remembering that the experience is reciprocal. University faculty and staff have the opportunity to work with bright young people, that is a pleasure in itself. And, just as the young learn from their teachers, teachers can learn from their students." [campus librarian]
      • UNK is seeking to affirm its identity within the state university system as the "premiere" undergraduate institution. The First Year Program is essential in modeling the requisite behavior to make UNK the "premiere" undergraduate institution. [campus administrator]
    3. The Task Force work was invaluable in creating a community among the diverse groups on the campus: faculty, students, professional staff, and administration. Even though the whole committee was only a small portion of the entire campus, their newfound enthusiasm and commitment to first year experience undoubtedly will carry over to their own connections with students and will inform their departments' curriculum and service to students. Especially significant to developing an ongoing dialogue are the following topics:
      • Particular suggestions made to the Hallmarks definitions, areas for review and forms of evidence will become essential to UNK's First Year Program's development and assessment. We now know where to locate and how to collect data for the program's numerous components.
      • Instructional development became an important topic as various teaching strategies and methodologies were discussed with regard to integrating the many components of the FY experience.
      • The subcommittees discovered innovative ways to join together academic issues with personal development of students.
      • The administration became more aware of the characteristics and needs of first year students at UNK.
      • " Important paths of communication were established among campus offices.
    4. In summary, the Task Force's work initiated a dialogue about not only the first year students but also UNK's ongoing commitment to providing for the whole student. This recognition will inevitably influence our institution's future as it moves to improve and sustain its mission to create "an active, student-centered learning environment grounded in the principles of academic freedom and responsibility."
  2. Extra-campus Initiatives: American Association of State Colleges and Universities, Affiliate Institution>
    1. UNK's First Year Program was invited to participate as an AASCU Affiliate Institution in the Foundations of ExcellenceTM in the First College Year Project. In Phase I of the Foundations of ExcellenceTM project, participating institutions contributed to the refinement of Foundational DimensionTM statements and the development of new ones. As a result, the Policy Center is now staging Phase II with a more fully realized aspirational model for excellence, a model that provides not just a blueprint for achieving excellence, but also a means for measuring and evaluating the first college year. Phase II will provide an opportunity for institutions to build upon their work in Phase I and continue making progress toward improving the first year on their campus. Dr. Glen Powell, Assistant to the Vice Chancellor of Academic and Student Affairs, is primarily responsible for coordinating this Task Force and collecting the required data.
    2. As an Affiliate Institution, schools will receive a turnkey approach to measuring, evaluating, and improving your first year-all based on the work of the 125 institutions that participated in Phase I. This unique approach will provide the basis for a year-long formative review of the first year at campuses around the country. Throughout this year-long review, institutions will receive ongoing guidance from the staff of the Policy Center as they use the provided materials and processes. As a result, campuses will be in a better position to enhance the success and retention of first-year students by measuring learning outcomes and taking action steps toward improving the first year.
    3. Phase II has been designed to be a self-guided process. That is, you will have access to Policy Center materials that will enable you to stage a year-long review that is tailor-made and suited to your specific needs. Your involvement is strictly optional, and you will be able to work at the level and pace that is most appropriate for your campus. Thus, you will be able to choose from a variety of available instruments and methods for reviewing your first year. Affiliate Institutions may:
      • Inventory current first-year practices, using a suggested template;
      • Use the Dimension statements and accompanying performance indicators to evaluate your level of achievement of the Dimensions;
      • Participate in surveys created for the project by Pennsylvania State University's Center for the Study of Higher Education; and,
      • Use the combined work in Phase II to plan for improvement of the first year on campus.
  3. Campus Assessment
    1. The First Year Program's annual report is based the following means of assessment:
      • First Year Student Survey: self-developed to accommodate campus Mission Statement and Strategic Planning.
      • Narrative Statements from First Year faculty and Student Peer Leaders: Student outcomes; integration of Student Affairs support services; training sessions and meetings.
      • First Year Faculty Evaluation of Student Peer Leaders: assistance in preparation of course; attendance in training sessions; as role model for FY students; support of student learning; guide to campus resources; facilitator in non-academic activities.
      • College Students Expectations Questionnaire (CSXQ) and College Student Experience Questionnaire (CSEQ) from Indiana University's Center for Postsecondary Research and Planning: used during Summer Advising and Enrollment and the following spring semester in English 102 sections. Additional questions about the UNK campus are included in these surveys. These surveys have been conducted 2002 and 2003 summer and 2003 and 2004 spring. This data is forwarded to Dr. Glen Powell's office for summation and analysis.
      • Also it may be that the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), from Indiana University's Center for Postsecondary Research and Planning, may provide information relevant to UNK's First Year Program but that information has not been shared at present.