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Outcomes-Driven Program Assessment as a Component of Sustainable Development at an

Innovative CollegeABET Best Assessment Practices Symposium

April 25-26, 2008 – Atlanta, GA

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• 4-year, State College in the University System of Georgia

• Authorized by GA Legislature in May 2005• President hired in September 2005• Campus opened with 118 students and 10 faculty in

August 2006• Current headcount is 876 students and 90 faculty • Offers 4 degree programs: BS in Information

Technology; BS in Biology; BS in Psychology; BBA in Business

• Home of the Grizzlies!

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Reimagining Higher Education for the 21st Century

• Commitment at every level to student learning and effectiveness

• Institutional focus on interdisciplinary/ integrated education

• Openness to going “outside the box” – provided there is a plan for assessment

• Created the opportunity for a ground-up design of an INSTITUTIONAL assessment plan

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Designing Assessment In from the Beginning

• Listening and looking for best practices– Alverno– West Point– AAC&U General Education Conference 2007– ABET/Gloria Rogers

• Major overarching points– Faculty commitment is critical– Cross-disciplinary discussion is critical– Requires a serious investment of time and resources

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In order to get “…ongoing, integrated, and institution-wide research-based planning and evaluation processes…[SACS]” for our academic programs we needed:– Structure and resources – Faculty involvement– Consensus and agreement

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Initial Efforts (2006-07)

• Program level student learning outcomes and assessment plans

• General Education curriculum designed around student learning outcomes

• Agreement to develop and assess for institutional student learning outcomes

• Agreement to integrate curricular and co-curricular student learning efforts

• Leading to: Integrated Educational Experience (IEE) Student Learning Outcome Goals for GGC

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Structure and Resources

IEE Goal Team•Interdisciplinary•Operationally define & plan assessment(s)•Integrated review of program findings

IEE Assessment Review Committee•Goal Team Chairs, Dean, Dir of IE•Communication•Integrated review of IEE assessment results

Assessment Steering Committee•Review Committee Chairs, VPASA, Other VP Reps•Integrated review of all assessment results•Strategic analysis of results; impact on strategic plans

Administrative Review Committee

General Education CommitteeGeneral Education Goal Teams

Program Goal Teams

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Benefits To Date

• 100% of current faculty are engaged in thinking about and discussing assessment

• Substantive discussion about Student Learning Outcomes

• Deepening awareness of value and role of student learning outcomes in course design and assessment

• Expanding awareness of issues and concerns of faculty in other disciplines

• Building common vocabulary about learning and assessment

• Emerging interest in and commitment to Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

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• Articulating the initial task of the Goal Teams: To operationally define each Student Learning Outcome

• Managing expectations

• Implementing program-level assessment plans while still developing the institutional framework

Challenges to Date

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Linking Outcomes

Integrated Educational Experience

General Education Program Goals

Course Goals

Lesson Objectives

Non-AcademicActivities

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IT Program Goals

Common IT Program Goals• Demonstrate a strong foundation in

mathematics and science, and apply this fundamental knowledge to solving IT problems

• Work as individuals and as members of a collaborative team that solve IT problems.

• Demonstrate competence in effectively communicating technical information using oral, written, and digital presentation techniques

• Demonstrate a desire and ability to continuously refine their computing knowledge and skills and learn to use new tools and processes

• Demonstrate a working knowledge of multiple programming languages and system environments

• Demonstrate knowledge in the design, implementation, and improvement of network and database systems

• Have a strong foundation in business and management theory and practices and be able to apply this foundational knowledge to solving IT problems • Evaluate, propose and implement plans for effective use of information technology within organizations• Demonstrate knowledge of enterprise management in a heterogeneous environment

• Identify information system requirements for a client and then develop information systems that meet those requirements • Demonstrate a working knowledge of security practices to optimize information assurance• Demonstrate a knowledge of current legal requirements for information and system security

• Effectively apply software development practice over the entire lifecycle of a design project including the analysis, prototyping, design, implementation, and testing of the new design• Use software tools effectively in all phases of software development• Demonstrate knowledge of algorithms, operating systems, theory of computation, and computer architecture

Business Track

Systems and Security Track

Software Development Track

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Assessment Data as a Basis of GGC Strategic Analysis

Factual DataConstituent

Input

• Societal trends and issues• Higher education trends and issues• GGC’s opportunities and challenges• Best practices/other universities’ plans• SACS and ABET

Strategic Choice, Strategic Framework

• Vision, Mission • Institutional Goals

Strategic Analysis

Strategic Implementation

• Action areas and activities

• Faculty• Board of Regents • Foundation Board• Community• Business

• Operating Principles• Strategic priorities

Assessment Data

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Sustainable Development

• Traditionally, the challenge of sustainable development is to reach some balance among several components: economical aspects, social aspects, institutional (administrative) aspects, environmental aspects, and strategy of growth

• Sustainable development requires a quantitative approach to analyze the set of problems

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Sustainable Development

Sustainability metrics

Socio-ecological metrics

Sociological metrics

Socio-economic metrics Economic aspects

Eco-efficiency aspects

Environmental aspects

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• According to UN universities, colleges, and other higher education institutions can contribute to sustainable development in several ways:

– First, by giving sustainable development a place in all university and research programs.

– Second, by playing an important role as local knowledge centers for sustainable development.

– Third, by making sustainable development a leading principle in their own logistics and management processes

Sustainable Development

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Why Simulation?

The Benefits of Simulation:1. Simulation Provides a Virtual Way for Doing System

Experimentation

2. Develop A Thorough Understanding of the Behavior of a System

3. Evaluate Various System Operating Strategies Without:

• Building the system,

• Disturbing the system (operating system which is costly and/or unsafe to experiment with it),

• Destroying the system (if it is required to determine its limits of stress).

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Model Building

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Initial Model

Data Specification

Principal Variables Selection

Initial Description

Abstra

ction Inte

rpre

tati

on

Real World of the Investigator

Real-world ObjectA Particular College System

Formalized Environment of the Investigator

Hierarchical Levels of Models

Simulation Model

Formalization of the System

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Scenarios of Simulation Experiments

Efficiency Criteria, Constraints

Hierarchical Models of the System and

Subject

Simulation Model

Principal Variables Selection

Options of Structural Solutions

Investigator Design SolutionsSubject Description

Recommendations

Environment of the Investigator

Formal Simulation Environment

Abstra

ction

Inte

rpre

tati

on

Simulation for Systems Analysis and Design

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The GGC System Boundaries

Gwinnet County Market and Community

University System of Georgia

Gwinnet County Administration

Gwinnet County Environment

Students

Faculty

College Economics

Administration Structure

Computer Systems

College Facilities

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Set of Simulation Models for Analysis and Planning of Sustainability of GGC

College Monitoring Systems

StudentsDatabase

Computer SystemsDatabase

FacultyDatabase

Administration Structure Database

College FacilitiesDatabase

College Economics Database

FacultyComputer Systems

Students

College Economics

College Facilities

Administration Structure

College Administration

Innovative College Systems

goals, criteria, constrains, set of strategies

Simulation Management Team

Simulation Scenarios

Simulation Models and Calculations

Decision Support System

Strategy of the college sustainable development

Local Community and Market Government and Local Administration

Local Environment

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Outcomes-Driven Program Assessment as a Component of GGC Sustainable Development Simulation Model

Hierarchy

Initial Model of Subject Domain

Data specification

Initial description of the students

Data Channels

StudentsSubject Domain

Projects PresentationsAssignmentsTests

GGC Courses goals

GGC IT Program goals Data Model of Subject Domain

Next level of model hierarchy

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GGC IT Program Outcome Goals

Bachelor of Science – Information Technology MajorConcentration – Systems and SecurityProgram Outcome Goals

Graduates who complete the Information Technology Major (Systems & Security Concentration) will be able to:

PG1. Demonstrate a strong foundation in mathematics and science, and apply this fundamental knowledge tosolving IT problemsPG2. Work as individuals and as members of a collaborative team that solve IT problems.PG3. Demonstrate competence in effectively communicating technical information using oral, written, anddigital presentation techniquesPG4. Demonstrate a desire and ability to continuously refine their computing knowledge and skills and learn touse new tools and processesPG5. Demonstrate a working knowledge of multiple programming languages and system environmentsPG6. Demonstrate knowledge in the design, implementation, and improvement of network and databasesystemsPG7. Identify information system requirements for a client and then develop information systems that meetthose requirementsPG8. Demonstrate a working knowledge of security practices to optimize information assurancePG9. Demonstrate a knowledge of current legal requirements for information and system security

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Outcomes-Driven IT Program Assessment as a

Component of Sustainable Development at GGC

Assessment of GGC IT Program Goals

. . . . . .

GGC Monitoring Systems

Student Database Faculty Database Economic Database . . .

. . . . . .

Simulation Model Hierarchy

IT Course 2 Goals

IT Course N Goals

A Test Set of Questions

Data Model – assessment data related to each goal of the IT program

Student

Initial Model – data specifications

Data Chanel – tests, assignments, and projects specifications

IT Course 1 Goals

GGC Simulation Management Team