rob johnstone educause eli institute january 30, 2012 making your data work
TRANSCRIPT
What we will cover
1. Framing the issue
2. What we learned from the BRIC Initiative, the Aspen Prize, and Completion by Design
3. Making the connection
Building Stronger Systems for SLOs and Program Review – September 2011 2
WHO IS THE RP GROUP?
Putting our work in context
Building Stronger Systems for SLOs and Program Review – September 2011 3
The RP Group
Strengthens the abilities of California community colleges to gather, analyze and act on information in order to strengthen student success
Provides research, evaluation, professional development, and technical assistance services that support evidence-based decision-making and inquiry
Work is defined and conducted by community college practitioners
Building Stronger Systems for SLOs and Program Review – September 2011 4
A RESOURCE FOR INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE
A Culture of Inquiry
An Applied Inquiry Framework for Student Completion – September 2011 5
What is a Culture of Inquiry?
Institutional capacity for supporting open, honest and
collaborative dialog focused on
strengthening the institution
and the outcomes of its students.An Applied Inquiry Framework for Student Completion – September 2011 6
Culture of Inquiry: Why All the Fuss?● Because this ongoing work is challenging
but necessary!● Work needs to marry insight & evidence● Problems are large and recurring● No silver bullet / evident answers● Multiple solutions likely needed● Progress is not linear● Requires cross constituency interaction
An Applied Inquiry Framework for Student Completion – September 2011 7
Culture of Inquiry: Features● Widespread sharing and easy access
to user-friendly information on student outcomes
● Encouraging more people to ask a wider collection of questions and use their evidence and conclusions to enhance decision making
● Shared, reflective and dynamic discussions
An Applied Inquiry Framework for Student Completion – September 2011 8
Culture of Inquiry: More Features● Multiple opportunities to discuss
information within and across constituency groups
● Continuous feedback so adjustments can be made along the way and processes can be adapted
● Culture that values curiosity, questions and robust conversations
An Applied Inquiry Framework for Student Completion – September 2011 9
THE IMPETUS FOR OUR WORK
Why does prioritizing a culture of inquiry make sense?
Building Stronger Systems for SLOs and Program Review – September 2011 10
Retention Rate
Success Rate
1999 2008
20 year trend for institutional outcomes
What does that tell us about the usefulness of these metrics in setting institutional strategies?
Building Stronger Systems for SLOs and Program Review – September 2011 12
Much of what is needed to support
good decision making isbeyond the
traditional accountability
measures.
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The vital role of conversation
● In order to make data useful, ample time and space are needed to discuss and analyze the information and connect it back to the original research question.
● Answers are not always immediately apparent, so skilled facilitation may be needed to dig out the deeper meaning.
● Multiple perspectives and types of information are often needed to make sense of individual data points.
!Building Stronger Systems for SLOs and Program Review – September 2011 16
WHAT CAN WE DO?
What the RP Group has learned
Building Stronger Systems for SLOs and Program Review – September 2011 17
BRIC’s on-campus support helps colleges improve internal practices.
•Technical experts who are community college practitioners
•Focus on discrete practices such as program review
•Opportunities for dialog
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age 2: While what colleges developed varied, each system was:
• Meaningful• Sustainable• Consistent
Building Stronger Systems for SLOs and Program Review – September 2011 20
For example …
Comprehensive Assessment Report Exampleshttp://www.rpgroup.org/resources/comprehensive-assessment-
reports-best-practice-examples-around-country
Resource Compendium on Assessmenthttp://www.rpgroup.org/resources/assessment-strategies-and-
models-help-tell-story
Building Stronger Systems for SLOs and Program Review – September 2011 21
Get conversations going using inquiry guides.
•Assessing Student Learning Outcomes
•Using an Equity Lens to Assess Student Learning
•Assessing Student Services Outcomes
•Maximizing the Program Review Process
•Assessing Non-credit Student Learning Outcomes
Building Stronger Systems for SLOs and Program Review – September 2011 23
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU
How can you improve your accountability and success efforts?
Building Stronger Systems for SLOs and Program Review – September 2011 27
Brainstorm & DiscussPick one of the following questions to answer and pair up with someone to share your ideas.
•What process could we simplify at our college?
•How could we create more opportunities for conversations about our student outcomes?
•What is a process we could redesign to make it more useful?
•What should be my college’s top improvement priority?
•How could we build stronger and deeper support for improvement efforts?
Making Your Data Work – November 2011 28
Find Out More
The RP Group Websitewww.rpgroup.org
Rob Johnstone, Senior Research [email protected]
Bob Gabriner, Leadership [email protected]
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