This guide was created by the Office of Assessment and Planning for use by Lehman College employees. It is not endorsed by

TaskStream.

TASKSTREAM’S ACCOUNTABILITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM USERS’ GUIDE

FOR LEHMAN COLLEGE

ACADEMIC EDITION A&H v1.2

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TaskStream’s Accountability Management System (AMS) is software designed to assist

departments and programs coordinate and manage assessment-related activities. This guide

provides you with step-by-step instructions on how to use AMS.

Before taking you through the steps of entering and submitting information in TaskStream, there

are a couple of terms you should be familiar with. Familiarity with these terms will help to make

this guide and the help menus in TaskStream easier to understand.

Definitions

Participating Area – A participating area is any single area of the College. They are also called

organizational affiliations. This area can be a degree program, department, or an office.

Participating areas have been established based on the organizational structure of the College.

An individual may be assigned to just one participating area, or many. If your department offers

several degree programs, you will be assigned to a participating area for each program you are

affiliated with. You can see which participating areas you belong to by clicking the My Account

link in the upper-right hand corner.

Workspace – Workspaces are assigned to participating areas. Each member of a participating

area will collaborate in the workspaces assigned to that area. A workspace defines the

requirements to which your participating area needs to respond. Each workspace has an

organizing structure and directions that have been defined by the College’s AMS Coordinator

and the Dean’s Office. You can think of these requirements as requests for information. To

view the workspaces to which you have access, look under the workspaces heading on the AMS

Home Page. In most cases individuals will have access to just one workspace, the Arts and

Humanities Workspace.

Help

If at any time you need assistance with TaskStream, there are several options available to you:

1) Use the help menu in the upper right corner of the screen. There are several

downloadable guides available, as well as a comprehensive, searchable encyclopedia.

2) Contact TaskStream directly. Support is available to all end-users. Phone: 1-800-311-

5656 (Press "1" for support)

Email: help@taskstream.com Online: Support Request Form

Support Hours Time Zone:

Monday – Thursday 8:00am - 11:00pm ET

Friday 8:00am - 7:00pm ET

Saturday 12:00pm - 5:00pm ET

Sunday 6:00pm - 11:00pm ET

3) Contact Lehman College’s AMS Coordinator Raymond Galinski at

raymond.galinski@lehman.cuny.edu or x8645.

Please also note that you should not use their browser’s back button to navigate through AMS.

This will log you out of the system. Use the menu options instead.

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LOGIN TO TAKSTREAM Go to www.taskstream.com and enter your Username and Password in the top left corner of the

screen. Your credentials should have been sent to you by TaskStream in May 2012. Additional

credentials can be created by contacting Lehman’s AMS Coordinator, Raymond Galinski.

After logging into TaskStream, you will see a series of menu options along the left side. These

options will vary based on the permission level provided to you.

In the middle of the screen you will see the participating areas and the workspaces assigned to

them. In the example below, the Demo Program in English is visible under the School of Arts

and Humanities domain. This area has been assigned to the Arts and Humanities workspace.

This workspace is explained below.

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ACCESS THE WORKSPACE ASSIGNED TO YOUR AREA

Click on Arts and Humanities Workspace link. Along the left side you will see a series of menu

options available to you. This area is divided into three sections: General Information, Standing

Requirements and Ongoing Requirements. In the example below, the Ongoing Requirements are

listed under the heading 2013/14 Assessment Cycle to reflect this year’s assessment cycle.

Edit Content Tab

General Information

In this area you may add files, videos, or text by using the toolbar at the bottom of the screen

(below). The General Information area is a private area that cannot be shared with anyone

outside of the workspace. To add information click on the button in the upper right

then add the type of information you desire by clicking on one of the options on the bottom menu

bar. After you have finished adding information, click . Doing so will allow others in

your area edit this part of the workspace.

Standing Requirements

Standing requirements are components of your department/program that will remain relatively

stable over time. These components consist of your program’s Mission Statement, Program

Goals/Learning Outcomes, Curriculum Map and the Four-Year Assessment Plan Matrix.

Mission Statement

Enter your program’s Mission Statement by clicking the button. To enter text, click

the button on the bottom right. Click when finished.

To enter information into any area of TaskStream, you must first Check Out, by clicking on

the button in the upper right. When finished with edits, you must check the area

back in by clicking on the button. This will allow others assigned to your area to

make edits if necessary.

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Programs Goals/Learning Outcomes

In many cases, a program’s goals have already been preloaded into AMS Coordinator, but if they

have not, you will need to enter them by clicking on the button. Give

the Outcomes Set a name (e.g., Bachelor of Arts in English Outcome Set) and check the box –

“Outcomes in other sets will need to be aligned to Outcomes in this set (when checked, mapping

will be allowed).” Click Continue. To enter your program’s first Goal, click .

In the top box, type Goal 1. In the description box, enter the text for this goal. Next, enter the

first expected outcome relating to this goal by clicking . Next, type Outcome 1.1

in the first box. In the description box provide the text for this outcome. Continue to enter your

program’s remaining goals and outcomes as described above. When finished, click Back to all

outcome sets.

Next, you may want to align your program’s expected learning outcomes to other Outcome Sets

that have been distributed to your area such as the College’s Strategic Plan - Achieving the

Vision. To map your program’s Outcomes, click Map on the right-hand side of the page.

On the next screen click . In the drop down menu, select Goals Sets

distributed to [your program] (in the example below, five Goal Sets have been distributed to this

program). Select Achieving the Vision and click Continue. You will now see the Goals,

Objectives and Strategies associated with the Lehman College Strategic Plan. Check the

Strategies that align with your program’s Outcome Set and click Continue. (Note: Not all program

outcomes will align seamlessly with Achieving the Vision and other Goal/ Outcome sets).

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Curriculum Map

The curriculum map section allows programs to align goals and learning outcomes to

activities/courses in your program (NOTE: The curriculum maps of many programs have been preloaded into

TaskStream).

To create a Curriculum Map, click , then click .

Next, give the map a name, a description, and then align your map with the Outcome Set created

above, by clicking the Select button next to the outcome set.

The following pop-up window will appear – click OK.

To begin creating the Curriculum Map, click the Edit Map link. Now, let’s say that one of the

expected learning outcomes of this hypothetical English program is to “Employ effective

rhetorical strategies in order to persuasively present ideas and perspectives” (Outcome 1.2

created above). A course where this expected outcome is addressed is ENG 222, Literary

Genres. To add a new course/activity, click in the upper-left of the

screen, then select Create New Course/Activity. Alternatively, you may click . Fill out the

box that follows and click Create. An example appears below. (In the link section, you may provide a

web link to the course description). Continue in this manner until you have all of the courses for the

program along the left-hand side.

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NOTE: To add a new category to your map. For example, if you wished to distinguish between

required courses and elective or upper-level and lower-level courses, you can do this by selecting

“Create New Category” under .

You will now be returned to the main activity map page. Here you will indicate which outcomes

align with the courses/activities you have just created by clicking on the gray shaded box in

the appropriate cell. When you click on the box you will notice that the text and color of the box

change. Clicking once changes it to an “I”. Clicking on it a second time will change it to a “D”

and a third click will change it to an “M”. The meanings of these letters are indicated in the

legend at the bottom of the screen. Every course and outcome should have at least one cell

populated.

Click Save Now in the upper right corner then close the window when finished. Click

when done.

Four Year Assessment Plan Matrix

The process to create the Four Year Assessment Plan Matrix is similar to the process described

above for creating the Curriculum Map, but instead of using a grid to align expected outcomes to

courses, you will use a grid to indicate when the program plans to assess outcomes. The

expectation is that all programs in the School of Arts and Humanities will assess each outcome at

least once over a four-year period. This does not mean that all courses will have to be a part of

this plan, but all required courses should be included in the matrix at least once over this period.

To create the Four Year Assessment Plan Matrix, click , then click

. Next, give the map a name, a description, and then align your map

with the Outcome Set created above, by clicking the Select button next to the appropriate

outcome set (same steps performed above for the curriculum map). A pop-up window will

appear alerting you that the map will appear in a new window. Click OK.

To begin creating the Four Year Assessment Plan Matrix, click in the upper-left

of the screen and select Copy from another map. The following screen appears. Select the

curriculum map created above and click Continue.

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The next screen asks you to select the courses/activities you would like to copy. Check the box

next to Select All Courses/Activities and Courses and Learning Activities

Click the Save and Return to Curriculum Map Workspace button.

You will now be returned to the main mapping page. Here you will indicate when your program

plans to assess the program’s expected learning outcomes by following the same steps performed

for the curriculum map. However, instead of each box representing a level for each outcome,

each box now represents the year you expect to assess the outcome. For example, when you

click on the gray shaded box in a given cell, you will notice that the text and color of the

box changes. Clicking once changes the box to “Y1”. Clicking on it a second time will change

it to a “Y2,” a third time to “Y3,” and a fourth to “Y4.” The meanings of these letters numbers

are signify the year the assessment of the outcome is expected to take place. If completing the

form in fall 2014, year 1 is AY2014-15, year 2 is 2015-16, etc.

Click Save Now in the upper right corner, then close the window when complete. Click

when finished.

Ongoing Requirements The ongoing requirements are components of your assessment process that change from year to

year. This area consists of the Assessment Plan/Methods, Assessment Findings, Action Plan, and

the Status Report. These areas align closely with the Word/PDF forms programs used to

complete from 2009 - 2012.

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Assessment Plan

This area consists of a program’s assessment plan for the year and should match the

outcomes that the program planned to assess as indicated in the matrix above. The

Assessment Plan involves selecting one or more expected learning outcomes to assess, defining

measures for each of them, setting targets, setting an implementation timeline, and assigning key

personnel to carry out the plan. Programs should also attach any supporting documents that will

be used in the assessments.

To enter the plan, first click . If you are creating a plan for the first time, the

following pop-up will appear. Click OK.

Next, under the heading Outcomes and Measures, click the button then click

the Select Existing Set button.

Next, choose the outcome (s) the program will be assessing for the year by clicking in the small

box next to the appropriate outcome. After the outcomes(s) have been chosen, click

. Next, click . A screen similar to the one below

will appear. Enter the requisite information into the appropriate boxes. Note that all of the

boxes are not required, but they should all be completed by the deadline established by the

Dean’s offices. When finished, click Apply Changes.

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After clicking the Apply Changes button, you may also attached supporting documents and

links by clicking on the Add/Edit Attachments and Links button. Attachments may include

rubrics, exams, surveys, etc.

Assessment Findings

After data have been collected, programs (aka Participating Areas) then complete the Assessment

Findings section. In this area you describe how students performed with regard to each assessed

learning outcome. Programs indicate if expectations were exceeded, met, or not met (supply

data summaries and other supporting information, if applicable), and offer recommendations

and/or notes based on the assessments. Use the / buttons to make edits.

Clicking on the Add Findings button under the Finding per measure heading takes you to a

template where you complete the following sections: 1) Summary of Findings, 2)

Recommendations, and 3) Reflections/Notes. You may also indicate whether Acceptable and

Ideal Target have been met. Click Submit when complete.

Once again, an option is provided to additional documentation. To do so, click on the Add/Edit

Attachment Links button to upload supporting documents and links. Here you may want to

present data summaries or summary scores on a rubric. The Assessment Findings area provides

you with a place to add an Overall Recommendation and an Overall Reflection. Clicking on the

Edit under the respective ribbon headings to enter information. A screenshot of a complete

Assessment Findings section appears above.

Action Plan

At the conclusion of the assessment cycle, programs indicate how they will address the findings

entered above. This section includes the following elements:

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Action details: Describe the actions (strategies) that will be implemented to improve

performance as a result of assessment findings (if needed). Actions may refer to

programs revisions, new services, revised resource allocation, or any other activity

related to achieving stated outcomes.

Implementation Plan: Describe when the actions will be taken and provide a timeline for

implementation of the actions.

Key/Responsible Personnel: The individual(s) responsible to carrying out the plan

Measures: How will the program measure success

Budget approval required?: Describe whether plan requires additional resources and

indicate the cost of these resources.

Budget request amount: Indicate how much money is needed to carry out the plan (if any).

Priority level: select High, Medium, or Low.

To begin, select Action Plan on the left side of the screen. Next, . A

pop-up appears with the following alert. Click OK.

Next, under the blue ribbon entitled Actions, click . If necessary, click on the

Select Existing Set button at the top on the screen. Choose the appropriate Outcome Set (in

many cases there will be just one set). Next, click in the small box next to the outcome (s) that

are the focus of your Operational Plan (in most cases, these will be same outcomes selected

above in the Assessment Plan section. Click when done, then click

the button. This following template will appear, the purpose of which is to

describe the intervention or other action that will be implemented to improve student

performance (if necessary) for the outcomes assessed. Enter the appropriate information into

each part of the template.

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Click when finished. Click to allow others in your area access this

area. Once again an option is provided to attach additional documentation. To do so, click on

the Add/Edit Attachment Links button to upload supporting documents and links.

Status Report

After plans have been put into place and action(s) have been taken, programs provide the status

their of ongoing efforts and indicate if the action(s) taken have resulted in improvements or

changes to the outcomes examined in the original assessment plan. In the Middle States lingo,

this is known as “Closing the Loop.” This section consists of three sections: Action Statuses,

Status Summary, and Summary of Next Steps.

On the left side of the screen, choose Status Report. The Action Plan entered above will

reappear. Under the blue ribbon section called Action Statuses, click on the right side of

the screen. The following screen will appear:

Please fill in the Current Status, Budget Status, Additional Information, and Next Steps in the

template. Click Submit button when finished. Once again, an option is provided to attach

additional documentation. To do so, click on the Add/Edit Attachment Links button to upload

supporting documents and links.

In the next two sections: Status Summary and a Summary of Next Steps, the program provides

updates on their assessment project. If changes have been implemented, the Status Summary

may consist of a brief statement – e.g., Changes have been made as stated in the Operational

Plan. Similarly, the Status of Next Steps may also include a brief statement – e.g., No additional

steps need to be taken at this time. To enter data into each of these sections, click the Edit

button on the right side under each section’s blue ribbon.

Discussion Tab

Use this tab to create a message for other individuals assigned to your Participating Area.

Submission & Read Reviews Tab *

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*** IMPORTANT ***

After a programs is satisfied with various components of the Standing Requirements and

Ongoing Requirements, the program must submit it for review to the reviewers assigned to

their program by clicking the button under the Action column in the right-center

part of the screen. This alerts the reviewer that the program has completed a component of the

assessment process.

After a Participating Area has submitted a component of its Standing or Ongoing Requirements,

a closed padlock indicator will appear next to the submitted component, and the reviewer(s)

assigned to the program will be alerted of the submission via an email. Most participating areas

have at least one reviewer assigned to them. The reviewer may offer comments, send back the

submission for revision, or accept the submission as complete. If you are a reviewer, please refer

to the section marked for Reviewer’s Role for more information.

Publish Tab

Use the publish tab to: 1) publish your workspace to the Web, 2) Export to PDF or 3) E-Mail

Workspace.

Options & Info Tab

This tab provides you with the names and access privileges of the users assigned to your

participating area. If an individual needs to be removed or have their privileges changed, please

contact the College’s Assessment Coordinator

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Reviewer’s Role

Accessing Review Tasks

If you are a Reviewer or a Review Manager for a Participating Area, the left panel of your

homepage includes an area labeled Review. This area provides you with links to access

submitted work awaiting some action. The specific links that display depend on the permissions

assigned to you.

Items Requiring Review is a link that navigates you directly to a work queue of all the

submitted items (to which you have access) that currently require review. This work

queue reflects submissions in ALL Workspaces to which you are assigned as a Reviewer.

Reviews to be Released is a link that navigates you directly to a work queue of all the

completed reviews (to which you have access) that have not yet been released to the

participating areas who submitted work. This work queue reflects submissions in ALL

Workspaces to which you are assigned.

A Review Manager with the Reconcile Reviews permission will also see a Reviews to be

Reconciled link in this area. This shortcut provides direct access to all multiple-review

submissions where the designated number of reviews have been completed and are ready

for reconciliation. This work queue reflects submissions in ALL Workspaces to which

you are enrolled with this permission.

The View all Submissions link navigates you to a list of Workspaces in which you are

Reviewer or a Review Manager. In addition to an Overview of the Workspace, this list

includes permission-related link(s) that enable you to navigate to a Workspace-specific

Review grid. The Review grid shows the status of ALL items -- not only those requiring

attention -- for all participating areas for which you have access. You can search this grid

for items requiring attention.

In most cases, Department Chairs have been assigned as “Reviewers,” and in all cases the

Dean’s Office and the Assessment Coordinator have been assigned this role. After a program

submits a component of their workspace for review, Reviewers

receive an email message, and will see a red indicator next to the

menu option Items Requiring Review when the login to

TaskStream. When a reviewer clicks on this link, they are taken to

a screen that shows the Reviewer the name of the participating area

that has submitted, the component that needs to be reviewed, and

the day/time the component was completed. The following image

provides an example. Please note that each component of a

participating area’s workspace will appear on a separate line, so if a

reviewer has many programs reporting to them, this table will be

much larger.

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When a Reviewer clicks on the button in the Action column, the Reviewer is taken to

another screen which provides them with additional details about the submission (see below).

Now the Reviewer has three options, as indicated by the three large buttons on the left side. If

the reviewer chooses to Review Work, the green button is clicked and a split screen appears. On

the left panel the component of the workspace submitted for review is visible. On the right

panel, the reviewer reviews/scores the participating area’s work, which is explained below.

In Part 1, the reviewer chooses either the Meets

Requirement or Does not Meet requirement radio

button.

In Part 2, an optional file may be attached, (e.g., the

reviewer may want to provide an example of the type

of information he/she is expecting).

In Part 3, the reviewer may offer feedback to the

participating area.

In Part 4, the reviewer chooses whether to: 1) Send

back for revision, 2) Record as final but release

review to participating area later, or 3) Record as

final and release review to participating area now. If

a Reviewer chooses to Record as final and release

review to participating area now, this component of

the workspace will be recorded as having been

submitted. However, it is recommended that

Reviewers choose Record as final but release review

to participating area later. Doing so will allow the College’s Assessment Coordinator to also

comment on the submission. He/She can then release all reviews at one time.

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Reports

All Deans Office has been given the role of Coordinator allowing the Office to run reports for all

departments and participating areas reporting to them. To access these reports, click the link

under the At-a-Glance Oversight on the left side of your TaskStream home page. Doing so will

take you to a screen that looks similar to the following:

On this screen various reports can be

run. Under the Status Report option,

Coordinators choose the workspace

assigned to them and click the Go

button. This takes you to another

screen where they may view the

status of submissions for the

participating areas. In the example

below, various components of the

workspace are visible along with the

status of each of them. In this

example, four components have

been reviewed and two have been

shared.

In the Goals and Outcome Alignment Reports section, Coordinators may run reports that show

the alignment between participating areas’ goals/outcomes and various goal sets (e.g., with the

Lehman College Strategic Plan: Achieving the Vision).

In the last section, Assessment Plan and Action Plan Reports, Coordinators can run reports that

show summary statistics for participating areas’ assessment and action plans. Following is an

example of a report.

For more information about these reports, click on the small question mark icon next to each

sections.