LESSONS LEARNED IN WRITING A PERIODIC

REVIEW REPORTKara O. Siegert, PhD

Special Assistant to the President, Institutional Effectiveness & Assessment

Robert M. Tardiff, PhD

Professor, Mathematics & Former Associate Provost

SESSION OBJECTIVES

Attendees will be able to: describe how a representative and

effective committee of faculty and staff is an essential ingredient in developing a meaningful PRR.

outline a proven method for creating a PRR document.

identify key documents and reports that should be utilized in creating the PRR.

ABOUT SALISBURY UNIVERSITY Master’s level comprehensive institution with

42 undergraduate & 14 graduate programs Member of the University System of Maryland Has 4 privately endowed schools (Liberal Arts,

Science & Technology, Education & Professional Studies, and Business)

Enrolls about 8,600 students with 92% in undergraduate programs

570 faculty (300 TT) and 900+ support staff

MSCHE PRR OBJECTIVES

To assess the impact of significant major developments, changes, or challenges subsequent to the last evaluation

To assess the institution’s response to recommendations resulting from the previous evaluation

To review the institution’s enrollment trends, financial status, and enrollment and financial projections

To determine the current status of the implementation of plans for the assessment of institutional effectiveness and the assessment of student learning outcomes (accreditation standards 7 and 14)

To assess the extent to which linked institutional planning and budgeting processes are in place

PRR SECTIONS

I. Executive SummaryII. Response to RecommendationsIII. Challenges & OpportunitiesIV. Enrollment and Finance ProjectionsV. Assessment of Institutional

Effectiveness & Student LearningVI. Linking Institutional Planning and

Budgeting

ATTEND MSCHE PRR WORKSHOP

Chair(s) attend a MSCHE PRR Workshop

Learn What the PRR must address What reviewers of the PRR look for

Review successful PRR’s both at the workshop and online

PRR VS. GRANT PROPOSAL

PRR is similar to a grant proposal Consultation with agency professionals Clear guidelines equate to the Request for

Proposal Peer Review Concise with limited extraneous, PR-type

comments Presented using one “voice”

LESSON #1: DEVELOPING THE COMMITTEE

Create a representative & informed committee that: Reviews PRR Guidelines & previous accreditation

documents self-study visiting team’s report institutional response follow-up actions

Endorses a timeline (example) allowing for feedback from all constituents (e.g., governance bodies, Executive staff, editors)

LESSON #1: DEVELOPING THE COMMITTEE Review the sections of the PRR and

determine who can serve as leaders and who knows campus history

Consider positions that served on the last self-study and those that are a part of institutional Strategic Planning

Key campus representatives:Faculty leaders Student Affairs

Academic Affairs Student Affairs

Enrollment Management

Administration & Finance

LESSON #2:ORGANIZING THE COMMITTEE & CONTENT

Organizing the committee: Round 1: based on previous self-study sub-

committees Round 2: based on themes identified during

brainstorming Brainstorming identified institutional

highlights relevant to each PRR section Reviewed notes to determine common

themes and identify those that were related to MSCHE standards (qualitative approach)

LESSON #2:ORGANIZING THE COMMITTEE & CONTENT

Round 1 Subcommittees:

Assessment Facilities

Enrollment Management

Community Response

Resource Management 

Computing

LESSON #2:ORGANIZING THE COMMITTEE & CONTENT

Round 2 Subcommittees:Closing the Achievement Gap & First-year student initiatives

Assessment/General Education/APR

Budgeting Accreditation & Professional Schools

Fulton Curriculum Reform Academic Programs/Offerings

Mission/Strategic Plan Diversity

Facilities & Technology Needs STEM

Enrollment/Test-Optional Satisfaction, Opinions & Engagement

LESSON #2:ORGANIZING THE COMMITTEE & CONTENT

Template for each theme (example) Broken down by PRR section Included statements/thoughts collected

during the brainstorming sessions Sub-committees elaborated on the

statements and provided context to be used by the writing team

The writing team collected the templates and reviewed PRR documents from other institutions to organize the content

Section 3: Challenges & OpportunitiesAdvancing our Scholarly Community (MSCHE Standards 1, 3, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)

Curriculum Reform Graduate Programs

STEM Initiatives to Meet MD Workforce Demands

UG Research USM Course Redesign Initiatives

Progress in Student Recruitment and Enrollment (MSCHE Standards 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 6, 9, 10)

Incoming Student Recruitment

Student Success & Retention Initiatives

Pilot of Test-Optional Admissions Policy

Envisioning and Implementing Institutional Effectiveness (MSCHE Standards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 14)

Mission & Strategic Planning

Institutional Effectiveness

Assessment

Developing Innovative Facilities(MSCHE Standards 1, 2, 3, 5, 6)

Academic Buildings Technology

Residence Halls

Pressures on our Academic Resources(MSCHE Standards 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10)

Academic Commons Financial Aid

Faculty & Staff Coping in Light of Economic Challenges

LESSON #2:ORGANIZING THE COMMITTEE & CONTENT

I. Executive Summary

II. Response to Recommendations1. The University should define what “proficient” means for General Education.

2. General Education Curriculum: It is unclear in the General Education curriculum how students are

developing skill in oral communication; Oral communication and quantitative reasoning are not included in the

Honors “core curriculum.”

3. It does not appear that the Technology Fluency Policy adheres to MSCHE guidelines for Information Literacy

4. SU General Education learning outcomes include outcomes related to the SU strategic emphasis on diversity and globalization. However, only 18% of existing General Education courses purport to address this outcome. The majority of students graduate without experiencing courses with these learning emphases.

5. There are substantial differences in General Education between transfer and “native” SU students. These need to be critically examined to ensure that the SU degree is comparable for all students .

LESSON #2:ORGANIZING THE COMMITTEE & CONTENT

III. Challenges & Opportunities Review history and forecast the future. Must relate to

MSCHE Standards

IV. Enrollment and Finance Projections Audited financial statements, IPEDS, & projections

V. Assessment of Institutional Effectiveness & Student Learning

Goals, assessment methods, & examples of closing the loop

VI. Linking Institutional Planning and Budgeting Opportunity to align your budget with the Strategic Plan

*Strategic Plans*Program reviews*Peer comparisons*Dashboards example*DE Study example

LESSON #3:WRITING THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Utilize your faculty and staff resources for writing expertise

Provide an institutional overview & outline and connect the main themes. This is your opportunity to tell a story.

We did this FIRST We knew the major themes We wanted verification from the committee that we

were on the right track

LESSON #3:WRITING THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

What to include: Overview of the institution Institutional approach to the PRR Summary of major changes &

developments since the last self-study Abstract of the PRR sections Certification Statement

Must be related to the MSCHE Standards

*mission *enrollment *resources *structure

LESSON #4:UTILIZING EXISTING RESOURCES Exploit work that has already been done!

Public documents have already been vetted and approved

Internal reports may demonstrate institutional effectiveness and assessment efforts

May include data to support statements made in the PRR

No need to replicate enrollment, budget, faculty/staff, and other routinely reported information

LESSON #4:UTILIZING EXISTING RESOURCES Closing the Achievement Gap Strategic Plans University of DE Study of Instructional

Costs & Productivity Peer Comparisons (IPEDS) Academic Program Review documents Annual departmental reports Surveys

LESSON #5:SHARING WITH THE CAMPUS Purpose of the PRR is to demonstrate

that we are meeting the MSCHE accreditation standards Review for accuracy & completeness Not a public relations document or list of

grievances

LESSON #5:SHARING WITH THE CAMPUS University developed website to collect

feedback Executive Staff Deans Faculty governance body Staff governance body Student governance body

Contact:Kara Siegert

kosiegert@salisbury.edu