Teaching-Learning-Assessment Committee (TLAC) Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, April 4, 2007 – 1:15 pm
Kansas Business Hall of Fame Room (CH 205)

Present: Herbert Achleitner, Cynthia Akers, Anthony Ambrosio, Tim Burnett, Rob Catlett (guest), Robert Grover (guest), Carol Kohr, President Michael Lane, Dennis Pelsma (chair), Eric Runge (guest), Amy Sage Webb, Bill Smith and Rod Sobieski.

• Welcome President Lane, Committee Introductions (Pelsma)

• Brief History of TLAC (Grover)

Dean Grover provided President Lane and the TLAC with background information about the history of assessment at ESU. In addition, he covered the history of the assessment director’s position and the purpose of the TLAC.

3. Discussion with President Lane

• How do we move from a model of compliance to a model of commitment in assessment? Lessons from HLC revisited – Ambrosio, Burnett, Catlett, Pelsma & Webb

This group reported upon the HLC conference they attended in February. They noted that ESU’s strengths included an historical commitment to assessment from various departments. In addition, many departments already use assessment data to “feed back” into their curriculums for continuous improvement of teaching and learning. This group was the only all-faculty team at the conference, which demonstrated ESU faculty interest in assessment. There are, however, some potential weaknesses for ESU’s assessment progress:

• No communication structure that allows academic departments to share successful assessment plans
• A lack of overall shared responsibility for assessment across the ESU curriculum

A copy of the group’s report was shared with President Lane and the TLAC.

• TLAC Resolution Concerning a Strategic Support Request for University Wide Assessment Planning – Ambrosio

The TLAC reviewed Vice-President Schwenn’s positive response of March 9 to this resolution. Discussion concerned the tie-in of assessment to the various ESU performance indicators currently under review by the Deans’ Council. The TLAC also discussed the following:

• Should assessment be a part of a faculty member’s overall evaluation process? There are advantages and disadvantages to this approach. Much is dependent upon the way in which the “teaching” portions of departments’ FRC documents are worded; it could be a part of one’s “performance of primary duties”, but it could also hinder tenure-track faculty in particular who are concentrating upon teaching and research.

• Description of a Culture of Assessment – Sobieski

The TLAC considered the strengths and drawbacks of a centralized vs. decentralized university assessment process. The document, “Meaning of Assessment at Emporia State University”, was reviewed and will be sent to the Faculty Senate Academic Affairs Committee in fall 2007.

4. Other

a) FYI: General Education Request for Learning Outcomes and Assessment – Ambrosio
This document, to be presented to the Council on General Education, was shared with the TLAC.

b) Approval of meeting minutes from March 7, 2007 - Pelsma
The minutes were approved.

c) Closing comments - Pelsma
President Lane indicated financial support for a speaker to present a campus-wide workshop on assessment in fall 2007. The TLAC will hold a special meeting to work on this item on Wednesday, April 18, 2007 at 1:15 p.m. in the PKP Room, Memorial Union

Next meetings:
Wednesday, April 18, 2007 at 1:15 p.m. PKP Room, Memorial Union
Wednesday, May 2, 2007, 1:15 in Gary Sherrer Room (CH206) – last meeting of 2006/07 year

Meeting adjourned at 2:40 pm.

Last Updated August 29, 2007