Office of Institutional Effectiveness Assessment Plans

Assessment Plans are integrated throughout University Operations

The Student Learning Improvement Plan.pdf serves as the guidebook and institutional perspective informing the ways that Emporia State University implements institution-wide assessment practices. The Adaptive University Strategic Plan.pdf consists of five goals with twenty-five supporting objectives and represents a ten-year timeline ranging from July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2025. In 2017, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan was integrated into the strategic plan. The plan also incorporates the Kansas Board of Regents Building a Future Strategic Plan.pdf and the ESU Campus Master Plan.pdf. Plan accountability is structured through the four functional tiers of the institution (Academic Affairs, Infrastructure, Enrollment Management and Student Success and Administration and Finance). In addition, The ESU Foundation serves a vital role in supporting the institution in fulfilling its mission and strategic plan as philanthropic efforts provide crucial financial support. Strategic plan accomplishments are updated three times a year with an annual report shared digitally. Key performance indicators.pdf are also compiled on a monthly basis and are shared as well. Metrics representing Student Outcomes are compiled by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and reported to external entities.

Assessment is used as a tool to measure strategic plan goal achievement. Broad conceptual plan goals are succinctly defined by each operational unit and assessed related to the quality and effectiveness of the student learning experience, student services and support, and the learning environment. Assessment strategies are designed and implemented based upon the function of the unit owning the goal and the level within the organization where the goal is operationalized. Assessment outcomes are used to confirm institutional effectiveness, inform decision-making, and to verify strategic planning successes and mission fulfillment. Mission fulfillment is substantiated through the measurement of and accountability for goal achievement.

Assessment informs decision-making at all operational levels. In Academic Affairs there are colleges, schools, an institute, and supporting units. Enrollment Management and Student Success includes multiple operating units providing support and services to enable student success and achievement. Administration and Finance, along with Infrastructure units provide the fiscal accountability and facilities operational structures required for ensuring that university functions are appropriate, adequate, and continuous. All Administration and Finance and Infrastructure units employ assessment strategies and practices to gather data to inform decisions that directly affect the student learning experience and the institution’s learning environments.

Academic Affairs integrates institution-wide assessment into its operations with the Student Learning Improvement Plan (SLIP). The SLIP is designed to provide academic units with an electronic interface and evidence repository to plan, implement, capture data, upload evidence files, and report assessment activities measuring the quality of student learning. The Student Learning Assessment Council (SLAC) is the governance group charged with facilitating the SLIP. Additional shared governance committees (Council on Teacher Education, General Education Council, and CAEP Committee) are charged with ensuring coordinated assessment activities meet accountability standards for specialized accreditation and state and federal requirements.

The Student Learning Assessment Council (SLAC) in collaborative leadership with the Assistant Provost for Institutional Effectiveness is charged with articulating the student learning improvement plan while building assessment capacity and best practices within the campus community. The SLAC membership structure enables leaders from both Academic and Enrollment Management and Student Success divisions to work collaboratively in assessing all student learning experiences. The Council shares responsibilities for keeping the campus community informed of assessment best practices, and both internal and external accountability requirements. The Council provides the leadership to implement the student learning improvement plan for each representative campus entity. The Council also promotes an institution-wide culture of assessing student learning and makes assessment plan change recommendations to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Enrollment Management and Student Success embraces the Kansas Leadership Center’s competencies and principles in its strategic planning and development of student learning experiences dedicated to the common good. The Division of Enrollment Management and Student Success Learning and Assessment model is a Thematic Based Assessment Plan matching up student learning outcomes with learning experiences. Assessment data are used to confirm and inform co-curricular learning experiences and programming. Student learning experiences include participation in high impact practices such as study abroad, service learning, volunteerism, student government and student organizations. These cross-curricular experiences often contain an academic research-based experience as well. Assessing the effectiveness of the division's support services is dependent on the unit’s purpose. These service entities use surveys and other techniques to gather information from students, faculty, and staff on program and service quality.

Non-Instructional Program Review is the mechanism used to formally assess the effectiveness and efficiencies of the operations that support the student learning environment. These operational units support the student learning experience in a variety of ways and all have key roles in students’ overall success. These units include University Facilities, Police and Safety, Information Technologies, Registration, Financial Aid, Scholarships, and Veterans Services, Student Wellness, Recreation Services, Human Resources, Accounting and Budgeting, and the Center for Student Involvement. Operational unit leaders complete the Non-Instructional Program Review Template.pdf for their respective units based upon a 5-Year Assessment Reporting Cycle. The coordination of these processes is organized and evidenced in the Campus Labs (Anthology) Planning module. This form of program review identifies the unit level mission specific initiatives and resources dedicated in support of student success. It includes an overview of the current strategies, personnel, fiscal and physical resources, and an evaluation of how the unit is meeting its mission. The non-instructional program review also provides information used for future planning and resource allocations.