4.A.1 The institution maintains a practice of regular program reviews.
In line with the philosophy of continuous improvement, Miller College evaluates the performance of each area of operations. Assessment plans have been developed and implemented for each of the degree programs. These plans and the information gathered from their implementation are reviewed annually for continuous improvement purposes. The assessment process aids the College in gathering evidence that can show that graduates are prepared for their professional careers and for service to the community. The assessment process also yields data that can assist with program improvement.
The Assessment Committee and Academic Affairs take a leading role in program improvement. The Assessment Committee is comprised of the Deans of each School, the Vice President, and representatives from the faculty and Student Services. The Committee regularly reviews the effectiveness of each program by analyzing data from the Status Report and the assessment plan for each School. Status reports are shared during Academic Affairs meetings, Advisory Board meetings and with the Miller College Board of Trustees.
The Assessment Committee members are part of Academic Affairs guaranteeing congruence in reporting the results of assessment administration, data evaluation discussions and the recommendations for and issues associated with continuous program improvement. Academic Affairs takes action on all areas related to curriculum and programs. Proposed program changes are presented to Academic Affairs for input, evaluation, approval and/or recommendation to President’s Council. Once approved, the proposals are presented to the President’s Council for adoption consideration and recommendation to the Board. The Miller College Board of Trustees makes the final decision for the adoption of curriculum changes.
A variety of committees have been created to make recommendations for planning and advising the process of instructional improvement.
President’s Council and the College Forum provide methods for further review. Many standing and ad hoc committees are structured to include student representatives.
Miller College utilizes a comprehensive assessment framework. Careful attention to the alignment of the Mission, outcomes, and competencies results in each School measuring the effectiveness of its programs through the creation of an assessment plan.
Evidence:
The assessment committee meets monthly to review and discuss the learning outcomes of each program. The Dean of each School develops and maintains an assessment plan. These plans articulate Miller College’s Mission with each School’s learning outcomes and each degree program’s learning objectives (which, in turn, link to individual course learning objectives). The assessment plans identify the objectives established for each program, a variety of assessment tools, and a timeline for assessment and for providing feedback to students. The committee has adopted the ETS profile Measures of Academic Proficiency and Progress (MAPP) as an external assessment tool for some goals in general education and for programmatic assessment. Status reports from the Deans of each School are reviewed annually for the purpose of improving program offerings and enhancing student learning. Once a semester the Deans meet with the Vice President to review the assessment status reports and report details of improvement initiatives.
Special assessments are made when specific issues are identified. One issue that arose very early in the history of Miller College was that of student writing skills. The Chair of the Assessment Committee conducted an assessment of student writing ability. Business and English faculty made proposals to address the issue of student writing skills in Academic Affairs Committee (See Academic Affairs Minutes). The final result was that faculty developed a new course, LBAR 300: Junior Seminar. It is now a required Miller College Core course within the General Education Requirements and should be taken by all incoming Miller College students. During the course, students develop an understanding of the Miller College Mission and the Learning Outcomes for their School. Writing skills as well as essay, professional, and research writing are an important part of the course in addition to critical reading and thinking, oral presentation skills, and a major project. Students also learn expectations regarding their creation of electronic portfolios and their recording of information regarding their service learning. Improvements to this course are on-going and based on the students' performance on the required assessment tasks, the course evaluations and on anecdotal evidence of the students' performance from the instructors of subsequent classes. The team of instructors delivering the course meets with the Dean of the Binda School of Education and the School of Arts and Sciences to evaluate the data collected and to make changes to the syllabus as indicated. The proposed changes are presented to Academic Affairs for discussion and approval.
Evidence:
Assessment plans guide the Schools in selecting appropriate learning resources and technologies to enhance student learning. Additionally, the President’s Office and Student Services have developed assessment plans which provide useful indicators of institutional commitment to student learning. Miller College utilizes a Student Course Evaluation form as a tool to discover students’ views regarding the usefulness and effectiveness of learning resources. Students are given opportunities to complete the evaluation as they prepare to exit from each course. The Student Course Evaluation form measures student’s perceptions of teaching effectiveness, course material, relevancy of the course, instructor knowledge and performance, and usage of resources and technologies. The evaluation is disseminated via BlackboardTM. Data is compiled into individual reports for distribution to instructors and administrators after grades have been submitted for each course. This information assists faculty in improving teaching and is considered in faculty performance reviews. It also provides useful assessment information regarding student perceptions regarding their learning.
Evidence:
Students have the opportunity to voice their opinions about the quality of their education through the completion of surveys before and after they graduate. All candidates for graduation are encouraged to complete exit surveys in Senior Seminar. In addition the same students compose post-reflection papers evaluating their experiences and proficiency in terms of the outcomes for the School, the Miller College Mission and the professional standards for their field. Students complete satisfaction surveys periodically throughout their program. The results of the surveys are made available through email to all staff. The alumni survey distributed in the spring measures perceived career readiness and the graduates’ satisfaction with their education and its application to the work world. School of Education graduates also complete a survey for Michigan Department of Education. The results of these surveys are reported and/or discussed during the meetings of the various Boards, committees and during instructors' meetings at the School level.
Evidence:
One of the challenges is the percentage of students completing the Course Evaluations. This percentage varies by School, but is generally minimal when compared to the total number of students enrolled in the course in each School. For the years 2009 through 2011, the average percentage of students enrolled in classes who completed the evaluations was as follows: School of Arts and Sciences 34%; School of Business 29%; Binda School of Education 36%; School of Nursing 34%. In response to the need for a larger sample, instructors are implementing strategies to increase the number of students completing course evaluations. Plans for improvement include providing reminders of the dates for the course evaluation window, assisting students to successfully access the course evaluations, posting access codes in various areas including the students’ email box and providing time during class to take the survey.
Evidence:
The Miller College faculty assumes responsibility for developing and enhancing the College’s curriculum by meeting in Academic Affairs to communicate, discuss and coordinate proposed changes, modification and additions to programs. The Learning Community portion of the meeting is time allocated for the dissemination of information about current research and literature and trends that affect programming. Designed to foster a broad range of discussion and communication among all employees of Miller College, the College Forum meets for discussion, opportunity for input, and information sharing on institution-wide issues.
Evidence:
Each School within Miller College holds meetings to discuss curriculum, assessment, scheduling, advising, staffing and other important issues. The meetings may be formal and scheduled on a regular basis during each semester. In other instances, meetings are less formal and are scheduled as dictated by the needs in the particular School.
Evidence:
Faculty and course developers are trained in and regularly utilize the Worldwide Instructional Design System® (WIDS®) during the curriculum design process to align learning objectives and desired learning outcomes with degree program goals. Miller College selected WIDS® because of its useful curriculum-design software that assists in helping faculty align outcomes from courses up through programs in such a way that assessment of student learning is facilitated. WIDS® integrates current learning theory and practice into a practical model that brings together the critical elements of performance-based design. WIDS® ties course syllabi to degree program outcomes in terms of learning outcomes, core abilities, and competencies.
Evidence:
Miller College continually strives to stay abreast of changes in the field and to make the College programs responsive to these changes through the use of Program Advisory Committees. The Committees meet twice a year and assist in the decision making process of the College by reviewing curriculum, instructional methods, learning technologies, and program changes. The membership of the respective committees reflects a broad spectrum of practitioners in the fields reflected in the College’s programs.
Evidence:
The results of the dialogues with each stakeholder group, the review of relevant literature and surveys of the community and other institutions enable Miller College to assess needs and to provide new programs and/or program and course modifications for identified areas where there is a gap in educational opportunities available to the community. In addition, Miller College issues service contracts to employ outside experts in assisting faculty for the completion of new programs.
Evidence:
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