ERIC ED453286: The Role of the Institutional Research Office in the Institutional Accreditation Self-Study Process.

9 Pages·2001·0.17 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
TM 032 825
ED 453 286
Zikopoulos, Marianthi; Hourigan, Christopher
AUTHOR
The Role of the Institutional Research Office in the
TITLE
Institutional Accreditation Self-Study Process.
PUB DATE 2001-00-00
NOTE
7p.
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*Accreditation (Institutions); *Data Collection; *Evaluation
DESCRIPTORS
Methods; Higher Education; *Self Evaluation (Groups)
*Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools; William
IDENTIFIERS
Paterson University NJ
ABSTRACT
The Office of Institutional Research (OIR) is uniquely
poised to assist an institution of higher education in conducting an
effective, efficient, and meaningful self-study for reaccreditation. Drawing
on the experiences of William Paterson University, New Jersey, this paper
describes the steps an OIR can take to help ensure that the self-study
process is successful. William Paterson University is in the first stage of
the 20-year reaccreditation process, a period in which the University must
conduct a self-study and prepare a detailed report. Before the self-study,
the IOR should collect and maintain accurate data and serve as a source of
institutional data for internal and external purposes. This data should be
based on ongoing assessment that is relevant to the self-study process. The
OIR must learn the data requirements of the various subcommittees early in
the self-study so that it can provide the needed support. The OIR then can
prepare a customized list of data resources for each subcommittee and can
serve as a clearinghouse for the subcommittees. After the self-study, the IOR
can work to fill any data gaps during the period before the accreditation
team visits.
(SLD)
Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
from the original document.
THE ROLE OF THE INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH OFFICE IN THE
INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITATION SELF-STUDY PROCESS
Marianthi Zikopoulos, Ph.D.
Associate Director, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation
Christopher Hourigan
Assistant Director, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation
William Paterson University
Introduction
The Office of Institutional Research (OIR) is uniquely poised to assist an institution of
higher education in conducting an effective, efficient, and meaningful self-study for
reaccreditation. Drawing on the experiences of William Paterson University, the presenters
will highlight the steps the Office of Institutional Research can take to help ensure that the
self-study process is a successful one.
William Paterson is currently undergoing reaccreditation evaluation by the Middle States
Association of Colleges and Schools, our accrediting agency. This evaluation aims to
determine whether the University continues to meet the accreditation agency's standards of
excellence. In determining whether to accredit or reaccredit an institution, Middle States
uses the following criteria:
The institution must be guided by well-defined and appropriate goals.
The institution must have established conditions and procedures under which its goals can
be realized.
The institution must be accomplishing its goals substantially.
The institution must be so organized, staffed, and supported that it can be expected to
continue to accomplish its goals.
The institution must meet the standards of the MS Association's Commission on Higher
Education'
.
This year, William Paterson University is in the first stage of the two-year reaccreditation
process. During this phase the University conducts an in-depth self-study and prepares a
detailed report. This report will be revised, based on input from the University community,
1
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Higher Education. (1994).
Characteristics of Excellence in Higher Education: Standards for Accreditation [WWW Document]
URL littp://vo,vw.msache.orgicharexcl.html (visited 1999, June 8), p.1
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1
in Fall 2000 and will be sent to Middle States in February 2001. In April 2001, a team of
evaluators from Middle States will visit the University for an on-site reaccreditation review.
The Self-Study Process
Conducting a self-study in preparation for reaccreditation by Middle States generally
involves writing a document that addresses structural and organizational aspects of an
institution, including curriculum, finance, governance, faculty, students, etc. A steering
committee, representing a wide range of constituencies within the university, usually leads
the effort. A number of subcommittees are formed and each is assigned to conduct a
thorough evaluation of one aspect of the institution and write a report. Each subcommittee
will need data to carry out its charge effectively. The role of the OIR is to make the needed
data available in the most timely and efficient manner and to assist subcommittees in
addressing the data needs that arise during the self-study process.
Role of the Office of Institutional Research (OIR) at stages of the self-study process
A. Prior to Self-Study
It is important that the data cited in the Self-Study Report be official and consistent.
Because of its familiarity with the structure of an institution's data, the speed with which
the data can be generated, and the general complexities associated with the data, the OIR
is best able to collect and maintain accurate data and serve as a reliable source of
institutional data for internal and external purposes.
Every institution needs to keep some basic data on an ongoing basis. These include
information on admissions and enrollment information, retention and graduation, student
satisfaction, etc. Additionally, Middle States great deal of emphasis on outcomes
assessment. Institutions must examine whether they have sufficient outcomes
assessment data and, if not, take steps to acquire them.
Don't wait until the self-study begins to start conducting assessment studies. Assessment
and evaluation should be done on an ongoing basis. When developing assessment
instruments, keep in mind the agency's accreditation criteria listed above, and, to the
extent possible, address these criteria directly. In this manner, you can demonstrate to the
accreditation agency that you are involved in an ongoing self-evaluation, which is viewed
positively.
Start preparing early--Reaccreditation is a two-and-a-half year process, as the following
timetable of our self-study shows':
2 "Design for the Self-Study Process in Connection with the Reaccreditation of The William
Paterson University of New Jersey by The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools."
(1999, 27 May), p.44
3
Self-Study Timetable, William Paterson University
February 1999
Develop initial outline of self-study design
Day-long retreat to introduce steering committee to self-study process,
discuss institutional issues, review and discuss initial outline of self-study
design, identify possible subcommittees and charges.
March 1999
Develop draft of Self-Study Design document, including proposed
subcommittees and charges
Half-day retreat of steering committee to get feedback on Draft Self-Study
Design
April 1999
Revise Self-Study Design
Mail preliminary packet of information to CHE staff member in preparation
for visit.
April 15, visit to campus by CHE staff member
May 1999
Finalize Self-Study Design document and submit to CHE
Finalize sub-committee membership and convene subcommittee chairs to
review charges
Summer 1999
Assemble resource documents and create resource room for use by
subcommittees
Academic Year 1999-2000
Subcommittees carry out charges and prepare draft reports (September-
January)
Review and revise subcommittee reports (February-March)
Assemble and edit subcommittee reports to yield first draft of full report
(April-May)
Review and provide feedback on first draft of full report (May-June)
Prepare and print second draft of full report (July-August)
Academic Year 2000-2001
Distribute draft report and provide opportunities for discussion and campus
feedback (September-November)
Do final editing of report (December-January)
Mail report to visiting team (February)
Campus visit by Middle States team (April)
Once a model and approach have been chosen, try to determine which of the currently
available data are relevant to the self-study and what additional data must be collected.
Starting early gives your office sufficient time to conduct surveys, special analyses, etc.
and have data ready when they are needed by the subcommittees. It also gives your office
time to evaluate whether you have the required resources to carry out the data gathering
required for the self-study and make a case for additional resources if needed.
B. Planning Stages of Self-Study --Working with Steering Committee
It is very important that OIR staff know the data requirements of the subcommittees early
on in the process in order to be able to provide the needed support. OIR representation on
the steering committee and participation in the planning meetings is an optimal way of
accomplishing this. Where direct representation is not possible, it is important that the OIR
be in close communication with the steering committee chair or have easy access to
committee charges in some other manner.
To ensure that subcommittees have the data they need most efficiently, it is important
that the steering committee establish rules and procedures for data gathering and
dissemination. As the experts in this area, the OIR can assist the steering committee set
up rules that will make the data dissemination process run smoothly. The following rules
seemed to work best for our institution: a) The OIR is primarily responsible for meeting
the data needs of the subcommittees; b) the OIR works with subcommittees to ensure
that all information used is reliable and accurate; c) all subcommittee members have
easy access to basic institutional data.
Once charges have been written, it is important that OR have access to them
immediately in order to determine the subcommittees' data needs. By knowing what the
charges are early in the process, OIR can begin assessing the availability of the needed
data and start collecting unavailable data before the subcommittees start their work.
C. During self-study
Assess which of the available data may be useful to each subcommittee in order to carry
out its charge and prepare customized lists of resources: The OIR can help
subcommittees by preparing for each a customized list of data resources that are relevant
to that committee's area of investigation. At William Paterson, our office created
5
annotated lists of resources for each subcommittee that include the data resources most
relevant to each group and explaining how each resource might be helpful to the
subcommittee's charge. We then created a binder containing all group-specific resource
lists, as well as information as to where the actual documents are located, which was
distributed to all subcommittee members.
Make resources easily accessible: In order for subcommittees to prepare their reports in
a timely manner, they must have easy access to the data resources. The OIR can make
this possible by collecting all existing documents, organizing them and placing them in a
resource room. The resource room must be in a location to which all subcommittee
members have easy access. At William Paterson, our resource room is located the
library. The documents are arranged by general subject (i.e. Assessment, Faculty,
Admissions etc.), rather than subcommittee, so that the subcommittees have access to all
available resources and are not limited only to those items that appear on their individual
list. Web technology is another potential vehicle for making certain resources readily
accessible to subcommittees.
Serve as a Clearinghouse: When subcommittees begin their work, inevitably many
questions arise regarding data availability. Since the OIR possesses expertise in this
area, it is advisable that it serve as the data clearinghouse, with all data requests going
through it. Subcommittees will invariably need information beyond what is available in
the resource library. Establishing the Institutional Research Office as the clearinghouse
avoids duplication of effort, guarantees that any additional information is gathered in an
efficient and effective manner, and ensures that all data used in the self-study are
reliable. Beyond providing data, OIR should try to build relationships with the
subcommittees to help them understand the data that they will ultimately include in their
self-study.
Check accuracy of data in report before it goes to MS
D. After Self-Study is Completed
If data gaps still exist at the conclusion of the self-study, the one-year time period until
the accreditation team visits the campus can be used to fill in some of those gaps. The
OIR can collect or develop a plan for collecting the needed data during that period and
add them to the resource library to be available to the visiting team. Acknowledging in
the self-study report that a problem exists; presenting a proposal of how the institution
plans to address the problem; and beginning to take action in the time before the team
visits are viewed positively by Middle States. These steps indicate that the institution
conducted a truly thorough self-examination and used this process constructively to
improve areas that did not meet the standards.
6
Bibliography
Institutional Self-Study: Perspectives of IR Practitioners, Self-Study Chairs, Consultant-
Evaluators, and Accreditation Officials. (1999). Panel presentation for the 39th Annual
Forum of the Association for Institutional Research, Seattle.
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Higher Education
(1994). Characteristics of Excellence in Higher Education: Standards for Accreditation
[WWW Document] URL http://www.msache.org/charexcl.html (visited 1999, June 8).
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Higher Education.
(1998). Designs for Excellence: Handbook for Institutional Self-study.
William Paterson University. (1999). Design for the Self-Study Process in Connection with
the Reaccreditation of The William Paterson University of New Jersey by The Middle
States Association of Colleges and Schools.
7
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