JUST HOW GOOD IS WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY? - ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY
One of the big issues in the Washington Legislature this year is the issue of higher education "assessment" and "accountability." Lawmakers appear willing to put additional funding into colleges and universities but they want to make sure the institutions are conducting an "assessment" of their own effectiveness. In some instances, the Legislature may dictate what the outcomes of these assessments must be to assure funding. That's what they mean by "accountability." WSU believes in assessment. For instance, more than 60 WSU academic departments use standardized tests, exit interviews, and other evaluations of graduating students to measure the program's successes and failures. Because of our experience in these areas, we welcome being held accountable to the Legislature and the people of the state.
WSU's COSTS PER STUDENT HAS DECLINED.
WSU assessment data has shown that from fiscal year 1987 to fiscal year 1996, the cost per student FTE, adjusted for inflation, has dropped from $11,284 to $10,920. This efficiency came during a period when WSU evolved from an exclusively Pullman-based instructional program to a system of branch campuses and an extended degree program that offers educational programs in remote, sometimes rural, locations. During this same period, WSU costs per degree produced have dropped from $48,338 to $45,736.
97 PERCENT OF ALL STUDENT REQUESTS FOR CLASSES ARE HONORED.
WSU monitors student credit hours by academic department. Beginning four years ago, tuition revenue was allocated to academic areas according to the number of
students enrolled. By having funding follow the students, the number of "impacted" or closed out courses decreased from 56 in Fall, 1992 to 23 in Fall, 1996. WSU also offers a four-year contract to entering freshmen, guaranteeing the opportunity to get a degree in four years.
96 PERCENT OF GRADUATES WOULD RECOMMEND WSU TO A FRIEND.
Each year, WSU surveys recent graduates to gather feedback about their experience and the high positive recommendation rate was one of the findings of the survey. But this survey also identifies problems, like dissatisfaction with academic advising.
WSU IS INVESTING IN ADVISING BECAUSE OF STUDENT FEEDBACK.
WSU student surveys revealed that of students who took six or more years to graduate, 14 percent were dissatisfied with their advisor's help in picking university required courses and 23 percent were dissatisfied with their advisor's help in getting them through the system. Prompted by this information, WSU has purchased a new Degree Audit and Reporting System (DARS) that is used at many institutions around the country. The DARS software allows students and their advisors to easily see what their course options are toward reaching a degree.
EVERY WSU STUDENT MUST COMPLETE A WRITING PORTFOLIO, A RESPONSE TO EMPLOYER SURVEYS.
As a result of employer surveys and discussions with College advisory committees, WSU determined that one common skill that all employers are looking for in our graduates is the ability to write well. As a result, every WSU student must now complete a portfolio that contains a timed writing exam and three samples of the student's writing from their freshman and sophomore years. If a student's writing is not judged as adequate, he or she is required to take additional courses.
STUDENT SURVEYS RESULT IN BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS TO ENROLLMENT.
A survey of spring semester students who were not pre-registering for Fall semester classes showed that about 150 students couldn't afford the pre-registration fee at the time the spring semester came to a close. As a result of the survey, WSU now allows students who owe the university less than $200 to pre-register. The previous threshold was $50.
WSU FACULTY ARE REWARDED ON THE BASIS OF EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING.
In 1994, WSU began using a teaching portfolio as a formal assessment tool for evaluating faculty. The portfolio emphasizes the faculty members' ability to instruct students effectively and is used in salary, tenure and promotion decisions.
ACCOUNTABILITY TO THE LEGISLATURE; The Graduation Efficiency Index.
(It is a new measure of required credits for degree minus transfer credits divided by the number of 10
th day credits times 100.) This measures "time to degree" without penalizing for part-time students (taking 15 credits or less) or students enrolled in five-year degree programs. WSU's overall GEI is 81 percent. The GEI has uncovered a discrepancy between students who spend all four years in Pullman (87% GEI) and transfer students (75%). WSU plans to apply the GEI by type of student (male/female, race, full-time versus part-time, etc.) to get other indications. And it will be applied by degree program to see, for example, if Journalism majors are less efficient than English majors.
