New Mexico State University (NMSU), established in 1888, is the land-grant university of the state of New Mexico. As a thriving center of higher education, deeply rooted in the southwestern tradition, its role as a comprehensive university is recognized throughout the state. Established in accordance with the provisions of the Morrill Act, New Mexico State University continues to provide a liberal and practical education for students and to sustain programs of research, extension education and public service.
New Mexico State University offers a wide variety of programs through the Graduate School and the colleges: Agriculture and Home Economics, Arts and Sciences, Business Administration and Economics, Education, Engineering and Health and Social Services. The 20 doctoral programs are limited primarily to agriculture, education, engineering and the sciences; the specialist in education degree is offered in four study areas; there are 50 master's degree programs and 75 undergraduate degree programs.
Of the 22,756 students attending New Mexico State University in the fall of 1995, 15,127 were enrolled on the main campus and 7,629 were enrolled at one of NMSU's four two-year branch campuses: Alamogordo, Carlsbad, Dona Ana and Grants.
Overall responsibility for the university resides in a five-member
Board of
Regents, appointed by the Governor for six-year staggered terms. The
Governor, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Chairman of the
Faculty Senate and the President of Associated Students of New Mexico
State University serve as ex-officio members of the Board of Regents. The
Board delegates authority for the internal management of the institution to the
President. The faculty elects a Faculty Senate, which has legislative
jurisdiction over policies affecting the academic mission of the university.
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To what extent has the institution demonstrated that the plan is
linked to
the mission, goals, and objectives of the institution for student
learning and
academic achievement, including learning in general education and in the
major?
New Mexico State University's overall assessment effort flows from the
institution's land-grant mission and focuses on four major functions of the
university, all reflected in the mission statement. The assessment
process for
each of these functions will be based on goals outlined in the
institutional mission.
Implementation of the assessment program addressed, first, the
assessment of
academic achievement/student learning in the major. Each academic program,
graduate as well as undergraduate, has an assessment process based on
program outcome goals, which are related to the educational purposes of the
university as outlined in the mission statement. Additional
assessment plans are
being developed for the general education component of the
curriculum. Overall
student success will be assessed on an institution-wide basis.
What is the institution's evidence that faculty have participated
in the
development of the institution's plan and that the plan is
institution-wide in
conceptualization and scope?
Four institution-wide committees, coordinated by an umbrella
Institutional
Effectiveness Council, are responsible for guiding the development and
monitoring of assessment programs addressing all areas of the institution's
mission and priority goals. The membership of these committees is
primarily
faculty, representing the range of colleges and programs.
Assessment planning
and the conduct of assessment activities within each academic
program is the
ongoing responsibility of that program's faculty. Thus, the
assessment program
is based on those outcomes goals deemed important by the faculty
and on which
information regarding student learning would aid in program improvement.
How does the plan demonstrate the likelihood that the assessment
program
will lead to institutional improvement when it is implemented?
New Mexico State University's efforts at assessing its
effectiveness
across the
major functions within its mission are part of a continuous process
of reviewing
performance and achievement of goals. Both the activities and the
results of
assessment in the area of student learning have been integrated
with academic
program review, annual reporting by colleges and units, and
five-year plans of the
departments and colleges. Such integration will increase the
contribution of each
process to the support and strengthening of programs and performance. The
emphasis in tying these activities together is in getting useful
information on
student achievement and other aspects of our performance into whatever
decision arenas are appropriate for program and institutional
improvement. New
Mexico State University's internal process for monitoring the
assessment program
focuses on the use of assessment results in program change and in the
evaluation of the assessment process itself.
Is the timeline for the assessment program appropriate?
Realistic?
The original timetable for full implementation of New Mexico State University's assessment program extended over a period of two years. Given the scope of NMSU's assessment plan, covering all aspects of the institutional mission, this was an ambitious schedule. The timing of individual steps has varied somewhat from the original schedule, largely to ensure the university community remained focused on full implementation of the assessment program for student learning.
While all academic programs have assessment plans, they are at
varying stages
of implementation. Even those with evidence of program
improvements resulting
from assessment results probably have only begun to assess when all
aspects of
their programs are considered. Assessment program development in the areas
of student life, research, and extension and public service are
also underway.
The process of improving our assessment activities and seeking
better answers
to better questions which can lead to greater institutional
improvement will go on
and on.
What is the evidence that the plan provides for appropriate
administration
of the assessment program?
New Mexico State University's assessment program is structured as a participatory process, designed and implemented by faculty, with senior administrative and staff support. Overall leadership is provided by the Executive Vice President. The Institutional Effectiveness Council, chaired by the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, serves as the institution-level coordinating body for assessment. The Office of Institutional Research, Planning and Outcomes Assessment has responsibility for providing support for assessment activities at all levels of the university.
Ultimately, the faculty are responsible for assessment activities
in their programs.
An assessment program cannot be successful unless the faculty take
ownership
of the goals and measures, ask questions of concern to them and find in the
answers information of value for improving program effectiveness
and student learning.
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New Mexico State University has developed an outcomes assessment program intended to provide an ongoing review of the institution's effectiveness. The program for assessing institutional effectiveness has two components: one, gathering and compiling information on the extent of NMSU's accomplishments in achieving defined purposes; and, two, using such information for institutional planning and program improvement.
The outcomes assessment program at NMSU flows from the institution's land-grant mission. The structure of the assessment program as well as the range of associated assessment activities are far-reaching in order to assess NMSU's performance in carrying out a broad mission ". . .to serve the people of New Mexico through education, research, extension education, and public service. . . ."
While the discussion which follows addresses the structure, focus and progress of a comprehensive institutional assessment effort, it should be emphasized that a range of assessment activities have been in place at NMSU. The assessment program outlined here will supplement these efforts in order to provide a coordinated and more comprehensive gathering of evidence on outcomes in all components of the institution's mission and a systematic use of this evidence in improving institutional performance.
The primary focus of New Mexico State University's assessment effort to
date has been
on the design and implementation of programs to assess student learning
outcomes. The
structure of this effort and the progress as of Fall, 1995, are
described in Sections V and
VI of this plan. The remaining sections of the plan apply to the
assessment program for
student learning at NMSU but also apply equally in setting forth the
principles and
parameters for other outcome assessment efforts directed toward academic
support, student life, research, extension education and public service.
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The assessment program at New Mexico State University has two specific and complementary purposes:
Outcomes assessment is meaningful only if the information gained is used for program improvement. NMSU's assessment program is intended to be an integral component of a long-term institutional process of planning, review and the feedback of outcomes information to improve the quality of the university's educational, research, extension education and public service activities.
At the core of NMSU's assessment program is a commitment to evaluate institutional effectiveness throughout the teaching and learning process and the environment which supports it. Initial implementation of the program has focused primarily on the assessment of student learning and academic achievement--both because it is central to the institutional mission and because of the size and long-term nature of implementation, involving as it does all colleges and academic departments within the university. However, all aspects of institutional performance are receiving their share of assessment attention as implementation proceeds.
New Mexico State University's assessment program is oriented
internally. Assessment
is intended to provide information on the outcomes of institutional
activities, information
to aid programs in increasing their effectiveness and contribution to
institutional goals.
Because the assessment program is comprehensive, institution-level
results may be of
interest and value, also, to university constituencies, external
agencies and the public at
large. However, the primary goal of NMSU's assessment program is to
build rather than to judge.
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The structure and scope of New Mexico State University's assessment program flow from the institution's land-grant mission. It is because of this broad mission with its responsibilities to all of New Mexico's citizens that NMSU's assessment program also looks broadly at the effectiveness of the university's programs and services.
Based on NMSU's broad mission, the overall assessment program addresses the university's major responsibilities of education, research, extension education and public service. The assessment program designed for each specific area focuses, first, on assessment within programs; then on assessment of interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary or multi-unit programs; and finally on assessment strategies to provide evidence of the extent to which the university is meeting broader goals identified as NMSU priorities.
As a more formal, participatory institution-wide planning process is
implemented at
NMSU, assessment experience and results will help in adjusting and
sharpening NMSU's
mission and developing a more clearly defined and shared sense of
direction appropriate
as the university moves to the end of this century and into the next.
Thus, the mission
statement and the assessment programs at NMSU are interdependent--each
more clearly
defined and understood in light of the other. Hopefully, as NMSU moves
forward, each
will spur the university community to reflect on and reaffirm its
institutional purpose and
to commit to achieving institutional goals.
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When fully implemented, NMSU's assessment program will be an ongoing process of reviewing performance and achievement of goals across the range of university functions. Assessment information regarding the achievement of outcomes goals will be incorporated into existing decision points within the university to serve as the basis for the strengthening of institutional programs and performance. The use of assessment results and the tying together of an outcomes assessment focus with the planning and review activities within the university is already in evidence as a result of the assessment program for student learning.
The following chart outlines the assessment effort developed at New Mexico State University. Overall leadership for the assessment program is provided by the Executive Vice President. The Institutional Effectiveness Council is chaired by the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and serves as the institution-level coordinating body for assessment. The charge to this council is to ensure all aspects of institutional performance are assessed; priority institutional goals, especially those crossing organizational lines, receive attention in the assessment process; assessment efforts are meaningful and cost-effective; and assessment results are disseminated widely across the university community.
Under the umbrella of the Institutional Effectiveness Council are the
four major
components of the university's assessment program. Each of four
institution-wide
committees is responsible for development and oversight of an assessment
program in
one of the functional areas outlined in NMSU's mission. Except for Outcomes
Assessment Committee II (Academic Support/Campus Life), faculty
representatives from
throughout the university form the majority membership of each committee and are
responsible for the design, direction and monitoring of progress in each
assessment
area. The majority membership on Outcomes Assessment Committee II is student
support services staff.
There are four outcomes assessment committees. The chairs of these four
committees are also
members of the Institutional Effectiveness Council to ensure
coordination of the entire effort.
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As indicated in its mission statement, NMSU's first responsibility is to
provide quality
educational programs. Because of this core responsibility, it was
appropriate for the
institutional assessment program to focus first on the effectiveness of
its instructional
programs in meeting institutional and programmatic goals for student academic
achievement. In addition, the size and breadth of this effort,
involving faculty in academic
programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels throughout the
university,
requires significant lead-time for information-sharing, discussion, design and
implementation. It was clear that it would take even longer for the
assessment process
and the use of assessment results to become an integral part of academic
planning and
review. This section focuses on the structure and process of implementing and
maintaining a program for the assessment of student learning at New Mexico State
University.
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Assessment in the Major. In early 1993, Outcomes Assessment Committee I (OAC I) was created and charged with overseeing the development and conduct of an ongoing assessment of academic achievement/student learning at New Mexico State University. It began work by addressing the overall design, timetable and guidelines for assessment of student learning in the major. This was designed as a decentralized process by which faculty in each academic program, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, would identify program outcome goals, determine how goal attainment could be measured, carry out assessment measurement activities, analyze results of assessment measurement and use assessment results in program planning to improve student learning. A common format was suggested for use by academic departments in developing their assessment plans.
By the end of Spring, 1993, all academic departments submitted an
initial plan for
"assessment in the major" of their undergraduate programs. These plans
were submitted
to their respective colleges and to the OAC I for review and comments.
Implementation
of the undergraduate assessment plans began in Academic Year 1993-94.
In addition,
the Honors Program, which includes undergraduate students and faculty
from across the
colleges and departments, developed its own assessment plan during Fall,
1993. The
Library, also, completed and began implementation of an assessment plan
for its
instructional activities. During the following year, AY 1993-94,
Outcomes Assessment
Committee I provided guidance for the development of assessment plans
for graduate
education at New Mexico State University. Again, the faculty of each
graduate program
defined priority learning outcome goals and assessment measures for students
completing the program. The format of the graduate assessment plans was
the same as
that used for the assessment of undergraduate programs, although the anticipated
outcomes and assessment measures were different. In addition, the
Graduate School
and Graduate Council began discussions regarding the possibility of identifying
institution-wide assessment measures for graduate education to provide
indicators of
student outcomes on criteria common to all graduate programs at NMSU. Graduate
program assessment plans were in place by late 1994 with implementation
of graduate assessment programs beginning in AY 1994-95.
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Assessment of General Education. New Mexico
State University has an ongoing
faculty General Education Course Certification Committee, overseeing the
development
and continual refinement of the general education program, implemented
in 1991. A joint
subcommittee for general education assessment was formed with membership drawn
equally from the membership of the General Education Committee and Outcomes
Assessment Committee I. This subcommittee was charged with planning for the
assessment of the general education component of NMSU's curriculum.
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Institution-wide Assessment. In addition to
assessment programs focused on
assessment in the major and assessment of general education, New Mexico State
University is concerned with overall student success and the extent to which the
university is meeting broader university goals relating to educational
performance and
student development. A joint subcommittee of Outcomes Assessment Committee I
(Academic Achievement/Student Learning) and Outcomes Assessment Committee II
(Academic Support/Campus Life) was formed to discuss institution-level
priorities in
assessing student success. This subcommittee is advisory to the Office
of Institutional
Research, Planning and Outcomes Assessment, as well as to the Institutional
Effectiveness Council, in setting a priority agenda and providing
guidance on assessing
student success at NMSU. As a result, a number of institutional
projects are underway,
including development of a longitudinal student tracking system, cohort
analyses of
retention, persistence and graduation rates and the student characteristics and
institutional factors related to these measures of student progress;
analyses of time-to-degree and the student and programmatic factors
related to these measures; and
analyses of alumni perceptions regarding programs and institutional
services and how
they affected student academic progress and achievement.
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New Mexico State University has made significant progress in
implementing assessment
of student academic achievement/student learning throughout the
university since the
formation of Outcomes Assessment Committee I in early 1993. While many
assessment
activities were in place already, new assessment procedures have created an
institutional focus and mechanisms for sharing information throughout
the university. A tremendous amount of thought and activity has gone
into the overall development of the
assessment program at NMSU. It can be seen as a significant part of
academic life
across the university. Its inclusion in other planning, review and
decision processes at
the university can be seen. The result over time will be greater
opportunity for program
improvement arising from better information on university programs'
effectiveness in
helping students learn. A short summary of progress as of Fall
Semester, 1995, follows.
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Assessment in the Major. The latest report of Outcomes Assessment Committee I (Academic Achievement/Student Learning) regarding the state of assessment of student learning in their major in Fall 1995 is available. Several points should be made about this report and about the current status of assessment of student learning at New Mexico State University. These points reinforce the characteristics of NMSU's assessment program as summarized in Section VII of this report.
While NMSU has emphasized a comprehensive assessment program for all its institutional functions, it has placed the highest priority on the assessment of student learning. It is in the assessment program for student learning that the greatest progress has been made to date.
The assessment program for student learning has been a participatory one. Faculty throughout the university have been involved in the development of the assessment programs in their respective departments. Faculty also comprise the membership on Outcomes Assessment Committee I, which oversees the development and monitors the progress of this portion of the assessment program.
The assessment activities of academic programs have been integrated, as planned, into other decision structures within NMSU, including academic program review, annual reporting and five-year plans.
Academic program assessment plans across the university are in varying stages of completion and implementation. By incorporating the assessment activities and results into the annual reporting process and having OAC I move into its role of monitoring implementation and providing feedback to deans and departments on their assessment activities, NMSU has an ongoing mechanism for encouragement, evaluation and improvement of the assessment process itself.
In 1995, for the first time, the Annual Report to the President process included a requirement for departments and colleges to report on their assessment activities over the past year and what was learned from those activities. The departments also were asked to report on any resulting changes in their programs as well as how assessment results would be used in future program planning. In addition, they were requested to evaluate their assessment activities to date and whether they anticipated changes to their assessment program in light of this evaluation. All departmental and college reports on their assessment planning and implementation were reviewed by Outcomes Assessment Committee I, which provides monitoring and feedback for the assessment of student learning.
OAC I's evaluation of assessment in the
major in 1995 across the university is available. It cites significant
progress toward full
implementation of outcomes assessment as well as illustrations of useful
results and
application of these results in individual program changes. It also
indicates some
departments are not placing the priority they might on full implementation of an
assessment program focused on student learning, as opposed to general program
effectiveness. Outcomes Assessment Committee I has made a series of
recommendations to the university for additional steps to continue
improving assessment
efforts. Several of these steps have been taken already. The report
and related
materials have been shared with deans and passed along to department heads. The
Executive Vice President scheduled a meeting with each dean to discuss
the state of
assessment within his or her college. OAC I members have made
themselves available
as advisors for assisting departments in further assessment
implementation.
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Assessment of General Education. Assessment is an important component of the general education program and is incorporated at two different levels. The first level consists of an assessment of the individual courses. The second level consists of an assessment of the general education program as a whole.
Assessment of the individual courses is as follows:
Faculty may be asked to appear before the GECCC to discuss courses which are being reviewed.
Assessment of the general education program in its entirety is an evolving and fluid process. The General Education Assessment Committee is a joint committee made up of faculty members of the General Education Course Certification Committee and of the Outcomes Assessment Committee I (the academic committee) and is chaired by the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs. The major purpose of the assessment program is to devise ways to determine if the general education program is meeting the goals and objectives as approved by the Faculty Senate and the Board of Regents. Important components of the assessment include evaluation, feedback, and where warranted, modification of the program.
The first step in setting up the general education program was to more clearly define the objectives as stated in the above paragraph. The specific objectives have been identified as follows.
Students who successfully complete the general education requirements will:
Assessment of general education will take many forms. Several assessment measures will be used (or are currently being used) to help determine how students perform relative to the various objectives stated above. Specifically, the measures to be used follow (some of these are now in place while others are being developed or modified):
Objective Assessment Measures
Students will:
A. Be able to think critically 1. California Critical Thinking
2. Portfolio evaluation
B. Be able to integrate and 1. Portfolio evaluation
synthesize knowledge
C. Demonstrate literacy in reading, 1. College Base Exam
writing, and oral communication 2. Portfolio
evaluation (writing) 3. Locally designed test
(oral communication)
D. Be familiar with mathematical 1. NMSU general education
structures math exam
E. Understand science and scientific 1. College Base exam in
inquiry science
F. Have a historical consciousness, 1. Locally developed test
including an understanding of
his/her own heritage
G. Have an appreciation of the arts 1. Locally developed exam
H. Be familiar with the various 1. College Base exam in
branches of human understanding social sciences
Some of the assessment measures (e.g. the critical thinking test) will be administered to freshmen during their first semester at NMSU and again after completion of the general education program (thus, obtaining pre-post measures). Other measures will be administered on a more continuous basis (e.g. the writing portfolio) throughout the student's four years. Still other measures (e.g. the locally designed measures) will be administered upon completion of a certain component (e.g. Historical Perspectives) of the general education core.
A critical component of the assessment program is a feedback loop
informing the
participating departments and instructors and the university at large of
information
obtained through the assessment process. This information is used to
modify and, hopefully, improve the program.
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Institution-wide Assessment. As a result of the
work of Outcomes Assessment
Committees I and II and discussions of their joint subcommittee on
student success,
significant progress has been made also on several university-level
measures of overall
student success. Many of these require large front-end investments of
time so future
analyses can be done expeditiously. The Office of Institutional
Research, Planning and
Outcomes Assessment has designed and is nearing completion of a data warehouse.
Design of NMSU's longitudinal student tracking system is near
completion. As a result
of these major projects, by Fall 1996, ongoing analyses of retention,
persistence,
graduation, time-to-degree and other measures of student success, as
well as associated
information on student characteristics and institution/program factors
will be available
routinely to faculty, students and staff. These results, too, will help
the institution and its
colleges and departments refine their assessment questions and seek more
detailed
answers on the road toward program improvement. The goal of all these
efforts is the improvement of student learning.
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The broad characteristics of New Mexico State University's assessment effort may be summarized as:
This plan outlines the principles and commitment behind the assessment program being developed at New Mexico State University as well as the progress to date. It is clear the program is evolving--and it undoubtedly always will be, however long it has been in place. Even in these early years as assessment plans were being developed, changes were being made because priorities on learning outcomes were reconsidered and the usefulness of the results from proposed assessment measures was evaluated. As assessment provides indications of progress or needs for change in one goal area, the focus may shift to other goals and other questions regarding achievement or effectiveness. As programs evolve, so do the assessment efforts which support them.
A three-year institution-wide academic program review cycle at New Mexico State University is currently underway. Assessment activities and results are a component of each academic program's self-study and peer review. The annual reports to the president and the five-year plans of the departments and colleges also have incorporated internal accountability for the assessment program through reporting on the use of assessment results both for programmatic planning and improvement and for evaluation and refinement of the assessment activities themselves.
At the institutional level, the Institutional Effectiveness Council will
oversee the ongoing
evaluation of NMSU's assessment program. It will have particular
responsibility for
maintaining progress in the assessment of multidisciplinary and
multi-unit programs and
of institutional performance in meeting the broader goals identified as
NMSU priorities.
The end result is a university actively concerned not just with what it
does but with how
well it does it--especially how effective it is in ensuring individual
student development and academic achievement.
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