Graduate Program Assessment. Dianne Horgan. Tom Rhodes. Grad College

1. Graduate Program Assessment Dianne Horgan Tom Rhodes Grad College

2. Keep it SIMPLE Some Examples Outcomes are pretty easy

(from Walvoord, 2004)

3.

AME PhD
Engage in independent and critical thinking by
obtaining significant understanding of the
primary and secondary areas of concentration,
including minors
Develop publishable research of the highest
standards under supervision of a faculty mentor
Become an expert in an area of research, fully
prepared to independently continue in future
positions in academia, industry or government
laboratories

4. MFA in Dance

The MFA in dance offers course work which enables
students to gain skills and knowledge in these areas. At the
end of the degree program, students will be able to:
Perform at a professional level in diverse styles of dance including ballet,
jazz and/or modern dance. (Performance emphasis)
Choreograph at a professional level in diverse styles of dance
(Choreography emphasis)
Understand and develop scholarly research techniques and be familiar
with the written and verbal skills necessary and appropriate for the field
Articulate a personal aesthetic
Teach a dance technique class as well as an academic class.
Solve problems creatively.

5. Measures are harder

Dance performance is assessed through faculty feedback during technique classes,
after performances & by individual meetings & is graded through studio classes &
ensemble work.
Choreography is assessed through close faculty mentoring of graduate choreography
projects (DNC694A Masters Project in Dance & DNC909 Masters Report) as well as
through classes which explore the craft of choreography (DNC545A&B Advanced
Choreography, DNC596E Seminar in Music & Dance Collaborations).
Writing & verbal skills are developed & assessed through the formal research class
(DNC596A Critical Issues in Dance), written proposals for Master's Projects & the
Final Project Proposal & writing assignments in course work (DNC546A Careers in
Dance, DNC696A Graduate Forum, DNC555 Biomechanics for Dancers,
DNC595A Teaching Methods of Dance, DNC596E Seminar in Music & Dance
Collaborations & DNC591 001, 002 Preceptorships). The large lecture preceptorship
(DNC591 002) is particularly valuable to the student as it affords them the opportunity
to mentor & grade undergraduate writing assignments.
The student's personal aesthetic is developed & assessed throughout their plan of
study through close mentoring by the faculty. The assessment of the personal
aesthetic is further evaluated through the final project & the final oral examination
which are conducted by a committee of faculty.
Students develop teaching skills & are assessed on their pedagogical knowledge
through specific course work including DNC595A Teaching Methods of Dance,
DNC591 001 Preceptions in Teaching Methods of Dance & DNC591 002
Preceptorship in a Large Lecture class. Teaching Methods of Dance gives the
student fundamental knowledge in teaching ballet, jazz & modern dance at the
beginning level. The Teaching Methods Preceptorship enables them to develop
advanced knowledge & skills in a specific dance discipline & to apply this knowledge
& these skills in a classroom setting. DNC591 002, the large lecture preceptoship
enables the student to develop skills & knowledge for teaching a large academic
lecture class. in addition graduate students are given the opportunity to teach at least
one course (studio or academic) during their time of study.

6. From Masters of Accounting Program:

Gainful Employment - The student will:
Exhibit professional demeanor in all classroom and
community affairs
Be engaged before graduation in pursuit of employment
opportunities
Good outcomes, but who measures? Who collects the
data?
Oral & Written Communication - The student can:
Provide constructive and supportive feedback to peers
How are these data collected?

7. Direct measurement is good

Student performance such as exam or
project
Set of criteria by which to evaluate the
performance
Analysis and interpretation of the results
Feedback loop for improvement/decision
making

8.

Make your criteria explicit
Expert judgment is OK: make criteria explicit
A rubric can help
Only collect data that someone will use
Build on what you’re doing now
Results should lead to action

9. A simple grid Goals: 1. publishable research 2. ethical principles 3. teach

10. Results should lead to ACTION Don’t bother with data that won’t lead to action

11.

Data for assessment: So easy a
caveman can do it

12.

13. Better information for decision making

Richer data
Real time data
Consistent data
Easy to use/gather/disseminate

14. Dashboards Instantly Updated

Canned Reports
APR info
Accreditation data
Standard survey data
Or unique for your needs
We can help you build them through Analytics
(BI)
Got your own database? You can add to BI
Drill down capabilities

15. Sample Program Dashboard

Applications, Admits, Matrics
250
200
150
2007
2008
2009
100
50
0
Applications
Admits
Median Time to Degree: 6.5 yrs
Matrics
Completion Rate: 36%

16. Reports from Student Profile

Any of the hundreds of attributes can be
made into unique reports for your program
All sorts of bio/demographic data
What was is SIS and Matrix
PLUS:

17. Some of MY Favorites

Years to degree (from first enrollment)
Enrollment term count (# of terms student
has been enrolled)
Student milestones
Grad college’s: POS, committee
appointment, Comps, Adv to Candidacy, IRB,
etc
YOURS: internships, core courses, qualifying
exams, finger print, etc

18. Others

Any & all tests (SAT, GRE, TOEFL, GMAT, etc)
HS GPA, rank
Transfer info
Financial awards
All majors/minors/options
Academic load
GPA
credits/semester
First and last enrollment
Catalog year
HUNDREDS more

19. You Can Add Your Own Milestones

Acad Advising module will go live in
AUGUST for graduate programs
Grad Coordinators now going to ‘testing’ to
learn and to provide info to set up
milestones and other aspects of Acad
Advising.
We can add your unique milestone such
as qualifying exams, internships, etc.

20. Comparison and National data

Will continue to post:
http://grad.arizona.edu/faculty-and-staff
Data
UA Data
Graduate Programs Assessment
National Data Sources
Point-in-Time Application, Admit and
Enrollment Data

21. MyGradColl Resources

Student Roster
Training Documentation
Signup for Testing or Training (grad
college)
Plus Tom & Dianne happy to consult with
you on grad program assessment

22. Mosaic Resources

http://mosaic.arizona.edu/Mosaic_Training