• Rationale
• Committee Mission
• Member Responsibilities
• Membership Distribution
• Selection of Committee Members
• Terms of Membership

Assessment Advisory Committee Description (pdf)

Rationale

TWU is in the process of creating an ongoing university culture of assessment. As imperatives for measuring the effectiveness of higher education increase, administrators, faculty, and staff need to understand how to assess effectiveness, communicate the results, and use information to improve programs and processes.

During 2006-07, a nine member Academic Assessment Advisory Committee participated in making decisions about the institutional effectiveness process, evaluating academic institutional effectiveness (IE) plans, and planning faculty development activities. In 2007-08 this committee will be expanded to include administrators in student and administrative support areas. The committee will now be called the Assessment Advisory Committee to reflect its broader mission to serve the entire university.

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Committee Mission

The Assessment Advisory Committee provides leadership for assessment in each college and each major administrative division.  The Committee:

1. gives advice and feedback on OIER recommendations,
2. evaluates alternatives for university-wide assessment for general education and other institution-wide outcomes,
3. communicates with faculty and staff regarding assessment procedures, processes, and initiatives,
4. assists OIER in development of meaningful and realistic criteria for evaluation of institutional effectiveness reports,
5. shares in the evaluation of institutional effectiveness plans and reports, and
6. provides guidance to develop the skills of faculty, administrators, and staff in outcomes assessment and use of results for program improvement.

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Member Responsibilities

Members will attend meetings for approximately 1-4 hours per month in person or video/ conference call. They will review recommendations, evaluate assessment plans and reports, and communicate with faculty and staff in their respective colleges or divisions. Failure to participate actively in meetings and responsibilities will require resignation or removal from the committee. Houston and Dallas faculty and staff are expected to attend at least two meetings per year in Denton. Administrators of the respective campuses will provide the necessary travel support for these meetings. Estimated time commitment is approximately 6-10 hours per month.

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Membership Distribution

Committee will consist of eighteen members as follows:

• 4 faculty from Arts and Sciences
• 2 faculty from Health Sciences, at least one from Houston or Dallas Presbyterian campus
• 2 faculty from Nursing, at least one from Houston or Dallas Parkland campuses
• 2 faculty from Professional Education
• 2 administrators from the Academic Affairs Division
• 2 administrators from the Student Life Division
• 2 administrators from the Finance and Administration Division
• 2 administrators from the Technology and Information Services Division

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Selection of Committee Members

For the 2006-07 Academic Assessment Advisory Committee faculty indicated their interest in serving or provided names of other faculty whom they thought would be good members for this committee. Members were selected by the Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness and Research after consultation with deans of each college, department chairs, and Faculty Senate leadership. Nine of the ten faculty members who served in 2006-07 have agreed to continue to serve in 2007-08. One new faculty member from Arts and Sciences will be selected in 2007-08. For 2007-08 administrative representatives from the four divisions will be selected after consultation with the four vice presidents.

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Terms of Membership

Initially all new members are appointed for a two or three year term. Half are selected for three year terms and half for two year terms. Length of term is determined by random draw. The first year of membership for faculty began in 2006-07. The first year of membership for administrators and staff representing student and administrative support areas will begin in 2007-08. Term years will commence on July 1 and end on June 30 of the following year. After initial appointees fill their terms of service, all subsequent new appointments will be for a two year period.  All members may be re-appointed for a maximum of two consecutive terms. However, reappointment for a non-consecutive term can take place if a member has been off the committee for at least one year.

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OIER 8/1/07