SPSU Planning and Assessment
Building B
Suite 162
1100 South Marietta Pkwy
Marietta, GA 30060
678-915-4987
rhomer@spsu.edu
Complete College Georgia Plan
for
Southern Polytechnic State University
22 August 2012
Revised
Part I: Goals and Data Analysis
Introduction
Improving graduation and retention rates while maintaining high academic quality are central elements of Southern Polytechnic State University’s strategic plan; this plan broadens the university’s focus from curriculum and enrollment to the larger goal of student success, both for enrolled students and graduates in their professional careers. The strategic plan guides SPSU’s participation in the Complete College Georgia (CCG) Initiative. A broad spectrum of individuals participated in the development of the strategic plan, including more than 50 members of the University community (senior staff, deans, department chairs, faculty, staff, and students). The university’s participation in CCG is based on the strategic plan and has been led by a core leadership group, chaired by the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
SPSU’s CCG plan is based on a pipeline model (see cover page), focused on recruiting
new students (inflow) and retaining students by identifying and eliminating bottlenecks
and leaks (flow-through). These efforts will result in increases in both graduation
rates and number of graduates (outflow). The pipeline segments correspond to the various
steps students pass through from becoming aware of SPSU to being engaged alumni. Each
segment has one or more areas of the university as its “champion” and is associated
with specific goals and metrics.
How data informed our strategy development
To better understand how students progress toward graduation, the CCG working group identified five original metrics (see Appendix) that academic departments use to analyze student performance. Additional metrics analyze admission and conversion rates (by gender, ethnicity, etc.) and enrollment data (by level and major) to determine capacity needs for SPSU’s enrollment growth and student diversity strategies. Metrics help identify and analyze bottlenecks and leaks in the pipeline model that directly affect retention, progression, and graduation rates.
For example, some segments and gates in the pipeline model relate to critical gateway courses. The associated metrics (WRPG 0100 and 0104) measure first-time, repeat, and ultimate success rates in individual courses. Academic programs can use these metrics to identify bottleneck courses that delay student graduation, enabling them to develop new strategies for student success. The metrics have helped identify gateway courses that most affect each major and progress toward graduation overall (CCG Metric 7).
Key findings
SPSU is a comprehensive university with a mission focus on science, technology, engineering, architecture, and related fields. Enrollment has grown by 52% since 2005, from 3,807 students (Fall 2005) to 5,784 (Fall 2011). The student population is diverse, with 24.3% African-American students, 6.7% Hispanic, 10.3% Asian, and 2.6% multiracial. The American Society for Engineering Education ranks SPSU #1 in the U.S. for the number of African-American students (male and female) who earn degrees in engineering-related technologies, #3 for Asian-American male students, and #2 in the number of women earning bachelors degrees in these fields. In 2011-12, approximately 25% of new students were adults (defined as students above 25 years of age). Also in 2011-12, 34.2% were first-generation college students and 71.8% were Pell-Grant eligible.
The applied polytechnic nature of the curriculum is a hallmark of an SPSU education. All degree programs have a technological focus, and graduates are well known for being able to “hit the ground running” in fields that are critical to Georgia’s economy. One measure of academic quality is program accreditation; 13 (43.3%) of the undergraduate programs are professionally accredited, 7 (23.3%) are either currently under accreditation review or will be as soon as they are eligible (for new programs), and 8 (26.7%) are in areas for which professional accreditation or certification does not currently exist. SPSU’s academic programs are also considered rigorous. In March 2010, GradeInflation.com listed SPSU among the country’s “Sweet Sixteen of Tough Graders” – the hardest schools in the country to earn an “A.” The author, a former Duke University professor, described Southern Polytechnic this way: “Another hard-nosed science and engineering school. Its state rival Georgia Tech is no piece of cake either, but SPSU gets the nod for a Sweet Sixteen seed this year.”
Graduation rates at SPSU are a major area of focus. They have historically been low, but these rates have improved over the past seven years. For first-time full-time (FTFT) freshmen, the six-year graduation rate for the 1999 cohort was 23.1% and 31.2% for the 2005 cohort (USG data tables report these as 25.08 and 33.67%, respectively). Projected rates for the 2006 and 2007 cohorts are 32.3% and 38.8%, respectively. Six-year graduation rates are predictably higher for transfer students; these rates have improved from 41.1% for the 1999 cohort to 44.9% for the 2005 cohort. Projected rates for the 2006 and 2007 cohorts are 48.2% and 52.2 %, respectively.
Retention rates are stronger and also show recent improvements. Full-time students are retained at greater than 90% for one semester (three-year averages of 94.36% for FTFT freshmen and 92.2% for FT transfer students) and more than 75% for one year (74.63% FTFT, 77.92% FT transfer). Part-time students are retained at far lower rates. The three-year rolling average is 76.32% for first-time part-time students and 75.78% for part-time transfer students; the one-year retention rate is 55% (53.16% FTPT, 60.29% PT transfer). Learning support is not a retention consideration, because SPSU does not offer learning-support programs.
Missing information
Seven new web reports are being developed to provide data for the metrics needed for the Complete College Georgia plan. These reports provide overall data about our student population; we are still verifying the accuracy of the reports and plan to expand them to provide disaggregated data (by gender, ethnicity, etc.) in the future. Additional modifications will align the data with Complete College Georgia metrics.
Other data that will be incorporated in the future include the following:
In addition, SPSU is changing the data-reporting structure to support the CCG initiative. The CIO at SPSU is implementing a strategy to move from “pulled” data, which must be individually requested each time reports are needed, to “pushed data,” with reports produced and distributed on a regular schedule.
Goals
Based on SPSU’s strategic plan and the key findings outlined above, the following major goals have been identified as part of our CCG Initiative.
Enrollment goals
Retention- and graduation-rate goals
Program accreditation
Program support
Number of Graduates
Parts II and III: Strategies and Objectives; Planning and Implementation
Objective 1: Increasing middle and high school students’ awareness of science and engineering careers and STEM programs at SPSU.
Strategy 1: K-12 STEM career awareness for underserved populations
Aligned with our mission, partnerships with K-12 generally focus on expanding science and engineering career awareness of middle and high school students and providing support for these students in the areas of mathematics and science. Our K-12 partners provide us with critical guidance and information on how best to offer these programs and how well they are working, as well as access to their facilities and students.
Primary metrics addressed: Increased Access; Retention Rates.
Implementation: SPSU will continue to sponsor major outreach activities to promote STEM-career awareness, such as FIRST Robotics, BEST Robotics, Science Olympiad, Future Cities, and other programs. These activities involve hundreds of middle and high school participants each year. Examples of these activities include the following:
Responsibility for implementation: Director of Advising, Tutoring, Testing, and International Center (ATTIC); Director of PSLSAMP; Director of Honors Program; academic deans.
Effectiveness: By improving familiarity with STEM career choices and by improving math/science skills in the target audience, this strategy’s primary effect will be on increasing enrollments and ultimately, degrees conferred, especially among female, Hispanic, African-American, first generation, and low-income students. While this strategy will not have any significant effect until after 2020 (because most students affected are in middle school), this strategy is important in building an access pipeline in economically critical STEM areas and increases engagement of current students.
Strategy 2: K-12 outreach through science-education programs
Primary metrics addressed: Retention Rates; Degrees Conferred; Success Rates in Gateway Courses.
Implementation: SPSU has begun offering degree programs in biology education, chemistry education, mathematics education, and physics education. As a requirement at all levels within the programs, students engage in praxis activities at local public and private middle and high schools; students will serve as student teachers and tutors in local public and private schools. Science teachers are in high demand, and graduates will easily find placements in area schools, further expanding awareness of SPSU’s programs.
Responsibility for implementation: Director of Teacher Education Program.
Effectiveness: This strategy will help supply Georgia with high school teachers in critically needed STEM areas. SPSU is part of the national UTeach replication program, which results in high rates of teacher retention. Our goal is to produce 60 mathematics and science teachers annually by 2017 and 80 by 2020. By improving student familiarity with STEM career choices and strengthening their math/science skills, pursuing this strategy will ultimately increase degrees conferred. Through supporting better science and mathematics skills in K-12 education, this strategy is expected to ultimately improve retention rates and success in gateway courses in college.
Objective 2: Improving access for underserved students
Strategy 3: Articulation programs with the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG)
Primary Metrics Addressed: Degrees Conferred.
Implementation: SPSU will continue to play a leading role in expanding access to higher education for Georgia students and promoting statewide economic development through statewide articulation programs with the TCSG. Four B.A.S. programs and three new B.S. programs in engineering technology are offered in articulation with all SACS-accredited units of the TCSG. The SPSU courses in this program are offered in converged or multiple modality format (see Strategy 10 for details). This allows TCSG graduates (many of whom are rural, adult, and/or first-generation students) to continue their education without disrupting their families or leaving their jobs or homes and to earn degrees in critical STEM areas. Additional subject areas for articulation will be explored if sufficient demand exists.
Responsibility for implementation: Vice President for Academic Affairs; Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs; academic deans and department chairs.
Effectiveness: Total enrollment in articulation programs is currently 225, with a goal to increase to 500 by 2015. Expanding access for rural students promotes statewide economic development. This strategy is expected to have a strong impact on overall degrees conferred.
Strategy 4: Improving access for adult learners
Primary metrics addressed: Degrees Conferred; Increased Access.
Implementation: SPSU has been designated as an Adult Learner Friendly Institution by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), and the university is an active participant in the USG’s Adult Learning Consortium. We are developing a conservative, course-outcome-based prior-learning-assessment (PLA) program, following CAEL principles that enable adult students to shorten their path to graduation and be awarded credit for demonstrated prior learning. Currently, students are awarded credit for sufficiently high scores on AP and IB courses or by passing CLEP exams. Depending on departmental policies, students may also be awarded credit by passing departmental challenge exams or by preparing a portfolio demonstrating their prior learning for faculty evaluation. A proposal to implement this PLA program will be presented to the general faculty in Fall 2012. The program will target adults who have left college due to life issues; the program will help these students develop an academic plan that best meets their needs. The university will also review and revise support services to address the needs of this target population. We are developing an online course to train faculty (at SPSU and for the Adult Learning Consortium state-wide) in PLA methods. By offering more courses in a converged format, SPSU’s programs will be increasingly attractive to adult, part-time, and working students.
Responsibility for implementation: Vice President of Academic Affairs; Director of Faculty Growth and Development; SPSU Adult Learning Committee; Vice President of Student and Enrollment Services.
Effectiveness: The number of adult students in our entering classes has risen from 377 (21.13% in 2008-09) to 566 (27.40% in 2011-12). Our goal is to maintain about 25% of each incoming class as adult students, with an increase to 680 by the 2014-15 academic year.
Strategy 5: Improving access for military learners
Primary metrics addressed: Increased Access.
Implementation: SPSU plans to develop support programs for active military, veteran, and reserve students. SPSU is a member of the USG’s Soldier 2 Scholar (S2S) consortium and the Service Members Opportunity Colleges (SOC) and has been designated a Military Friendly Institution by G.I. Jobs. Our military support programs and the Active Military Personnel and Veterans Organization help veterans and reservists transition from the life of a soldier to that of a civilian through obtaining of a high-quality education. Our first step will be to gather more accurate information about the number of veterans (and G.I. Bill-eligible family members) present on campus and to create a supportive environment relative to veterans concerns. In addition, by offering more courses online in a converged format (see Strategy 10), SPSU will be increasingly attractive to active military, veterans, and reservists.
Responsibility for implementation: Vice President of Academic Affairs; Director of Faculty Growth and Development; SPSU’s Adult Learning Committee; Director of Financial Aid; Vice President for Student and Enrollment Services.
Effectiveness: This strategy will have a moderate impact on increasing enrollments and degrees conferred overall. The university first needs to understand the numbers and needs of veteran, active duty, and reserve students. SPSU application forms will be updated to collect accurate data about current numbers and demographics of military students. Specific support strategies for military students will be developed by Fall 2013 and implemented by Fall 2014. Discussions to identify a space for a Military Center are currently underway. Specific strategies for recruiting and supporting military learners will be developed by Fall 2013.
Objective 3: Restructuring instructional delivery and support
Strategy 6: Creating engaged learning communities
Primary Metrics Addressed: Retention Rates; Degrees Conferred; Graduation Rates.
Implementation: As part of SPSU’s SACS-approved Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) project, SPSU will establish learning communities of first-year students based on their majors. First-year students will block register into learning communities; cohorts take College Writing I (ENGL 1101), the first course in their major sequence, and SPSU 1001 (an orientation course to the university). Students in each learning community take classes together and participate in the University’s first-year studies program and extracurricular activities. Among the outcomes of the SPSU 1001 course is each student developing an individual graduation plan.
Responsibility for implementation: Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness.
Effectiveness: Results at other universities indicate that implementation of this strategy will impact retention and, ultimately, degrees conferred and graduation rates. Nearly all (95%) new FTFT students and half of new transfer students will participate in a learning community and prepare a graduation plan; all transfer students with GPA’s between 2.0 and 2.3 will be required to participate in a learning community.
Strategy 7: Enhanced advising, tutoring, and counseling services
Primary Metrics Addressed: Retention; Degrees Conferred; Graduation Rates.
Implementation: SPSU plans to provide a stronger “safety net” for students through enhanced advising, tutoring, and counseling services. Professional academic advisors play a critical role in helping students select courses, deal with the complexities of the curriculum, and address necessary areas of student academic weakness. These advisors enable faculty to provide critical mentoring and advising on professional and disciplinary activities. Advisors also help ensure that academic policies (prerequisites, maximum number of credits taken, etc.) are followed, and they assist students in using DegreeWorks. Three additional advisors were hired just prior to Fall 2011, joining two professional advisors already at the university and bringing the total to one in each academic school. Collectively, these five engaged in more than 2,100 “live” student interactions in Fall 2011 (an increase from 750 for the entire 2010-11 year), with additional interactions occurring via telephone and email.
Use of university tutoring services increased from 4,621 individual visits in 2010 to 5,175 in 2011, an increase of 12% (compared to a 5% increase in enrollment). Individual counseling center visits increased from 168 (Fall 2009) to 309 (Fall 2011). The Career and Counseling Center provides additional career counseling and job placement services as students near graduation, and the center collects expanded job placement and salary data for SPSU graduates.
Note: SPSU does not offer learning support programs or remedial courses.
Responsibility for implementation: Director of the Advising, Testing, Tutoring and International Center; academic deans; Director of Career and Counseling Center.
Effectiveness: This strategy will have a strong impact on retention and ultimately on degrees conferred and graduation rates. As resources permit, SPSU plans to increase the number of professional advisors on campus from 1 per 1,200 students to 1 per 600 students.
Strategy 8: Improving success rates in gateway courses
Primary metrics addressed: Success Rates in Gateway Courses; Retention; Degrees Conferred.
Implementation: Given SPSU’s curricular focus on STEM fields, the following gateway courses were selected for focused assessment: General Chemistry I and II (CHEM 1211-1212K), College Writing (ENGL 1101-1102), College Algebra (MATH 1111), Pre-Calculus (MATH 1113), Calculus I and II (MATH 2253-2254), Differential Equations (MATH 2306), Physics I and II (algebra-based, PHYS 1111-1112K), and Physics I and II (calculus-based, PHYS 2211-2212K). Additional gateway courses will be analyzed and monitored by individual departments. Success is defined as earning a grade of A, B, or C, consistent with the USG’s campus completion plan template.
Initial data indicate that gateway English courses generally have success rates above 80% and thus are not a significant roadblock to student success. The results are somewhat lower in gateway chemistry, mathematics, and physics courses, with most having average success rates of 64-69%. A positive exception is in MATH 1113, where the average success rate is above 70%. On the other hand, MATH 2254 has an average success rate of 54.63%, and PHYS 1111 averages 52.92%.
The Mathematics Department has added faculty-led recitation sections to all sections of MATH 1111. Some sections of MATH 1113 are now offered in a five-day-per-week format, and students who are having difficulty are advised to enroll in these sections. In chemistry and physics, recitation sections have been added to CHEM 1211, PHYS 1111, and PHYS 2211. Additional similar strategies involving course redesign, stronger/mandatory pre-gateway course advising, and enhanced student support will be developed, implemented, and evaluated for each gateway course with an average success rate below 70%. The appropriateness of the 70% standard will also be assessed as more data are collected.
Responsibility for implementation: Dean of Arts and Sciences, department chairs and faculty in chemistry, mathematics, and physics.
Effectiveness: The goal is 65% success rates in gateway mathematics and physics courses (70% in chemistry) by 2015 and 70% success rates in these areas (75% in chemistry) by 2020, which is expected to have a positive impact on retention and degrees awarded.
Strategy 9: Enhance the Early-Warning System
Primary metrics addressed: Retention; Success Rates in Gateway Courses.
Implementation: To identify students in academic trouble early in the semester, faculty assess engagement in all undergraduate courses. These assessments indicate whether students are “engaged” (attending classes, participating, submitting required assignments), “not engaged” (attending at least some classes, but not otherwise performing at appropriate levels), or “not present.” (Students identified as “not present” in all classes are dropped from the university’s rolls, and any financial aid awards are cancelled.) Students identified as “not engaged” in one or more courses receive a letter from the Vice President for Student and Enrollment Services, encouraging them to meet with the appropriate faculty member, to see their advisor, and to take advantage of the various support services (such as tutoring and counseling) that are available. Results will also be sent to the school advisors, so that they can initiate contact with unengaged students. Faculty have begun using engagement as a proactive measure to inform students that strong early performance is critical to success. Faculty involvement in this effort is an important step in developing a culture of student success.
Responsibility for implementation: Vice President for Academic Affairs; Vice President for Student and Enrollment Services; Registrar.
Effectiveness: All full-time SPSU faculty members submitted their engagement reports in the Early-Warning System within 24 hours of the scheduled deadline in Fall 2011. We anticipated that the engagement reports would result in a decline in the percentage of students earning D, F, or W grades. These rates have indeed dropped from 32% (prior to the Early-Warning System) to 24% (Fall 2010). As noted in Strategy 7, students are using advising, tutoring, and counseling services at significantly higher levels, partially as a result of the Early-Warning System.
Strategy 10: Implementation of alternative delivery methods
Primary metrics addressed: Fraction of Courses Taught in Hybrid and Online Formats; Increased Access; Enrollment; Degrees Conferred.
Implementation: SPSU plans to expand courses offered in a high-quality format that are cost-effective and meet the needs of diverse learners. Converged courses are offered simultaneously in face-to-face, hybrid, synchronous online, and asynchronous online formats. A student registers for the course (not the modality) and can participate in an asynchronous online discussion one day, switch to a face-to-face lecture another day, and participate in a synchronous discussion another day as required by work, home, health, or learning considerations. Laboratories are offered through simulation, remote access, or bundled in groups of three or four on several Saturdays during a semester to minimize the need to travel to campus. This format allows students to align their particular learning style to the modality of presentation that best suits them for a particular activity. All learning objects and course materials are available in classroom and interactive online modes, as well as through synchronous webcasts and asynchronous podcasts, thereby enhancing the learning experience of all students. A variety of hardware and software (such as Echo 360 and Camtasia) is used in offering converged courses.
Offering courses in multiple or converged modalities was tested in 2011-12 by SPSU’s Information Technology, Industrial Engineering Technology, and Electrical Engineering Technology departments, and this format will be implemented in additional programs starting in 2012-13. We have expanded the number of classrooms equipped to offer converged courses to 16 in Fall 2012. Online orientations have been developed, and all supported online courses are rigorously assessed by outside evaluators.
Responsibility for implementation: Director of Educational Support and Online Learning; Director of Instructional Design; academic deans.
Effectiveness: Increasing the percentage of converged and online courses is part of the strategy to support articulation with the TCSG and enhance access for adult and military learners. Our goal is to increase the percentage of converged and online courses from the current 24.2% to 33% by 2015.
Strategy 11: Expand curricular offerings
Primary metrics addressed: Retention; Graduation Rates.
Implementation: Relative to most comprehensive universities, SPSU offers a limited range of degree programs. Historically, this has negatively impacted our retention rates, because a student who discovered that his/her interests lie outside engineering and technology had limited alternative choices. Over the past several years, SPSU has pursued a strategy of becoming more comprehensive, with each program still having a strong technological focus. In addition to engineering majors, SPSU has added programs in new media arts, psychology (focus on industrial psychology), computer game design and development, accounting, political science (focus on analytics), chemistry, and science education. We plan to continue this strategy by adding programs in the environmental, biomedical, and biotechnology fields.
Responsibility for implementation: Vice President for Academic Affairs; academic deans; Vice President of Student and Enrollment Services; Director of Admissions.
Effectiveness: This strategy will provide our students with additional programmatic pathways to graduation, which will improve institutional retention rates and graduation rates. Individual targets for enrollment and degrees conferred will be set for each new academic program.
Objective 4. Shorten time to degree completion
Strategy 12: Implement permanent schedules for course offerings
Primary metrics addressed: Retention; Graduation Rates.
Implementation: All SPSU academic departments will implement permanent schedules to allow students to plan their course sequences more effectively. Departments will also develop sample schedules (including use of summer terms) that will allow students to graduate in 3 to 3.5 years.
Responsibility for implementation: Academic deans; department chairs.
Effectiveness: In concert with this effort, strategies 3, 4, and 5 also shorten time-to-degree for transfer students from the TCSG, adult students, and military students, respectively. In all cases, enhanced access will result in shorter times to graduation, even when the number of required credits remains the same.
This strategy will reduce the cost and length of time required to get a degree, as well as reduce the cost of instruction because the number of sections that need to be offered can be planned with greater accuracy. This strategy will also shift some demand to times when greater capacity is available, such as in the summer session. This strategy is expected to have a moderate effect on improving retention and graduation rates.
Objective 5. Increase support for academic quality
Strategy 13: Utilizing program accreditation as an indicator of quality
Primary metrics addressed: Professional Accreditation; Retention; Graduation Rates.
Implementation: Currently, all engineering technology programs, as well as programs in construction engineering, architecture, computer science, information technology, and construction management, are accredited at the highest levels possible in their disciplines. Of all programs offered at SPSU, 43.3% are currently professionally accredited; 23.3% are too new to be eligible for accreditation. SPSU will continue its policy of securing the highest accreditation level available for all academic programs. Sufficient resources will be allocated to unaccredited academic programs to allow application for accreditation.
Responsibility for implementation: Vice President for Academic Affairs, academic deans.
Effectiveness: SPSU’s goal is to have 70% of programs accredited at the highest level by professional accrediting bodies by 2020. [Note: For about a quarter of our programs, no accreditation is available.]
Objective 6. Expand other forms of support for student success
Strategy 14: Continue improving customer service
Primary metrics addressed: Retention; Graduation Rates.
Implementation: SPSU will continue improving how services are delivered in support areas such as the business, financial aid, admissions, and registrar’s offices, to reduce barriers to enrollment and to student progress. Improvement will be informed by survey results obtained from both NSSE and ACT. SPSU will also remain active in the USG Customer Service Initiative, reviewing existing processes for improvement using Six Sigma methodologies. Academic departments will also proactively support newly accepted students to assist in their transition to SPSU.
Responsibility for implementation: Vice President of Student and Enrollment Services; Director of Admissions; Director of Financial Aid; Registrar; Dean of Students; Controller; Vice President of Academic Affairs, academic department chairs.
Effectiveness: This strategy is expected to improve retention and graduation rates.
Strategy 15: Increase financial support
Primary metrics addressed: Retention; Graduation Rates; Program Quality.
Implementation: As articulated in the strategic plan, SPSU will raise additional scholarship funding, especially for students who have financial need that is not met with federal aid or HOPE scholarships. Exit surveys of students who leave SPSU indicate that the most frequent reason is lack of family resources to cover the cost of their education. Funds will also be raised to create departmental endowments. Additional grant and contract funding will be sought to support academic programs.
Responsibility for implementation: Vice President for University Advancement; Vice President of Academic Affairs; academic deans.
Effectiveness: SPSU will increase the number of endowed student scholarships to 30 by 2014 and to 60 by 2020. Each endowed student scholarship supports up to 35 students, and these endowed scholarships benefit both recruitment and retention. For examples, the Goizueta Scholarships have helped increase SPSU’s Hispanic student population over the past eight years, and endowed scholarships in Architecture have allowed students to complete their degrees. Funds will also be raised to create school-based endowments of $1 million by 2014 and $4 million by 2020. We will Increase annual external funding of academic grants and contracts from the current level of $2.3 million to $5 million by 2014; the ultimate goal for 2020 is $7.5 million. This strategy is expected to have a positive effect on retention and graduation rates.
Part IV: Ongoing Feedback/Evaluation
Implementation of SPSU’s Complete College Georgia plan will be assessed each semester by the University Institutional Effectiveness Council, which comprises the senior administration, all academic deans, and representative faculty, staff, and students. The Council is chaired by the Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness, and the Council will make recommendations to other groups on campus to ensure that the goals of the Complete College Georgia plan are met.
Demographic, retention, progression, and graduation data will be gathered and analyzed for the university as a whole by the Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness, the Director of the Office of Institutional Research, Planning, and Assessment, and the Coordinator of Assessment, with a report issued each semester for review by the effectiveness council. Course and department-based data will be analyzed by department chairs as part of their annual reports, which are compiled by the deans for each academic school. The Vice President of Academic Affairs will produce an annual report by for review by the Council, whose report will be shared with the entire university community; this report will also be distributed to industry/business leaders and relevant community members by the President, who will solicit and share their comments with the Council.
To track progress on this plan more consistently, SPSU is implementing a strategy to move from “pulled” data (individually obtained each time it is needed) to “pushed data” (calculated at predetermined times, and automatically sent to those who need it).
Appendix on USG and SPSU Metrics
Original SPSU Metrics
WRPG 0100 Success Rate for a Course (complex analysis, with SATs, MAT exam, etc.)
WRPG 0101 Graduation Rates by Category (FT, Transfer), School, Department, and Program
WRPG 0102 Student Tracker by Initial Major, Based on Entry Term
Indicates # credits completed, GPA, and major each term from entry term
WRPG 0103 Student Tracker by Final Major, Based on Graduation Term
Indicates # credits completed, GPA, and major each term backwards from graduation term
WRPG 0104 Success Rates for Courses within a Department or School (1st, 2nd, 3rd attempts)
A report, by department and/or school, of these five metrics is being compiled and will be available Fall 2012.
Complete College Georgia Metrics
Metric 1: WCCG 0100 Graduation rates (4-, 6-, and 8-year) by category (FT, Transfer)
Metric 2: WCCG 0300 Retention rates (term-by-term, three years) by category (FT, Transfer)
Metric 3: WCCG 0200 Average credit hours at time of completion (Native, Transfer)
Metric 4: WCCG 0400 Course completion ratios (All students in a term, all graduating students)
Metric 5: WCCG 0700 Number of degrees conferred (Undergraduate, Certificate, Graduate, Graduate Certificate)
Metric 6: WCCG 0600 Increased access (Adult Students, 1st Generation, Pell Grant)
Metric 7: WCCG 0500 Success rates in gateway courses (1st time, Ultimate)
Metric 8: Professional accreditation of academic programs
Metric 9: Fraction of unique courses taught in online or hybrid formats
Metric 10: WSHR 2100 Access through transfers from TCSG
Metric 11: WSHR 2110 Credit granted for prior learning
Other Metrics Related to Quality
Assessment of learning outcomes
Assessment of faculty
Annual survey of faculty about their assessment of curricular and student quality
The recent data for the Complete College Georgia Metrics and for the Other Metrics Related to Quality appear on the following pages.
General note on metrics: Some results for the WCCG metrics differ slightly from data reported in various USG reports. We are working to reduce (or eliminate) any differences.
Correlation Table for Goals, Metrics and Strategies
|
Strategy # à Goal ↓ Relevant Metric à |
1 5, 6 |
2 1, 2, 4, 5, 7 |
3 5 |
4 5, 6 |
5 1 |
6 1, 2, 5 |
7 1, 3, 5 |
8 1, 5, 7 |
9 2, 7 |
10 4, 5, 6 |
11 1, 2 |
12 1, 2 |
13 1, 2, 7 |
14 1, 2 |
15 1, 2 |
|
Increase enrollment |
M |
S |
S |
S |
M |
|
|
|
|
S |
S |
|
M |
S |
M |
|
Increase # female |
M |
S |
|
S |
|
|
|
|
|
S |
S |
|
|
|
|
|
Increase # Hispanic students |
M |
S |
|
|
M |
|
|
|
|
M |
M |
|
|
|
|
|
Improve gateway course success rates |
|
M |
|
|
|
S |
S |
S |
M |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Increase # online and converged courses |
|
|
S |
S |
S |
|
|
|
|
S |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Increase retention rates |
|
M |
|
|
|
S |
S |
S |
M |
M |
S |
M |
M |
S |
|
|
Increase graduation rates |
|
|
|
|
|
S |
S |
S |
M |
M |
S |
M |
M |
M |
|
|
Increase percentage of accredited programs |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
S |
|
AACSB accreditation in Business Admin. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
S |
|
Increase endowment |
|
|
|
|
|
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I. Increased efficiencies
Metric 1: Graduation rates—SPSU graduation only (Source: WCCG 0100)
Year, Fall 2002 2003 2004
# Yrs in Grad Rate 4 6 8 4 6 8 4 6 8
1st Time FT 6.09 29.36 35.73 5.96 27.98 32.56 7.81 32.64 38.39
Transfer FT 35.97 55.02 57.14 26.94 41.09 43.83 36.59 50.64 53.61
1st Time PT 0 23.33 30.00 6.06 9.09 18.18 0 12.50 20.83
Transfer PT 12.19 20.32 25.20 19.72 29.93 29.93 18.42 28.94 34.86
Learning Support SPSU has no learning support programs of any kind.
Federal Fin. Aid Financial-aid/graduation-rate correlation data will be collected.
3-year average
4 6 8
1st Time FT 6.62 29.99 35.56
Transfer FT 33.17 49.83 51.53
1st Time PT 2.02 14.97 23.00
Transfer PT 16.78 26.40 30.00
Learning Support SPSU has no learning support programs of any kind.
Federal Fin. Aid Financial-aid/graduation-rate correlation data will be collected.
Metric 2: Retention rates—at SPSU only (Source: WCCG 0300)
Year, Fall 2009 2010 2011
# Yrs in Grad Rate 0.5 1 2 0.5 1 2 0.5 1 2
1st Time FT 94.98 72.97 56.37 94.03 76.28 -- 94.08 -- --
Transfer FT 92.51 76.58 69.79 93.78 79.26 -- 90.31
1st Time PT 64.71 47.06 23.53 81.48 59.26 -- 82.76
Transfer PT 79.73 63.51 51.35 75.88 57.06 -- 71.72
Learning Support SPSU has no learning support programs of any kind.
Federal Fin. Aid Financial-aid/graduation-rate correlation data will be collected.
Metric 3: Average credit hours at time of completion (Source: WCCG 0200)
Year Graduated 2009-10 2010-2011 2011-2012
Native Transfer Native Transfer Native Transfer
BAS Management 135.7 159.4 140.4
BAS Information Tech 136.4 147.6 145.4
BAS Supply Chain 148.3
BA English/Prof. Comm. 128.0 138.3 126.0 127.7 124.0 129.5
BA New Media Arts 156.0
B.S. Accounting 153.0 160.0 127.0 177.4
B. Apparel + Textiles 135.4 129.3 142.3 145.9 146.7
B. Architecture 162.3 195.0 159.6 186.0 160.2 185.4
B.S. Biology 122.8 143.8 139.3 156.6 177.4
B.S. Business Admin. 129.2 147.9 135.3 144.2 143.6
B.S. Chemistry 120.0 179.5 132.3 134.0
B.S. Civil Engineering 145.0 165.7
B.S. Civil Engineering Tech. 140.4 159.5 136.6 157.9 142.7 168.2
B.S. Computer Eng. Tech. 148.6 160.3 143.8 165.9 135.0 176.2
B.S. Computer Game Design 131.5 130.0
B.S. Computer Science 131.4 136.4 132.5 136.2 130.9 142.6
B.S. Construction Eng. 163.0 170.3 157.9 174.7 144.0 182.6
B.S. Construction Mgt. 146.9 157.0 147.4 157.1 145.3 157.6
B.S. Electrical Engineering 179.5
B.S. Electrical Eng. Tech 143.9 162.6 145.7 157.4 147.0 165.6
B.S. Industrial Eng. Tech. 141.3 158.0 134.4 154.0 138.2 155.9
B.S. Information Tech. 126.4 149.2 127.5 142.1 128.6 147.4
B.S. Inform. Tech. (Web) 152.3 144.0
B.S. International Studies 122.0 146.3 135.0 133.4 143.0 130.8
B.S. Mathematics 132.0 152.3 140.5 153.1 134.0 139.7
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
B.S. Mechanical Eng. Tech. 135.2 155.0 136.0 151.4 139.1 156.2
B.S. Mechatronics Eng. 154.8 166.7 149.5 195.1
B.S. Physics 137.0 131.0 164.7
B.S. Psychology 118.0 208.7 135.0 133.8 125.7 145.3
B.S. Software Engineering 134.6 156.8 142.7 159.5 134.7 154.6
B.S. Surveying and Mapping 141.0 130.0 174.4 143.0
B.S. Technical Communic. 132.0 130.0 137.5 136.4 127.0 136.8
B.S. Telecomm. Eng. Tech. 144.3 154.9 137.0 160.3 147.0
Metric 4: Course completion ratio (Source WCCG 0420)
All Students
2009 2010 2011 2012
Sum Fall Spring Sum Fall Spring Sum Fall Spring
A—C 80.46 73.76 74.02 75.33 74.52 74.59 76.07 73.03 73.93
A—D 86.39 80.57 81.28 81.39 80.69 81.45 81.77 80.37 80.02
A 31.41 26.82 26.94 30.07 27.09 28.45 30.24 27.73 26.82
B 29.37 27.84 27.85 28.33 28.53 27.49 26.53 27.45 27.94
C 19.48 18.78 19.06 16.77 18.75 18.55 16.99 17.68 18.92
D 5.93 6.82 7.26 6.06 6.17 6.86 5.70 7.34 6.99
F 5.82 8.67 7.80 6.54 8.05 8.48 7.66 9.07 8.55
I 0.47 0.58 0.45 0.79 0.55 0.60 0.78 0.64 0.67
S 0.20 0.31 0.16 0.15 0.14 0.01 2.31 0.18 0.25
U 0.14 0.18 0.06 0.25 0.01 0.08 0.01
V 0.02 0.06 1.03 2.89 0.85 0.97 1.08 0.01 1.44
W 7.11 9.94 9.31 8.11 9.79 8.49 8.64 9.38 8.39
Students Who Graduated in Given Term
2009 2010 2011 2012
Sum Fall Spring Sum Fall Spring Sum Fall Spring
A—C 80.48 81.21 84.09 79.82 83.10 84.34 79.29 81.93 82.64
A—D 85.68 87.02 88.70 84.87 87.41 88.68 85.22 87.49 87.12
A 32.24 31.97 34.17 30.23 36.02 37.17 30.47 33.47 36.35
B 30.55 30.93 31.33 30.48 30.08 29.90 29.02 30.92 29.55
C 17.26 18.29 17.32 19.14 16.45 17.13 20.26 17.63 16.30
D 5.07 5.69 4.69 5.30 4.19 4.39 5.89 5.51 4.51
F 4.39 3.47 3.31 3.62 3.50 3.15 4.94 4.17 4.08
I 0.69 0.29 0.49 0.43 0.28 0.29 0.33 0.39 0.41
S 0.53 0.63 0.47 0.34 0.49 0.30 0.42 0.32 0.52
U 0.51 0.25 0.24 0.14 0.18 0.13 0.13 0.21 0.10
V 1.67 1.78 2.33 1.96 2.21 1.35 1.54 1.56 1.65
W 7.08 6.70 5.62 8.37 6.62 6.17 7.00 5.82 6.54
2. Increased numbers of graduates
Metric 5: Number of degrees conferred (Source: WCCG 0700)
Undergrad Undergrad Cert Grad Grad Cert Total
2009-2010 596 28 166 12 802
2009 Summer 138 3 39 2 182
2009 Fall 189 4 67 5 265
2010 Spring 269 21 60 5 355
2010-2011 723 11 200 14 948
2010 Summer 161 1 63 4 229
2010 Fall 235 4 63 6 308
2011 Spring 327 6 74 4 411
2011-2012 728 6 229 24 987
2011 Summer 142 4 46 4 196
2011 Fall 242 1 83 6 332
2012 Spring 344 1 100 14 459
Three-Year Average: 912.33
Note: This does not include students who complete the equivalent of an associates degree (60 hours) and do not graduate. It also does not include students who graduate from another USG institution.
Metric 6: Increased access (Source: WCCG 0600)
N # Adults % #1st Gen* % # Pell %
2007-2008 1556 371 23.84 471 30.27 914 58.74
2007 Summer 188 75 39.89 53 28.40 49 26.06
2007 Fall 1041 171 16.43 310 29.78 704 67.63
2008 Spring 327 125 38.23 108 33.18 161 49.24
2008-2009 1784 377 21.13 504 28.25 1067 59.81
2008 Summer 209 66 31.58 47 22.61 63 30.14
2008 Fall 1202 170 14.14 338 28.14 820 68.22
2009 Spring 373 141 37.80 119 31.93 184 49.33
2009-2010 1797 415 23.09 551 30.66 1141 63.49
2009 Summer 247 97 39.27 70 28.23 77 31.17
2009 Fall 1183 185 15.64 362 30.60 847 71.60
2010 Spring 367 133 36.24 119 32.54 217 59.13
2010-2011 1918 462 24.09 619 32.27 1329 69.29
2010 Summer 237 92 38.82 75 31.76 116 48.95
2010 Fall 1286 218 16.95 398 30.95 960 74.65
2011 Spring 395 152 38.48 146 37.05 253 64.05
2011-2012 2066 566 27.40 706 34.17 1483 71.78
2011 Summer 253 97 34.39 72 28.33 136 53.75
2011 Fall 1236 229 18.53 398 32.22 965 78.07
2012 Spring 577 240 41.59 236 40.95 382 66.20
2012 Summer 322 187 48.76 90 28.07 162 50.31
*Assumption to estimate number of first-generation students: Overall percentage of first-generation students at SPSU is that same percentage as those who indicated they are first- generation on a FAFSA.
3. Quality
Metric 7: First-time and ultimate student success rates in gateway courses (Source: WCCG 0500)
2009 2010
Sum Fall Spr Sum Fall
1st Ult 1st Ult 1st Ult 1st Ult 1st Ult
CHEM 1211K 79.1 81.4 69.9 78.4 62.6 71.8 78.4 83.8 76.2 82.0
CHEM 1212K 82.1 92.9 57.1 64.3 73.8 76.2 66.7 80.0 71.1 77.8
ENGL 1101 68.4 78.9 85.1 91.4 80.9 83.8 97.1 100 88.2 90.7
ENGL 1102 84.2 86.8 80.4 87.4 86.2 90.6 83.3 83.3 77.4 85.6
MATH 1111 63.2 78.9 72.5 80.4 58.4 75.3 67.9 71.4 78.2 82.0
MATH 1113 73.9 87.0 75.9 83.3 74.4 82.6 78.7 93.6 70.6 81.4
MATH 2253 68.1 79.7 64.1 80.4 67.3 79.4 70.3 84.4 67.6 76.5
MATH 2254 65.0 80.0 47.8 68.6 70.7 81.0 37.5 71.2 56.5 69.9
MATH 2306 90.7 92.6 65.1 82.0 76.4 87.4 81.8 92.7 65.4 77.6
PHYS 1111K 62.3 71.7 53.3 62.0 57.9 67.3 57.4 61.1 42.1 51.2
PHYS 1112K 42.9 64.3 64.7 68.6 62.2 66.7 80.0 80.0 76.3 81.6
PHYS 2211K 67.7 77.4 64.3 71.4 60.3 70.9 61.2 82.1 68.4 71.9
PHYS 2212K 86.4 93.9 70.1 80.4 71.4 78.2 78.9 86.0 71.1 77.2
2011 2012
Spr Sum Fall Spr
1st Ult 1st Ult 1st Ult 1st
CHEM 1211K 63.6 71.1 51.1 60.0 63.6 67.2 66.3
CHEM 1212K 55.7 69.3 81.8 81.8 62.9 68.6 78.2
ENGL 1101 76.0 78.8 91.7 91.7 82.6 87.2 83.3
ENGL 1102 87.5 90.9 69.8 76.7 77.8 81.3 83.8
MATH 1111 68.5 71.7 44.8 51.7 63.5 68.1 63.2
MATH 1113 75.9 81.4 52.8 65.3 71.3 75.2 63.2
MATH 2253 67.8 74.7 62.1 69.7 61.6 65.3 62.7
MATH 2254 56.6 66.4 44.6 55.4 44.0 52.4 52.2
MATH 2306 65.6 72.5 63.5 75.0 71.2 73.3 70.0
PHYS 1111K 62.5 65.4 59.5 59.5 50.5 53.5 51.2
PHYS 1112K 65.9 68.3 66.7 66.7 61.9 69.0 69.3
PHYS 2211K 64.4 70.2 54.8 61.6 61.4 66.3 68.9
PHYS 2212K 71.1 76.3 70.8 77.1 67.0 73.8 58.4
Metric 8: Professional accreditation of academic programs
Program Agency Currently Accred? Status of Accreditation
Accounting ACBSP In progress ACBSP in 2013
AACSB by 2020
Architecture NAAB Yes Currently at Highest Level
Biology None Avail. No None
Business Administration ACBSP Yes AACSB by 2017
Chemistry ACS* No ACS by 2017
Civil Engineering ABET No (New Program) Apply ABET 2013
Civil Engineering Tech. ABET Yes Currently at Highest Level
Computer Eng. Tech. ABET Yes Currently at Highest Level
Computer Science ABET Yes Currently at Highest Level
Construction Engineering ABET Yes Currently at Highest Level
Construction Management ACCE Yes Currently at Highest Level
Education PSC, NCATE No (New Program) PSC by 2014
Electrical Engineering ABET No (New Program) Apply ABET by 2013
Electrical Engineering Tech ABET Yes Currently at Highest Level
English + Prof. Comm. None Avail. No None
Industrial Eng. Tech. ABET Yes Currently at Highest Level
Information Technology ABET Yes Currently at Highest Level
International Studies None Avail. No None
Mathematics None Avail. No None
Mechanical Engineering ABET No (New Program) Apply ABET by 2013
Mechanical Eng. Tech. ABET Yes Currently at Highest Level
Mechatronics Engineering ABET No (New Program) Applied for ABET 2012
Physics None Avail. No None
Political Science None Avail. No None
Psychology None Avail. No None
Software Engineering ABET No Expected 2013
Surveying and Mapping ABET Yes Currently at Highest Level
Systems Engineering ABET No (New Program) Apply ABET by 2013
Technical Communication None Avail. No None
Telecom. Eng. Tech. ABET Yes Currently at Highest Level
Number of undergraduate programs: 30
Number currently professionally accredited: 13
Number of programs too new to be accredited: 7
Number of programs where no accreditation exists: 8
% Accredited: 43.3% % New Program: 23.3% % No Accred. Exists: 26.7%
[Note: programs marked No (New Program) in the accreditation column were approved too recently to be able to apply for accreditation yet; these programs will apply for accreditation at the earliest opportunity]
*The American Chemical Society (ACS) certifies (rather than accredits) chemistry programs.
4. Other Metrics
Metric 9: Fraction of unique courses taught in online and hybrid formats
# Unique Courses # Hybrid % # Online %
Summer 2011 302 68 22.5 80 26.4
Fall 2011 583 62 10.6 138 23.6
Spring 2012 607 61 10.0 151 24.8
Summer 2012 297 73 24.5 95 31.9
Note: Courses in which multiple sections are taught count as one unique course.
Metric 10: Access through transfers from Technical College System of Georgia
2009-10 2010-11 2011-12
# Students 201 275 335
# Cr. Hrs. transferred 6,478 10,488 12,970
By Semester:
2009 2010 2011 2012
Sum Fall Spring Sum Fall Spring Sum Fall Spring
# Students 30 101 70 44 135 96 61 153 121
% of Transfer 25.2 17.6 26.54 37.92 22.53 33.79 48.02 28.95 38.78
# Cr. Hrs. transferred 1009 2940 2529 1643 5053 3792 2117 5949 4904
% of Transfer Cr. Hrs 13.75 9.09 17.44 24.39 13.87 20.48 25.19 19.17 25.09
Metric 11: Access: Credit granted for prior learning
2009 2010 2011 2012
Sum Fall Spring Sum Fall Spring Sum Fall Spring
AP, Students 3 138 5 10 168 5 18 185 28
AP, Credit Hrs. 43 1693 89 155 2208 67 241 2576 334
CLEP, Students 2 10 2 2 13 11 7
CLEP, Credit Hrs. 13 53 9 12 68 44 45
Military, Students 2 11 8 3 7 4 8 9 1
Military, Credit Hrs. 16 161 75 26 142 86 184 103 21
CBE*, Students 26 130 49 25 138 52 28 132 100
CBE, Credit Hrs. 162 737 240 155 696 328 191 710 495
IB**, Students 1 3 2 5 1
IB, Credit Hrs. 3 30 12 33 11
Total, Students 33 290 64 40 329 63 54 342 137
Total, Credit Hrs. 234 2647 413 348 3144 493 616 3466 906
*CBE = Credit by Exam or by portfolio analysis
**IB = International Baccalaureate
Other Metrics Related to Quality
Assessment of learning outcomes
Core Courses Yes. All courses evaluated in 3-year cycle
Academic Degree Programs Yes. All courses evaluated in 3-year cycle
Assessment of faculty
Type Who When By Whom
Annual Review All Faculty Every Year C
Reappointment Review Temporary Every Year C
Untenured Year 1, 2, 4, 5 P, C, D, V
Lecturers Every Year P, C, D, V
Senior Lect. Every 5 years P, C, S, D, V
Pre-Tenure Review Untenured Year 3 P, C, S, D, V
Tenure Review Untenured Year 6 P, C, S, D, V, Pr
Post-Tenure Review Tenured Every 5 years P, C, S, D, V
Promotion Review All Faculty As applied for P, C, S, D, V, Pr
C = Chair, P = Peer Committee, D = Dean, S = School Committee, V = VPAA, Pr = President
.