TSPR Higher Education Protocols- Chapter 2

Chapter 2
Instruction and Academic Support

The core mission of a college or university is to provide teaching and learning for students. To accomplish this mission, the institution must provide instruction and academic support for a range of high quality educational programs that prepare students for careers, citizenship and lifelong learning. The institution must assess the academic abilities of students who may come from a wide variety of academic backgrounds. When there are deficiencies in students' preparation for college, they must be assigned to appropriate developmental education courses. Institutional research must be performed to measure student performance at the institution and identify strengths and weaknesses in the educational process.
Students with special needs must be identified and provided with equal access to educational opportunities as required under federal and state laws. State law also mandates that all Texas colleges and universities provide a core curriculum of general education courses for all degree-seeking undergraduate students in liberal arts, humanities and sciences and political, social and cultural history. Instruction at the institution must meet various standards in order to be accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The institution's performance is assessed periodically to maintain that accreditation.
The Texas School Performance Review measures the effectiveness of an institution's instruction and academic support through analyses of these support activities, including comparing the resources dedicated to support activities with the benefits to students. Vast differences exist in campus cultures and missions at higher education institutions and the areas under review will vary based on these differences.
Part 1
2.A. Organizational Structure
2.B. Management of Departments and Programs of Study
2.C. Accreditation/Institutional Effectiveness
2.D. Program Development and Program Evaluation Process
2.E. Faculty
2.F. Instructional and Academic Technology
2.G. Special Programs
Part 2
2.H. Course Scheduling and Availability
2.I. Deployment of Resources among Academic Programs
2.J. Library
2.K. K16-Initiatives
2.L. Research
2.M. Contract Services

PART 1
2.A. Organizational Structure
Effective instruction and academic support occurs when the activities are organized in a way that provides the institution with accurate and timely data concerning the effectiveness of academic operations. The organizational structure must both promote academic freedom and provide accountability. This category examines the activities designed and carried out to provide administrative and management support to the academic programs.
Data Needs

Organization chart(s) for the instruction and academic support functions
Listing of the number and type of employees for each section of the instruction and academic support services function
Summary of functions/activities/job descriptions for each support function
Budget for the institution's instructional units (departments and colleges) and academic support functions
Pertinent internal audits

Possible People to Interview
System office staff or president
Provost/Chief Academic Officer
Deans
Faculty and instructors
Academic support personnel
Internal Auditor
Students
Activities to Perform

2.A.1. Diagram the organization of the institution as it pertains to instruction and academic support; obtain current organizational charts developed for SACS review.
2.A.2. Review the organizational structure of the academic and instructional support services of the institution; compare to peer institutions and determine if reporting relationships are clearly defined and spans of control are reasonable.
2.A.3. Prepare a chart of staffing by function and compare the institution's staffing patterns to peer institution's numbers of staff, type of staff by function and staffing qualifications such as academic credentials and years of experience.
2.A.4. Prepare a chart showing trends over the last five years for instruction and academic support budgets and determine where and why budget changes have occurred within the institution.

Questions to Ask
Is the management of the instructional and academic support function centralized or decentralized? What is the role of the system offices and the institutional offices, if applicable, as far as the instructional and academic support functions are concerned? What is the relationship between the governing board of the institution and the instructional and academic support units? Does the institution conduct periodic reviews to minimize administrative layers and processes?
Has the institution clearly assigned authority to managers or administrators for the effective and efficient supervision of instruction, instructional support and other assigned responsibilities, including consideration of the needs of member institutions in remote locations throughout the state and other organizational alternatives? Does the institution's central administration support and facilitate the work of faculty and campus administrators?
Does the organizational structure offer adequate support to the institution's colleges and departments? Are the roles and responsibilities of administrative staff properly aligned? Is the span of control and reporting relationships of administrative support staff appropriate, effective and efficient?
Are the staffing patterns appropriate given the mission and responsibilities of the academic administrative function? What areas of the operation are understaffed? What areas are overstaffed? Why? What are the contributing factors to any aberrations within the staffing patterns?
What is involved in the decision-making process for budget allocations? What allocation formulas or models are used to equitably allocate dollars and other resources to the academic and instructional support functions? Does the chief academic officer have his or her own budget director? What is the role of deans in the budget preparation process? How are the needs of academic departments communicated to academic administrators and used during budget preparation?
What is the process for making decisions concerning instructional and academic matters? What role does the institution's Office of Academic Affairs play in making these decisions? What is the role of the offices of the deans of departments?
How does the academic support function communicate expectations to campuses, deans and faculty? What mechanisms are in place to allow feedback before final decisions are made? How do campuses, deans and faculty receive and disseminate board directives? Is the organizational approach used within the system conducive to open, two-way communication between individuals and departments?
How is shared decision-making or consensus building carried out in the instructional programs? When there are conflicts between faculty and staff, how are those conflicts resolved? What measurements exist to reflect the amount of internal communication that occurs within programs? Has the internal communication process produced increased staff productivity and satisfaction and less faculty turnover?
2.B. Management of Departments and Programs of Study
Within a higher education institution, academic departments generally exercise a great deal of autonomy. The departments assign faculty and instructors to teach specific courses, determine when courses are offered and set faculty workloads within the range allowed by institutional policies. Departments recruit faculty members and students and may award scholarships and employ students to assist their education.
Data Needs

Departmental policies and procedures
Budget and planning documents
Organizational charts for departmental staff
Lists of all course offerings and schedules by department or college
Copies of internal procedure or guides that address the administration, monitoring or evaluation of specific programs
Institution budget for instruction by program and by campus, both in total dollars and expressed per pupil
List of instructors and their academic qualifications
Pertinent internal audits

Possible People to Interview
Provost/Chief Academic Officer
Deans
Department chairs
Director of Institutional Research and Planning
Faculty
Curriculum Committee members
Internal auditor
Students
Activities to Perform

2.B.1. Prepare organizational charts for all departments and academic units. Compare the organizational structure of academic units to one another and with those of peer institutions.
2.B.2. Prepare a chart showing the budgets by function code for the last five years for each of the departments and academic units of the institution. Assess funding trends and the adequacy and equity of funding for and among academic units.
2.B.3. Compile a list of all planning documents for each department or academic unit showing who was involved in the plan preparation, how the plan is linked to the institution's overall strategic plan and board goals and when it was last updated.
2.B.4. Prepare a flow chart showing how department-level decisions, such as course loads and assignments are made and compare this process to peer institutions.
2.B.5. Gather a list of all policies and procedures that pertain to individual departments or units including such policies regarding the use of teaching assistants and methods for creating or discontinuing a course offering. Note any obviously missing or outdated policies or procedures and compare current practices to existing policies or procedures and note any discrepancies.
2.B.6. Obtain unit effectiveness plans and determine whether or not they are current.

Questions to Ask
Is the organizational structure of individual schools, departments or units similar? If there is a wide variance between the structure of individual schools, departments or units, what differences exist that make certain organizations unique? Does the organization of the department or unit promote communication? Promote accountability? Promote educational excellence? Is the span of control appropriate?
What are the departments' roles in student recruitment? What are the departments' roles in reviewing and granting scholarships, grants and other financial aid? What are departments' roles in encouraging diversity? Increasing or better managing enrollment? What are the departments' roles in recruiting faculty? Recruiting a diverse faculty? What are the departments' roles in hiring, firing and other human resource management issues?
How are faculty and staff involved in departmental planning and decision-making? What formal and informal communication mechanisms are in place to obtain feedback from faculty and staff? To disseminate information to faculty and staff?
How is the departmental budgets tied to the institution's strategic plan? What is the process for assuring that departmental funds are budgeted in accordance with the institution's strategic plan?
What policies encourage the retention of high quality faculty for each department?
Do the departments foster a climate that encourages academic excellence? Do the departments provide faculty with the tools that they need to excel? Do the departments have a vision of where they want to be in the future?
Do the departments receive an equitable allocation of resources in the institution's budget? What trends exist in budgeting that are positively or negatively affecting the academic offerings of the department? Do budgets provide for the maintenance and replacement of equipment used in the academic programs such as computers, lab equipment and the like?
How does the academic department determine what courses are to be taught by full time faculty, instructors or lecturers and the like? How is the independence of faculty members protected at the institution? How is faculty involved in the academic decision-making process? What is the role of individual faculty members? How is the faculty senate involved in decision-making?
2.C. Accreditation/Institutional Effectiveness
The appropriate regional accrediting body must accredit every higher education institution in order to offer degrees. For public universities in Texas, this means being accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Institutional accreditation can be a lengthy and time-consuming process and involves both self-examination and onsite visits from academics from other institutions. On an ongoing basis, institutional research is critical for identifying the institution's successes and those areas where improvement is needed.
In addition to institutional accreditation, individual degree programs and disciplines are subject to licensure and accreditation requirements by a variety of professional and governmental bodies. In some cases, students cannot get jobs or become professionals in their field of study unless they graduate from an accredited or approved program. In other cases, accreditation may be desirable and prestigious, but not essential. In still other cases, a particular accreditation may be irrelevant. Institutions of higher education need to keep their programs in good standing with state licensing agencies and major accrediting agencies, such as the State Board for Educator Certification, the Board of Nurse Examiners, the American Bar Association, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology and so on. They also need to make good decisions regarding which types of program accreditation are needed for their students.
Data Needs

Institutional and program accreditation reviews
Passage rates on licensing exams
Reports to the Coordinating Board
Self-studies of institutional effectiveness
Copies of reports, fact books prepared by the Institutional Research staff
Pertinent internal audits

Possible People to Interview
SACS accreditation team members
Legislative Budget Board (LBB) budget analysts
Coordinating Board staff
Director of Institutional Research
Internal auditor
Activities to Perform

2.C.1. Examine internal or external reports for the last five years on institutional and program effectiveness and prepare a summary of key findings such as graduation and retention rates, performance on graduate school entrance examinations, passage rates on licensure examinations, employability of graduates and the like. Note significant positive and negative trends or areas of excellence or those requiring significant improvement.
2.C.2. Review the findings of the institution's most recent accreditation review and the institution's response to that review and compile a summary of the identified strengths and weaknesses and any corrective actions taken by the institution.
2.C.3. Prepare a summary of reports on institutional performance supplied to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) and the LBB for the last five years. Note significant positive and negative trends or areas of excellence or those requiring significant improvement.
2.C.4. Obtain copies of any graduate follow-up done by the institution or external entities and prepare a summary of results.
2.C.5. Diagram the processes being used to gather post graduation student performance data. Note the response rate or the population number and percent that are being identified and for which data is captured.

Questions to Ask
How does the institution define institutional effectiveness? How does it measure institutional effectiveness? How does the institution's definition and measurement compare to peer institutions? If there are differences, what conditions exist that account for the differences? Is the explanation reasonable and appropriate?
By its own measure, is the institution effective? What is the institution doing to enhance its effectiveness? Does the strategic plan contain goals and objectives targeted to improve institutional effectiveness? How are departments and programs involved in planning for institutional effectiveness and in implementing strategies for enhancing institutional effectiveness? How are the goals and objectives for improving institutional effectiveness communicated to faculty and staff?
If performance measures are reported to the LBB, which measures are being met or exceeded? Which measures are not being met and why?
What were the findings from the most recent accreditation review? What areas were identified as being weak? What strengths were identified by the review? How has the institution responded to report? What processes are in place to ensure that corrective actions are taken? What policies or procedures have been modified to ensure that corrective actions are not reversed in the future?
How does the institution ensure that the data being reported to the THECB and LBB is being reported accurately and according to instructions? How does the institution use the data it gathers for the THECB and the LBB to improve its operations and effectiveness?
What is the institution's graduation rate for four years? For six years? What percentage of students was retained from the freshman to the sophomore year? What is the performance of students on licensing examinations, Graduate Records Examinations (GRE) and other standardized examinations?
How is the institution addressing positive and negative trends? What are individual departments doing to correct identified weaknesses within its programs?
Does the institution conduct graduate follow-up surveys? Does the institution request evaluation of graduates from graduate and professional school programs? Is an annual report given to the board on the follow-up surveys including recommendations for correcting or improving areas of weakness? What is the response rate for such surveys? What attempts are being made to improve the response rate to follow-up surveys?
What mechanisms other than graduate surveys are used to track student success after graduation? What percentage of the student population is captured by these alternative tracking mechanisms? How could tracking be improved? How could the percent tracked be increased?
2.D. Program Development and Program Evaluation Process
Most higher education institutions are continually adding to, improving or eliminating degree and certificate programs. Managing this process involves not only understanding the needs and expectations of students, but the capability of faculty and staff and the scope of the programs being offered. In the last decade, distance education has also taken the stage beside traditional course offerings, bringing with it its own unique challenges for course development and delivery. Additionally, management must regularly evaluate programs to ascertain the effectiveness and continued demand, to determine when the program requires modification or termination. Institutions must obtain approval from the THECB to offer a particular academic or technical program. THECB examines the proposed course of study as well as the likely demand for graduates from the proposed course of study.
Data Needs

Program Productivity Reviews
Undergraduate and graduate catalogs
Records of faculty release time for course development
Copies of course and program evaluations
Pertinent internal audits

Possible People to Interview
Provost/Chief Academic Officer
THECB Universities Division staff that approve degree programs
Deans and Deans of Allied Colleges within the institution
Departmental Chairs or other in the chain of command for approval of new or revised courses
Faculty members engaged in program development
Faculty members at peer institutions with similar programs
Practitioners in the particular field of study
Program evaluators/researcher
Internal auditor
Activities to Perform

2.D.1. While this process may vary to some degree by discipline, college or department, diagram the general institutional course development process beginning with the initial idea for a new course through the final implementation of the course offering. (If the distance education development cycle is significantly different, prepare two charts) Identify decision-making and quality control steps in the process and compare the flow chart to approved policies and procedure.
2.D.2. Diagram the process for new program design beginning with the initial idea through the THECB approval process and final implementation of the program. Identify decision-making and quality control steps in the process and compare the flow chart to approved policies and procedure.
2.D.3. Compile a list of program or course evaluations done in the last year and compare the evaluations to the program evaluation criteria as well as compare the list to the master schedule for program evaluations within the institution.

Questions to Ask
Course Development
Who can initiate a new course offering for the institution? Does a list exist of courses to be developed based on planned expansions or shifts in program offerings? How does the institution prioritize course development activities?
Who determines how much release time is provided to faculty for course development activities? How are faculty members identified to develop new or proposed course offerings? How are budgets reallocated to pay for new course offerings?
How do changes in course offerings relate to the institution's long-range plans? How does the institution decide when to drop a course offering? Is the decision based on facts such as enrollment trends? Feedback from faculty? Feedback from students? What would improve the decision-making process?
What kinds of quality control mechanisms are in place to ensure that new courses contribute to the overall mission and objectives of the institution? That new courses are of the highest possible quality? That courses meet the needs of students? That courses contribute to the overall development of students? That courses contain essential elements of information contributing to the field of study as confirmed by professional organizations, academic societies or other experts in the field?
Are there points in the course development cycle that are needlessly time-consuming? Expensive? Frustrating? What could be done to improve those processes?
How does internal management (deans or department chairs) provide feedback to faculty during the course development cycle?
Distance Education
How does the development of distance education courses differ from the development of regular courses? What control mechanisms are in place to ensure that distance education courses are of the same quality as those offered traditionally? Are distance education courses coordinated with similar programs at other institutions or part of a system wide initiative? Does distance education course development take into account the need for student/faculty interactions? Security? Equipment needs? Copyright and other multi-media infringement issues?
Program Development
How does the institution decide when to add a new program? How does the institution decide when to drop a program offering? How does the institution ensure that new programs enhance the institution's mission? How are budgets reallocated to pay for new program offerings? How are facility needs and other resource changes planned for in advance of new program offerings? Are new programs identified in the institution's facility master plan? Is the planning process sufficiently long to allow for construction, hiring and marketing?
Are programs reviewed on a regular basis and do the reviews provide meaningful information?
Has the institution explored alternatives to new program offerings such as collaborative or joint degree programs with other institutions? Why or why not?
Are there points in the program development cycle that are needlessly time-consuming? Expensive? Frustrating? What could be done to improve those processes?
How are deans, faculty and staff involved in the decision-making process? How are they involved in prioritization of course development activities associated with the program development process?
Who compiles the information that is submitted to the THECB? How does the institution organize the initial development process to ensure that all THECB requirements are met? Who ensures that all of the data submitted is accurate? If THECB identifies weaknesses in the proposal, how does the institution handle resubmissions? What proposals have been turned down by THECB? Why? What could have been done better or differently to ensure success?
Program Evaluation
Does the institution have a regular program evaluation cycle? If not, why not? If so, who is responsible for conducting program reviews? What mechanisms are in place to ensure that the program reviews are done in a timely manner? What mechanisms are in place to ensure that program reviews are of high quality? Are peer reviews used to compliment internal review processes?
How is data gathered for a program review? Is the data gathering done in a manner that ensures the integrity of the data collected? How are program documentation and actual practices compared and resolved during the evaluation cycle?
What role do deans, faculty, students play in the program evaluation process? How are faculty recruited when change is needed? If there is resistance to change from faculty, what mechanisms exist to resolve conflicts?
When weaknesses are identified, how are modifications or changes planned? What mechanisms are in place to ensure that existing programs are modified when need is identified?
How are programs that depend upon multiple departments for support evaluated? How are multi-departmental issues resolved?
What could be done to improve the effectiveness of program evaluations in the institution? What has impeded improvements to the evaluation process? Do those conditions still exist?
Are decisions to bring in new programs or discontinue existing programs made based upon quantifiable data? When new programs are brought into the institution are expected results defined? Are decisions regarding new program adoptions research-based? Are there policies or procedures in place for piloting instructional programs that are not research-based? Does the institution evaluate the regular and special needs instructional programs on a regular basis? Is the program evaluation based upon measurable performance standards? When programs are not achieving the desired results, is there an orderly process for modification that involves faculty and administrators in the decision-making process? Are decisions to discontinue existing programs reached with input from faculty and administrators?
Are faculty evaluations reviewed and analyzed for identification of strengths and weaknesses? Is institutional effectiveness data analyzed both at an institutional and campus level to identify areas of instruction that need to be strengthened? Does the institution review and analyze of comparative data between similar institutions to develop an evaluation of the programs? Are faculty and administrators involved in review of current effective schools research to identify areas for improvement and/or further study?
How does the institution use current or longitudinal student performance to analyze academic success, assess curriculum and assess the strengths and weaknesses of instruction?
Does the institution conduct regular student evaluations of programs? Is the information obtained in student evaluations used to improve programs?
2.E. Faculty
Faculty is the single greatest asset of a higher education institution as well as one of the greatest expenses with the possible exception of capital expenditures for facilities. This section reviews faculty in the following areas:

Recruitment and Tenure Policies
Faculty Development
Faculty Turnover Faculty Workloads and Productivity
Degree Productivity (degrees granted vs. number of faculty)
(Or degrees granted per $ of instructions and operations formula)

Data Needs

Faculty staffing patterns by program and course
Workload charts or assignment for a sample of faculty in each department including lower-division student credit hours (SCH), organized course sections, undergraduate student hours and undergraduate course sections taught by tenured and tenure track faculty
Policies regarding the use of non-tenure track instructors and teaching assistants
Job descriptions
Faculty salary schedules, including faculty salary actions in the past 5 years
Policies and procedures dealing with faculty recruitment, tenure, development, workloads and productivity
Policies concerning the granting of sabbaticals to tenured faculty
Policies concerning the role that public service activities play in tenure reviews
Faculty workload policies (generally part of the official budget)
Post-tenure review policies
Results of qualitative measures such as number of publications, textbooks, edited volumes, or articles published in the last 36 months, number of externally funded contracts and the like
Information on faculty organizations (unions) and any formal or informal agreements that may impact employment or workload issues
Pertinent internal audits

Possible People to Interview
Legislative Staff
System staff with faculty workload responsibility, if applicable
President
Provost/Chief Academic Officer
Advisors in the Student affairs office
Deans
Faculty and instructors
Representatives of statewide and campus faculty associations
Academic support personnel
Internal auditor
Students
Activities to Perform

2.E.1. Compile a list by course of the number of offerings, students enrolled and number faculty assigned and calculate the faculty to student ratio for each course. Identify low enrollment courses and seek to determine the need for smaller than normal class sizes.
2.E.2. Prepare a summary of policies relating to faculty recruitment, tenure, development, workloads and productivity. Assess the financial and academic impact of each policy on the institution's ability to recruit and retain the highest quality and most productive faculty.
2.E.3. Analyze salary actions; determine if faculty salaries have been increased across-the-board, or if there is an attempt to tie salary actions to performance. If performance criteria are used, obtain descriptions of these criteria and how they are used to determine salary actions.
2.E.4. Compile a list of faculty development or continuing educational offering or requirements, if applicable and compare the current level of participation by faculty.
2.E.5. Prepare a chart showing faculty turnover rates by program area for the last ten years. Identify programs with high or low turnover rates and attempt to determine the cause for each identified area.
2.E.6. Prepare a chart showing faculty FTE distribution for instruction, administration, research and public service by department.
2.E.7. Gather statistical data on the degrees granted versus the number of faculty assigned by program area. Note areas with low or high graduation rates and determine the cause.
2.E.8. Perform trend analysis and comparisons of "productivity measures" kept by the institution against national and peer data. Note areas of superior or deficient performance and determine reason for variances.
2.E.9. Compare actual faculty workloads to assigned workloads. Note deviations and determine reason for variances.

Questions to Ask
Recruitment and Tenure Policies
How are faculty defined? When faculty data is provided, what categories of faculty are included? What is the average number of courses taught per FTE faculty member over the last five years? What is the average SCH generated per FTE faculty member over the last five years? What is the amount of external contract and grant funding generated per FTE faculty over the last five years? What proportion of undergraduate courses are taught by tenured faculty? What proportion of undergraduate SCH is generated by tenured/tenure earning faculty? What proportion of lower division SCHs are generated by tenured/tenure track faculty?
Faculty Development
What kind of continuing education is required of faculty? Of tenured faculty? Are faculty members granted sabbaticals and other opportunities for professional development? How does the institution's policy regarding staff development promote faculty excellence? Ensure that faculty is current on the latest developments in their field of study? Are technologically proficient?
How is continuing education tracked, recorded and reported for faculty members?
How are public service activities used to evaluate faculty and the granting of tenure?
Faculty Turnover
What are the faculty turnover trends in the college or university? How does this compare to peer institutions?
How do salaries at the institution compare with salaries at peer institutions, both in Texas and nationally? Does the college or university conduct regular analyses of faculty salaries in each field?
Does the college or university analyze reasons given for turnover? How does the department use turnover data to determine staffing needs? Does the college or university track the reasons why employees' status changes such as (voluntary separation, retirement, termination for cause or transfer to a different classification (e.g., instructor to administrator))? Does the department conduct exit interviews with employees who are leaving to determine the reasons for resignation? Does the institution or department then systematically analyze these reasons to determine strategies for reducing turnover?
Does the institution keep turnover statistics? If the institution has more than one campus, does it keep turnover by campus? What does the institution consider a manageable level of turnover?
Faculty Workloads and Productivity
Does the institution have written procedures to control the number of budgeted full time equivalent (FTE) positions? Does the institution have an approval process to handle situations where FTEs exceed the number of budgeted positions?
Are the responsibilities of faculty clearly defined? Is each category of faculty performing their intended function?
How does faculty within a program area work together to ensure that all students are well prepared to enter the next educational level or the workplace? How do faculty work with related program areas?
How is faculty allocated to programs? Does the institution have a targeted student-faculty and staff-student ratios for the institution? For campuses? For each level? Are these ratios based upon a institution goal or strategy? Industry standards? Are staffing ratios equitable between campuses serving similar levels? Is there a direct correlation between higher than average staffing levels at specific campuses and higher than average numbers of special need students or some other stated criteria? Does the institution offer classes based upon expressed interest or needs of students?
Does the institution have qualified faculty for all courses and levels? When qualified faculty is not available, how does the institution fill the positions? Does the institution have strategies in place to recruit and retain faculty in critical shortage areas? Does the institution have a policy regarding the use of teaching assistants?
What amount of faculty time is expected to be spent engaged in research and/or public service activities? What expectations are made of faculty with respect to submitting articles to academic journals or periodicals? How do these standards compare among departments? How do they compare with standards at peer institutions?
Degree Productivity
What are the causes for higher or lower than average degree productivity as reported to the THECB among institutional programs? How does the institution and individual programs within the institution compare to its peers in the area of degree productivity? What steps are taken to increase or reduce staff based upon this productivity measure?
2.F. Instructional and Academic Technology
Instructional and academic technology has become a critical part of an institution's educational programs. Computers in the classrooms as well as computers in labs are no longer the exception, but the norm.
Data Needs

Policies and procedures
Computer availability patterns by program
Copies of contracts from technology support or maintenance
Job descriptions for institutional technology staff
Student's requirements for access to computers
Pertinent internal audits

Possible People to Interview
System office staff or president
Provost/Chief Academic Officer
Chief Information Officer
Director of Technology Department
Deans
Faculty and instructors
Internal auditor
Students
Activities to Perform

2.F.1. Obtain a list of computers for all campuses and programs by campus, type and capacity of computer and location (whether classroom or lab-based). Establish a student to computer ratio by campus and program for all computers regardless of usability. Establish a student to computer ratio based upon computers that can support course-appropriate programs and Internet access. Examine opinion survey results (as available) to determine the perceived effectiveness of technology in the institution.
2.F.2. Compile a list of all educational technology equipment in addition to computers, such as servers, teleconferencing capabilities and connections. Determine areas of strength and weakness in the current infrastructure in comparison to the educational needs of the programs and planned expansions.
2.F.3. Prepare a chart of budgeted and actual revenues and expenditures associated with computer service and other technology fees for the last few years. Describe the decision-making process and who has ultimate responsibility for determining the manner in which funds are expended.

Questions to Ask
Do students pay a separate fee to support computing activities? How are fee revenues allocated among departments and programs? How is the fee amount determined?
How are student to computer ratios established and are they appropriate for the programs offered? Does the university maintain a sufficient number and type of computers for the programs offered? How often is each computer used, on average and how does this compare with standards or with peer institutions?
How is technology used in various instructional programs? Does the institution have a long-range plan for use of technology in the instructional program? Does the institution have an approved policy for purchasing and using computers in the instructional program? Does the institution have an annual budget allocation established for academic or instructional hardware and software acquisition? Has the university negotiated agreements with major software vendors to allow students the ability to obtain programs at a reduced cost? Is a policy or procedure in place for handling controversial printed and Internet-based materials? For copyrighted software?
How are faculty trained to use technology in the classroom? How is faculty encouraged to integrate technology into the curriculum? How many courses or programs have technology meaningfully integrated into the curriculum? What does this integration consist of? What kinds of support do faculty receive for the use of technology in the classroom? Hardware support? Curriculum and lesson planning support?
Does the institution operate one or more 24 hour computing centers for students to use? Are students required to own a computer in order to enroll at the institution or in any particular program at the institution?
Are the fees expended in accordance with the institution's strategic plan? How are the fees accounted for? Are fund balances from these fees readily identifiable?
2.G. Special Programs
This section of the review examines the special needs of student requiring developmental education as well as the special needs of students with handicapping conditions.
Data Needs

Policies and procedures relating to remedial education and students with handicaps
Descriptions of assessment instruments used to place students in developmental education courses
Program evaluation reports
List of course offering or special programs for developmental education
Planning documents for developmental and disabled students
Published information about the institution's Developmental Education programs
State and federal laws, rules and guidelines for special programs
Pertinent internal audits

Possible People to Interview
System office staff or president
Vice President with assigned responsibility
Deans
Counselors
Faculty and instructors
Internal auditor
Students
Activities to Perform

2.G.1. Evaluate the policies and procedures for assigning students to developmental education in light of state and federal laws and regulations.
2.G.2. Chart the number of students served in the developmental education program by program, ethnicity and economic disadvantaged status. If available, chart the number and demographics of students served over time and show percent change.
2.G.3. Chart the number of students with handicapping conditions served by program, ethnicity and economic disadvantaged status. If available, chart the number and demographics of students served over time and show percent change.
2.G.4. Chart the budgets and staffing of the developmental education programs. Show the budgets and staffing in each special program over time and show percent change as compared to percent change in student enrollment in each program.
2.G.5. Examine planning documents for developmental education and list out all goals, objectives and strategies for the programs.

Questions to Ask
What instruments are used to assess whether or not entering student's need developmental courses in order to succeed in college? How are the assessment results used to place student in appropriate courses. How does the student administer its noncourse based developmental education programs?
What evaluations are made of the effectiveness of services for students with disabilities? Does the institution track complaints and what is its track record in handling any complaints?
How does the institution assess the effectiveness of its developmental education programs? How are assessments used to improve or refine programs?
Has the institution considered alternative means for delivering developmental education services? Has the institution done a cost-benefit analysis to see if private firms could deliver courses at a lower cost to students?

2.A.1.	Diagram the organization of the institution as it pertains to instruction and academic support; obtain current organizational charts developed for SACS review.
2.A.2.	Review the organizational structure of the academic and instructional support services of the institution; compare to peer institutions and determine if reporting relationships are clearly defined and spans of control are reasonable.
2.A.3.	Prepare a chart of staffing by function and compare the institution's staffing patterns to peer institution's numbers of staff, type of staff by function and staffing qualifications such as academic credentials and years of experience.
2.A.4.	Prepare a chart showing trends over the last five years for instruction and academic support budgets and determine where and why budget changes have occurred within the institution.

2.B.1.	Prepare organizational charts for all departments and academic units. Compare the organizational structure of academic units to one another and with those of peer institutions.
2.B.2.	Prepare a chart showing the budgets by function code for the last five years for each of the departments and academic units of the institution. Assess funding trends and the adequacy and equity of funding for and among academic units.
2.B.3.	Compile a list of all planning documents for each department or academic unit showing who was involved in the plan preparation, how the plan is linked to the institution's overall strategic plan and board goals and when it was last updated.
2.B.4.	Prepare a flow chart showing how department-level decisions, such as course loads and assignments are made and compare this process to peer institutions.
2.B.5.	Gather a list of all policies and procedures that pertain to individual departments or units including such policies regarding the use of teaching assistants and methods for creating or discontinuing a course offering. Note any obviously missing or outdated policies or procedures and compare current practices to existing policies or procedures and note any discrepancies.
2.B.6.	Obtain unit effectiveness plans and determine whether or not they are current.

2.C.1.	Examine internal or external reports for the last five years on institutional and program effectiveness and prepare a summary of key findings such as graduation and retention rates, performance on graduate school entrance examinations, passage rates on licensure examinations, employability of graduates and the like. Note significant positive and negative trends or areas of excellence or those requiring significant improvement.
2.C.2.	Review the findings of the institution's most recent accreditation review and the institution's response to that review and compile a summary of the identified strengths and weaknesses and any corrective actions taken by the institution.
2.C.3.	Prepare a summary of reports on institutional performance supplied to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) and the LBB for the last five years. Note significant positive and negative trends or areas of excellence or those requiring significant improvement.
2.C.4.	Obtain copies of any graduate follow-up done by the institution or external entities and prepare a summary of results.
2.C.5.	Diagram the processes being used to gather post graduation student performance data. Note the response rate or the population number and percent that are being identified and for which data is captured.

2.D.1.	While this process may vary to some degree by discipline, college or department, diagram the general institutional course development process beginning with the initial idea for a new course through the final implementation of the course offering. (If the distance education development cycle is significantly different, prepare two charts) Identify decision-making and quality control steps in the process and compare the flow chart to approved policies and procedure.
2.D.2.	Diagram the process for new program design beginning with the initial idea through the THECB approval process and final implementation of the program. Identify decision-making and quality control steps in the process and compare the flow chart to approved policies and procedure.
2.D.3.	Compile a list of program or course evaluations done in the last year and compare the evaluations to the program evaluation criteria as well as compare the list to the master schedule for program evaluations within the institution.

2.E.1.	Compile a list by course of the number of offerings, students enrolled and number faculty assigned and calculate the faculty to student ratio for each course. Identify low enrollment courses and seek to determine the need for smaller than normal class sizes.
2.E.2.	Prepare a summary of policies relating to faculty recruitment, tenure, development, workloads and productivity. Assess the financial and academic impact of each policy on the institution's ability to recruit and retain the highest quality and most productive faculty.
2.E.3.	Analyze salary actions; determine if faculty salaries have been increased across-the-board, or if there is an attempt to tie salary actions to performance. If performance criteria are used, obtain descriptions of these criteria and how they are used to determine salary actions.
2.E.4.	Compile a list of faculty development or continuing educational offering or requirements, if applicable and compare the current level of participation by faculty.
2.E.5.	Prepare a chart showing faculty turnover rates by program area for the last ten years. Identify programs with high or low turnover rates and attempt to determine the cause for each identified area.
2.E.6.	Prepare a chart showing faculty FTE distribution for instruction, administration, research and public service by department.
2.E.7.	Gather statistical data on the degrees granted versus the number of faculty assigned by program area. Note areas with low or high graduation rates and determine the cause.
2.E.8.	Perform trend analysis and comparisons of "productivity measures" kept by the institution against national and peer data. Note areas of superior or deficient performance and determine reason for variances.
2.E.9.	Compare actual faculty workloads to assigned workloads. Note deviations and determine reason for variances.

2.F.1.	Obtain a list of computers for all campuses and programs by campus, type and capacity of computer and location (whether classroom or lab-based). Establish a student to computer ratio by campus and program for all computers regardless of usability. Establish a student to computer ratio based upon computers that can support course-appropriate programs and Internet access. Examine opinion survey results (as available) to determine the perceived effectiveness of technology in the institution.
2.F.2.	Compile a list of all educational technology equipment in addition to computers, such as servers, teleconferencing capabilities and connections. Determine areas of strength and weakness in the current infrastructure in comparison to the educational needs of the programs and planned expansions.
2.F.3.	Prepare a chart of budgeted and actual revenues and expenditures associated with computer service and other technology fees for the last few years. Describe the decision-making process and who has ultimate responsibility for determining the manner in which funds are expended.

2.G.1.	Evaluate the policies and procedures for assigning students to developmental education in light of state and federal laws and regulations.
2.G.2.	Chart the number of students served in the developmental education program by program, ethnicity and economic disadvantaged status. If available, chart the number and demographics of students served over time and show percent change.
2.G.3.	Chart the number of students with handicapping conditions served by program, ethnicity and economic disadvantaged status. If available, chart the number and demographics of students served over time and show percent change.
2.G.4.	Chart the budgets and staffing of the developmental education programs. Show the budgets and staffing in each special program over time and show percent change as compared to percent change in student enrollment in each program.
2.G.5.	Examine planning documents for developmental education and list out all goals, objectives and strategies for the programs.