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 2
2.H. Course Scheduling and Availability
Colleges and universities serve both traditional and nontraditional students. For the traditional student, classes and labs that meet between 8 am and 5 pm. Monday through Friday may be perfectly appropriate to the needs of the student body. Nontraditional students, however, need access to courses at other hours; for example evening and weekend courses. In addition, the availability of courses is essential to students who desire to complete their studies in a timely manner.
Data Needs

Summaries of course schedules that indicate the number of courses that meet at any given time.
Numbers of students served by each class compared to the number of students who sought admission to a class section but were denied access because of space limitations, if available.
Policies for determining course scheduling and data on classroom utilization by time of day.
Pertinent internal audits

Possible People to Interview
Provost/Chief Academic Officer
Current students and alumni
Faculty members
Deans and departmental chairs
Coordinating Board, Campus Planning staff
Internal auditor
Activities to Perform

2.H.1. Obtain course schedules by program, department and by building and records of students enrolled in classes and if available, students turned away from classes because of space limitation. Compare records of time-to-degree with course availability to determine if they are correlated.

Questions to Ask
How are course schedules determined? How are course sections added or dropped based upon demand for various courses? How many students are turned away from courses because of limited space? How is classroom space used during non-peak hours and are there opportunities to offer additional courses during these times? How does the availability of courses affect the institution's ability to graduate students in a timely manner? Does the institution make use of mini-semesters between long semesters in order to use space more effectively?
2.I. Deployment of Resources among Academic Programs
Academic programs require different levels of resources depending upon enrollments, faculty needs and the cost of related instructional equipment used to provide courses. Commonly the Academic Affairs office develops resource allocation models in conjunction with deans and the Academic Budget office.
Data Needs

Sample copies of budget requests by department and/or program.
Academic policies or models used to allocate funds to departments
Copies of budgets as approved by the administration.
Pertinent internal audits

Possible People to Interview
System office staff or president
Departmental chairs
Deans of colleges
Chief academic budget officer
Faculty
Internal auditor
Students
Activities to Perform

2.I.1. Analyze the model used to allocate funds among departments and programs. Identify if there are trends apparent in the budget, with some departments or programs receiving greater shares of the overall budget.

Questions to Ask
Are different budget levels supported by the budgetary requests? How do budgeted amounts per student vary among programs? How do budget allocations at the institution compare with those of peer institutions? What trends are apparent? Do changes in budgets reflect state institutional priorities? Have these priorities changed in recent years.
2.J. Library
Libraries are critical components of an academic enterprise. Students and faculty need access to books, journals and other documents for teaching and learning. The performance review will examine the following areas of library operations:

Holdings
Staffing
Services

Data Needs

Policies and procedures relating to library operations
Program evaluation reports
Inventory of holdings
Staffing patterns for library services
List of services provided by Library/Media Services
Planning documents for Library Services
Published information about available services
State and federal laws, rules and guidelines for Library Services
Pertinent internal audits

Possible People to Interview
System office staff or president
Vice President with assigned responsibility
Deans
Librarians
Internal auditor
Students
Questions to Ask
Are library and/or media services sufficient to support the needs of the institution? Is a standard formula used for the allocation of library materials and media equipment? Is faculty able to acquire books and periodicals that are needed for their classes and research activities? Are library hours adequate for access to materials? Are library facilities adequately staffed? What plans exist for future acquisitions? How are library needs determined and is there adequate input from users of library facilities?
Is a procedure in place for handling controversial printed materials? Internet-based materials? To what extent are interlibrary loans used to meet students' needs? Are faculty and departments able to subscribe to pertinent journals and periodicals? Do students pay a special library services fee to support the purchase of library books and materials and electronic databases?
2.K. K-16 Initiatives
Recent education reform initiatives have focused attention on the need for a more integrated system of primary, secondary and postsecondary education. Colleges and universities must work with public schools to help improve the quality of precollegiate education and ensure that students arrive at college able to handle college-level work. Limiting the need for developmental education will free up funds for other college and university activities. Colleges and universities train the teachers and administrators who staff the public school system and effective training of educational personnel requires close collaboration between elementary and secondary schools and higher education.
Data Needs

Policies, planning instruments and procedures regarding K-16 projects.
Descriptions of initiatives involving public education.
Copies of articulation or other agreements with school districts.
Copies of reports sent to THECB on K-16 initiatives
Descriptions of ways that the institution communicates with public education to encourage K-12 student interest in and planning for, college education.
Descriptions of methods for communicating the importance of taking pre-collegiate courses in public schools.
Results of analyses of the institution's K-16 efforts.
Pertinent internal audits

Possible People to Interview
Commissioner of Public Education
Commissioner of Higher Education
System officers assigned to K-16 initiatives
President
Provost/Chief Academic Officer
K-16 program officials
Superintendents of districts that have relationships with the institution
Middle and high school students
Internal auditor
Activities to Perform

2.K.1. Prepare a chart containing information (reported to THECB) concerning the success of students entering the institution from local public and private schools. Show how this information is gathered, used and reported and to whom.
2.K.2. Create a list of the ongoing initiatives, including such things are articulation agreements, being conducted with and through local public and private secondary schools and the program cost associated with each initiative. Show how the institution measures the success of each of these initiatives and elaborate on the success rate for each program.
2.K.3. Obtain copies of all planning instruments, policies and procedures that pertain to the institution's K-16 initiative and compare the documentation to the observable process to determine if and how each is being put into action.

Questions to Ask
Who is responsible for the institution's K-16 initiative? What is the reporting relationship for this group or individual within the institution's overall organization? Is this position at a level within the organization where meaningful change can be made, if needed, to ensure student success?
Are documented plans, policies or procedures dealing with the institution's K-16 initiative clear and understandable? How does the institution ensure that all pertinent staff and faculty understand their role in the K-16 initiative?
How does the institution address issues related to transferability of courses between post-secondary institutions? Are students concurrently enrolled at multiple institutions and what procedures and policies are in place with regard to concurrent enrollment?
What are the academic strengths and weaknesses of secondary school students entering college for the first time? What formal communication mechanism is in place to ensure that secondary schools understand those strengths and weaknesses? How does the institution share ideas for strengthening the curriculum and instruction in secondary schools to ensure that students are fully prepared for college?
Are articulation agreements with secondary schools documented so as to ensure that there are no misunderstandings with the participating schools, parents or students at a later date? What schools are not participating in some form of articulation? How does the institution reach out to secondary schools with articulation proposals?
When students require remedial help when entering college for the first time, how does the institution document this need and communicate it to the student's secondary school? How does institution document the preparedness of incoming freshman?
2.L. Research
Data Needs

Data on research grants applied for and awarded to the institution.
Results of external evaluations of research projects, as well as any commercialization of the research work.
Pertinent internal audits

Possible People to Interview
System office staff or president
Vice-President or Director of Research
Head of research Services, Grants and/or Contracts Office
Director and staff of associated research bureaus
Faculty members engaged in research activities
Government or corporate sponsors of research projects
Research assistants and students
Internal auditor
Activities to Perform

2.L.1. Chart the institution's expenditures for externally sponsored research. Identify significant findings from research projects, if collected. Show the benefits of research activities to the institution, including any patent income of other benefits from commercialization of research discoveries.
2.L.2. Chart the growth in external contracts and grants funding over the last five to ten years. Note areas of growth or decline.

Questions to Ask
How does the institution's research projects relate to the mission and goals of the institution? How does the research further the academic and research experience of students? How does the university attempt to commercialize the results of its research work? What is the relationship between faculty members engaged in research activities at non-university facilities with those who work on campus?
How many patent applications have resulted from university research projects during the past 10 years? How many patents have been issued? How many licensing agreements have been entered into based on research conducted at the institution?
2.M. Contract Services
Academic support functions such can be purchased or contracted for through private companies or interlocal agreements with neighboring institutions or other governmental entities. It is important to regularly evaluate whether there are goods or services that can be obtained from the private sector at a lower cost, higher quality or both. It is equally important to continually evaluate existing contracts to determine if the institution is getting the best value possible through the contracting arrangement. Further, institutions are subject to the state's contract workforce provisions, consequently all contracted positions must be tracked and reported to the state. This contracting and evaluation process is discussed in great detail in the Purchasing Chapter.

2.K.1.	Prepare a chart containing information (reported to THECB) concerning the success of students entering the institution from local public and private schools. Show how this information is gathered, used and reported and to whom.
2.K.2.	Create a list of the ongoing initiatives, including such things are articulation agreements, being conducted with and through local public and private secondary schools and the program cost associated with each initiative. Show how the institution measures the success of each of these initiatives and elaborate on the success rate for each program.
2.K.3.	Obtain copies of all planning instruments, policies and procedures that pertain to the institution's K-16 initiative and compare the documentation to the observable process to determine if and how each is being put into action.

2.L.1.	Chart the institution's expenditures for externally sponsored research. Identify significant findings from research projects, if collected. Show the benefits of research activities to the institution, including any patent income of other benefits from commercialization of research discoveries.
2.L.2.	Chart the growth in external contracts and grants funding over the last five to ten years. Note areas of growth or decline.