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Weber State University Annual Assessment of Evidence of Learning

Cover Page Department/Program: Health Administrative Services / Master of Health Administration Academic Year of Report: Fall 2013 Date Submitted: Report author: Carla Wiggins, Ph.D., MHA Program Director Contact Information: Carla Wiggins Phone: 801-626-7008 Email: carlawiggins@weber.edu

A. Brief Introductory Statement:

Please review the Introductory Statement and contact information for your department displayed on the

assessment site: http://www.weber.edu/portfolio/departments.html - if this information is current,

please indicate as much. No further information is needed. We will indicate “Last Reviewed: [current

date]” on the page.

If the information is not current, please provide an update: The decisions made by healthcare managers improve the lives of thousands of people every day. Healthcare executives have a sense of purpose and mission: we care deeply about the people with whom we work and we care deeply about the people we serve. Healthcare management is truly a field in which you can “do well by doing good.”

The MHA program at Weber State meets the needs of working adults and prepares them for executive leadership in the health care industry. The MHA enhances management, interpersonal, technical, and organizational skills and abilities. The program also intends to instill you with the desire and the skills of self-development, critical thinking and life-long learning.

All courses are offered in a hybrid, face-to-face/online, 8 week format on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at our convenient Davis campus. Courses are taught by an optimum blend of academics and working healthcare executives and culminate in a final project resulting in a deliverable of importance and measureable value to a local healthcare organization.

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B. Mission Statement

Please review the Mission Statement for your department displayed on the assessment site:

http://www.weber.edu/portfolio/departments.html - if it is current, please indicate as much; we will mark the

web page as “Last Reviewed [current date]”. No further information is needed.

If the information is not current, please provide an update:

The Master of Health Administration (MHA) program at Weber State University selects early- to mid- careerists in healthcare supervisory positions with the expectation that the graduate level education they receive will improve their ability to pursue leadership roles in the healthcare industry. This program strives to instill students with a desire to focus on self-development, critical thinking and life-long learning.

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C. Student Learning Outcomes Please review the Student Learning Outcomes for your department displayed on the assessment site:

http://www.weber.edu/portfolio/departments.html - if they are current, please indicate as much; we will

mark the web page as “Last Reviewed [current date]”. No further information is needed.

If they are not current, please provide an update:

Measurable Learning Outcomes

Overarching Competencies: Students and Fieldwork Preceptors will evaluate themselves and their protégés on each of the 12 competencies: Personal Development

1. Communication: The competency includes things such as executive level proficiency in written and oral communication, the ability to communicate across disciplines, to prepare executive summaries, and to make professional business presentations. 2. Relationship Management: This competency includes things such as the ability to collaborate and to develop positive relationships with peers, subordinates, and superiors, and to work on and with teams effectively. 3. Critical and Creative Thinking: This competency includes things such as the ability to seek information, collect data, apply metrics, analyze data, form conclusions, and to make recommendations. In addition, it includes the ability to promote innovation and to see the big picture, balancing short-term requirements with long-term solutions 4. Professionalism: This competency includes things such as a sense of accountability and the ability to initiate action and assume risk and responsibility. It also includes an orientation to the development of a life-long learning agenda and a commitment to ethical conduct and personal growth.

Professional Development 5. Leadership: This competency includes things such as decision making ability, the ability to effect change in teams and organizational units through positive influence, and to mentor and further develop the talent of subordinates. 6. Organizational Awareness and Governance: This competency includes things such as the ability to accurately assess and work within the external political and regulatory environment, the internal organizational dynamics, and the legal requirements effecting governance of an organization. 7. Community Awareness: This competency includes things such as the ability to investigate population health characteristics and to develop a plan for improving population health in the local community. It also includes awareness of the ecological and social factors that influence health behaviors.

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Applied Skills

8. Human Resources Management: This competency includes things such as the ability to manage the human resources processes needed for staffing and for operating a healthcare organization. 9. Financial Management: This competency includes things such as the ability interpret financial and accounting documents, plan and execute budgets, make capital investment decisions, and to articulate and implement executive fiduciary responsibilities. 10. Information Technology: This competency includes things such as the ability to recognize critical elements of information technology, to manage information systems, and to use information technology for decision support. 11. Performance Improvement and Quality Management: This competency includes things such as the ability to use quality and systems tools to measure, promote, and to implement quality improvement initiatives in healthcare organizations. 12. Strategic Management: This competency includes things such as the ability to conduct an external and an internal environmental analysis, to apply the principles of strategy formulation, implementation, and control, and to develop corporate strategy, market research, and planning.

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D. Curriculum

Please review the Curriculum Grid for your department displayed on the assessment site:

http://www.weber.edu/portfolio/departments.html - if it is current, please indicate as much; we will mark the

web page as “Last Reviewed: [current data]”. No further information is needed.

If the curriculum grid is not current, please provide an update:

A. Curriculum Curriculum Map

Core Courses in Department/Program com

mu

nic

atio

n

com

pet

enci

es

MHA 6000 Health Systems and the Healthcare Economy E

MHA 6100 Leading and Managing People in Health Care

MHA 6200 Health Behavior and Managerial Epidemiology

MHA 6240 Human Resources Management in Healthcare

MHA 6250 Health Care Finance

MHA 6300 Quality Improvement and Risk Management in HSOs

MHA 6320 Health Policy and Economics

MHA 6350 Quantitative Decision Making

MHA 6400 Strategic Health Planning and Marketing E

MHA 6440 Health Ethics and Law

MHA 6450 Managing Health Information A

MHA 6500 Field Work A

Notea: Define words, letters or symbols used and their interpretation; i.e. 1= introduced, 2 = emphasized, 3 = mastered or I = Introduced, E = Emphasized, U = Utilized, A = Assessed Comprehensively; these are examples, departmental choice of letters/numbers may differ Noteb: Rows and columns should be transposed as required to meet the needs of each individual department

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E. Assessment Plan The plan should include a list of courses from which data will be gathered and the schedule, as well as an

overview of the assessment strategy the department is using (for example, portfolios, or a combination of Chi

assessment data and student survey information, or industry certification exams, etc.).

Current and On-going Yearly Assessment

2012-2013 Academic Year

MHA Outcomes

Healthcare

managers must

demonstrate the

following skills and

competencies

How Assessed When By

Over-arching

Measurement and

achievement of the

12 competencies

Indirect: Student self-assessment, 5 point scale

competency document

Direct: Preceptor assessment, 5 point scale

competency document

Yearly

Beginning,

middle (MHA

6400), and end

of program

(MHA 6500)

Yearly

Fieldwork

(MHA 6500

All students

Fieldwork

preceptors

Communication Indirect: Student self-assessment, 5 point scale

competency document

Direct: Preceptor assessment, 5 point scale

competency document

Direct: Course embedded assessment of News

Team Presentations, out of 15 possible points

Yearly

Beginning,

middle (MHA

6400), and end

of program

(MHA 6500)

Yearly

Fieldwork

(MHA 6500)

Spring 2013

MHA 6450:

Managing

Health

Information

All students

Fieldwork

preceptors

MHA 6450

Professor

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Future Additional Yearly Assessments

Planned for 2013-2014 Academic Year

MHA Outcomes

Healthcare

managers must

demonstrate the

following skills and

competencies

How Assessed When By

Critical and

Creative Thinking

Indirect: Student self-assessment, 5 point scale

competency document

Direct: Preceptor assessment, 5 point scale

competency document

Direct: Course embedded assessment of Discussion

Forums

Yearly

Beginning,

middle (MHA

6400), and end

of program

(MHA 6500)

Yearly

Fieldwork

(MHA 6500)

Fall 2013

MHA 6320:

Health Policy

and Economics

All students

Fieldwork

preceptors

MHA 6320

Professor

Performance

Improvement and

Quality

Management

Indirect: Student self-assessment, 5 point scale

competency document

Direct: Preceptor assessment, 5 point scale

competency document

Direct: Course embedded assessment of Project s

Yearly

Beginning,

middle (MHA

6400), and end

of program

(MHA 6500)

Yearly

Fieldwork

(MHA 6500)

Spring 2014

Quality

Improvement

and Risk

Management in

HSOs

(MHA 6300)

All students

Fieldwork

preceptors

MHA 6300

Professor

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Future Additional Yearly Assessments

Planned for 2014-2015 Academic Year

MHA Outcomes

Healthcare

managers must

demonstrate the

following skills and

competencies

How Assessed When By

Professionalism Indirect: Student self-assessment, 5 point scale

competency document

Direct: Preceptor assessment, 5 point scale

competency document

Direct: Course embedded assessment of overall

Fieldwork Project written and oral presentation.

Yearly

Beginning,

middle (MHA

6400), and end

of program

(MHA 6500)

Yearly

Fieldwork

(MHA 6500)

Spring 2014

MHA 6500:

Fieldwork

All students

Fieldwork

preceptors

MHA 6500

Professor

Financial

Management

Indirect: Student self-assessment, 5 point scale

competency document

Direct: Preceptor assessment, 5 point scale

competency document

Direct: Course embedded assessment of chosen

assignments

Yearly

Beginning,

middle (MHA

6400), and end

of program

(MHA 6500)

Yearly

Fieldwork

(MHA 6500)

Spring 2014

MHA 6250:

Healthcare

Finance

All students

Fieldwork

preceptors

MHA 6250

Professor

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F. Report of assessment results for the most previous academic year:

There are a variety of ways in which departments can choose to show evidence of learning. This is one example. The critical pieces to include are 1) what learning outcome is being assessed, 2) what method of measurement was used, 3) what the threshold for ‘acceptable performance’ is for that measurement, 4) what the actual results of the assessment were, 5) how those findings are interpreted, and 6) what is the course of action to be taken based upon the interpretation.

a. Evidence of Learning: Competencies and Courses within the Major. 2012-2013 Academic Year

Evidence of Learning: Courses within the Major

Measurable Learning Outcome 1: Communication

Method of Measurement

Threshold for Evidence of Student Learning

Findings Linked to Learning Outcomes

Interpretation of Findings

Action Plan/Use of Results

Learning Outcome 1:

Students will be able to deliver a professional presentation appropriate to course content and level.

Direct Measure 1: Course embedded student performance level on “HIT News Reports” in MHA 6450 as graded by professor and classmates.

Measure 1: Average of student’s scores no lower than 12/15 pts.

Measure 1: Spring 2013 MHA 6450 average student grade =15/15

Measure 1: Students successfully demonstrated communication skills

Measure 1: No curricular or pedagogical changes needed at this time

*At least one measure per objective must be a direct measure; indirect measures may be used to supplement direct measure(s).

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Evidence of Learning: Competencies and Courses within the Major

Measurable Learning Outcome 2: Overarching Achievement of Competencies

Method of Measurement

Threshold for Evidence of Student Learning

Findings Linked to Learning Outcomes

Interpretation of Findings

Action Plan/Use of Results

Learning Outcome 2:

Students and Fieldwork Preceptors will evaluate themselves and their protégés on each of the 12 competencies.

Indirect Measure 1: Pretest Student self -assessment upon entering program

Measure 1: Average student score for 2012 & 2013 entering class

Measure 1: 2.77

Measure 1: baseline measure

Measure 1: No curricular or pedagogical changes needed at this time

Indirect Measure 2: Student self-assessment in MHA 6400

Measure 2: Average student score no less than 2.5 on a 5 point scale for 2012 & 2013 MHA 6400

Measure 2: 3.46

Measure 2: students successfully demonstrate competency self-assessment

Measure 2: No curricular or pedagogical changes needed at this time

Indirect Measure 3: Posttest Student self- assessment at end of program MHA 6500

Measure 3: Average student score no less than 4 on a 5 point scale for MHA 6500

Measure 3: 4.19

Measure 3: : students demonstrate appropriate levels of competency self-assessment

Measure 3: : No curricular or pedagogical changes needed at this time

Direct Measure 4: MHA 6500: Field Work Preceptor assessment of student competencies

Measure 4: Average score assessed by preceptors no less than 4 on a 5 point scale for MHA 6500

Measure 4: 4.36

Measure 4: Preceptors assess students as having appropriate levels of competencies

Measure 4: : No curricular or pedagogical changes needed at this time

* At least one measure per objective must be a direct measure; indirect measures may be used to supplement direct measure(s).

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G. Summary of Artifact Collection Procedure

Artifact Learning Outcome Measured When/How Collected? Where Stored? MHA 6450 News grading rubric communication Once during the

semester Professor’s files (hard copy) and grades in Canvas

MHA Competency assessment document MHA Competencies Beginning, mid, and end of program by students and by MHA 6500 preceptors

Program Director’s computer

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Appendix B Please provide the following information about the full-time and adjunct faculty contracted by your department during the last academic year (summer through spring). Gathering this information each year will help with the headcount reporting that must be done for the final Five Year Program Review document that is shared with the State Board of Regents.

Year Year Year Year Year

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Master of Health Administration

Faculty

Headcount 9 11 11 11 12

With Doctoral Degrees (Including MFA and other terminal degrees, as specified by the institution)

7 9 9 9 9

Full-time Tenured 2 2 2 2 2

Full-time Non-Tenured 1 2 2 2 2

Part-time 4 5 5 5 5

With Master’s Degrees 2 2 2 2 3

Full-time Tenured 1 1 1 1

Full-time Non-Tenured

Part-time 1 1 1 1 2

With Bachelor’s Degrees

Full-time Tenured

Full-time Non-tenured

Part-time

Other

Full-time Tenured

Full-time Non-tenured

Part-time

Total Headcount Faculty 9 11 11 11 12

Full-time Tenured 3 3 3 3 3

Full-time Non-tenured 1 2 2 2 2

Part-time 5 6 6 6 7

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Please respond to the following questions.

1) Reflecting on this year’s assessment(s), how does the evidence of student learning impact your faculty’s confidence in the program being reviewed; how does that analysis change when compared with previous assessment evidence? This is our first year reporting this information in this format. The evidence gathered thus far strongly supports our confidence in being reviewed. We do not have previous years of evidence to use for comparison. However, in Fall 2012 the MHA program underwent accreditation by CAHME, which is the gold standard for MHA programs in the United States and Canada and was awarded accreditation in our first review.

2) With whom did you share the results of the year’s assessment efforts?

WSU Assessment Office CAHME Accreditation Organization MHA Faculty MHA Advisory Board HAS Department Faculty

3) Based on your program’s assessment findings, what subsequent action will your program take? As our findings thus far have been highly positive, we will continue to expand our assessment and outcomes measurement.