Measuring and Managing Academic Operations

Presented by:Dr. Sally McMillan, Assoc Provost, UT-Knoxville

Amanda Vasquez, Assoc Registrar, UTEPEllen Robbins, Senior Consultant, Ad Astra

Agenda

• Introductions• Ad Astra’s Research• University Tennessee, Knoxville experience• University Texas, El Paso experience• Summary• Question and Answer

2010 Noel Levitz Student Satisfaction Survey

Top 2 Greatest Challenges for College Students:– Access to classes through registration– Classes offered at convenient times

Of more concern to students than to college administration.

© 2010 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • www.noellevitz.com

Strategic Scheduling

• Typically academic schedules are created in a decentralized process that is difficult to measure or manage

• Academic schedules are vitally important– Means of allocating faculty and space

– Means of providing students with a path to completion

• Strategic opportunities to efficiently and effectively allocate academic resources are rarely realized

Outcomes that Matter

• Student Success: Provide students better access needed courses at registration, thereby accelerating time-to-completion

• Capacity: Mitigate bottlenecks that otherwise cause schools to cap enrollments

• Efficiency: Trim unneeded courses that would otherwise increase adjunct costs and clog prime classrooms during prime hours

Ad Astra’s Research

• A comparative database of KPI’s from various institutions

• Measures academic indicators• Assists with management and tracking of

– Operational efficiency– Capacity– Student success

• Course access• Velocity to degree

• Acknowledge Complexity: effective allocation of faculty and space to meet students’ needs requires decision-support tools

• Measure Success Drivers: high-level goals (like improving student outcomes, efficiency, and capacity) are dependant on progress in measurable, manageable “success drivers”– Establish Benchmarks: for each Campus and each academic unit

– Establish Goals: determine progress needed in success drivers to achieve high-level goals that are most important to the institution

– Track Progress: measure improvement and hold academic units to minimum effectiveness levels on the highest impact initiatives

Our Approach

Dashboard Samples

University of Tennessee

About UT

• UT enrolls 27,379 students from 48 states, two U.S. territories, and over 120 countries.

• Undergraduates = 21,126• Graduates = 6,523• 10 academic colleges offer many undergraduate,

graduate, and professional degrees • UT is the flagship research university AND the

land grant university in the state of Tennessee• University dates to 1794

Background

Governor's Challenge: In January 2010, the state challenged UTK to become a Top 25 public research university.

VOL Vision: Also in early 2010, the Provost’s office launched a strategic planning effort that involved the whole campus.

Convergence: In fall 2010, the plans came together with a focus on five strategic priorities and 12 metrics that compare UTK with the top 25 peers.

Strategic PrioritiesUndergraduate Education – Recruit, develop, and graduate a diverse body of undergraduate students who through engagement in academic, social, and cultural experiences, embrace the Volunteer Spirit as life-long learners committed to the principles of ethical and professional leadershipGraduate Education – Educate and graduate increasing numbers of diverse graduate and professional students who are equipped to address the pressing concerns of their fields, to extend the frontiers of knowledge, and to contribute to the public good through service to the academy or their professionsResearch – Strengthen our capacity and productivity in research, scholarship, and creative activity to better educate our students; enhance economic, social, and environmental development; support outreach to our various constituencies; and extend the reputation and recognition of our campus.Faculty – Attract and retain stellar, diverse faculty and staff who will proudly represent our campus, execute our mission, embrace our vision, exemplify our values, and collaborate to realize our strategic priorities.Infrastructure and Resources – Continually improve the resource base, including attracting and retaining excellent staff, to achieve campus priorities by carefully balancing state revenues, tuition, and private funding, and by embracing stewardship of our campus infrastructure and a culture that values sustainability.

Areas of Focus Indicators

Undergraduate Education

ACT Equivalent (75th/25th Percentile)

Retention Rate (1st to 2nd Year)

Six-Year Graduation Rate

Graduate EducationNumber of Ph.D. Degrees

Number of Master’s and Professional Degrees

ResearchFederal Research Expenditures

Total Research Expenditures

Faculty

Avg. Tenure-Line Salary Range

Undergraduate Students/Tenure-Line Faculty

Faculty Awards

Infrastructure and Resources

Teaching and Support Expenditures/Student

Endowment/Student

Key Metrics

15

Action PlansThe undergraduate priorities are supported by 24 action plans focused on graduation, retention, student quality and operational effectiveness.

Graduation (15 Action Plans)

Expect Graduation in Four Years

Summer School

UTrack and Course Availability

Policy Review

Undecided Students

Transfer Students

General Education

Teaching and Learning Modalities

Provide Adequate Core Student Support

Academic Advising

Tutoring

One-Stop Student Service

Student Counseling and Safety

Address Changing Student Profile

Honors Programs

Undergraduate Research

Leadership and Engagement

Study Abroad

Service Learning

First-Year Retention (4 Action Plans)

Support Transition into the First Year

Transition Programs

First-Year Seminars/Life of Mind

Peer Mentoring

Learning Communities

Student Quality (2 Action Plans)

Maintain Incoming Student Quality

Student Recruitment

Scholarships

Foundation: Operational Effectiveness (2 Action Plans)

Elevate Quality and Use of Student

Integrated Undergraduate Student Data

Course Scheduling (Systems and Supports)

Data-Challenged Processes

• Roll the schedule• Hope for the best• Use “back of envelope” to calculate SCH deficit• Wait for student complaints to know where the

biggest problems were

Data-Informed Processes

• Evaluate historical data against proposed schedule

• Identify– Addition candidates– Reduction candidates– Elimination candidates

• Share those data with associate deans• Support addition candidates with Strategic

Instruction Fund

Summer 2012 Case Study

• Historical analysis as first-step• Daily timetable analysis during freshmen

orientation• Early commitment of SIF to hire lecturers in high-

demand areas• Added some sections 1 week before classes

started – they filled, because the were the “right” classes

Additional Challenges

• Managing room capacity and scheduling• Getting instructors in some areas• Making sense of some data

– Cross-listed sections– “Capacity anomalies”

• Getting data based on future, not just past• Faculty fears

The University of Texas at El Paso

About UTEP

• 22,000+ Students

• Over 70 bachelor’s programs, over 80 master’s programs, and 19 doctoral programs

• We serve a majority Hispanic, historically underserved student population

• Emerging Research University

• 70% of students are not part of our FTIC cohort

Context

Texas Closing the Gaps Goals: Increase degrees awarded to historically underrepresented students.

Undergraduate Student Success: Increase degrees awarded to all undergraduate students, reduce time-to-degree and reduce the total average SCH for graduating students.

Excellence in Graduate Education: 18 characteristics of doctoral programs. Undergraduate student success affects approval of new graduate programs.

Space Usage Efficiency: Space usage ratios affect funding for new construction projects.

Enrollment Priorities

Room for Growth – We are committed to serving the students of our historically underserved region, with the goal of increasing student enrollment. We also look to the expansion of academic programs, particularly graduate programs and programs in emerging fields.

Efficient Management of Resources – There is a need and responsibility to manage classroom space and faculty lines effectively. While Texas experienced budgetary challenges in recent years, we’ve learned how to be strategic to maximize results.

Offering Courses that Support Student Success -- We are committed to supporting student success by offering data and guidance that will help departments to offer classes that students need, at the times that students need to take them.

Measuring Success

25

Priority Measure

Undergraduate Success

Degrees AwardedTime-to-DegreeFour- and Six-Year Graduation RatesRetention Rates

Graduate SuccessDegrees AwardedTen-Year Graduation RateTime-to-Degree

Resource Utilization

Section-to-Room CapacityEnrollment-to-Room CapacityTime UtilizationPrime Time Utilization

Challenges

• Rolling the class schedule

• Ownership of Space

• Legacy class offerings

• Misinformation and lack of information about student needs

• Need for tools to gather and compile student data

Data-Informed Solutions

• Use historical and program data to identify differences in course offerings

• Use of data to gauge trends in space utilization

• Coming Soon: Use of simulated registration

• Also Coming Soon: Use of Student Planner data

Additional Challenges

• Changing institutional culture

• Learning how to use data

• Expanding the sophistication of data that is available to departments

Winter 2011 Check-Up and Next Steps

• Space ownership is a concern

• Legacy course assignments are not effective

• Need to align student needs with course offerings

• Starting small – working with a few departments and colleges first

Questions?

Booth 211

Contact Information• Sally McMillan, Vice Provost, U Tenn Knoxville

– Phone number: 865-974-0684– Email address: sjcmilll@utk.edu

• Amanda Vasquez, Assoc Registrar, U Texas, El Paso– Phone number: 915-747-8969– Email address: avasquez6@utep.edu

• Ellen Robbins, Consultant, Ad Astra– Phone number: 913-652-4154– Email address: erobbins@aais.com