Inter American University of Puerto Rico
Ponce Campus
February 14, 2005
On July 1, 2003, the MSCHE informed Inter
American University’s Ponce Campus that its
accreditation status had been reaffirmed. In
this same communication, a monitoring report
related to the written plan for the Campus
assessment of institutional effectiveness and
student learning was also requested by March
2005.
This report includes a description of the
progress made in the development and
implementation of the assessment plan following
the Evaluation Team’s visit and subsequent
report.
Development and Implementation of the
Assessment Plan
The Campus has continued with the implementation
of the Assessment Plan originally submitted as
part of the Self Study Report with special
emphasis at the Academic Program level. Among
the more significant developments are the
following:
Assessment plans for each academic
program (Goal 3, Objective 1 of Master
Assessment Plan) were revised by faculty
and academic department chairs to
include intended educational outcomes,
appropriate data collection measures,
and use of results (See examples in
Appendix A).
Dr. James Nichols, author of the book
A Practitioner’s Handbook for
Institutional Effectiveness and Student
Outcomes Assessment Implementation
and Director of University Planning and
Institutional Research at the University
of Mississippi has been hired as a
consultant in the Campus’s assessment
efforts, and the Plans developed are
based on Dr. Nichols model.
A Faculty training program has been
initiated to develop the skills needed
to create the instruments that will be
used for data collection and outcomes
measurement. To date, ten workshops have
been offered including a session on
Specification Tables and item
construction. The assessment instruments
are expected to be completed by
September 2005, and validation processes
will be initiated in October.
As part of an ongoing Title V grant -
Improving Institutional Effectiveness,
the Campus has been able to develop an
Information System that allows the
production of reports important for
decision-making processes (See Appendix
B).
Also part of the Title V grant, the
Skills Laboratory has worked with
English, Spanish and Math professors to
identify skills, develop skill
inventories and administer instruments
in order to establish baselines,
determine student needs and determine
effectiveness of laboratory activities.
For example, rubrics were developed to
evaluate compositions in English and
Spanish, and a comparative analysis of
pre and post laboratory tests was
realized in order to determine the
effectiveness of classroom and
laboratory activities. Systemic efforts
to develop instructional modules are
being based in part on the efforts
initiated at the Ponce Campus Skills
Lab.
The Teacher Education Program is
currently undergoing assessment at the
Systemic level. Four faculty members
from the Ponce Campus are participating
in this process. These professors along
with their colleagues from other
Campuses are examining the congruence
between the General Education courses
and the Teacher Certification Exams as
well as the congruence of the Education
curricula with the Puerto Rico
Department of Education’s recently
revised regulations for teacher
licensing.
As part of the Ponce Campus commitment
to the Assessment Process an Academic
Assessment Specialist was appointed.
This person has attended several
workshops including “The Fourteenth
Annual Institutional Effectiveness
Associates and Agathon Press Intensive
Workshop” Assessment Institute in
Indianapolis Conference and several
Assessment related workshops offered by
local educational institutions including
Inter American University. This
specialist is also attending a series of
specialized workshops offered by the
College Board of Puerto Rico and Latin
America as part of Institutional efforts
to develop standardized tests for the
General Education Program.
Professors from the Campus are involved
in the College Board training program
including professors from English,
Spanish, Math and Computer and
Information Literacy. The second phase
of the training program will include
professors from Religion, History,
Philosophy, Ethics and other General
Education areas.
The participation of professors from all
Campuses of the Inter American
University system, including Ponce, in
this project is part of the steps
towards developing a systemic Assessment
Model for the General Education Program.
By May 2006, the first battery of tests
(English, Spanish, Math, Computer and
Information Literacy) will be
administered and the second battery of
tests in May 2007.
The Campus continues to set Assessment as one
its priorities, and recognizes the need to
maintain an ongoing process of data collection
and analysis as an integral part of the decision
making processes. As more information becomes
available, and faculty and personnel develop
knowledge and skills in the area, assessment
activities will become more systemic and
systematic. The Campus is committed to the
achievement of the Goals and Objectives of its
Mission Statement and recognizes that accurate
assessment of what we do and what students learn
is a necessary part of this process.
APPENDIX B
SAMPLE OF REPORTS GENERATED FOR ASSESSMENT
PURPOSES
Number of Students Admitted by Level and
Major
This report allows the Campus to view admission
tendencies by academic program and level. It is
used jointly with a report on graduates by level
and program to determine student flow per
program.
Comparative Report of Admission Applications
Status
This report is used to determine the progress
made in processing admission applications by
level (graduate, undergraduate, certificate).
The information is used to analyze current
admissions rate as compared to previous years,
and to adjust processes accordingly.
Academic Progress
This report is used to determine which students
will be placed on academic probation and to
initiate appropriate follow-up processes. It is
produced biannually. This report is also used in
analysis of students in programs with specific
GPA requirements such as Education, Nursing and
Biomedical Sciences.
Students with GPA of 1.50 or less
Similar to the Academic Progress report, this
data is used to determine Financial Aid
eligibility and to identify at-risk students.
Graduates by Level and Academic Program
This report provides information on the profile
of the student population and the academic
programs. This data is used jointly with other
information to analyze long-term flow of
students per program.
Students in the Honor Program by Year of
Study
The information provided in this report is used
to observe retention rates in the Honor Program,
determine academic offerings needed, and
budgeting for Honor Program scholarships.
Grade Frequency in Online Courses
This report is used to follow retention rates
and student outcomes in online courses. It is
used in comparison with a report on Grade
Frequency in Traditional Courses.
Students on Probation
This report is prepared and sent to the
Professional Counseling Center . The Center uses
this report to follow-up on student progress
