University Business - February 2012 - (Page 12)

Behind the news Assessment Results: Transparent or Not? Institutional transparency is much talked about and touted, but it apparently has a long way to go. According to an analysis of the degree to which colleges and universities make available what they’re doing to assess student learning, institutions could be sharing a lot more and doing so more clearly. For example, often, assessment results are found only on internal institutional research web pages that aren’t routinely searched by prospective students, parents, and other interested parties. The report, “Making Student Learning Evidence Transparent: The State of the Art,” from the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA), a collaborative project between Indiana University and the University of Illinois, is based on a study of the websites of 200 colleges and universities. Researchers looked at how institutions display assessment results, the progress higher ed has made in the past few years with institutional transparency, and the impact of national transparency initiatives to encourage schools to report such information. Key findings include: • Public institutions and those accredited since 2008 showed more assessment information than independent institutions and those not recently accredited. • Information about student learning is being reported more often on college websites than previously, yet it appears to represent only a fraction of the assessment activity under way. • When colleges share the results of student learning assessments, rarely is the information presented in an easy-to-read form or tailored to a specific audience. • More than half of all institutions studied posted assessment results online, but only a third offered examples of how they’re using results. • None of those examined presented information about whether the results led to improved learning following changes in teaching and learning approaches or in policies and other practices. The report, which is available at www.learning outcomeassessment.org/transparencyofevidence .htm, provides recommendations for enhancing transparency of evidence of student learning and subsequent use, including using the NILOA Transparency Framework. —Melissa Ezarik U Booksellers Respond to Textbook Slump In this digital age, at a time when everybody is tightening their belts, it should come as no surprise that students are buying fewer textbooks. How many fewer? Two recent surveys show that 70 percent of students polled at the University of California, Riverside say the rising costs of higher ed have caused them to skip buying textbooks altogether. And findings from a 2011 Pew survey, “The Digital Revolution and Higher Education,” indicate that 62 percent of college presidents anticipate more than half of textbooks used by their undergraduates will be digital within 10 years. The UCR surveys include the 2010 University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey and a 2011 survey conducted by the office of the vice chancellor of student affairs at UCR. The findings prompted Steven Brint, UCR vice provost for undergraduate education, to issue a report to the UCR faculty in November 2011. “I wanted the faculty to be aware that the students’ behavior with respect to textbook purchases may be different than they think,” Brint said in a statement. “It is important for faculty to do what they can to make sure that textbooks are available to all students.” The report resulted in the UCR Campus Store and Student Affairs creating a textbook rental program and an online book exchange, called R’Books, to drastically reduce textbook costs. Major textbook retailers like Follett and Barnes & Noble have responded to the trend with rental and digital options, and the UCR surveys are no surprise to them. Elio DiStaolo, director of public and campus relations for the Follett Higher Education Group, says providing a variety of choices is their primary goal. “What was a bookstore that sold new and used books is now a campus store that features new and used materials, for purchase or rent, in printed form or digital form,” he says. This summer, Follett will be rolling out its pilot One Fee program, which will enable students to acquire required materials, which are included in their registration fees, at the time of registration. DiStaolo hopes these efforts will help buck the trend of students going without textbooks. “With our sights on making a largescale impact on classroom success, this approach can help ensure that each student shows up to class, on day one, with the materials needed for success.” Barnes & Noble College Booksellers shares this sentiment. “By selecting the lower-cost options, students can often purchase everything needed to meet their course needs,” says Vice President Jade Roth. —K.D. SOUND BITE ‘D on’t cut out the poorest of our society. Where are they going to go if they can’t go to community college? To prison? —Ed Murray, instructor at City College of San Francisco ‘ Source: San Francisco Chronicle 12 | February 2012 universitybusiness.com http://www.outcomeassessment.org/transparencyofevidence.htm http://www.outcomeassessment.org/transparencyofevidence.htm http://www.outcomeassessment.org/transparencyofevidence.htm http://www.universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - February 2012

University Business - February 2012
Contents
Editor's Note
College Index
Ad Index
Behind the News
Financial Aid
Campus CFO
Education Gateways
5 Things Administrators Must Know About E-commerce Now
There’s an App for That
Internet Technology
End Note

University Business - February 2012