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Self-study proposal is a WASC model

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By John Shields

"Our proposal was viewed very positively and identified as a model proposal," said President Welty, reflecting on his participation at the fall retreat of WASC commissioners in San Diego on Nov. 8 and 9. Dr. Welty offered his congratulations to the campus WASC steering committee for developing a self-study proposal that merited such recognition by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

The president reported in a recent Reflections publication that "almost the entire meeting was devoted to implementation of the new WASC standards and the process of campus visits" by accreditation review panels. Fresno State will be one of the first institutions to receive a site visit under the revised WASC guidelines: Fall 2003 for the Institutional Capacity Review and Fall 2004 for the Educational Effectiveness Review.

Actual approval of the university's self-study proposal occurred in late June. The official notification from WASC states that the Proposal Review Panel, composed of external reviewers from other institutions (both public and private), "commends the University for: involving a broad array of campus and community constituents; framing the self study around issues of institutional significance; linking the structure of the review to strategic planning; and articulating the value of incorporating the accreditation process with institutional improvement."

With those encouraging words in mind, the campus Self-Study Steering Committee plunged ahead this fall to refine and extend the proposal by formulating research questions under each of the university's accreditation themes [See insert]. These research questions help shape the institutional inquiry for the next two and a half years.

Each of the six research questions will be the focus of "Reflective Essays" that are a new feature of accreditation under the extensively revised accreditation guidelines issued early this year. These essays will be evidentiary based and will address not only the themes, but also relevant strategic plan goals subsumed under the themes of Opportunity, Exploration, and Interaction within the accreditation banner of "California State University, Fresno - A Learning Community."

Finalization of the "Plan for Excellence II (2001-06)," following the Academic Senate's review and comment on the draft document this fall, enabled the WASC Self-Study Committee to identify those goals that match the accreditation themes as well as mesh with the four WASC Standards related to institutional capacity and educational effectiveness.

Indicators for each research question, along with potential data measurements, have recently been established. Theme indicators are analogous to WASC Standards criteria; both elements will be threaded together in the reflective essays. Strategic plan goal indicators will also be aligned with the preceding elements.

The research questions - especially those under the Exploration and Interactive themes - will probe the university's core commitment to educational effectiveness. Outcomes assessment is central to the determination of student learning in relationship to the explicit mission statement, program goals, and educational objectives required of every academic department in its assessment plan. These plans, along with the assessment plan of the General Education Program, are source documents for common educational objectives supplementing those articulated in the university mission.

An electronic institutional portfolio is being designed to accommodate the need for ready access to data and information in support of the two-part accreditation review. The portfolio will serve multiple purposes. In addition to the self-study reports, it will create a profile of Fresno State providing general information about the university; it will serve the monitoring requirements for implementing the campus strategic plan; and it will be a resource for grant writing - among other possible uses.

The final agenda item for the Self-Study Steering Committee this fall is the design of an operational plan for implementing the accreditation proposal that WASC has endorsed. The accreditation self-study will be launched by the start of spring semester.

(John Shields is a professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and chair of the Fresno State WASC Self-Study Steering Committee.)

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The three accreditation themes chosen by the WASC Steering Committee have two research questions each that focus the self-study. Reflective essays, which are evidentiary-based, will be composed as responses to the questions.

Opportunity - "Access to Quality Programs for Diverse Populations"

1. How effective is the university in attracting and supporting a diverse student body?
2. How effective is the university in providing quality educational programs that meet the diverse needs of students?
   

Exploration - "Discovery of Knowledge, Self, and Society through Expanding Horizons"

1. How effective is the university in encouraging student discovery of knowledge, self, and society?
2. How effective is the university in providing an environment that encourages exploration, delivery, and exchange of knowledge by faculty and staff?

Interaction - "Transformation through Integration of Knowledge and Experience"

1. How effective is the university in facilitating various forms of interaction in support of a stimulating campus learning community?
2. How effective is campus interaction with the community in serving student learning and the region?
   

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