Data
Decisions
Information
Insight
INstitutional
Effectiveness
IN
INsights
sights
April 2014
Cheryl Buchanan Administrative
Coordinator
5‐3651
cbuchana@bsu.edu
Karen M. Morgan Communications
Specialist
5‐1872
kmmorgan@bsu.edu
Bill Knight
Assistant Provost
5‐2191
wknight@bsu.edu Irah Modry‐Caron
Associate Director
5‐1874
imodrycaron@bsu.edu
Wen Qi Assistant Director
5‐8919
wqi@bsu.edu Brian Pickerill
Assistant Director
5‐8678
bpickerill@bsu.edu
Elena Yatskovskaya Assistant Director
5‐8202
egyatskovska@bsu.edu
Christopher Childs IR Information
Management Specialist
5‐5209
cechilds@bsu.edu
Published once each semester, this newsletter is designed to inform readers of the activities,
information, and services provided by Ball State’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE).
INsights will be distributed each semester via email as well as archived on our web site.
Assessment Forum 2014
OIE and the University Assessment
Committee co-sponsored an Assessment
Forum in April. At the Forum, presentations
included excerpts from the HLC Peer
Evaluator Team Report concerning
assessment, how to make assessment more
manageable, an overview of using Blackboard
Outcomes Assessment in academic programs,
and an update from the Department of
Educational Leadership on the assessment
project they recently completed to improve
the doctoral and Ed.S. level written
comprehensive exams. The new Assessment
INsights newsletter was also distributed. OIE
and the University Assessment Committee
plan to make the Forum an annual event.
To see copies of the agenda, the presentations,
and the newsletter, go to the Assessment
Forum link from the Assessment Resources
page.
Graduation Rate Study Report
The Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE)
carried out a study of factors affecting
graduation rates of freshmen, both at Ball State
within four, five, and six years, as well as
graduation and continued enrollment in the
same time period for these students who
transferred to other institutions and whose
data were available through the National
Student Clearinghouse. Freshmen for Fall 2004
through Fall 2009 (N=21,217) served as the
study population.
Continued on Page 2
Community Engagement
Impact Survey
The Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE)
developed Community Engagement Impact
Surveys for community partners, faculty
members, and students in order to collect
information about the impact of community
outreach and engagement activities from the
members of these groups. The results were
used in Ball State’s 2014 application to the
Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of
Teaching for recognition as a “community
engaged” institution and for ongoing feedback
to the President’s Engagement Council and
offices responsible for coordinating community
engagement activities such as Building Better
Communities, the Office of the Associate
Provost and Dean of University College, and
Student Voluntary Services. OIE plans to
conduct these surveys annually.
Feedback from community partners indicated
that previous work with Ball State, the quality
of the work performed, and expertise of Ball
State personnel were major reasons for
choosing to work with the University. Over
90% of respondents felt some level of
satisfaction with feeling they were a full partner
with Ball State in planning and implementing
projects, and 97% were satisfied or very
satisfied with relationships they had developed
with Ball State personnel. When considering
only Student Voluntary Services (SVS) projects,
100% of respondents agreed that the
partnership with Ball State faculty and with SVS
was a satisfying and effective relationship.
Continued on Page 3
Office of Institutional Effectiveness Ball State University
West Quad 200 Muncie, IN 47306
765‐285‐5974 | www.bsu.edu/effectiveness
INstitutional Effectiveness INsights
Graduation Rate Study (Cont. from Page 1)
Only 9 of the 94 (10%) predictors examined showed
medium or large effect sizes, and all of these were in the
category of enrollment behaviors.
Additional analyses indicated that the most salient effects
upon graduation included average credit hours completed per
semester, final cumulative grade point average, credit hours
completed at the end of the students’ first year, number of
semesters living on campus, and (less often) grade in MATH
125. This study supports the findings of the Retention Study
completed in 2013.
Recommendations from the study include encouraging
students to complete at least 15 credit hours per
semester, to take steps to improve their grade averages,
and to live on campus for as many semesters as possible.
Strategies for improving student success through
graduation include efforts already underway, such as using
eight-semester degree plans, having a strong presence of
living learning communities in the residence halls,
strategically using academic enrichment programs such as
Summer Bridge, and providing a model structure and
resources for centralized advising at the departmental
level.
A report of the study is online. For more information about
the study, contact Bill Knight at wknight@bsu.edu or 5-2191.
New Staff
Elena Yatskovskaya joined the Office as Assistant
Director in January 2014. Originally from Russia, Elena
holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from the
University of Kentucky (UK). Before coming to Ball State,
Elena worked with the UK Gatton College of Business and
Economics where she prepared the Assurance of Learning
section for the 2011 Association to Advance Collegiate
Schools of Business (AACSB) International Report. Elena is
experienced in the collection and organization of critical
institutional data, thorough full analysis and presentation of
assessment, financial, improvement, and long term planning
strategies. Elena manages the University-level use of Digital
Measures Activity Insight, the faculty FTE load report process,
the National Study of Instructional Costs and Productivity/
Delaware Study reporting process, and provides responses
to external survey requests. She is a Pi Alpha Alpha member
of the National Honor Society for Public Affairs and
Administration.
Christopher Childs joined the Office as IR Information
Management Specialist in April 2014. Chris holds a
Page 2
April 2014
bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in
Cognitive and Social Processes from Ball State
University. After completing the IR certificate at Ball State,
Chris worked at Indiana State University where he was a
Research Analyst for the Office of Student Success. He is
experienced in statistical research methods, social and
cognitive psychology, writing research reports, project
facilitation, and survey creation and administration. In his
position with the Office, he will develop reports and
datasets to support decision making and planning across
the University. He will also produce information for Office
projects, including the Fact Book, Common Data Set, and
the National Study of Instructional Costs and Productivity,
and respond to ad hoc information requests. His research
interests include the psychology behind prejudice and
discrimination, racial identity, African American retention,
diversity and how it plays into student success at
institutions of higher learning. He recently moved to
Muncie, and looks forward to reacquainting himself with
his friends in the area.
Ball State OIE Represented
at Professional Conferences
In March 2014, Bill Knight and Jan Lyddon from
Organizational Effectiveness Consultants presented the
Keynote address at the Indiana Association for Institutional
Research (INAIR) conference in Indianapolis, speaking on
New Roles, New Skills, New Collaborations for institutional
researchers. Presenting at the same conference, Brian
Pickerill provided insights into Advanced Features of Qualtrics
where he discussed some of the more advanced question
types, the four types of survey logic, branching, and
automating survey triggers, along with other topics.
Looking ahead to May 2014, Bill Knight will be presenting
with two associates at the Association for Institutional
Research (AIR) Forum in Orlando. He will collaborate with
Gregory Rogers from the University of Miami on Leading
Data Governance Activities: Perspectives from Two Institutions,
and with Wen Qi, presenting on Assessing College
Leadership Development.
Also in May, Karen Morgan will present twice at the
International Conference for Qualitative Researchers
(ICQI) in Urbana-Champaign. Her first presentation is
entitled Rhetoric as Voice: Qualitative Inquiry that Connects.
Her second presentation will be with a panel comprised of
Dr. Amanda Latz, Kevin Carey, Kelsey Cox, and Derek
Kent on the topic A Collection of Autoethnographies on
College Persistence: Views from the Inside Out. Her
presentation is entitled Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel; Push
Along: An Autoethnography of Identity, Self-Authorship, Spiritual
Goals, and Grit.
INstitutional Effectiveness INsights
Page 3
April 2014
Community Engagement Impact Survey Results (Cont. from Page 1)
In response to the faculty survey, more than 90% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that their community
engagement projects improved the educational experience of students with whom faculty worked, and contributed to Ball
State’s visibility in the community. On the student survey, more than 80% of respondents had some level of agreement
with all 28 statements about the impact of their project on the community, including increased awareness of social issues
within their community, high value educational experiences, and understanding of community challenges. Below is a
sampling of some of the findings from these surveys. A report of the survey results is online. For more information from
or about the survey, feel free to contact Wen Qi at wqi@bsu.edu or 285-8919.
Decision to Work with Ball State by Community Partners
How much did each of the
following reasons affect your
decision to work with Ball State
University on this project?
Not at
all a
reason
(1)
N
Somewhat
of a reason
(3)
(2)
Single Most
Important
Reason
(5)
(4)
%
Mean
Reputation of Ball State University
36
3.7
5.6%
0.0%
16.7%
72.2%
5.6%
Expertise of the specific people at Ball
State University with whom you
worked
37
3.9
5.4%
0.0%
13.5%
59.5%
21.6%
Quality of the work performed
37
4.1
0.0%
0.0%
13.5%
67.6%
18.9%
Customer Service
33
3.8
3.0%
6.1%
12.1%
66.7%
12.1%
Worked with Ball State on previous
projects
34
4.1
2.9%
4.9%
2.9%
55.9%
32.4%
Faculty Impact
Indicate the degree to which you
agree with the following
statements. This community
engagement opportunity:
Strongly
Disagree
(1)
N
(2)
Somewhat
Disagree
(3)
Somewhat
Agree
(4)
(5)
Strongly
Agree
(6)
%
Mean
Improved the educational experience
of students with whom I worked
59
5.6
3.4%
0.0%
1.7%
0.0%
22.0%
72.9%
Contributed to Ball State’s visibility in
the community
60
5.5
3.3%
0.0%
0.0%
6.7%
18.3%
71.7%
Contributed to collaboration with
representatives from non-academic
institutions
55
5.2
5.5%
7.3%
0.0%
3.6%
16.4%
67.3%
Helped to address a need that was
identified in the community
57
5.3
5.3%
0.0%
0.0%
5.3%
29.8%
59.6%
INstitutional Effectiveness INsights
Page 4
April 2014
Moving On
Bhavana Sherchand, IR Information Management
Specialist, resigned in January 2014 order to join her
family in their new home in Arizona.
Cheryl Buchanan, Administrative Coordinator, is
retiring in May 2014 after over 30 years of service at Ball
State University. We wish her well in her new
adventures.
Projects Underway and Recently Completed





OIE has awarded $43,000 in summer assessment grants
to 48 faculty members to support 24 projects in
Summer 2014.
The Office has administered 42 Major Field Tests and
other examinations to 624 students to support assessment of student learning in eight departments in Spring
2014, and funded these activities for the sum of
$14,036.
Faculty and staff feedback surveys were administered
prior to the re-appointment of three deans and five
department chairs in Spring 2014.
2012-2013 National Study of Instructional Cost and
Productivity data have been submitted to the
University of Delaware following validation by
department chairs. Results with peer comparisons
should be available in late summer.
OIE is assisting with a comprehensive evaluation of the
graduate student orientation program.





OIE carried out a study of retention and graduation rates
and time-to-degree for students registered with the
Office of Disability Services.
Faculty salary data were submitted to AAUP, CUPA-HR,
and Oklahoma State University for the annual salary
benchmarking studies.
OIE worked with the Center for International
Development to survey faculty members and professional
personnel.
The Office completed a report of degrees conferred for
programs recognized by ICHE as high-impact and a
report of all other degree programs with
recommendations for additional programs that the
University might request be recognized as high impact.
Work continues to update and revise the content and
format of the Fact Book, with the intention of tying it
more closely to Strategic Plan objectives and
accomplishments.
Recent Projects Now Available Online
Office of Institutional Effectiveness
For information on Surveys, Studies and Other
Resources, click on the following links:
For information on Official Statistics,
click on the following links:

Common Data Set

Assessment Forum 2014

Student Consumer Information

Assessment INsights newsletter

Department Profiles

Alumni Survey Report

Faculty FTE Load Distribution reports (department,
college, and university levels)

Community Engagement Impact Survey 2012-2013


Graduation Rate Study
Other Department Reports, including degrees
awarded, student course enrollments, student credit
hours, and majors declared