INTRODUCTIONS
David Mineo
Managing Director
DLMineo Consulting, LLC
David.mineo@dlmineo.com
Brigette Pfister, MHRD, CRA
Director of Sponsored Programs for Humanities & Sciences
Virginia Commonwealth University
bspfister@vcu.edu
AGENDA
• What is Administrative Burden?
• What is Assessment?
• Types of Assessment
• Why We Do Assessments
• At the Intersection of Administrative Burden and
Assessment
• Case Study: VCU College of Humanities & Sciences
WHAT IS ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN?
ad·min·is·tra·tive
of or relating to the
running of a business,
organization, etc.
bur·den
a load, especially a
heavy one.
Synonyms: load, weight,
cargo, freight
“…the baggage that comes
with doing business”
ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN
Administrative burdens are “costs” imposed on an
organization as a direct result of government
regulation. For research universities and other
entities receiving federal funds, these costs represent
thousands of hours spent on activity that may not
directly benefit the institution or the project in
question.
NSB ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN REPORT
“There is now consensus that some of these
requirements are interfering with the conduct of
science out of proportion with the accepted need to
ensure accountability, transparency and safety.”
“Principal investigators (PIs) of federally sponsored
research projects spend, on average, 42 percent of
their time on associated administrative tasks”
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2014/nsb1418/ns
b1418.pdf
NSB ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN REPORT
“The most frequently reported areas associated with high
administrative workload were financial management; the grant
proposal process; progress and other outcome reporting; human
subjects research (IRB); time and effort reporting; research
involving animals (IACUCs); and personnel management. Other
areas frequently addressed were subcontracts, financial conflictof-interest (COI), training, and laboratory safety and security.”
“It is imperative that these issues are addressed so that researchers
can refocus their efforts on scientific discovery and translation.”
WHAT IS ASSESSMENT?
as·sess·ment
the evaluation or estimation of the nature,
quality, or ability of someone or something.
Synonyms: evaluation, judgment, rating,
estimation, appraisal, analysis, opinion
ORGANIZATIONAL ASSESSMENT
Organizational assessment is a systematic
process for obtaining valid information about
the performance of an organization and the
factors that affect performance. It is
conducted in order to demonstrate areas of
competence, areas for improvement, and
possible risks, help support investment and
restructuring decisions.
http://reflectlearn.org/discover/your-introductory-guide-to-oa
THREE LEVELS OF ASSESSMENT
Organizational Level
Team Level
Individual Level
•
•
•
•
Mandated from above
To find out what’s going on
To help decide what to do
To obtain data on a known
problem
PROS AND CONS OF ASSESSMENT
PROS
CONS
Broadens perspective
Pinpoints areas for
improvement
Can help streamline
processes and
eliminate waste
Can help structure
teams efficiently
Data can be misused or
improperly interpreted
Can be time consuming
and expensive
Can add significantly to
administrative burden
ASSESSMENT IS A GOOD IDEA WHEN:
• There are clear questions to be answered
• Performance problems exist or improvements are
needed
• Leadership is on board
• There are major decisions to be made
• Long-range planning is underway
• Good Return on Investment (ROI) is likely
ASSESSMENT IS LESS OF A GOOD IDEA WHEN:
•There aren’t clear
questions to be
answered
•The results are
unlikely to be useful
(low to no ROI)
•Leadership hasn’t
bought into the idea
Above all, assessment must be
handled professionally and
properly in order to be successful!
CONTEXT
VCU’s strategic plan is called the Quest for Distinction,
aimed at distinguishing VCU as the nation’s premier
public, urban, research university
CHS is VCU’s largest academic unit
CHS strategic planning process was aimed at articulating
a candid assessment of the strengths and challenges,
and an inspirational vision for the future
THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS
Alumni Survey
2000 responses
Concept Mapping
350 participants
Identified
Priorities and Areas of
Largest Impact
Small Group Discussions
Groups of 8-12
met with the Dean
personally
Most of the "priorities" that emerged from this process
represented actions that would improve the VCU work
environment and/or faculty and staff productivity
RESULTS: OUR PRIORITIES
A liberal arts and sciences education provides a pathway for
students to a deeply meaningful and successful life and career
Transformational impacts cannot be achieved without a full
commitment to excellence, but H&S will have to build excellence
by building areas of national distinction in some programs while
correcting deficiencies in others.
A dynamic and inclusive learning and working environment in which
individuals of differing cultural and intellectual perspectives, life
experiences, and cultural backgrounds are welcomed, valued
and supported is critically important
Time is a finite and extraordinarily valuable resource
RESULTS: WHAT WE NEED TO DO
Increased funds, through university allocation, fundraising,
and sponsored research
More faculty, and staff to support them
Diversity among our faculty to reflect the diversity of the
student body
Integrative opportunities for students, like undergraduate
research, international experiences, etc.
Additional office and research space
Resources and incentives to encourage innovation
WHAT WE’VE DONE SO FAR:
Begun communicating our findings to university
leadership
Drafted a strategic plan, aligned with VCU’s Quest
for Distinction
Hired a Director of the Great Place Initiative for our
College
Developed specific action items to further our goals
Set metrics for those actions so that we can
evaluate our success later