“Developing an Exemplary Self-Study”
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Effective organization and implementation
Comprehensive Assessment
Documenting Compliance
Compilation and Writing
Creating a Self-Study Website
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Planning
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Preparation
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Production
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Presentation
The terms self-study and
compliance document are used
interchangeably in this
presentation!
tracs.lutherrice.edu
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Begin the self-study process early enough so
as to avoid a last minute process and crisis
mentality.
Give the institution and its participants plenty
of time to complete the process and produce
a compliance document.
The length of time to produce a compliance
document is usually 18-24 months.
A last minute process is unfair to your
institution.
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Develop a timetable that is continually revisited.
Include widespread participation: Administration,
Faculty, Staff, and Board.
Organize into Committees – have some of each
on each Committee.
Base the number of Committees on the size of
the institution.
The ideal Committee structure is as follows:
Governance, Academic, Faculty, Financial, Library,
Institutional Effectiveness, Student Services
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Combine Committees where appropriate in
smaller institutions.
Appoint a chairman of each Committee.
Communicate to each Committee
expectations.
Decide on issues that require uniformity.
Allow 12 months for the Committees to write
their responses to the Standards and
Evaluative Criteria.
The responses include documentation.
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Schedule regular meetings for each Committee.
Schedule a monthly meeting.
At intervals require each Committee to give a
progress report.
Appoint a person in charge who is responsible
for the project.
The person in charge should have a team that
assists in finalizing the project: a team member
who is responsible for the creation of the website
and a team member who is responsible for
creating a hard copy and proofing.
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The team will take over the project at the 13th
month and will be responsible for finalizing
the project.
Identify some competent proofreaders.
English majors are good proofreaders.
The project will need to be proofread multiple
times.
Involve IT in the project.
Get good advice from IT on the logistics of
the project.
Good communication is the key to success!
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We are trying to achieve conformity from each group on
formatting and specific standards we’d like everyone to
follow when completing/preparing your “Response” or
“Narrative” for the TRACS Self-Study. Therefore, these
guidelines are designed to assist students in
accomplishing this goal.
Formatting your “Responses” or “Narrative”:
1. Font – Arial 11
2. Bold –
3. Underline
4. Italicize necessary for the following types of documents:
names of institutional manuals or handbooks, e.g. Board
of Trustees Manual, Faculty Handbook, Staff Handbook.
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Naming your “Responses” or “Narratives”:
name your submissions as
 TRACS_Section # or #s_Last name
Place your submissions in the appropriate
folder in the Shared site.
The following information must be created
for each Standard: response, evidence of
compliance, and compliance level.
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We have decided on the final self-study
format. We will create a website for the
document. It will be submitted electronically
to TRACS; however, TRACS requires one hard
copy. The template identifies the areas to be
addressed. The TRACS template has merged
the Self-Study Guidelines and Accreditation
Standards. In entering your responses, you
can enter them in Word, as plain as possible
using the formatting standards noted above.
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The Chair should assign areas within the
committee purview.
The Committee should meet regularly.
The Committee should review and approve all
submissions.
TRACS Self-Study Timeline Sample
A. August 1, 2012 -- Submit the Self-Study Proposal to TRACS
B. August 1, 2012 -- Organize the Committees and Make Assignments
C. September 1, 2012 – December 1, 2012 -- Committees conduct their
work
D. July 10, 2013 – Reorganize the Committees and Assignments with
revised TRACS Accreditation Standards
E. September 1, 2013 – December 20, 2013 – Committees conduct their
work
F. December 20, 2013 – Committees complete and submit self-study
work
G. January 2, 2014 - June 30, 2014 – Prepare the TRACS Self-Study
Website and Self-Study Document
H. September 1, 2014 – Self-Study with Documentation mailed to the
Evaluation Team/TRACS Office
I. December 1-5, 2014 – Evaluation Team Visit (tentative)
J. January 1, 2015 – Response due to the Evaluation Team
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Important Information:
The first key date is December 20, 2013 with the submission of
the Committee Work due to the IE Dept. All committee participants
responses must be complete and final and saved to the
SelfStudy2014 site in the appropriate committee folder.
The second key date is June 30, 2014 for the preparation of the
Self-Study website and Self-Study Document to be complete.
The third key date is September 1, 2014 for the submission of
the Self-Study to TRACS. The Self-Study with documentation should
be submitted to TRACS about 90 days before the visit.
◦ The Team Visit was scheduled for December 2-5, 2014.
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Self-Study Timeline Sample Continued
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Gather assessment data annually!
Assessment must begin immediately. Start
now!
The compliance document is built on
assessment data.
Implement Standards 19.1 – 19.15
“One of the most crucial responsibilities of any
institution is to determine how well it is
accomplishing its mission. While there are
many ways of assessing such way is the
institution’s Comprehensive Assessment Plan,
which would involve the identification of
outcomes, assessment to determine the extent
to which they are achieved, and evidence of
institutional improvement based on an analysis
of the results in each of the following areas:
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Administration
Academics and Student
Learning
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Finances
Facilities and
Equipment
Student Services
Section H
19.1 – 19.15
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Have a plan.
Implement it.
Annually collect data.
Analyze the data.
Feed the data into the decision-making of the
institution
Make changes based on the data.
Incorporate the data into strategic planning.
Prepare an annual assessment report.
Make the data and changes available for the
compliance document.
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Administration
Academics and
Student Learning
Student Services
Finances
Facilities and
Equipment
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Some key
assessment pieces:
All programs should
be assessed on a
cycle (every 3-5
years).
Institutional,
program, and course
learning outcomes
should be assessed.
An institution must
demonstrate student
learning.
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Direct and indirect
measures of student
learning must be
used.
Course-embedded
assessments,
capstone courses,
practica, portfolios,
and standardized
testing are some key
direct measures of
student learning.
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Key financial ratios
generated by the
auditor is a crucial
measure of financial
health.
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Every claim must be supported with
documentation.
Address each standard and component parts.
Answer the question or address the issue.
Be comprehensive and thorough.
Use internal citation.
In the narrative link the support to the exact
spot in the documentation.
Provide a trail of support and argument in
your narrative.
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You must create a Documents’ Directory.
Contents of your documents’ directory should be any document that you
reference in your compliance document.
Examples:
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Manuals
Catalog
Minutes (Board, President’s Council, Faculty, Committees)
Foundational or Governance Documents
Budgets
External Financial Audits
Strategic Plan
Key Documents
Policies
Administration, Staff, and Faculty Rosters
Job Descriptions
Sample Syllabi
Permits and Inspections
Fact Books
Assessment Reports
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At the 12 month point, all of the Committees
should submit their products to the key
person.
Someone should be in charge and responsible
for the final product.
The person in charge should be the person
who is responsible for institutional
effectiveness.
All the work products should proceed to the
person in charge.
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The self-study project now moves to a crucial
second phase.
The more consistency there is in the writing
of the Committees the easier the production
of the final product will be.
The Director now systematically proofs the
work products of the Committees.
The Director should set himself/herself on a
schedule to complete each Standard.
The Director must read for clarity,
consistency, grammar, and punctuation.
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The Director must ensure that the issue in the
Standard is addressed and addressed fully.
Every claim must have support.
The Director must check that the format is
consistent.
This is a work intensive project and probably
will take about 6 months.
As sections are completed, the sections
should go to the proofer and creation of a
hard copy.
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The Document should go back to the Director for
a second major proofing.
Once the sections meet the Director’s approval,
engage an independent proofreading.
It is better to do this in sections and spread-out
the proofing.
The Director reviews the changes recommended
by the proofer and those changes are sent to the
on-site proofer.
As the sections are cleared, they go to the creator
of the website.
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The website must be proofed!
A final check of the website must be
conducted.
Multiple Proofing! Multiple Proofing! Multiple
Proofing! is in order.
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I. Introduction
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A. Purpose
B. History
C. Relationship with TRACS
D. Self-Study Proposal
II. Standards (Foundational and Operational)
 A. Description of Standard
 B. Institutional Self-Study Analysis and Compliance
Narrative
 C. List of Supporting Documents
 D. Plan for Coming into Compliance with Timeline
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III. Conclusion
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Create a website as soon as you have a
definite template to follow.
◦ Items can be changed and moved around.
◦ It is easier if the website is created before you
begin to upload content.
◦ Plan the website according to ABHE’s template for
ease.
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Create a page on the website for each
Standard.
◦ By creating a page for each Standard, you know in
fact that you are answering all of the questions.
◦ Responses are easy to find.
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Start collecting documents immediately.
◦ Shared file system must be created and should be
set-up at the beginning.
◦ People responsible can begin organizing the files.
◦ Create a file within a file within a file.
◦ This makes the files organized and easy to find
items.
◦ Name the files what they actually are.
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Create a documents’ directory.
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Identify the documents, minutes, manuals,
reports, policies that will be revised and included
in the self-study.
◦ You can plan for the appropriate space in the
documents’ directory.
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Have a clear plan between team members
regarding when to expect documents, who is
doing what, and the timeline.
Have a meeting with Faculty, Staff, and
Administration to “train” them on the
guidelines/naming conventions, etc.
Get everyone in the habit of sending documents
to the Team.
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Let’s Investigate - tracs.lutherrice.edu
Page of Introduction
 Self-Study Document
 Assessment Plan
 Strategic Plan
 Documents’ Directory
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Benchmarks for Excellence
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Accreditation Manual
Self-Study Guidelines
Steps Toward Accreditation