University of South Carolina Aiken Annual Accountability Report

Fiscal Year 1996-1997

Introduction

In the 1997 Institutional Effectiveness Report, USC Aiken is reporting on the components of Majors or Concentrations, Performance on Professional Licensing or Certification, Academic Advising, Entry-level Skills and Development Education, Retention and Attrition, Academic Performance of Student Athletes, Public Service, and Research.

CHE will report on the components of Program Changes Resulting from External Reviews, Success in Meeting College or University Admissions Requirements, and Minority Student and Faculty Access and Equity.

The remaining components (except for Transfer from Two to Four Year Institutions, which is not applicable for USC Aiken) are not scheduled to be reported this year. Those include General Education, reported last in 1996 and reported next in 1998; Procedures for Student Development, reported last in 1995 and reported next in 1998; Library Resources and Services, reported last in 1995 and reported next in 1998; Administrative and Financial Processes and Performance, reported last in 1995 and reported next in 1998; and, Facilities, reported last in 1996 and reported next in 1998.

General Information

USC Aiken continues in its dedication to the assessment and continuous improvement of student outcomes. To this end, USC Aiken had been selected as having Exemplary Programs by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (SCCHE) and the South Carolina Higher Education Assessment Network (SCHEA), as well as by the Library Director's Association in the seven following areas:

  1. Assessment of the English Major
  2. Assessment of Retention and Attrition
  3. Assessment of Written Communications in General Education
  4. Assessment of Administrative Processes
  5. Assessment of the Speech Communication Concentration
  6. Assessment of Library Resources
  7. Assessment of Advising

In its continuing efforts to assess retention and attrition, USCA was selected to participate in the American Association of State Colleges and Universities' (AASCU) Public Policy Research Partners Program for 1997. The USCA project was one of only four selected and will focus on "student movers and leavers."

In order to meet the growing needs of its students, USCA has instituted a Bachelor's Degree in Visual and Performing Arts. In addition, USCA is currently phasing out the Associate Degree in Criminal Justice, while adding a criminology/criminal justice concentration in the four-year Sociology Degree. Further, USCA is currently seeking approval to offer a Bachelor's Degree in Communications and a Master's Degree in Applied Clinical Psychology.

1. General Education

This component was reported on last in 1996. Based on our schedule of reporting, it will be reported again next in 1998.

2. Majors or Concentrations

Assessment of the majors from the following areas are reported in the current report: Biology and Exercise & Sports Science. A complete assessment report for each major can be found in the full Institutional Effectiveness Report on file with the SC Commission on Higher Education and the USCA Office of Assessment and Institutional Research. This summary will briefly highlight some of the major assessment findings for each major and a sample of changes that these results have brought about.

The following matrix provides a list of the assessment instruments used by each program for the major.

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Majors
 
Assessment
Instrument * Biology Exercise & Sports
Science
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Senior Exit Survey O
Transcript Evaluation X X
Capstone Course X X
Locally Developed Exam X
Senior Research or Internship X X
Alumni Survey X X
Course-embedded X X
Student Tracking X X
Employer Survey O
National Exam MFAT
Review of Syllabi X X
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* "X" denotes assessment methods currently in use.
"O" denotes assessment methods currently being developed.

Biology

The four major sources of assessment for the biology major are the Major Field Achievement Test (MFAT), course-embedded assessment, senior exit surveys, and senior research. An in-depth discussion of the results of the assessment findings are reported in the full report. A summary of these results show:

  1. While students have scored at or near the mean on many of the subscores and assessment indicators of the MFAT, the faculty in the Biology Department would like to see higher scores on the exam.

  2. Examination of course syllabi, faculty narratives on their annual evaluations, and discussions with faculty about their courses indicate that students are provided with appropriate opportunities to perform both skill-based learning and course content learning.

  3. Three years of senior exit survey responses have been analyzed, showing inconsistent patterns of responses.

  4. Results of senior research projects have included many presentations and publications of student research. In 1995-96 12 students published papers, and 19 made presentations at professional meetings. Over the past three years, 25 students have published papers, and 56 have made presentations.

Based on the results of assessment, the faculty of the Biology Department are considering the following changes:

  1. Requiring the MFAT as part of the Senior Research course, ABIO 499. This would permit the department to gather data on all graduating seniors rather than the ones that elect to take the exam, as is the current practice.

  2. Refining the Senior Exit Survey questions in the hope of yielding more useful information from the instrument.

  3. Developing and implementing a formal evaluation of the senior research oral and written projects (perhaps using an evaluation form similar to that of the South Carolina Academy of Science, the Region II Science Fair, the CSRA's Science Forum, or the USCA Department of English).

  4. Evaluating the status of instrumentation in the Department.

Exercise & Sports Science

The Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Sports Science program was implemented at USCA in the Fall of 1995. Students declaring the major came from existing USCA degree programs, primarily the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies and Biology; transferred in from other schools; or began the program as incoming freshmen. The first two students to meet all degree requirements of the Exercise and Sports Science major graduated in December 1996, followed by an additional three students in the Spring of 1997. With five graduates, this is the first assessment report on the new degree program.

From this initial assessment, it is clear that the plan is still evolving and changes are anticipated for the future. Several curriculum modifications have already been made to enhance certain content areas, as well as student performance. Greater specificity of measurement and the inclusion of additional measurements are still needed. An exit survey of graduates will also be added.

A summary of the results of assessment for the major are as follows:

  1. Three locally-developed, written examinations were given resulting in average scores of 90.25, 82.8, and 87.6.

  2. A practical examination of clinical skills (also locally-developed) was administered with a resulting average score of 83.4.

  3. Three students successfully completed research projects and two students successfully completed athletic training-related internships.

No specific criteria were set previously for interpretation of these assessment data. Using the standards established by the American College of Sports Medicine (whose exams were modeled in the locally-developed exams) of a 70% passage rate indicates that the Exercise and Sports Science program goals are successfully being met. A review of interpretation criteria will be undertaken and specific requirements added to the assessment plan for the future.

3. Performance Of Professional Program Graduates On Licensing And Certification Exams

Overall, 285 of 303 (94.1%) students taking licensing and certification exams passed on the first attempt, an increase of 1% over the previous year.

A. National Teacher Examinations

During the 1996-97 academic year 103 of the 106 (97%) USC Aiken pre-student teaching students passed the Professional Knowledge section of the NTE Core Battery. One hundred, twenty-six of the 131(96%) students, who completed student teaching during the 1996-97 term, passed the Professional Knowledge Examination.

With respect to the Specialty Area Examinations, 115 of the 127 (90.5%) USC Aiken pre-student teaching students passed the exam during the 1996-97 term. One hundred, twenty-four of the 131 (95%) students who completed student teaching during the 1996-97 term passed the Specialty Area Examinations.

B. National Council Licensure Examination For Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN)

Of the 38 Associate Degree graduates writing for the above exam in May 1996, 100% passed, while 90.6% of the 32 students taking the exam in December 1996 passed.

The 1996 NCLEX-RN scores have shown slight improvement over the preceding two years and meet the South Carolina Board of Nursing criteria for continuous accreditation. Based on the results of the NCLEX-RN, the School of Nursing faculty will continue to assess the curriculum and make changes as appropriate.

4. Reports Of Program Changes That Have Occurred As A Result Of External Program Evaluations

There have been no program changes in 1996 as a result of external program evaluations.

5. Academic Advising

Students have been surveyed regarding their satisfaction with the Office of Advisement Services and the advisement they received from faculty within their chosen major. The results of the 1994 through 1997 Annual Current Student Survey have shown a trend of increasing satisfaction (with the exception of 1996) with advisement by faculty, as well as increased satisfaction with the Office of Advisement Services, by current students. Specifically:

% Responding "Satisfied" or "Very Satisfied"

Question 1994 1995 1996 1997
Satisfaction with the advisement by
faculty within their chosen major 		77% 79.6% 73.7% 85%
 
Satisfaction with the Office of
Advisement Services 		N/A N/A 89.1% 91%

Alumni surveys have been conducted asking the past graduates how satisfied they were with the advisement they received by faculty within their chosen major. The following results have been found from alumni. While the satisfaction with advisement of current students is increasing, the level of satisfaction with alumni tends to be decreasing. Specifically:

Academic Year Of Graduation Percent Of Alumni Satisfied With Faculty Advisement Within The Chosen Major
 
1989-90 95.0%
 
1990-91 95.5%
 
1991-92 92.4%
 
1992-93 85.1%
 
1993-94 81.1%

With regard to future plans, the Office of Advisement Services piloted a standardized academic advisement survey, produced by American College Testing (ACT), in the Spring 1996 semester. In response to comments and concerns about the ACT survey by individual faculty members, students, and the Faculty Welfare Committee, an ad hoc committee was convened in Fall 1996 to develop a survey for individual advisors.

The Ad Hoc Committee on the Assessment of Advisement, began its work by defining the overall purpose of advisement at USCA and by defining the responsibilities of the institution, the departments, the advisors, and the student advisees with regard to the advisement process. The committee then drafted a survey, which is currently being piloted (Summer 1997) and will be implemented in the Spring of 1998 and administered on an annual basis each spring. This survey will be used to provide individual feedback to advisors concerning their students' perceptions of their performance in the role of advisor. Further, this information will be available for advisors to include in their annual performance evaluation, which incorporates advisement as one of the required areas of teaching. Finally, the survey asks the student to rate their own performance as an advisee. It is anticipated that this section will heighten each student's awareness of their own responsibilities in the advisement process.

USCA is striving to make certain it offers the best possible services in the area of advisement to its students. To that end, in consultation with the Enrollment Planning Team, "special advisors" to advise our provisionally admitted students were recruited. These students are those whose combined SAT scores are below the minimum required for admission and whose predicted grade point averages fall below 2.0. These advisors receive additional training and conduct "intrusive advising" throughout the semester to give these students the care and attention needed to be successful. These advisors meet on a regular basis to discuss advising techniques and share experiences.

These students were initially required to attend nine different sessions on various topics (e.g., time management, note-taking skills, test-taking skills, etc.) in order to further assist in their success. Based on a review of first year's implementation, students were required in AY 1996-97 to take a graded 1-hour credit course, which they must pass with a "C," instead of the nine different sessions previously required. Any student may take this course, but it is required of students who are "provisionally" admitted.

6. Entry-Level Skills And Developmental Education

USCA no longer offers courses to develop students who are not prepared in the basic skills areas. USCA has contracted with Aiken Technical College (ATC) to provide a single developmental reading course and a single developmental math course for USCA students. While these are ATC courses, they are delivered to USCA students on the USCA campus by ATC faculty.

Placement Testing - USCA currently provides a Math placement test to students who are entering college for the first time (traditional and non-traditional students) and transfer students who have not completed their mathematics requirements at the time they enter USCA. The Department of Mathematical Sciences began giving a standardized, computerized math placement test in Spring 1996 -- the COMPASS by American College Testing (ACT). Students who place into a developmental course are required to successfully complete the developmental math course offered by ATC prior to taking college level math courses at USCA. The math placement test also determines the level of college math in which a student should begin.

At present, USCA does not administer a placement test for reading; however, there is a remedial reading course offered contractually by ATC faculty on the USCA campus. Those entering freshmen whose verbal SAT score is below 450 are required to take this course.

USCA no longer requires placement tests to students in English, as there is no developmental English course offered. USCA has instituted a rising junior writing portfolio which assesses students writing proficiency after the completion of 60 hours of course work.

Success in Developmental Courses

See Table 4 of the Act 255 report for specifics on success in developmental courses. While USC Aiken no longer offers developmental courses, the following are the results of the students who began college in Fall 1995. Overall, 124 (33.2%) first-time, full-time freshmen took English 100; 90.5% completed the course successfully and 79.8% of those exiting English 100 went on to successfully complete English 101 (however, 12 of these students did not attempt English 101). With regard to Math 098/099, 192 (50.7%) first-time, full-time freshmen took these courses; 64.1% successfully completed the courses; and 77.2% of those passed the entry level class. A total of 21 (5.5%) first-time, full time freshmen took AEDR 121; 95.2% successfully completed the reading course and 50% were successful at the next level.

Use of Findings/Future Plans

While these results will continue to be reviewed by the departments that once offered these courses, there are no plans for changes since USCA no longer offers developmental courses. USCA will monitor the success of students in entry level courses who have taken the developmental courses offered by ATC and provide feedback to ATC for their information and revisions.

7. Success Of Entering Students In Meeting College Or University Admissions Standards

Percentage of New Freshmen Who Met All Prerequisites for College Admission

  1994 1995 1996
All Freshmen 88.9 88.8 86.4
S. C. Residents 91.3 90.4 91
Non-Residents 72.3 77.5 60.4

8. Achievement Of Students Transferring From Two To Four Year Institutions

This component is not applicable to our institutional type.

9. Analysis of Undergraduate Retention and Attrition

USCA's retention rates had been steadily increasing until the 1993 cohort. However, there had been declines in students returning for their sophomore year for the 1993 and 1994 cohorts. These declines coincide with the large layoffs at the Savannah River Site, which is the largest employer in the area. A significant improvement in first-year retention rates (an all-time high of 72.3%) was found for the 1995 cohort (an increase of over 9% from the 1994 cohort). Further, 6-year graduation rates have begun to improve again, as well. Specifically, the 6-year graduation rate for the 1988 cohort was 38.3%. It increased with the 1989 cohort to 39.3%, and increased again with the 1990 cohort to 41.8%.

The increase in the one year retention of the 1995 cohort is related to a number of changes instituted during the fall of 1995, at the recommendation of the Enrollment Planning Team. Some of the changes included:

Assignment of "at-risk" students to "intrusive advisors"
Requirement of "at-risk" students to attend a series of workshops for skill development
Increased academic support services across campus
Increased evening course offerings and alternative scheduling for students
Holding systematic focus groups with freshmen students to address retention issues

The EPT is currently working to develop an 18-month cycle of intervention strategies aimed at students from the point of acceptance to the institution until the completion of the first year.

In addition to the changes instituted at the recommendation of the EPT, a number of other changes were made in the Fall of 1995. Specifically:

  1. New Student Orientation underwent extensive revisions. For the first time, Orientation was delivered in July and in August. This allowed for a reduction in the size of the groups attending at one time and the provision of more personalized attention to the new students. More personalized service was also offered by reducing the size of the breakout groups during Orientation. While faculty and staff have always been involved in Orientation, there was an increase in faculty and staff involvement beginning in Fall 1995. The Orientation program itself was revised to focus more intently on student success in college. Students were provided with a clearer picture of the University's expectations of them and what they needed to do to be successful. Finally, the early Orientation (in July) allowed students to make an early commitment, allowing them to be advised and register for Fall classes at that time.

  2. The efforts of the Office of Student Activities has also undergone some dramatic changes. Starting in Fall 1995, there was a great increase in the level of activities offered at USCA, e.g., a greatly expanded intramural sports program, the establishment of an outdoor recreation program, an expansion of the number and members of fraternities and sororities. In addition to the increased number of activities available, there has been a higher visibility of these activities and the Office of Student Activities, with a strong emphasis on getting more students involved. The larger number of activities and events offered are also aimed at attracting diverse types of students (e.g., age, race, and gender).

USCA continues to monitor its retention very closely. In-depth studies of retention continue and additional changes are being made based on the results of those studies. For example, beginning Fall 1998, the category for definition for provisional students will be changed to increase the selectivity of the institution and will result in better selecting students who can succeed through completion of the degree. Specifically, the provisional category for students will change from a predicted grade point average of 1.4 to 1.8, and increase to 1.8 to 1.99. All students who have a predicted grade point average of less than 2.0 are assigned "intrusive advisors". Finally, the "at-risk" students in Fall 1995 were required to attend nine student success workshops, as a condition of their acceptance. USCA now requires the student to take a course (ASUP 101) which develops the students' skills for success.

In its continuing efforts to assess retention and attrition, USCA was selected to participate in the American Association of State Colleges and Universities' (AASCU) Public Policy Research Partners Program for 1997. The USCA project was one of only four selected and will focus on "student movers and leavers."

Comparison Studies Of Retention

USCA has participated in two retention studies: 1) sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the Sallie Mae Foundation, and 2) the Consortium for Student Retention Data Exchange (CSRDE) sponsored by the University of Oklahoma. Both of these studies allow USCA to benchmark retention and graduation rates against similar institutions. While USCA's rates are consistently lower than the average of all institutions combined (large, small, private, public, etc.), the institution's rates compare very favorably when comparisons are made with more similar institutions (i.e., small, public, less selective, high percentage of part-time undergraduates). In fact USCA's 5 and 6-year graduation rates typically exceed those of their peer institutions in these studies at an overall level and by gender and ethnic comparisons. Comparisons with data reported in 1996 by Alexander Astin, along with Lisa Tsui and Juan Avalos, published a study entitled, Degree Attainment Rates at American Colleges and Universities: Effects of Race, Gender, and Institutional Type demonstrates that USCA's graduation rates compare favorably when appropriate comparisons are made.

10. Minority Student And Faculty Access And Equity

Ratio of Black Full-Time (F.T.) Faculty
to Total Full-Time Faculty

Fall Semester Total F.T. Faculty Black F.T. Faculty Number Black F.T. Faculty Percent
1992 93 3 3.2
1993 116 4 3.5
1994 119 4 3.4
1995 116 3 2.6
1996 118 4 3.4

11. Academic Performance Of Student Athletes

The overall graduation rate for the student athletes who entered USCA with grants-in-aid during the summer or fall 1990-91 academic year was 54.5% compared to 31.9% for all full-time freshmen that entered during the same time period. (This institutional graduation rate is based on all freshmen, not just first-time, full-time freshmen and only on those who graduated on the Aiken campus. It does not include others who graduated from the University of South Carolina.) This is a significant increase over the 16.1% graduation rate of student athletes who entered with grants-in-aid during AY 1989-90, and is considerably higher than the comparison of all full-time freshmen entering USCA during the same time period (AY 1990-91). In addition to the 54.5% of student athletes who graduated from USCA, two graduated from other campuses at the University of South Carolina, and one has returned to USCA after playing minor league baseball for several years. Also, two student-athletes who did not receive athletic aid as freshmen completed their athletic eligibility and graduated from USCA. The graduation rate for the men's basketball team was 0%. Only one student-athlete from this group was on the men's basketball team and he did not graduate.

During the 1996-97 academic year the average GPA of USCA's 204 student-athletes was 2.606, with 71 (35%) earning a GPA of at least 3.0 for the year. For the spring 1997 semester, the student-athletes' average GPA was 2.739, with 79 (46%) earning a GPA of at least 3.0.

USCA continues to monitor student-athletes' grades twice per semester, as well as conduct an athletic study hall for freshmen and those student-athletes with a GPA under 2.0.

12. Procedures For Student Development

This component was reported on last in 1995. Based on our schedule of reporting, it will be reported again next in 1998.

13. Library Resources And Service

This component was reported on last in 1995. Based on our schedule of reporting, it will be reported again next in 1998.

14. Administrative And Financial Processes And Performance

This component was reported on last in 1995. Based on our schedule of reporting, it will be reported again next in 1998.

15. Facilities

This component was reported on last in 1996. Based on our schedule of reporting, it will be reported again next in 1998.

16. Public Service

Public service is an integral part of the mission of USC Aiken. As an academic community, USCA serves the public by fostering cultural appreciation and by making available the expertise of its faculty, staff, and students through its programs and services, and its resources. Thus, public service activity is encouraged among all aspects of the institution - involving students as well as the faculty and staff. Partnership is a major theme of USCA, and has been an area of high priority to the University. The University provides services and participates in activities that bring in over 80,000 people to the campus yearly.

USC Aiken offers the senior citizens of the community free credit hours to participate in classes. The service to senior citizens from Fall 1993 through Spring 1997 consisted of 2426 students taking 7910 credit hours.

Based on the USCA 1996 Institutional Effectiveness Plan, the goals of the institution with regard to public service are:

  1. USCA experience some expansion each year in the role each of these entities [facilities usage, programs, faculty, students, staff, senior citizen tuition-free courses] play in public service.
  2. All of USCA's professional schools be involved in public service.
  3. Of USCA's 10 academic departments, at least 50% be involved in public service.

With regard to the achievement of these goals:

  1. USCA did not begin systematically collecting this information on an annual basis until AY 1996-97. This data will be collected on annual basis in the future.
  2. All three of USCA's professional schools were involved in public service activities. In fact, 100% of the faculty within the Schools of Education and Nursing were involved in public service, and approximately 72% of the School of Business faculty were involved in public service.
  3. Of USCA's 10 academic departments, 100% (exceeding the goal) were involved to some degree with public service activity. Three of the departments had 100% of their faculty involved in public service.

The full Institutional Effectiveness Report provides information in the areas of:

17. Research

While teaching is the primary mission of USC Aiken, the institution is devoted to scholarly and creative pursuits. Research plays a major role in advancing faculty and student knowledge. The Office of Sponsored Research at USCA facilitates the institution's efforts to obtain external funding.

Based on the USCA 1996 Institutional Effectiveness Plan, the goals of the institution with regard to research are:

  1. USCA experiences some expansion each year in the number of sponsored research proposals.
  2. 75% of the faculty will publish or present research at least every 3 years.
  3. Liberal Arts and Sciences units require senior research projects, the Sciences and Social Sciences require all graduates to have participated in a research project, and that 50% of the other academic areas require research from their graduates.

    With regard to the achievement of these goals:

    USCA experienced expansion in the number of sponsored research proposals between AY 1995-96 and AY 1996-97. In fact, 30 proposals were submitted in 1995-96 and 40 were submitted in 1996-97, an increase of 33.3%.

    Approximately 77% of the full-time faculty either published or presented research during AY 1996-97. The data was not compiled systematically for the previous two years. However, the participation over the most recent year exceeds the established goal.

    The Liberal Arts and Sciences require a senior research project, with the exception of the Interdisciplinary Studies program; the Sciences and Social Sciences require all graduates to participate in a research project during their academic experience; and the professional schools also require research from their graduates.

    The full Institutional Effectiveness Report provides the information regarding research activity on the USCA campus:

    * ACT 255 of 1992 requires that institutions provide the number and percentage of "upper level undergraduates participating in sponsored research." For this reporting period, USCA had 29 students that fit that classification. However, there are many students (upper and lower-level) that participate in research projects that are not "sponsored research." In fact, another 190 students were involved in unsponsored research, yielding a total 219 students involved in research (sponsored and unsponsored) during AY 1996-97.