Concern 3: Staff and Faculty Handbooks
A third concern is the absence of faculty and staff handbooks. The integrity and equity of the faculty evaluative processes are crucial to the institution’s ability to fulfill its mission. From the Senate Blue Book and the Provost’s website, it is not clear that the University’s evaluation plans include administrative access to all primary data (e.g., copies of publications, student and peer evaluations of teaching) for any review other than tenure review. Nor is it clear that multiple indices are used in the evaluation of teaching. Because there is no single faculty handbook where all the policies and procedures are spelled out, and because bargaining agreements, university, college, and peer unit relevant policies and procedures all apply, consistent understanding, interpretation and application of policy is difficult. Similar confusion exists regarding staff hiring, classification, and evaluation. Therefore the Evaluation Committee recommends that the UAF develop faculty and staff handbooks that collect the policies and procedures governing appointment, evaluation, scholarship, research and artistic creation, for all faculty and staff, full or part-time, on all campuses of UAF, and that evaluative provisions conform to the policy on faculty evaluation. We recommend UAF provide a report to the Commission in two years. (Standard 4.A - Faculty Selection, Evaluation, Roles, Welfare, and Development, 4.A.5, 4.A.6, Policy 4.1 Faculty Evaluation; 6.C - Leadership and Management, 6.C.8)

Progress Regarding Concern 3:
Faculty Handbook
The UAF Faculty Handbook, developed since the 2001 site visit, is a web-based collection of the policies and procedures governing appointment, evaluation, scholarship, research and artistic creation located at http://www.uaf.edu/provost/fac_handbook/index.html. The Office of the Provost maintains the site, and, as with all websites with dynamic content, the Faculty Handbook is continually being augmented and improved to provide the faculty immediate online access to information.

The UAF Faculty Handbook includes an overview of the university’s structure, including the branch campuses, and access to key planning documents such as the Academic Development Plan and Strategic Plan 2005. Additionally, faculty will find information regarding appointment, workload and evaluation; instruction and curricula which includes academic, technology and library resource information; policies about research, scholarly and creative activity and service; faculty development; faculty governance; and benefits. A table summarizing faculty evaluation types, those groups or individuals involved in each type of evaluation and the materials reviewed in each type is located in the UAF Faculty Handbook at http://www.uaf.edu/provost/fac_handbook/review_types.pdf.

With respect to multiple indices of teaching effectiveness, UAF Regulation III.B.2 states the components of evaluation regarding the effectiveness of teaching be “provided by: a. systematic student ratings, i.e. student opinion of instruction summary forms, and at least two of the following: b. narrative self-evaluation, c. peer/department chair classroom observation(s), d. peer/department chair evaluations of course materials.” UAF follows this policy and communicates it those involved in evaluations.

Upon completion of the Handbook the Faculty Senate and various Senate sub-committees were asked to evaluate the site and provide feedback as to the accessibility of the information and the type of information represented and provide recommendations for additions or deletions. The feedback was quite positive, some minor adjustments were made, and an email message was then sent to all faculty informing them of the creation of the Handbook and providing them with the web address.

New faculty are given a welcome packet by the Office of the Provost that includes a colored copy of the front page of the Faculty Handbook, and a hard copy of UAF’s Policies and Regulations for the Evaluation of Faculty. At the New Faculty Orientation new faculty were once again informed of the web site and received mini briefings on some of the key items located on the site such as how to get their classes set up on Blackboard.

Staff Handbook
The UAF Office of Human Resources refers inquiries for the kind of information that is often included in such a handbook to their web site, at http://www.uaf.edu/uafhr/. This site is a comprehensive resource providing information relating to employment opportunities, recruitment and new employee orientation, compensation classification, employee benefits, training and development, dispute resolution, technical skills guide for department personnel/payroll assistant and supervisor resources. The range of information, from news updates and current job opportunities to Board of Regents policies and tuition waiver forms, is comprehensive and seeks to provide an “at-a glance” pull down menu that directs employees to sites and links that answer questions ranging from “when do I get my first paycheck?” to “how do I retire?”

The web site is continually updated and efforts are being made to make it more engaging and user-friendly. By including a link to the statewide system search engine, we provide immediate access to the entire statewide network, expanding the ability to provide current, up-to-the-minute information pertinent to any employee, regardless of employment classification.

All new staff members are informed of this site when they participate in the mandatory benefits orientation after they are hired. They are also provided with pertinent benefits forms and materials as well as a checklist that they must initial after each item has been presented.

Concern 4: Student Records
A fourth concern is that of student records. Student records, including transcripts, may be accurate and comprehensive, but they are not entirely secure on the Fairbanks campus or the College of Rural Alaska campuses. Storage of student records including transcripts must be secure and fireproof.

Therefore, the Evaluation Committee recommends that necessary steps be taken promptly to provide secure and fireproof storage of all student records. If records need to be converted from hard copy to another format for storage, that conversion should be accomplished quickly. We recommend UAF provide a report to the Commission in two years. (Standard 3.C - Academic Credit and Records, 3.C.5)

Progress Regarding Concern 4:
UAF has addressed the need for a satisfactory records storage system and environment on several levels. Guided by a working group representing key constituencies, the records project was split into three main projects: duplication and storage of all student grade rosters and inactive (older than 10 years) student records; storage and maintenance of active student records: and future records storage.

Accomplishments to date include:

• Microfilming grade rosters began in July 2003. Grade rosters through 1973 are filmed, duplicated, and checked for accuracy. This project was the pilot for determining feasibility and costs of microfilming at an on-campus facility. The only other microfilming options would have required shipping records 350 miles for offsite imaging and ensuring maintenance of security and confidentiality standards during the entire process.

• Inactive records will be moved to compact shelving in a secure, fireproof location in the Rasmuson Library archives. Transporting files to the new location will begin as soon as shelving is installed in early November 2003.

• Active records will remain in the Signers’ Hall/Eielson Building complex, but moved to a more secure and protected location. New storage space will be identified by November 2003. At that time, active records will be transferred to fireproof cabinets. As files cycle into inactive status on a fixed schedule, they’ll be moved to the Rasmuson storage facility and microfilming queue.

• Future records storage will ultimately move to digitization. Until the university system establishes a statewide protocol of electronic records storage and retrieval, however, records will be microfilmed and duplicated as they move through to inactive status.

Official records for students at all UAF campuses are stored at the Fairbanks campus, with the exception of grade rosters. The first priority is to secure student records. After inactive files and local grade rosters are completed, grade roster originals from the branch campuses will be shipped to Fairbanks for microfilming or digitization.

Concern 7: Related Instruction
The seventh concern is the inconsistency of required related instruction components of applied certificate and associate degree programs of 30 semester credits or more in length.

UAF has neither stated certificate requirements in the catalogue for related instruction nor any statement of a standard for the inclusion of related instruction in certificate programs to guide the design of curricula. Consequently, it has not been widely recognized that there is such a requirement.

Requirements for related instruction in certificates and the associate of applied science (AAS) degree have been discussed by faculty and administration at the system level but have never been established in system-wide Regents Policy or University regulations. UAF’s present requirements for related instruction as stated in the catalog for the AAS were established by the community colleges prior to restructuring. AAS students can avoid either computation or human relations, thus violating related instruction requirements for associate degrees.

Therefore, the Evaluation Committee recommends that the University ensure that all certificate and associate degrees contain recognizable bodies of instruction in program-related areas of communication, computation, and human relations, and that related instruction components be published in the relevant print and electronic catalogues in clear and complete terms (Standard 2.C Undergraduate Program; 2.C. 1; Policy 2.1 General Education/Related Instruction Requirements).

Progress Regarding Concern 7:
The College of Rural Alaska Curriculum Council has reviewed all AAS and certificate programs for compliance with the related instruction requirements. AAS programs were reviewed during AY02-03. The related instruction requirements for certificate programs were changed in AY03 and the various certificates were reviewed during Spring 2003 for compliance. Certificates not in compliance are in the process of changing their programs the 2003-2004 curricular cycle. New AAS and certificate programs are reviewed for compliance during the approval process.

Certificate programs may be the first step toward an AAS degree. The following statement was added to the catalog under the degree requirements for certificate programs. It was first published in the 2003-2004 Catalog.

You may enroll in any course for which you are eligible. To earn a certificate, you must formally be admitted and you must earn at least 30 credits, including transfer credit. Fifteen semester hours must be residence credits. You must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 in all coursework, as well as in your major. Programs of study for which certificates are granted must contain a recognizable body of instruction in the program-related areas of communication, computation, and human relations. Additional topics, which may be covered as appropriate, include safety, industrial safety and environmental awareness. Instruction in the related instructional areas may be either embedded within the program curriculum or taught in blocks of specialized instruction. Each approach, however, will have clearly identified content that is pertinent to the general program of study.

Concern 8: Program Review - Assessment of Student Learning
The eighth concern is a lack of comprehensive and consistent assessment of student learning.

All programs reviewed showed some evidence of assessment, and efforts are underway to fully comply with these standards. There is clear understanding of what is necessary and the steps required to be in full compliance with the standard. Currently, assessment is spotty and inconsistent even though there is evidence that assessment has caused changes in the curriculum. As the University expands its certificate and degree programs, there is a concern that assessment of student learning in the various certificate and degree programs across the institution may become uneven.

Therefore, the Evaluation Committee recommends that the University ensure that an assessment of student learning is conducted in all certificate and degree programs offered by the institution, including new program offerings. The assessment model developed for the core curriculum/general education program may serve as a guide for other academic programs (Standard 2.B Educational Program Planning and Assessment, Standard Indicators 2.B.1; 2.B.2; and 2.B.3; Policy 2.2 Educational Assessment).

Progress Regarding Concern 8:
At UAF there are two distinct components to assessment of student learning: 1) outcomes assessment; and 2) program review. Our program review process, started in 2001, provides oversight to ensure that outcomes assessment of student learning is occurring for each certificate and degree program. This process occurs on a five-year cycle and to date the following programs have been reviewed:

The Program Review Committee (comprised of one faculty member from the unit, one external person to UAF and one faculty member from outside the unit), and the deans and directors responsible for the programs being reviewed are asked to address the following:

To that end, the Provost's Faculty Associate for Assessment position was eliminated, and the Provost's budget for Assessment was divided among the Faculty Development Office and the new Vice Provost for Instructional Affairs (VPIA). The Graduate School Dean position was revised to become the Graduate School Dean and Vice Provost for Instructional Affairs, and Susan Henrichs was hired into that position in August 2003. The VPIA portion of the position will provide leadership of the outcomes assessment process, including plan development and revision, implementation, effectiveness, and reporting. Any programs found deficient in outcomes assessment will be contacted by the new VPIA to bring them into alignment.

Even though implementation of assessment practices remains uneven throughout UAF, significant curricular changes have been made as a result of outcomes assessment. For example, the Communication Department adjusted their BA curriculum in order to better track student learning, expanding the required core list by making both COMM 330 and COMM 351 requirements whereas before they had been “either, or.” They also added a capstone course (COMM 482) in which students must do an original piece of research, write it up as a journal-ready article, and present it on video. The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department did an extensive curriculum review and increased emphasis on communication through graphics, oral presentations and engineering report writing. They also intend to increase the laboratory component of many courses to provide hands on learning, discussion and computation time. The Applied Business Certificate and AAS program made major changes to their curriculum after program review, by adding several new emphasis areas such as General Business, International Business, Finance, Marketing and Public Management, as well as adding a study abroad component to the tourism and international business majors.

In preparation for UAF's reaccreditation with the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, we produced an institutional self-study: a comprehensive report and collection of exhibits that explain what we do and how we do it. We intend to use the information collected for the self-study to help plan the future and evaluate our effectiveness. Co-chaired by Dana Thomas and Ron Gatterdam, a steering committee and working groups addressed each of the nine self-study standards.

An evaluation team from the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, chaired by Dr. Robert A. Hoover, President of the University of Idaho, will visit the UAF community campuses Oct. 3-5, and the Fairbanks campuses Oct. 8-10. The team will present preliminary findings to the UAF community Oct. 10, then will make a recommendation to the association, which will decide on UAF's accreditation status in December.

The UAF community is invited to an open assembly for a presentation of preliminary findings by the accreditation site visit team on Wednesday, October 10 at 11:30 in the Wood Center Ballroom. A reception will follow to mix and mingle and view the exhibits on display for the accreditation site visit. For information on audioconference or web access, contact Hild Peters at fnhmp@uaf.edu or 474-5178.