The UNC Policy Manual

400.2.2

Adopted 05/08/92

 

Accountability/Goals and Assessment Measures

The UNC Fiscal Accountability/Flexibility Act, which was enacted by the 1991 General Assembly as a part of the appropriations bill, Chapter 689 of the 1991 Session Laws, authorized the Board of Governors to designate one or more institutions as special responsibility constituent institutions.  Since the adoption of this policy, all campuses have been awarded this designation.

Section 116-30.5 of the Act provides that:

The Board of Governors shall require each special responsibility constituent institution to include in its institutional effectiveness plan those assessment measures that are determined by the Board to be measures that will assure some standard measure of student learning and development in general undergraduate education at the special responsibility constituent institutions. The intent of this requirement is to measure the impact of G.S. 116-30.1 through G.S. 116-30.5, establishing and administering special responsibility constituent institutions, and their implementation on undergraduate student learning and development.

The Board of Governors adopts the attached goals and assessment measures for special responsibility institutions.  Using these measures, these institutions will focus attention on student performance during the first two years, track student progress during the next two to four years, and follow up every four years with an assessment by baccalaureate graduates of their educational experience as undergraduates.

Fiscal Accountability Goals and Assessment Measures

Goal 1.  To enhance student learning and development.

The performance of all first-time full-time freshmen will be reported on the following measures:

1.            Percent completing the first year with a GPA equal to or greater than 2.0.

2.            Percent completing the first year with a GPA equal to or greater than 2.0 and with 30 or more credit hours or coursework completed.

3.            Average grades in first year courses completed.

4.            Percent completing the second year with a GPA equal to or greater than 2.0.

5.            Percent completing the second year with a GPA equal to or greater than 2.0 and with 60 or more credit hours of coursework completed.

6.            Average grades in courses completed.

Goal 2.  To improve student persistence and graduation.

The persistence and graduation rates of all first-time freshmen, including those student who transferred to another UNC institution — with a comparison of those students who attended full-time in all fall semesters with those who attended full time in their first-time semester but part-time in one or more succeeding fall semesters — will be reported for the following years:

1.            Four-year persistence and graduation rates.

2.            Five-year persistence and graduation rates.

3.            Six-year persistence and graduation rates.

Goal 3.  To strengthen the undergraduate degree program.

The self-assessment of spring baccalaureate graduates in the Class of '92 will be compared to the self-assessment of the spring graduates in the Class of '88 on the following measures which evaluate their undergraduate educational experience:

1.            intellectual growth

2.            writing skills

3.            speaking skills

4.            mathematical skills

5.            computing skills (new measure in 1992)

6.            analytical skills

7.            preparation for graduate and professional studies

8.            job satisfaction reported by fully employed graduates

9.            overall instruction

10.         instruction in major field

The assessment measures related to Goal 3 will be reported every four years, following the quadrennial administration of the baccalaureate graduate survey.  All other measures will be reported by the special responsibility institutions as a part of their regular institutional assessment reports.