Respond to all four questions, following the Degree Program Assessment Plan Form Instructions. Attach additional pages as needed.

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1 Graduate Degree Program Assessment Plan Cover Sheet (rev. 07): UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK Plan No. Degree Program: Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Department and College: Institute of Government, College of Professional Studies Degree Type(MA, MS, EdS, EdD, PhD, Certificate):_Certificate Prepared by: Vickie L. Edwards, Coordinator Submitted to College Assessment Committee on Approved on Submitted to Provost Assessment Advisory Group on Approved on Respond to all four questions, following the Degree Program Assessment Plan Form Instructions. Attach additional pages as needed. 1. What are your student learning goals for this degree program? The Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit is designed to prepare students with practical knowledge and skills relevant to employment in the field of nonprofit management. It is the program's goal to ensure that graduating students are fully prepared to be effective leaders in Arkansas's nonprofit community. To that end, the program's curriculum provides students with a strong foundation of not only theoretical and applied knowledge, but also applied skills in research, critical thinking, and communications. These foundations encompass the core of what any successful nonprofit professional should know in order to be an effective leader, regardless of the cogent field in which they work. 2. What are your learning objectives or outcomes associated with each student learning goal? a) Core Knowledge - knowledge and understanding of the nonprofit sector, including theories of the sector, principles of management and administration, and the unique nature of the nonprofit sector b) Research Ability - the ability to find research reports, and to read, analyze, and understand such reports at a basic technical level. c) Applied Critical Thinking - the ability to identify problems within an organization, in both case studies and real-life settings, and develop and implement appropriate solutions to the problem.

2 d) Communications Skills - the ability to present information to others in both professional and informal environments in an effective manner, whether in written, verbal, or other formats. 3. Where will the objectives be addressed in your program? In which courses and through which activities will they be assessed? (Attach Curriculum Assessment Map.) See the attached curriculum map. 4. How will you assess each objective? (a) Methods; b) Design; c) Assessment cycle; d) Stakeholder involvement.) a) Assessment Methods It is important to note that the NMGC program was without a permanent coordinator for the past two years. The interim coordinators each submitted plans that did not differ significantly from the one submitted for AY , but assessment data for the past two years either no longer exists or was not collected. Therefore, this assessment plan is only in its first year of implementation, and is intended to provide the program with key information for its strategic plan, which is currently under development. With respect to student learning objectives, each course in the NMGC program assesses each student learning objective in some way. Students' core knowledge is assessed through either exams or papers/assignments at a minimum of twice per semester. Research ability is addressed in each course as well, through either an academic or applied paper/project. Applied critical thinking skills are evaluated through papers, projects, examinations, and course discussions, and communications skills are assessed through written and verbal work, including papers, written projects, course discussions, and presentations. In addition to graded evaluations in a course setting, students will be asked to complete a Student Skill Perception Survey during both their first and final semesters in the program. This instrument will provide a measure of students' perceived ability and self-efficacy in each of the four listed outcomes, and can be treated as a pre/post-test measure to further evaluate student learning. b) Design Assessment of curricular effectiveness will have five key components: 1. Beginning in the Spring Semester 2013, all faculty involved in the NMGC curriculum met at least once per semester to discuss student performance, curricular issues, and student feedback on courses. 2. Beginning in the Fall Semester 2013, nonprofit community partners were encouraged to give feedback on student performance through the implementation of service-learning in PADM 7380 (Public Program Evaluation) and PADM 7374 (Nonprofit Capstone). Both of these courses will operate on a "consulting" model, with students conducting applied research projects for local

3 nonprofit organizations. Partnering organizations were given the opportunity to provide feedback on drafts of student work, as well as on final student presentations. 3. Beginning in the Spring Semester 2013, students in the NMGC program were asked (via the NMGC student listserv) to submit evaluations of each NMGC course anonymously online through a Google Document form. Students will be encouraged to provide constructive feedback on course design and content. 4. Beginning in the Fall Semester 2013, students in the introductory (PADM 7336) and capstone (PADM 7374) courses are required to compete the Student Skill Perception Inventory. 5. An survey of NMGC graduates will be conducted every four years to determine how the knowledge and skills developed in the program are useful to their careers, and to collect other measures of alumni success. c) Assessment Cycle This plan uses a 4-year assessment cycle, beginning with Year 0 (AY ). During Year 0, the nonprofit coordinator's position was assumed by a full-time faculty member. The activities conducted in Year 0 included a general review of the program's pre-existing curriculum, hiring appropriate and qualified adjunct faculty, and reviewing the current needs and desires of the local community, as expressed through key informants from the newly formed Arkansas Training Partners Network (ATNP), consisting of the UALR Center for Nonprofit Organizations, the Arkansas Public Administration Consortium (APAC), the Arkansas Coalition for Excellence (ACE) and the Department of Human Services' Division of Community Service and Nonprofit Support (DCSNS). In Year 1, the coordinator implemented the Student Skill Perception Survey, continued the use of anonymous course evaluations, and conducted meetings with ANTP regarding the program (it should be noted that ANTP has not met as a group since October 2013). Service learning activities were also introduced into the curriculum in Fall 2013; the Public Program Evaluation course developed an evaluation design and preliminary recommendations for the Delta Presents Outreach Foundation, and the Nonprofit Capstone students reviewed and developed a proposal for a new set of Arkansas Diamond Standards for the management of nonprofit organizations in the state, as well as providing suggested training and certification standards. Meetings of all instructors in the NMGC program were held in April and July of Year 0: Implementation of new course evaluations (conducted anonymously through Google Documents) Initial ANTP planning and coordination meetings (stakeholder consultation and involvement) Year 1: Implementation of Student Skill Perception Inventory (fall and spring semesters for all new and graduating students) Faculty review of course evaluations (fall and spring semesters) Introduction of Service-Learning curricular components (fall semester) Year 2: Continuation of practices introduced in Year 0 and Year 1 Year 3: Continuation of practices introduced in Year 0 and Year 1 First NMGC Alumni Survey Year 4: Continuation of practices introduced in Year 0 and Year 1 Revisit and modify Curriculum Assessment Plan as necessary

4 D) Stakeholder Involvement As previously mentioned, the introduction of major service-learning components to the curriculum provides a key opportunity for community stakeholders to provide feedback on student performance and how the curriculum is best able to address the needs of the nonprofit community. In addition, the Center for Nonprofit Organizations has entered into a partnership with other key organizations in the state to form the Arkansas Training Partners Network (ANTP). ANTP members meet monthly to coordinate efforts in ensuring well-rounded training opportunities for the nonprofit community, and feedback regarding NMGC curriculum is routinely solicited. Beyond these formal relationships, the Center for Nonprofit Organizations is actively engaged in outreach efforts and working with local nonprofit organizations, which are regularly encouraged to provide feedback on the program.

5 Curriculum Map Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Spring 2013 Course Objective, Emphasis, & Assessment Outcome A: Core Knowledge Outcome B: Research Skills PADM 7336* Nonprofit Organization Financial in Nonprofits Public and Organizational Networks for Nonprofits Current Issues in Public and Nonprofit PADM 7313 Public Human Resource PADM 7334# Grantwriting and Fundraising PADM 7380# Public Program Evaluation PADM 7374* Guided Study Exam,, Other (course, Other (case study) Exam,, Other (case study) Exam, (Capstone) *required courses; # PADM electives; courses numbered 7331 are Topics courses that eventually are to be offered as regular courses as part of the PADM curriculum.

6 Course Objective, Emphasis, & Assessment Outcome C: Applied Critical Thinking Outcome D: Communications Skills PADM 7336* Nonprofit Organization Financial in Nonprofits Public and Organizational Networks for Nonprofits Current Issues in Public and Nonprofit PADM 7313 Public Human Resource PADM 7334# Grantwriting and Fundraising PADM 7380# Public Program Evaluation PADM 7374* Guided Study Exam, Other (course, Other (case study) Other (course (presentation) Little Other (course (presentation) (presentation) (Capstone) *required courses; # PADM electives; courses numbered 7331 are Topics courses that eventually are to be offered as regular courses as part of the PADM curriculum.

7 Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Student Skill Perception Inventory Name: Please rate your current abilities for each of the following items on a scale of 1-5, where "1" represents very weak skills, and "5" represents very strong skills. A. Core Knowledge General knowledge and understanding of the nonprofit sector Theoretical knowledge of the nonprofit sector Understanding of principles of management and administration B. Research Ability Locating and accessing research reports and articles Reading, analyzing, and understanding research reports and academic articles Designing and implementing research in an applied setting C. Applied Critical Thinking Identifying problems within an organization Developing and implementing solutions to problems D. Communications Skills Conducting yourself in a professional manner Writing effective professional documents Making formal oral presentations to a group

8 Overall Impressions. Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit New Course Evaluation Questions, Effective Spring 2013 Please indicate your agreement with each of the following statements, from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree" (Note, this will use a 5-point Likert scale). The instructor has a strong knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. The learning goals and expectations for this course were clearly described in the first class meeting. Course material is clearly presented in readings, lectures, and class discussions. The instructor answers questions in a clear manner. The methods used for testing and evaluation were fair. The instructor was available to me during office hours or at other times. This course provided information that is relevant to my career. This course had a major focus on written communication skills. This course had a major focus on verbal communication skills. This course had a major focus on research skills. This course had a major focus on critical thinking skills. I found this course to be valuable. I would recommend this course to other students. I would recommend this instructor to other students. What grade do you expect to earn in this course? (A through D + Don't know) Suggestions for the course. What were the strengths of this course? What were the weaknesses of this course? What suggestions would you give to improve this course?

9 Results from NMGC Program Assessment Years 1 and first semester, Year 2 (SY , Fall 2014) Vickie L. Edwards, NMGC Coordinator 1. Course evaluations Student participation in the NMGC course evaluations continues to be negligent, with only two electronic course evaluations submitted for any course in the Fall Semester of As such, the program assessment plan will be revisited in order to develop more direct forms of assessment of instructor effectiveness and student learning, which may include direct course observations, independent assessment of written assignments, and other techniques. The coordinator did meet with and maintain routine contact with the adjunct instructor who taught the PADM 7336 Introduction to Nonprofit course in Fall 2014, in order to address both instructor and student concerns as the need arose. 2. Feedback from Service Learning Partners For Year 2, service learning partnership feedback was strongest in the partnership from PADM 7331 Special Topics: Strategic Planning. Students worked in conjunction with StudioMAIN, a local nonprofit organization which advocates for smart development and design, throughout the semester to develop a strategic plan for the organization. Many of the recommendations developed by the students were implemented by the service-learning partner during or immediately following the semester, and one student from the course was hired to become the organization s Administrative Director. The work performed during this class has been highlighted by the UALR Office of Communications (UALR Now, February 18, 2015) and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (December 10, 2014). The Spring 2015 cohort of Nonprofit Certificate Capstone students are currently engaged in the organizational assessment, program development, and strategic planning process for Lucie s Place, a local nonprofit organization that provides services to LGBTQ young adults in the Central Arkansas area. Although the project is not yet at its midpoint, informal feedback from the board of directors has been largely positive. 3. Student perception skill inventory As mentioned in the program assessment plan, the NMGC program only came under control of a full-time faculty member in Fall 2012, and the current assessment plan was implemented in Fall The results of the Student Skill Perception Inventory for Year 1 and the first semester of Year 2 are presented in Table 1, which indicates the mean response for students at the beginning of the introductory course and the mean response for students at the end of the capstone course. It should be noted that only two of the six graduates for Fall 2014 completed the assessment, and as with the course evaluation portion of the assessment plan, this approach will be revisited in devising a strategy for Year 3. While the data do not provide objective information regarding student abilities, they do indicate that the NMGC program as a whole does influence student skills in a positive manner. The findings do suggest that the program should continue to identify avenues for research and communications skills reinforcement. In response to a similar finding in Year 1, the PADM 7336 course has added a service-learning requirement, courses such as PADM 7331 Strategic Planning and RHET 5375 Grantwriting and Fundraising are taught using a service-consulting model, and the PADM 7336, PADM 7331, and PADM 7374 courses have added formal presentation requirements and mandatory visits to the UALR Communication Skills Center. The

10 outcomes of these changes should be more clear following Years 3 and 4 of the assessment cycle.

11 Table 1. Mean Student Skill Perception Survey Results for Incoming and Graduating Students A. Core Knowledge Incoming Students General knowledge and understanding of the nonprofit sector 3.07 Graduating Students 5 Theoretical knowledge of the nonprofit sector Understanding of principles of management and administration B. Research Ability Locating and accessing research reports and articles Reading, analyzing, and understanding research reports and academic articles Designing and implementing research in an applied setting C. Applied Critical Thinking Identifying problems within an organization Developing and implementing solutions to problems D. Communications Skills Conducting yourself in a professional manner Writing effective professional documents Making formal oral presentations to a group