STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT ASSESSMENT GRANT APPLICATION

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT ASSESSMENT GRANT APPLICATION Grant Information Name: Dr. John W. Sinn Email: jwsinn@bgnet.bgsu.edu Department: Technology Systems Department Phone: 419-372-6034 Title of Project: Quality Learning Community Portfolio Assessment Innovation An application has two parts: 1. This cover sheet with a detailed budget and signatures. 2. An accompanying grant narrative that addresses the five specific questions shown below. Completed proposals should be addressed to SAAC Assessment Funds, c/o Stan Lewis, Continuing Education, 40 College Park, by 3:00 PM, Thursday June 17, 2002. ITEMIZED BUDGET PART 1 BUDGET & SIGNATURES Requested from SAAC Item Unit matching support (if available) Amount Source $ 3,000.00 Personnel $ 4,000.00 Department of Tech. Systems $ Equipment $ $ Supplies $ $ 500.00 Travel $ $ Services $ $ 500.00 Other (meals) $ $ 4,000.00 = TOTAL amount requested from SAAC REQUIRED SIGNATURES Applicant: Department Chair/Director: Dean: Date: Date: Date: PRIOR FUNDING Have you received SAAC funds previously? Yes X No

Quality Learning Community Portfolio Assessment Innovation Dr. John W. Sinn, Professor Quality Systems Specialization, BGSU www.bgsu.edu/colleges/technology/qs Project Narrative The Quality Learning Community Portfolio Assessment Innovation (QLCPAI) is a consortium of twoyear educational institutions, the American Society for Quality (ASQ), and BGSU. Institutions or organizations currently engaged in the development of QLCPAI with BGSU are Firelands College, Lima Technical College, Northwest State Community College, Owens Community College, Terre Community College, and Toledo Section ASQ. ASQ can be viewed at www.asq.org. QLCPAI takes existing transfer and assessment systems to a new level, using the electronic portfolio as a key element within a learning community for enhanced education. QLCPAI collaborates academicians and practitioners in the quality field, engaging all electronically in direct support of students. All systems are aimed at enhanced recruitment, retention and completion of quality-related students as aspiring professionals, regardless of geography, ultimately focused at the state level for BS degree completion. Created in the late 1980 s at BGSU in response to quality professionals, the QS, has been offered 100% online since about 1999. Based on recently approved curriculum changes (spring, 2002), the QS curriculum now has four undergraduate courses designed and delivered as online offerings. These are: QS 326. Data-based quality improvement QS 327. Process and productivity documentation QS 426. Quality change services QS 427. Synchronous quality planning Courses reflect ISO 9000 standards and team-based problem solving in manufacturing and service enviornments. Quality principles collaboratively applied are documented and assessed in electronic portfolios as projects within a technical course infrastructure (see note 1). Custom courseware embodies and facilitates the QS curriculum, currently available through the BGSU bookstore as a CD, using MS Word Office Suite Excel, Power Point and Front Page, and Table functions to facilitate electronic teams. Examples at www.bgsu.edu/colleges/technology/qs, show teaching and courseware examples, as well as related course teaching materials and curriculum information (see note 2). Primary student target in QLCPAI is an associate degree holding, non-traditional student, working full time in the quality field, or aspiring to such a career. Typically 25-35 years of age, and ready to start a BS degree to advance in level of technical management, QS students take 3-5 years to complete the BS degree, doing 1-2 courses per term, using summer. QS and QLCPAI increase flexibility for students and enhance the likelihood of accomplishing the goal of finishing a BS degree efficiently. The QLCPAI mimicks services and functions provided for on-campus, traditional students, but online for non-traditional persons. One example approach to facilitating this has been prototyped around the author s faculty portfolio, www.bgsu.edu/colleges/technology/qs. By having all information organized in a central location, and up to date, QLCPAI services and functions will be available 24 hours a day, and in innovative and novel ways, to be accessed from anywhere. Selected ASQ Student Branch elements and broad advising and support relationships have been configured at the author s site to illustrate potentials inherent in this (see note 3). QLCPAI will enhance opportunities for QS students and others based on electronic delivery and assessment systems online, a model for the future.

Several specific important continuing QLCPAI objectives are detailed further to add value to the plan: Objective 1: Adapt existing portfolio assessment systems as a broad-based learning community. Use electronic portfolioing as a key assessment and learning tool, with section professionals Provide support services and advising, electronically as broad-based institutional systems Encourage/facilitate electronic review of student work experiences for portfolio credit Develop and modify faculty portfolio systems (referenced) to reflect and facilitate broader project Objective 2: Refine outcomes and rubrics, aligning ASQ core knowledge for assessment. Address ASQ certification rubrics, using courseware as key infrastructure, enhanced Pursue student project applied research with practitioners as key mechanism for portfolios Align course content as online BS degree, for efficient transfer with two year institutions Secure ASQ consultant to assist in aligning core knowledges, outcomes, with professional values Objective 3: Seek funds for broader assessment venues, Ohio Learning Network (OLN), others. Pursue online BS degree internal, external to BGSU, throughout state, with OLN Explore student/professional mentoring, other systems, ASQ Student Branch/Section/National Pursue/develop local/regional/state conference, electronically facilitated, networked Facilitate parallel development of compatible systems, institutionally, as a network for future work Built as a portal in Blackboard, QLCPAI embodies all courses, services and assessment functions. Courseware will be continually matured and enhanced around core knowledge, and certification, all based on projects engaging students, faculty and practitioners. Mature electronic portfolios will be built and assessed, demonstrating and applying core knowledge, used as part of graduation criterion, and to assist in transfer processes. Electronic conferencing will be prototyped experimentally, linked to project documentation in portfolios. Data and documentation would evolve naturally over time for evaluation of QLCPAI and related assessment issues. Assessment measures for student success in QLCPAI could be GPA, time to graduate after transfer, program dropouts, portfolio reviews of projects by practitioners, student certifications, and perhaps others at the institutional, program and course level. Relationship Of Project To The Unit s Student Learning Outcomes QLCPAI has evolved, along with the QS curriculum, out of the Manufacturing Technology Program in the Technology Systems Department at BGSU. While Manufacturing Technology Program faculty have documented outcomes for assessment, it is believed the QLCPAI, under development, provides clear opportunity for a different assessment approach, one that can drive positive change innovatively. QS courses, emerging as part of QLCPAI, are different from traditional Manufacturing Technology courses in several important ways. Differences revolve, primarily, around electronic delivery attributes inherent in the QLCPAI, by design. Another important distinction in the QS courses is the electronic courseware which intentionally facilitates professional project interaction. Portfolio assessment systems have evolutionarily been a strong influence in the QS curriculum and development of OLCPAI, noted at www.bgsu.edu/colleges/technology/qs. Several elements of assessment have been addressed conceptually, but these have not been developed or defined extensively, nor made a part of a larger system. One example of conceptual thinking and planning is the draft, by the author, +2 Quality Systems Specialization Undergraduate Electronic Programmatic

Curriculum Assessment And Portfolio Systems. A second example is the paper, Portfolios: Conceptual Foundations And Functional Implications, by Naomi Lee, Andreas Luescher, and the author, currently under review for publication (see note 4). The current proposal continues development of three objectives, all focused around further defining and growing a quality learning community driven heavily by portfolio assessment systems. QLCPAI intentionally uses elements and functions which are partially developed, and not necessarily used holistically, pulling them together as an integrated system for further prototypical analysis. Much can be learned, to benefit the Manufacturing Program faculty, and others, based on continuation of this work. Expected Impact Of The Proposed Project On The Unit QLCPAI objectives will continue to guide development and implementation of pivotal elements in a broad-based assessment system. The intent of the project is to have a functional system implemented, prototypically engaging students and others, collecting data for assessment as a model for others to use and benefit from. Objectives and impacts are addressed individually as enhancements to the assessment process based on electronic portfolios created around QS courses in a broader learning community. Objective 1 impacts: Adapt existing portfolio assessment systems as a learning community. Two year institution representatives and ASQ leaders have met several times to focus collective energies for QLCPAI. Objective 1 continues these efforts and will assist in defining a broader collaborative system based on individual strengths. Main impact will be a collective documented electronic system which outlines key components and functionalities collectively. Objective 2 impacts: Refine outcomes and rubrics, aligning ASQ core knowledge for assessment. Based on clear alignment of content and process expectations in individual and collective courses, around ASQ certification rubrics with the assistance of a consultant, evolving robust portfolios at every stage can be enhanced for students. As well, faculty will be better able to assess work efficiently and effectively if all rubrics and matrices are systemically articulated around QLCPAI functions and ASQ core knowledge. Objective 3 impacts: Seek funds for assessment venues, Ohio Learning Network (OLN), others. The third objective impact will be intentional pursuit of the full BS degree online, with QLCPAI partners on and off campus at BGSU. This will also entail pursuit of various funding venues, particularly the OLN. It is anticipated that collaborative relationships will continue to be built, and that broad-based funding will be derived out of the efforts to define a quality systems learning community. Perhaps most important, QLCPAI will provide a model system for others. This will happen intentionally based on innovative steps in the project, but equally as important, over time many answers which are currently not apparent for assessment will be further addressed and developed to the benefit of many. Budget And Matching Funds A modest $4,000 budget is designed to facilitate the proposed QLCPAI project. Four items are addressed as funds associated with the project: 1. Stipends for professional participants = $2000 2. Consultant stipend = $1000 3. Meals and travel = $1000 4. Departmental matching contribution = $4,000

Budget item 1: Stipends for professional participants. This requests $2000 to engage up to 10 professional participants from BGSU, area two year institutions, and area industries. Stipends are requested at $200 each X 10 professionals = $200 total. Minimal travel would be required since most work will be conducted electronically. Budget item 2: Stipend for consultancy. This requests $1000 to assist in bringing a ASQ consultant to BGSU for one or more physical meetings to assist in determining ways to best configure core knowledge for portfolio assessments. Budget item 3: Meals and travel. This requests $1000 to cover meal and travel costs associated with conducting two or more physical meetings. The travel costs are anticipated to be minimal since regional ASQ consultants can be used. Budget item 4: Departmental matching contribution, and beyond. This area is matched support through the Department of Technology Systems, estimated to be at least $4,000. The author traditionally has a graduate assistant assigned to assist in various projects through the department. Work by the graduate assistant in fall, 2002 and spring, 2003 will equal approximately nine months quarter time, or $4,000. Value of work provided by author, secretaries, student assistants, and others is thought to bring the total matching contribution to more than what is actually being requested. Ensuring Effective Use Of Resources Several strategies ensure effective use of resources (EEUOR) for the proposed QLCPAI. These are: 1) use of existing QS courses; 2) developing and providing systems electronically; 3) author generated selfcritique; 4) BGSU electronic infrastructure; and 5) engaging professionals. EEUOR Strategy 1: Use of existing QS courses. One strategy is use of QS courses as a foundation. This applies instructor-generated content, based on ASQ rubrics, in reality-based ways, culminating in studentgenerated portfolios for review, all done as an existing instructional cost. EEUOR Strategy 2: Developing systems electronically. Persons engaged in the project do so primarily with only their own time invested, by accessing information at the web. This maximizes resources in the project work and collaborates efforts as a learning community, consistent with project objectives. EEUOR Strategy 3: Author generated self-critique. Another important resource is a reflective selfcritique by the author, based on all work in the project. Various issues will be addressed according to each objective as written documentation for publications, presentations and future grant funding pursuits. EEUOR Strategy 4: BGSU electronic infrastructure. Using BGSU electronic infrastructure (primarily Blackboard) provides value added, structuring all materials and functions in existing systems, as a useful expanded infrastructure to BGSU and others, modeled collaboratively as a learning community. EEUOR Strategy 5: Engaging professionals. ASQ professionals, internal and external to the university, will be engaged in the project, providing a cost effective manner to assure wise use of resources, while also validating the processes beyond BGSU's immediate community. Intentionally, the QLCPAI project can provide a useful tool for helping others evaluate how they might use the systems and infrastructure, aiding in the aggregate change process in multiple resourceful ways.

Implementation Of The Proposal, Project Timeline The QLCPAI project will commence summer, 2002 and conclude spring, 2003. Three periods are used to identify key deliverables associated with conduct of the project: summer, 2002; fall, 2002; and spring, 2003. Each period is further described based on accomplishment of objectives. Summer, 2002. This period is focused primarily on organizing to accomplish all objectives. 1. Consultations internal and external to BGSU occurs to continue accomplishing all objectives. 2. Analysis and organization to address objectives with graduate assistant, others, commences. 3. Consultant is contacted, arrangements are made for fall meeting(s). Fall, 2002. This period is focused primarily on writing and development in the project. 1. Analysis and organization to address objectives with graduate assistant, others, commences. 2. General procedures for general use in all functions are written, re-written, for all objectives. 3. ASQ and other professionals are solicited and gathered in physical meeting(s). Spring, 2003. This period is focused primarily on implementation, evaluation of project developments. 1. All materials developed in the project are implemented prototypically. 2. Preliminary data are collected and collated related to actual student assessment of outcomes. 3. A final report will be filed in a manner as specified in grant guidelines. Based on the work it is anticipated that one or more professional publications and presentations will be made; and, one or more proposals for external funding and/or appropriate change, will be authored. Notes 1. Go to www.bgsu.edu/colleges/technology/qs, to learn more about various project portfolio examples, and related course materials. At website, prompt (1) teaching; (2) student projects; (3) syllabi; (4) startup; (5) course SOP s. 2. Go to www.bgsu.edu/colleges/technology/qs, to learn more about the Industrial Technologists Toolkit for Technical Management, prompted at any of the startup pages in the second paragraph. To view specific examples of tools prompt (1) teaching; (2) courseware examples. 3. Go to www.bgsu.edu/colleges/technology/qs, to learn more about selected ASQ Student Branch elements and relationships which can be used to support the broader Quality Learning Community. At website, prompt (1) service; (2) ASQ Student Branch; 3) advising. 4. Go to www.bgsu.edu/colleges/technology/qs, to learn more about various assessment elements currently being researched and developed. At website, prompt (1) research; (2) portfolio assessment.