ASSESSMENT, STRATEGIC PLANNING AND BUDGETING
This diagram, adopted by the President's Cabinet, depicts how the assessment function at MidAmerica Nazarene University is linked to the institutional planning and budgeting process. Academic units are linked to the overall institution and communicate through their representatives to the Outcomes Assessment Committee. Non-academic units are linked through NAAT (Non-Academic Assessment Team).
Each unit:
· Engages in the 4 step outcomes assessment cycle at the unit level.
· Has a representative on OAFT or NAAT.
· Is linked to the University’s planning and budgeting cycle by submitting annual outcomes assessment reports and budget reports to the Outcomes Assessment Facilitation Team and the Vice-President for Academic Affairs.
When outcomes assessment data is collected, it is compared against criteria for success which are predetermined by the unit. If the data indicates that the division has not met its goal, the division makes plans for program improvement and change which are documented in meeting minutes and in an annual outcomes assessment report required of each division. The Vice-President for Academic Affairs reviews these reports and includes them in his recommendations to the Board of Trustees and the President. The Vice-President for Academic Affairs uses the results of the outcomes assessment process in the strategic planning process of the university which the President’s cabinet and Board of Trustees engage in.
Each unit's outcomes assessment process is linked to the institutional budgeting process. Any changes and program improvements driven by the assessment process which require additional resources are documented in the unit's annual report to the Vice-President for Academic Affairs and in the annual budget request process.
