GettingStartedWithTaskstream

LoginandOrientation

InordertologintoTaskstream:

1. LogintoSCHOLAR.

2. Navigatetothe"Employees"tabandselectthe"EmployeeResources"menuoption

(seeFigure1).

3. Clickthe"OpenTaskstream"link.

OncetheTaskstreamportalislaunched,youwillbeatthemainlandingpage(seeFigure2).

Fromhere,youcanseeifyouhaveanymessages,reviewthegeneralannouncements,and

accessanyavailableWorkspaces.

Figure1

EditingWork Toeditworkand/orinputinformation:

1. Clickthe“CheckOut”buttontounlocktheworkforediting(seeFigure3).

2. Makechangestotheappropriatesection.

3. Clickthe“CheckIn”buttonwhenyouarefinished(itwillbeintheexactsameplaceas

the“CheckOut”button).

Figure3

Figure2

SubmittingData Whenyouarefinishedwithasection,youcansubmityourworkbydoingthefollowing:

1. Ensurethatallinformationisaccurate(youcannotchangedataonceithaspassed

review).

2. Ensurethatallrequiredareashavebeencheckedin.

3. Clickthe“Submission&ReadReviews”tababovetheeditingpane.

4. Submittheappropriatesectionbyclickingthe“SubmitWork”button(seeFigure4).

Figure4

ReviewingData

Ifyouareassignedareastoreview,youcanreviewsubmitteddatabydoingthefollowing:

1. LogintoTaskstreamandseethenotificationonthelandingpageindicatingareasare

availableforreview.

2. Clickthenotification.

3. Clicktheyellow“Review”buttonfortheareayouwanttoreview.

4. Taskstreamwillopentwowindows:ontheleft,thecontentforreview,ontheright,the

rubricforsubmittingfeedback(seeFigure5).

5. Clicktheappropriateboxesforeachareaoftherubric.Commentstypedinthe

“CommentsforthisCriterion”boxwillbevisibletotheoriginalsubmitter.Comments

typedinthe“ForAdminUse”boxwillonlybevisibletoOIER.

6. Decidewhetherthesubmittedinformationmeetsrequirementsandselecteither

“MeetsRequirement”or“DoesNotMeet.”Includespecificinformation.Ifanyareaof

therubricscoresa“0–Developing,”thenthesubmittedareadoesnotmeet

requirements.

7. Dependingontheselectiononthepreviousstep,selecteithertheoptiontosendthe

areabackforrevisionortheblue“MarkasFinal”optiontosendtoOIER.Eventhough

theoptionispresent,donotselectthegreen“MarkasFinal”option.

FacultyCredentials Allfaculty,regardlessofdepartment,rank,orfull/parttimestatus,mustupdatetheirfaculty

profileeveryyear.Inordertoaccessandeditthisdata:

1. LogintoTaskstream

2. Onthelandingpage,selectthe“FacultyCredentials”tab.

3. Editinformationasnecessary(seeFigure6).

Thefollowingareasmustbekeptuptodate:

• PersonalInformation

o Title/Position

o Honorific

o Suffix

o Résumé

Figure5

o FacultyRank(adjunctsselectOther)

o TenureStatus

o TeachingStatus

o HighestDegreeHeld

• AcademicDegrees

• ProfessionalCertifications

• ProfessionalDevelopment

• ProfessionalMemberships

• AwardsandHonors

• ProfessionalExperience

• ConsultingandPaidService

• Publications

• Presentations

• Service

Figure6

AssessmentCalendarThefollowingdatescorrespondtothedeadlinesfordeliverablesoftheImprovementCycle.

Becausethisyearinvolvesamigrationofprior-yeardatatoTaskstream,therearemore

deadlinesthantherewillbeinthefuture.However,becauseprior-yeardatahasalreadybeen

collected,themigrationissimplyamatterofcopyandpaste.

NotethatthedeadlineslistedareReviewdeadlines,whichmeansthatyoursubmittedcontent

musthavebeenreviewedbytheappropriatedean,director,orotherpersonnelbythe

deadline.Consultwithyourreviewerstoworkoutanagreementregardingthetimingofyour

initialsubmissions.Yourinitialsubmissionasanassessorwillneedtobebeforethebelow

deadlines.

RequiredItem ReviewDeadlineforDeans/VicePresidents15-16DataCopiedintoTaskstream 8/20/1615-16UseofResults 8/20/1616-17StandingRequirements 9/15/1616-17AssessmentPlan 9/15/1616-17FacultyDataDue 10/1/1616-17AssessmentFindings 4/1/1716-17ImprovementPlan 4/15/1716-17UseofResults 4/15/17

Appendix:ElementsoftheYearlyAssessmentProcessNomatterwhichdepartmentyourepresent,yourversionoftheyearlyImprovementCycleisbasedonthesamefour-stepprocessthatinteractswithasetofStandingRequirements.StandingRequirementsTheStandingRequirementsencompassthestaticelementsfortheorganizationalareathatarenotexpectedtochangefromyeartoyear.Asneededandappropriate,elementsfromtheStandingRequirementscanbeimportedintothecomponentsoftherelevantyearlyImprovementCycle.MissionStatementEverydepartmentshouldhaveaMissionStatement,whichisincludedasaStandingRequirement.TheMissionStatementshouldsummarizethegoalsandintentsofthedepartment.OutcomesDependingonthetypeofdepartment,thisStandingRequirementmaybelabeledeither"LearningOutcomes"or"AdministrativeOutcomes."Regardless,itisherethatpersonnelcaninputanddescribetheoutcomesforthedepartment.Insteadofre-enteringoutcomeseveryyear,theOutcomessectionofStandingRequirementsfunctionsasasortof"outcomebank,"allowingpersonneltoimportselectedoutcomesintotheyearlyImprovementCycleasnecessary.OutcomesthatareenteredandmeanttobeutilizedforaspecificamountoftimecanbearchivedintheStandingRequirementsoncetheyarecompleted.Outcomesarethekeyvectorintyingtheimprovementactivitiesofvariousdepartmentsandprogramstotheinstitution-wideEducationalPrinciplesandStrategicThemes.Thefollowingisalist,sortedbydepartmenttype,ofrequirementsfortheconstructionofoutcomes:

• AcademicProgramso Musthaveatleast6SLOso Inadditiontothe6SLOs,musthaveaWritingintheMajorSLOo MustassessallSLOsatleastonceduringeveryProgramReviewcycleo MustassesstheWritingintheMajorSLOeveryyearo Iftheprogramhasacapstonecourse,thecoursemustbethefocusofadiscrete

SLO(canbeoneofthebase6)o SLOsmustrepresentallEducationalPrinciples,exceptforEducationalPrinciple3

(whichrelatestothegeneraleducationcurriculumandishandledbyGEAC)o SLOsmusttargetactivityoutsideoftheGeneralEducationcurriculum

• AcademicDepartments

o Mustassessatleast3outcomeseveryImprovementCycle

o Mustcontainamixtureofregularprocessoutcomesandadhocimprovementoutcomes

o EveryoutcomemustmaptoatleastoneStrategicTheme,andasmanyStrategicThemesaspossiblemustberepresented

• Colleges/Schoolso Mustassessatleast3outcomeseveryImprovementCycleo Mustcontainamixtureofregularprocessoutcomesandadhocimprovement

outcomeso EveryoutcomemustmaptoatleastoneStrategicTheme,andasmanyStrategic

Themesaspossiblemustberepresented• AdministrativeDepartments

o Mustassessatleast3outcomeseveryImprovementCycleo Mustcontainamixtureofregularprocessoutcomesandadhocimprovement

outcomeso EveryoutcomemustmaptoatleastoneStrategicTheme,andasmanyStrategic

ThemesaspossiblemustberepresentedCurriculumMap(AcademicProgramImprovementCycleonly)Allacademicprogramsmustmaintainanup-to-datecurriculummap,whichdemonstrateshowthecoursesinaprogramalignwiththeprogram'soutcomes.AssessmentPlanTheAssessmentPlanisthefirstofthefourstepsfortheyearlyImprovementCycle.AssessorsutilizetheAssessmentPlantoindicatetheoutcomesthatwillbestudiedfortheyear,aswellascreatetheircorrespondingmeasures.TheAssessmentPlanincludesthefollowingfields:OutcomeTheassessorutilizestheTaskstreaminterfacetoselectthedepartment'soutcomesetandselectthespecificoutcomesthatwillbeassessedoverthecourseoftheyear.MeasuresTheassessorcreatesmeasuresandassociatesthemwiththeselectedoutcomes.Eachoutcomemusthaveatleastonemeasure,andmultiplemeasurescanbeassociatedwithanoutcome.Measurescontainthefollowingfields:

Title:Thetitleofthemeasure.Measuretitlesshouldnotbenumbered,andthetitleshouldcorrespondwiththemeasure,nottheoutcome.Forexample,tomeasureanoutcometitled“StudentSatisfaction,”apossiblemeasuretitlecouldbe“SatisfactionSurvey.”Whiletheexampleoutcomereferstotheabstractconceptofstudentsatisfaction,themeasuretitlereferstothetangiblemethodofmeasuringachievementoftheoutcome.MeasureType/Method:Thetypeofthemeasure.Thisisadrop-downlistthatincludesvarioustypesofdirectandindirectmeasures.Details/Description:Furtherinformationaboutthemeasure,includingdetailsofitsimplementationanddistribution.AcceptableTarget:Thepass/failparameterforalevelofeffectivenessthatisconsideredtobeadequate.Thisisthebasicthresholdthatdetermineswhethertheoutcomeisbeingaccomplished.IdealTarget:Thepass/failparameterforanaspirationallevelofeffectiveness.ImplementationPlan(timeline):Thedetailsofwhenthevariouscomponentsofthemeasurewillbeexecuted.AssessingPersonnel/CourseSections:Detailsoverwhatpersonnelwillbeassistingwiththeassessment,aswellasalistofcoursesectionsthatwillbeassessed.Attachments:UploadeddocumentstoprovideadditionaldetailandcontexttotheMeasure.AssessmentFindingsThenextstepoftheImprovementCycleisthereportingofAssessmentFindings.Findingsarereportedforeverymeasureestablishedinthepreviousphase.FindingsAfindingsentryiscreatedandlinkedtoeverymeasure.Everymeasureonlyneedsonefindingsentry.Thefindingsentryhasthefollowingfields:SummaryofFindings:Anarrativestatementthatprovidestherawdataandstateswhethertheacceptableandidealtargetshavebeenmet.Itiscriticalthatyougiveexactnumbers/countsANDpercentages.Howyouprovidethesenumbersmayvary,buttheinformationmustbepresent.Forexample,“75%(75outof100)”and“75%(N=100)”arebothvalidwaystopresentalltheneededdata.

Recommendations:Abroadoverviewofwhatactionstheassessorbelievesarenecessaryinordertoimproveorsustainperformance.Recommendationscanbeaimedathigheradministrativelevelsorserveasaprecursortoactionplans.Reflections/Notes:AnynecessaryinformationtocontextualizethedataorprovideinsightintotheassessmentprocessAcceptableTargetAchievement:Aradiobuttonselectionof"NotMet,""Met,"or"Exceeded"toindicatewhethertheacceptabletargetwasaccomplishedIdealTargetAchievement:Aradiobuttonselectionof"MovingAway,""Approaching,"or"Exceeded"toindicatewhethertheideatargetwasaccomplishedAttachments:UploadeddocumentstoprovideadditionaldetailandcontexttotheFindings.SpecialnoteonFindings:Itisanacceptedandrecommendedpracticetoremovetheresultsoffailingstudentsfromtheassesseddataset.Thequestiontheassessmentandimprovementprocessseekstoanswerishowcapablestudentswhocompleteourcurriculumareinaccomplishingthedesiredoutcomes.Sincestudentswhofailhavenotcompletedtherequirements,theyshouldnotbeincluded.However,intheinterestofdisclosure,allFindingsshouldincludethenumberofstudentswhodidnotcompletetherequirementsofthecoursebeingassessed.OverallRecommendationsTheOverallRecommendationsboxprovidesafinalplacetosummarizethebroadrecommendationstheassessorwantstopresent.Thisisahigher-leveloverviewoftherecommendationspresentedaspartofthefindingsitems.OverallReflectionSimilartotheOverallRecommendations,theOverallReflectionboxprovidesafinalplacetosummarizethebroadcontextualizinginformationtheassessorwantstopresent.Thisisahigher-leveloverviewoftherecommendationspresentedaspartofthefindingsitems.ImprovementPlanThethirdphaseoftheImprovementCyclebeginsthemostimportantworkoftheinstitutionaleffectivenessprocess:theImprovementPlan.Assessmentpersonnelmustreviewthefindingswiththeirdepartment.ThisPlanshowshowresultswillbeusedinaneffortforcontinuousimprovement.ThekeyitemoftheImprovementPlanistheAction.

ActionsLikeMeasures,Actionsaretieddirectlytothedepartment'sOutcomes.ActionsarealsoassociatedwithFindings.AnActionrepresentsanimprovementprocessthedepartmentwillimplementoverthecomingyear.WhiletheresultsofmostActionswillnotbeassessed,theimplementationoftheActionmustbecarefullydocumentedandlogged.EveryOutcomemusthaveatleastoneaccompanyingAction.MultipleActionsareencouraged,butActionsshouldalwaysbeinformedbytherelevantFindings.Thatis,improvementproceedingsshouldberespondingtotheactualdatagatheredoverthecourseoftheyear.Toensurethisisthecase,everyActionmustbelinkedtooneoftheOutcome'srecordedFindings.Forexample,ifaFindingshowsthatstudentsinamajorareenteringaseniorlevelcoursewithinsufficientknowledgeofthescientificresearchprocessthatisinhibitingaccomplishmentofaprogramoutcome,anassociatedActioncouldreadasfollows:“Emphasisonresearchmethodswillbeimplementedearlierintheprogramwithtargetedassignmentsin…”withalistingofthecoursestargetedfortheimplementation.Actionsconsistofthefollowingfields:ActionItemTitle:ThetitleoftheActionActionDetails:FurtherdetailanddescriptionofthenatureandscopeoftheActionImplementationPlan(timeline):AnoverviewofkeydatesregardingtheAction'simplementation.Morethanonedateshouldbeprovidedhere:adetailedimplementationplanconsistsofmultiplecheckpoints.Key/ResponsiblePersonnel:AlistingofindividualswhowillberesponsibleforfacilitatingtheActionMeasures:Alistingofclearpass/failparametersthatdeterminewhethertheActionwassuccessfullyimplemented.Note:thisisnotameasureoftheresultsoftheAction,itisameasureofwhethertheActionwasputintoplace.Forexample,intheaforementionedexample,anappropriatemeasurewouldbe“Researchpaperswithasignificantportionofthegradederivedfromappropriateusageofscientificresearchmethodswillbeimplementedinallofthefollowingclasses:…”,withalistingofthecoursestargetedfortheimplementation.Notethatthestudentscoresarenotapartofthemeasure;rather,whatisbeingmeasurediswhethertheimprovementplanhasbeenexecuted.BudgetApproval:IftheActionrequiresadditionalfunding,adescriptionofthebudgetrequestandjustificationgoeshere

BudgetRequestAmount:ThetotalamountrequestedfortheAction.Requestedamountsshouldberealistic.PriorityLevel:Adropdownlistwith"Low,""Medium,"and"High"selectionoptionsAttachments:UploadeddocumentstoprovideadditionaldetailandcontextfortheAction.UseofResultsThefinalphaseofthecycleallowsShortertoconfirmtheimplementationoftheImprovementActions.Thisphaseoccursduringthefollowingacademicyear,meaningthattheImprovementCycleoverlapsitselfeveryyear.ThekeyitemsoftheUseofResultsphaseareActionStatuses.Onthereportingdeadline,assessmentpersonnelmustprovideanActionStatusforeveryActionsubmittedduringtheprioracademicyear.Thismustalsobeaccompaniedbyanoverallsummaryoftheimplementations,whichclosesouttheImprovementPlancycle.ThroughouttheUseofResultsstep,youwillbeattributingoneActionStatustoeachActionyoucreatedintheImprovementPlanprocess.ActionStatusTheActionStatusmustbeattachedtoanAction,anditcontainsthefollowingparts:CurrentStatus:Adropdownlistwiththefollowingoptions:"NotStarted,""InProgress,""Completed,"and"NotImplemented."BudgetStatus:Adropdownlistwiththefollowingoptions:"Approved,""PendingApproval,""NotApproved,"and"Other."AdditionalInformation:InformationprovidedtocontextualizeandfurtherdescribethecurrentimplementationstatusoftheAction.NextSteps:DetaileddescriptionoffuturestepstoensurecontinuationandsuccessoftheimplementationoftheImprovement.StatusSummaryTheStatusSummaryispartofthefinalnarrativecomponentthatsumsuptheImprovementCycle.Init,theassessorgivesanoveralldescriptionandevaluationoftheimprovementprocessesasimplementedandinformedbytheyear'sFindings.

SummaryofNextStepsTheSummaryofNextStepsallowstheassessortoprovideafinaldescriptionandevaluationoftheneededactionstoensurethesuccessoftheimplementedimprovements.TheNextStepsnotonlyprovideinstitutionaldocumentationofthecontinuingeffortofimprovement,theyalsoalloweachdepartmenttodevelopandimproveitsfocusfortheupcomingyear.ConclusionDifferenttypesofdepartmentsmayseeminorvariationsofwhatkindofinformationisexpectedintheImprovementCyclephases,butthesamefour-stepprocessapplies.Overall,chairs,deans,anddirectorsmustkeepaclearpictureofthebroadgoalsofassessment:determiningwhattoassess,gatheringthedataandreportingthefindings,determininghowtoimproveinlightofthefindings,anddocumentingtheimprovement.Taskstreamwillprovidealldepartmentstheopportunitytodocumenttheircontributionstothegoalsoftheinstitutionatlarge,aswellasthemilestonestohittoensuretheprocessisrepeatableratherthanadhoc.