Running head: SIMULATION 1

Audrey Batista Business Simulation #1 Kent State University

Running head: SIMULATION 1 Department The office of Student Success at Midwest University (OSS) Mission

The mission of the Office of Student Success is to design quality programs that connect first year students to co-curricular activities that will foster student engagement through collaboration with Student Success stakeholders, continuous assessment for quality program improvement, and by serving as the connection to the first-year experience transition towards graduation. Goals and Objectives Goal #1 Develop collaborative relationships with faculty members at Midwest University. Rationale At present, the Student Success office sustains relationships with a wide variety of university offices and organizations. Working to develop relationships with faculty members of Midwest University will provide students the opportunity to connect learning experiences as they apply both in and outside of the classroom. In addition, this goal will align with the Universitys mission to foster student-faculty relationships and will align with one of AQUIPs commitments to building collaborative relationships. Objectives 1. Develop a faculty panel session to be implemented during Midwest Orientation. The panel may be made up of volunteer faculty members from all departments around campus who will participate in a question and answer exercise. The faculty panel will run for a trial period of one complete summer orientation cycle (two times a week for two and a half months).

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Offer incentives (i.e. Place names of participating faculty members in a drawing for a grand prize to be determined upon the review of the OSS budget)

Assessment of Objective 1 The success of the faculty panel will be assessed using the current method of Midwest Orientation evaluation which consists of an online evaluation sent to students and parents via email, and accessible through the current class facebook page. In addition, an online evaluation will be sent to participating faculty members. 2. Increase faculty participation in Arrival Weekend activities. Include faculty as a target audience for Arrival Weekend advertisements. Invite faculty to interact with students during Arrival Weekend by passing out Tshirts and freebies or an equivalent. Offer Incentives (To be determined at a later date)

Assessment of Objective 2 The success of faculty member participation in Arrival Weekend activities will be assessed by using a sign-in sheet for faculty members to provide their name, email at each Arrival Weekend event. The sign-in sheet will be monitored and collected by student staff who will return the sheets to OSS. When all sheets are collected, OSS will invite the faculty members who attended to participate in a focus group in which faculty members will have the opportunity to discuss the benefits and disadvantages of attending welcome weekend events, in addition to more opportunities for faculty and OSS collaboration.

Running head: SIMULATION 1 Assessment of Goal The office of Student Success will use the results of the objective assessments to measure the

success of the goal. In addition, any supplemental assessment tools designed to aid in the success of the goal will be implemented as deemed necessary. Goal #2 Provide professional development opportunities for the office of Student Success staff members. Rationale One of the principles of AQIP and CQI is respecting people (staff) and investing in them. By providing professional development opportunities, the OSS staff will have the chance to learn and grow as professionals, while exploring and exposing themselves to new knowledge. In addition, this will create an open environment for dialogue related to issues staff members may find themselves passionate about. Objectives 1. Create a tool designed to measure issues of interest among OSS staff members. This tool can be created by researching trending issues in higher education and in student success. The tool can take shape in the form of a questionnaire sent via email, use of an online survey, and/or a discussion facilitated at a staff meeting. The issues of interest collected will serve as the guide to the implementation of professional development programs within the department.

Running head: SIMULATION 1 Assessment of Objective 1 The success of the objective listed above will be assessed continuously throughout the

implementation of the interest tool. Continuous assessment will allow for changes to be made on a regular basis so the final issues of interest collected will be the most accurate. This will be done via email and word-of-mouth. 2. In addition to continued staff funding for up to one major conference (to include but not limited to NASPA, ACPA, ACUHO-I), four on-campus professional development opportunities per semester will be provided to OSS staff. Using the issues of interest list, professional development opportunities can be sought out in the form of Webinars, Skype conferences with individuals from other universities, guest speakers, and campus events. The Graduate Assistant for OSS will serve as the primary planner for the four professional development opportunities. Assessment of Objective 2 The success of the professional development efforts will be assessed during staff performance evaluations of the department head and OSS at the end of the academic year. In addition, a discussion and evaluation will be held during a staff meeting at the end of the fall semester to provide insight on the benefits and areas for improvement of the professional development effort so that changes may be made for the spring semester. Assessment of Goal #2 The office of Student Success will use the results of the objective assessments to measure the success of the goal. In addition, any supplemental assessment tools designed to aid in the success of the goal will be implemented as deemed necessary.

Running head: SIMULATION 1 Assessment Based Goals and Objectives-(Optional) To be used in an effort to improve assessment tools within the department Goal In an effort to encompass Continuous Quality Improvement the office of Student Success at Midwest University will strive to develop a climate of assessment throughout the OSS department. Objective 1: Educate OSS staff on assessment tools related to CQI and the value of assessment within the department by hosting a staff development meeting.

Objective 2: Develop individual assessment goals for OSS staff members by evaluating current job descriptions and determining where assessment tools can be added or developed. Goal Evaluate current measures of assessment to determine if current assessment tools align with AQIP standards. Objective 1: Perform a compare-and-contrast style evaluation of OSS assessment tools and determine where improvements can be made. Objective 2: Research statistics of previous outcomes of OSS assessment tools to use upon completing the implementation of newly developed and/or restructured assessment tools designed to meet AQIP standards. Goal Develop or re-structure assessment tools to aid in the success of OSS program evaluation in an effort to align the OSS department with University AQIP initiatives. Objective 1: Create an assessment committee made-up of OSS staff members.

Running head: SIMULATION 1 Objective 2: Using the results of the compare and contrast style evaluation to build assessment tools designed to meet the AQIP and CQI standards. Goal Use newly developed and/or restructured assessment tools in the evaluation of OSS programs. Objective 1: Designate specific programs for which the assessment tools will be used. (Midwest Orientation, Arrival Weekend, Freshmen Seminar) Objective2: Determine which assessment tools will be best for each program and implement the assessment. Goal Evaluate the success of the newly developed or re-structured assessment tools. Objective 1: Compare results of new/restructured assessments tools to those of the previous tools using provided results.

Objective 2: Measure assessment tools against other means of assessment throughout the university.

Running head: SIMULATION 1 Leadership Style

As a leader and a manager, I believe in the respect and value of staff members and stakeholders within the department. I believe that I am in a business of people and while my personal opinions and values may not align with those I work with, I am able to respect their perspectives. In addition, I believe in creating a work environment that is friendly, inviting, and efficient. This style of leadership will be beneficial to the position of Department Head for the Office of Student Success because programs and initiatives developed and implemented through the department require interaction with students, parents, faculty, administrators and university staff (the stakeholders). It is important that the department not only works to complete tasks efficiently, but provides staff and stakeholders with a welcoming environment where ideas and experiences can be shared. Respecting perspectives and opinions will also be very important in this position because the needs of students will vary from year to year which may result in the re-structuring of programs. In this event, it will be important to gain insight from staff and stakeholders in an effort to make the best decisions that will prove beneficial towards the success of the students and the department.