The Unit Effectiveness Plan Template (Effectiveness Plan Template_2023-pdf; Effectiveness Plan Template_2023-excel)

• This template is intended to capture draft unit plans prior to their entry into our strategic planning online software. Content in yellow highlight is provided as an example.

Checklist and Flowchart for Unit Effectiveness Plans (PDF)

• This checklist provides helpful definitions and examples of the seven key components of unit effectiveness plans:
  • Unit Purpose, Unit Objective, Task, Measure, Target, Finding, Use of Results

Measures 101: What is direct and what is indirect and why does it matter? (PDF)

• This one-pager provides definitions and examples of direct and indirect measures for both administrative and academic assessment.

The Administrative Assessment Committee Primer (PDF; updated in January 2023)

• This helpful resource provides unit team members with a quick overview of Effectiveness and Assessment at Ramapo.

A Unit Effectiveness Plan should be a multi-year resource that captures the Unit’s strategic plans, not its operational plans.

A Unit Effectiveness Plan changes and grows with the unit and does so efficiently by including assessment activities. Administrative and educational support units should be guided by the following principles:

1. A comprehensive, systematic, and ongoing assessment program is a necessary condition for continuous learning and demonstrates a true commitment to excellence.
2. Unit Effectiveness Plans allow us to examine the relationship among our mission, vision, strategic plan, unit objectives and achievements.
3. Unit Effectiveness Plans should be inclusive when appropriate, involving students, faculty, staff, and administrators.
4. Unit Effectiveness Plans should involve multiple measures, assessing both unit objectives and process variables, which can be linked to learning and improvement opportunities.
5. The purpose of Unit Effectiveness Plans is two-fold: 1) to align our strategic efforts to institutional goals and thus offer students the best living/learning environment possible and 2) to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of all the units that support this environment.
6. Assessment reports or information on closing the loop with respect to a Unit’s Effectiveness Plan should be communicated.
An effective feedback loop ensures that assessment results are utilized in long-term planning and strategic decision-making.
7. We cannot and should not assess all things at once, therefore, unit objectives must be prioritized with an eye toward maximum learning and improvement.
8. Unit Effectiveness planning and assessment responsibilities should be indicated in the performance programs of most unit administrators; and discussions of Unit Effectiveness Plans and assessment should be a routine part of supervisor/supervisee/team meetings and of Vice Presidents/direct reports meetings.
9. The assessment process itself should be flexible enough such that refinements and enhancements can be made as needed.

Q1. How might a Unit Effectiveness Plan be helpful to my team?
A1. First, the development of a Unit Effectiveness Plan should include team members and provide an opportunity for team members to brainstorm and articulate how the unit may be more strategic or purposeful in aligning or modifying its work to advance the College’s strategic direction. Second, a Unit Effectiveness Plan is also a wonderful tool to inform SMART decision-making, here SMART refers to Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound (1981, Doran, G.T.). Third, a Unit Effectiveness Plan, inclusive of meaningful assessment measures, can help the Unit make a compelling case to pivot processes, request resources, commend teamwork, and help team members see themselves as agents of change whose valuable work truly advances the College’s mission and strategic goals.

Q2. Who is required to complete a unit effectiveness plan?
A2. Almost all units are expected to complete unit effectiveness plans.

Q3. How do I input my Unit Effectiveness Plan?
A3. Paper and digital Excel templates are available to input the information. These would be transcribed in our Strategic Planning software later.

Q4. Who will review my Unit Effectiveness Plan?
A4. The CEC and your Vice President will review the plan based on alignment with the institution’s established strategic plan and, when applicable, its College-wide Key Performance Indicators.

Q5.How many unit objectives should I include in my Unit Effectiveness Plan?
A5. Three is recommended but it should not exceed five when possible.

Q6. What is the criterion for developing a good unit objective?
A6. SMART Unit Objectives are: Specific, Measurable, Attainable but Aggressive, Results-oriented, and Time-bound. (1981, Doran, G.T.).

Q7. Is there any training available on this?
A7. Yes. First, please direct any questions related to clarifying the concepts of Unit Effectiveness and Assessment or the mechanics of our strategic planning online software to your Core’s AAC member.

Accreditation: The designation that an institution earns indicating that it functions appropriately with respect to its resources, programs, and services. The accrediting association, often comprised of peers, is recognized as the external monitor. Maintaining accredited status ensures that the college remains in compliance with federal expectations and continues to receive federal funding.

Assessment: Systematic and ongoing efforts to collect, analyze, and interpret evidence that describes institutional, unit, program or course effectiveness, ultimately to improve student learning, unit functions, or institutional performance.

Assessment Instrument: A tool used to evaluate assignments, activities, artifacts, or events that support unit objectives. These can be measurement tools such as standardized tests, locally designed examinations, rubrics, exit interviews, surveys, etc..

Assessment Method: Refers to how the unit objective is assessed. The assessment method describes generally how the information/data will be collected, which may involve either direct or indirect measurement. Additionally the method specifies from whom the data will be collected and at what time points. Example assessment methods include but are not limited to evaluation of student academic work, observation, and self-reporting methods.

Close the Loop: The phrase indicates the ability to demonstrate—through a cycle of collecting, analyzing, and reporting on data—continuous improvement or learning of curricular, programmatic, or administrative efforts. It calls for using assessment results to improve programs and learn at an organizational, unit, or program level.

Direct Measure: Direct measures assess student or unit performance without the use of opinions, thoughts, or assumptions. A direct measure will usually be very concise and easy to interpret.

Effectiveness: The degree to which programs, activities or units achieve intended results. Effectiveness indicates how well each curriculum, program, unit and even the college, achieves its stated purpose.

Embedded Assessment: Denotes a way to gather effectiveness information that is built into regular activities. When assessment is embedded, it is routine, unobtrusive, and an ongoing part of the teaching-learning or administrative process.

Evaluation of Results: The process of interpreting or making meaning about the data. The evaluation compares the results to the intentions and explains how they correlate.

Feedback: Providing assessment results and analysis to interested constituents in order to increase transparency and learning.

Formative assessment: Refers to assessment that is conducted during the operation of a program, course or project, to provide information and increase understanding that is useful for improving implementation. It involves gathering and interpreting evidence of performance at least once prior to the end of the program, course or project.

Goal: A broad and generally un-measurable statement about what the institution, program, course or unit is trying to accomplish to advance the mission.

Indirect Measure: Indirect measures assess opinions or thoughts about whether or not the unit meets its unit objective or completes all tasks that are expected. Student indirect measures ask students to reflect on their learning rather than to demonstrate it. Indirect measures are most commonly captured by the use of surveys.

Institutional Effectiveness (IE): The term used to describe how well an institution is accomplishing its mission and how it engages in continuous learning and improvement.

Instrument: An assessment tool that is used for the purpose of collecting data, such as an exam or an interview protocol.

Learning Outcomes: Specific, observable, and measurable knowledge or skill that the student gains/develops as a result of a specific course. These outcomes are clearly stated in the course syllabus. There are three categories of student learning outcomes.
• Cognitive Outcome:  What students KNOW; knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.
• Psychomotor Outcome: What students CAN DO; skilled performance, production of something new (e.g., a paper, project, piece of artwork), critical thinking skills (e.g., analysis and evaluation).
• Affective Outcome: What students CARE ABOUT; students’ feelings, attitudes, interests, and preferences.

Method: Describes the procedures used to collect data for assessing a program, course, or unit including identifying the assignment or activity and the process for measuring or scoring it.

Middle States Commission of Higher Education (MSCHE): This is the accrediting agency of higher education institutions in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, United Kingdom, British Virgin Islands, Chile, Italy, Switzerland, Taiwan, Washington DC, Canada, Hungary, Puerto Rico, Egypt, Lebanon, France, Italy, and United Arab Emirates.

Mission Statement: Explains why a program or unit exists and identifies its purpose. It articulates the program or unit’s essential nature, its values, and its work and should be aligned with the college mission in such a way that it also furthers the College vision.

Program Review: An in-depth process of reviewing most aspects of a program, including administrative, financial, programmatic, and academic inputs, outputs, objectives and outcomes. The review is generally completed on a three-year schedule.

Results: Report the qualitative or quantitative findings of the data collection in text or table format to convey whether the unit objectives were achieved at desired levels of performance.

Sample: A defined subset of the population chosen based on 1) its ability to provide information; 2) its representativeness of the population under study; 3) factors related to the feasibility of data gathering, such as cost, time, participant accessibility, or other logistical concerns.

S.M.A.R.T. Unit Objectives: Unit based objectives that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable but Aggressive, Results-oriented, and Time-bound.

S.M.A.R.T Decision Making: Decisions that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound (1981, Doran, G.T.).

SPOL Diamond: Strategic Planning Online (SPOL) Diamond is a software program used to capture and report on institutional effectiveness. It is the repository for unit effectiveness plans.

Standard of Performance: A specific expectation of student or unit performance that shows progress toward an outcome.

Summative Assessment: Refers to assessment that is carried out at the end of a program, course, project, or time-frame to evaluate whether the outcomes were achieved (i.e., the overall performance). Summative assessment may be conducted for the following reasons: evaluation and accountability; decision-making regarding fund allocation; to aid in program level decision-making; to respond to demands of accrediting bodies, state, and federal agencies.

Triangulate: The use of a combination of assessment methods, such as using surveys, interviews, and observations to measure a unit outcome. It is recommended that three assessment methods be used for each outcome.

Unit Effectiveness Plan: A document that outlines and describes how and to what extent the unit’s strategic activities work towards advancing the Strategic Plan of the College.  The Plan should be reviewed frequently and revised any time substantive learning or improvement occurs or College-wide goals are identified. Unit Effectiveness Plans generally cover a span of 1-3 years with annual/semiannual assessment.

Unit Objective: Intended unit objectives that reflect the area or service that can be improved using current resources and personnel and are generally assessable within one assessment cycle. Unit objectives should be measurable statements with expected levels of achievement (targets), under the direct control of the unit, and supportive of the College Strategic Plan’s goals and objectives. The resulting data used as the criteria for tracking success in future years.