The Year of the Department (YOTD) is an ongoing strategic initiative at Fort Hays State University to facilitate quality improvement work at the academic department level. It involves structured conversations between faculty and department chairs, focusing on domains like learning outcomes, curriculum, teaching processes, assessment, and using results to improve. The goal is to make quality assurance processes more relevant to faculty by having them reflect on how to collaboratively strengthen teaching, learning, and research quality within their departments. Resources provided support aligning YOTD efforts with the university's overall institutional effectiveness goals.

1. The Year of the Department:
A Call to Engagement
Facilitating Academic Quality Work
“Where Faculty Live”
Larry Gould
Fort Hays State University
Presentation to the Academic Affairs Summer Meeting of the American
Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), July 27, 2007,
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
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2. What is The Year of the Department?
 Conceptually, The Year of the Department
(YOTD) is an ongoing strategic initiative for
orchestrating change and aligning people,
systems and culture within academic
departments in the Division of Academic Affairs
at Fort Hays State University (FHSU).
 Operationally, YOTD is best seen as a
structured conversation among faculty and chair
with a focus on “educational quality” process
improvement at the academic department level.
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3. What is The Year of the Department?
(continued)
 The structured conversation is framed around an
“academic audit” system that includes five
essential quality domains (see Massey et al.,
Academic Quality Work, 2007):
Desired Learning Outcomes
Design of Curricula
Design of Teaching and Learning Processes
Student Learning Assessment
Use of Results/Applying Feedback for Curricula
Improvement and Quality Assurance
3

4. What is The Year of the Department?
(continued)
 The essential dynamic catalyzed and directed by
YOTD is the following:
“Faculty reflect on how they can work collegially within
their departmental or program units to improve
teaching and research quality. Then they put their
ideas into practice and track results.” (Massey et
al.,2007, p.16).
 It is important to emphasize that “doing the work” (the
teaching and learning) is NOT the same as “assuring
and improving its quality”
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5. Why Engage Faculty and Chairs in “YOTD?”
 To make the university’s Academic Quality Improvement
Program (AQIP) accreditation activities relevant to
faculty and chairs
 To help them understand what it means to conduct
“academic quality work” with a focus on “educational
processes”
 To provide an opportunity to experience how faculty
participation in department quality work is essential to
academic citizenship and institutional-level quality
improvement
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6. Why Engage Faculty and Chairs in “YOTD?”
(continued)
 To provide an opportunity to clarify and
emphasize that “doing the work” of teaching and
learning are not the same as “assuring and
improving its quality” (time needs to be set aside
for each)
 To demonstrate “how to do educational process
quality improvement” by employing existing
affinity diagrams of course curricula, stakeholder
input and benchmarking initiatives across
institutions and programs
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7. Why Engage Faculty and Chairs in “YOTD?”
(continued)
College of Arts and Sciences
Affinity Diagram for Major in Political Science
What are the elements/building blocks of a degree program in the Department of Political Science that will meet
the educational needs of the prospective political science major?
Characteristics of Expected Learning Assessment Approach
Curriculum
Political Scientists Outcomes and Methods
KNOWLEDGEABLE GOAL 1--To understand the tactics and techniques CORE COURSES FOR THE MAJOR Research papers; given topics for critical thinking
of politics at the local, state, national, and
1. Understands the concepts of government, international level. Orientation to Political Science 1 hr. Computer exercises
politics, and law and how they work. Political Science Methods 3 hrs.
GOAL 2--To understand the connection of Intro. to Political Philosophy 3 hrs. Internships (Service learning approaches)
2. Understands empirical and descriptive theory political science to other disciplines - especially Choice of Adv. Political Theory course 3 hrs.
construction. history and economics. State and Local Government 3 hrs.
Student evaluations of advisor
American Government 3 hrs.
GOAL 3--To be able to communicate effectively, Intro. to International Relations 3 hrs.
3. Uses analytical and critical thinking skills to Alumni Survey
orally and in writing. Intro. to Public Administration 3 hrs.
solve problems and take advantage of
Introduction to Law 3 hrs.
opportunities.
Choice of Seminar 3 hrs. Senior Survey
GOAL 4--To use computers effectively
Internship 1 hrs.
4. Able to write and speak effectively. (a) to do on-line searches,
Senior Thesis 1 hrs. Senior Thesis
(b) to write an essay or paper,
TOTAL 30 hrs.
(c) to store, analyze, and retrieve data
COMPUTER LITERATE
CHOICE OF TRACKS
GOAL 5--(International Studies)--To understand
Possesses information literacy skills. Uses International Studies 12 hrs.
the international nation-state system and how it
computers for information storage, analysis, and Public Administration 12 hrs.
works.
retrieval; e.g., word processing, data processing, Pre-Law 12 hrs.
statistical packages, etc. Political Management 12 hrs.
GOAL 6--(Public Administration)--To understand Political Theory 12 hrs.
the structure, functions and processes of TOTAL 42 hrs.
COMMITTED TO A PLURALISTIC
bureaucracies in the American political system; and
SOCIETY
become familiar with decision-making techniques
MINOR
used in the public sector.
1. Uses leadership skills in addressing
opportunities and challenges of the various 20 hours minimum, no prerequisites or required
GOAL 7--(Pre-Law)--To understand the basic
communities of which the person is a part. courses.
principles of the American legal systems, including
statutory law, common law, and the judicial
2. Cross-culturally competent and empathetic to system.
others' points of view.
GOAL 8--(Political Management)--To understand
the political system of the United States under its
constitutional structure.
GOAL 9--((Political Theory)--To understand
inductive and deductive reasoning in problem
solving and empirical and descriptive theory
construction.
GOAL 10--To understand and explain an open and
pluralistic society and become involved in some
community activity. 7

8. Why Engage Faculty and Chairs in YOTD?
(continued)
 To facilitate faculty and department participation
in the Regents and institutional performance
improvement cycle by working collegially and
with the university’s goals in mind (pass out
scorecard)
 To help renew and remind faculty of the
“academic compact” (the belief that all faculty
want departments and personal activities to be a
part of a successful and reputable institution of
higher education
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9. Why Engage Faculty and Chairs in YOTD?
(continued)
 To position YOTD as a “variable theme” change agent
for leveraging other academic initiatives and
opportunities for improvement (civic engagement
outcomes (ADP), internationalization of the campus and
the curriculum, mobile teaching and learning, reinventing
distance education course development process, etc.)
 To engage and facilitate faculty leadership in future
institutional change and improvement
 To make national discussions on assessment,
accountability and accreditation more relevant and local
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10. How is YOTD Conducted in Practice?
 Initiated with two YOTD workshops
Academic Quality Work 101: Basics
Academic Quality Work 102: Advanced
 YOTD is being conducted as a 12-18 month
structured conversation and process (Fall, 2007
celebrations)
 There is an expectation that departments will set
aside one faculty meeting per month to discuss
YOTD issues and items (department notebooks,
documents, etc. are inundating the campus) 10

11. How is YOTD Conducted in Practice?
 Intermittent reports are shared with the Office of Quality
Management to encourage progress, reflection and mid-
stream corrections/additions
 Affinity diagrams, assessment plans, course initiatives and
other strategic and operational documents are the focus of
attention
 Departments are sharing results through
Unit performance agreements
Special reports
Forums
Department Annual Reports 11

12. How is YOTD Conducted in Practice?
(continued)
 Funding is primarily process and project
dependent (provost/deans)
 Assessment plans become applications and
funded distributed through Offices of Quality
Management and Provost
 Action plans are being generated for funding
through strategic planning (president)
 Reward, recognition and merit structure modified
and applied 12

13. How is YOTD Conducted in Practice?
Exclusions
 Individual efforts by chairs to conduct academic audits
instead of chair and faculty collaboration (recognition that
time spent on YOTD is a trade-off/no time excuse
unacceptable)
 Failure to use current affinity diagrams and the basic five
academic audit questions to conduct a review
 A focus on course or program content to the exclusion of
process improvement and an assessment of existing
learning outcomes
 Substitution of accreditation or professional requirements
in lieu of a focus on academic audit and questions 13

14. Who Has What Responsibilities in YOTD?
 Provost
 Manage, empower, and fund
 Provost’s Council
 Approve, communicate, implement, and report
 Department Chairs/Faculty
 Feedback, commitment, implement and report
 All must nurture the “virtuous circle” and facilitate the
turning of the “flywheel” (see Jim Collins, From Good to
Great, 2003 and Massey et al, 2007, pp. 16-23)
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15. What are the YOTD Deliverables?
 Final department/program YOTD
academic audit results included in
department annual reports
 Revised/updated affinity diagrams with
new/modified/affirmed program learning
outcomes
 A plan for implementing changes included
in the revised/updated affinity diagrams
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16. What are the YOTD Deliverables?
(continued)
 An more precisely defined and appropriate
number of assessment initiatives to include both
direct and indirect measures. Linkage with
institutional assessment, strategic planning,
KBOR performance agreements, AQIP, and
annual strategic themes should be clear where
appropriate (e.g. intensive writing, civic
engagement, internationalization measures,
mobile teaching and learning, etc.)
 A continually updated YOTD Institutional Report
Card maintained by the Office of Provost
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17. What Resources are Available to Align
YOTD with Institutional Effectiveness Efforts?
 Charter and Scope
 Directions for FHSU Academic Audit
Process/Affinity Diagram Sample
 Academic Audit FAQs/More Sample
Academic Audit Questions
 Example Departmental Performance
Agreement
 Example Departmental Scorecard
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18. What Resources are Available to Align
YOTD with Institutional Effectiveness Efforts?
 Charter and Scope
 Directions for FHSU Academic Audit
Process/Affinity Diagram Sample
 Academic Audit FAQs/More Sample
Academic Audit Questions
 Example Departmental Performance
Agreement
 Example Departmental Scorecard
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19. What Resources are Available to Align YOTD with
Institutional Effectiveness Efforts?
 Basic FHSU Documents:
University Strategic Plan
KBOR Performance Agreement
University Performance Scorecard
Elements of Quality Departments
AQIP/PA Matrix of Goals
Comprehensive Assessment Report and Strategic
Plan
Listing of Current Major Improvement Initiatives
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20. YOTD
 Thanks
 Questions?
 Availability: <http://www.fhsu.edu/provost
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