Director of Assessment and Curricular Effectiveness

Chicago State University (CSU), is the oldest public university in the Chicago metropolitan area. Chicago State University is Illinois’ only four-year U.S. Department of Education-designated Predominantly Black Institution (PBI). CSU serves over 1,500 undergraduate students and nearly 900 graduate students. The university is a nationally accredited university with five colleges in Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Health Sciences and Pharmacy and proudly supports a diverse and non-traditional student population that hails from 28 countries and 36 states.

Discover the latest advancements and milestones achieved by CSU in our Annual Report: https://www.csu.edu/president/annual_report.htm.

The CSU-School of Pharmacy (SOP) seeks applications and nominations for the position of Director of Assessment and Curricular Effectiveness, a full-time, 12-month administrative position.

Summary
The Director of Assessment and Curricular Effectiveness plays a key role in the collection, analysis of critical data used to improve educational and programmatic outcomes of the School. These data are used to evaluate and inform decisions related to research, programmatic, curricular and strategic planning activities in the college.

Specifically, the Director primary responsibilities include:

• Foster a culture of assessment in the School, College and University community
• Conducting evidence-based best practices reviews on curriculum and assessment
• Performing analyses to determine or change policies, college-level initiatives, curricula, and/or student support services;
• Supporting the assessment plan and managing a comprehensive evaluation process, both formative and summative, that evaluates students, faculty, courses and program success.
• Supporting research activities by conducting statistical analyses

Activities supporting these responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Design, implementation, oversight and analysis of data collected from valid assessment instruments and
• Designing effective research strategies and gathering relevant information using primary, secondary, and tertiary sources and techniques.
• Using qualitative and quantitative methods to propose or expand assessment strategies for course and program outcomes to leadership and faculty.
• Reporting evaluation results (including data collection and management methods) in order to satisfy Accreditation Council of Pharmacy Education (ACPE) requirements and learning objectives/outcomes,
• Informing stakeholders on the progress of the SOP curricular and programmatic assessment.

The Director of Assessment and Curricular Effectiveness will report to Dean, School of Pharmacy.

Applicants must have a strong desire to take the leadership role in the assessment initiatives within the School of Pharmacy. The School of Pharmacy is committed to these endeavors and resources are available for continued implementation, growth, and maintenance. The successful candidate will be expected to perform the following tasks:

1. Provide vision and guidance within the area of assessment, including oversight of assessment software and operations;
a. Exam administration software/platform
i. Maintain Course Rosters
ii. Maintain Learning Objectives
iii. Maintain Faculty Course Assignment
b. Qualtrics survey administration
c. Steward the Master Assessment Plan
d. Recommend and utilize appropriate software and other tools to perform assessment activities

2. Implement and coordinate School-wide assessment efforts with faculty, staff, students, Curriculum and Assessment Committee, Self-Study Committee, Student Affairs, Experiential Education, and other Offices;
a. Educate faculty regarding assessment rationales and methodologies;
b. Serve as Ad-hoc member of the Curriculum and Assessment Committee;
i. Administer the Course Review and Syllabus Review processes

3. Provide regular communications with the School community regarding assessment findings;

4. Develop and implement methods to evaluate curricular program outcomes (e.g., curriculum, student learning outcomes, college competencies, small group learning activities, experiential education, student self-efficacy, etc.);
a. Assist faculty and administration in incorporating assessment results into pedagogy, curriculum, and college policies;
b. Evaluate Student Assessment across the Curriculum:
i. Quality Exam Practices
1. Encourage NAPLEX Style questions on Assessments
2. Maintain Proctoring Guidance
ii. Student Assessment Burden
iii. Maintain Course Mapping to NAPLEX competency statements
iv. Evaluate Item Mapping to course objectives
c. Evaluate Standardized Exam Preparation
i. Benchmark Exams
1. Mile Marker
ii. Encourage Student Preparation:
1. Workshops
2. Board Examination Intensive Course Practices
iii. Support Data Analysis

5. Develop and implement methods to evaluate non-curricular program outcomes (e.g., effectiveness of strategic plan, faculty development activities, facilities, professionalism, service, scholarly activities, etc.)

6. Provide instruction in the professional degree program (as assigned);

7. Foster professional relationships with the pharmacy academic community;

8. Engage in scholarly activities;

9. Participate in additional SOP/Dept./University Committees as assigned;
a. Serve as the School’s representative to the University Assessment Committee;

10. Prepare reports and ensure compliance with regulations required by accrediting bodies (HLC and ACPE) and other agencies as they relate to academic affairs and related program assessment;

11. Ensure consistency & quality in curricular outcomes;
a. Ensure consistency and quality across courses and course series
b. Steward Coordinator Meetings DAST, PPS, SAS/ProPrac
c. Participate on the OSCE Taskforce
d. Develop and maintain curriculum guidance documents
i. Coordinator/Instructor Manuals
ii. Assessment Guidance
iii. Adjunct Manuals
iv. Universal Syllabus

12. Assist other programs within the College of Health Sciences and Pharmacy relating to integration and synergy amongst curricula as well as best assessment practices

13. Perform other duties as assigned.

PharmD, EdD, or PhD in Biomedical or Pharmaceutical Sciences or related disciplines. These disciplines may include (but not limited to) educational research, outcomes assessment, program evaluation. A minimum of two years of prior substantial experience in curriculum and program assessment and accreditation standards, preferably at a US School/College of Pharmacy is required. Excellent oral and written communication skills with strong computer skills, including Microsoft Office and statistical software are required.

Demonstrable experience with quantitative and qualitative methods, evaluation design, database management, data analysis, and experience in design and validation of assessment instruments is required. Also required is the ability to demonstrate experience in educational research and psychometrics, and experience in teaching/training faculty, staff and/or administrators to improve teaching, learning, and clinical and/or program outcomes. Preference will be given to candidates with education and/or experience in pharmacy, higher education accreditation processes, and/or health professions education.

1. Demonstrated ability to apply appropriate statistical techniques for the analysis of assessment and institutional data and provide advanced statistical analyses including multivariate studies and data mining: analyses and data management through SAS or SPSS.
2. Demonstrated ability to plan and organize assigned activities and ability to work effectively with faculty, staff, and administrators.
3. Demonstrated ability to independently conduct research.
4. Demonstrated ability to plan and organize assigned activities or to independently carry out major projects of importance to the School, College and University community.
5. Possess excellent interpersonal communication (oral and written) skills.
6. Must have a demonstrated record of leadership and professional service.