Sam Houston State University Shows Program Effectiveness with Tk20 HigherEd™

Eric D. Wilson, Ph. D., Accountability and Accreditation Analyst,
College of Education, Sam Houston State University

Sam Houston State University’s College of Education is home to over 2,500 students, more than 60 full-time professors, a host of adjunct faculty, and nearly 30 different programs. In addition to holding ourselves accountable for our programs, we strive to remain responsive to the requirements of multiple external audiences including state accreditors, regional accreditors and NCATE. Collecting, maintaining, and analyzing the data to meet these accreditation demands is a considerable challenge and would be a nearly impossible task if attempted manually.

We knew we needed an easy-to-use assessment system capable of being integrated into faculty and students’ everyday lives. Given unlimited time and campus resources, our information technology department could handle the task. In reality, the IT department is understaffed and has many administrators, faculty, and staff on campus vying for its attention. Our college’s needs were immediate and we sought a software vendor to meet those needs. Tk20 HigherEd has provided us a software solution that meets and exceeds our expectations for a comprehensive data system.

Like many universities, our campus uses locally-developed software applications to manage its data and benefits from a highly vigilant IT division. The IT staff is sensitive about data security and does not want to fall victim to security breaches and data theft as have other institutions in the country. As a result, the division has imposed stringent security policies. Among those is the requirement that all applications used on campus have a common logon that is managed by a central server. Additionally, all student and faculty data must be housed and backed up locally. This computing environment caused the selection committee to look very critically at the practical and technical implications of choosing among software companies. Only Tk20 HigherEd is flexible enough to conform to our security policies.

Prior to purchasing the software, members of our campus IT department held multiple conversations with Tk20’s management and its engineering staff about the product’s capabilities and security. Only after the IT staff was satisfied that Tk20 was secure and compatible with our computing infrastructure and policies were we approved to initiate the contract. These early conversations also allowed Tk20’s engineers to develop a rapport with our campus IT staff that was instrumental in the smooth deployment of our data management system.

Having the early support of the IT staff has been critical to the success of our adoption. From the beginning, IT has understood that having a college-specific data management system whose day-to-day operations are handled by a third party means fewer demands on the IT staff’s time. In turn, the College of Education and others on campus enjoy improved support from the IT department.

This combination of factors caused the selection committee to conclude that only HigherEd would function in our computing environment and deliver the level of information needed to improve our programs without overburdening our students, our faculty, or our college administrators. The system has provided us an affordable and unique solution for meeting our program improvement and assessment needs. Most notably, there are no hidden costs or fees for the services the company provides.

Tk20 provides multiple opportunities and venues for training unit administrators, faculty, and students on the system. Several times a year, the company’s professional staff offers intensive face-to-face training for unit administrators. The sessions are highly beneficial, well-organized and easily comprehensible. Additionally, Tk20 sends its product specialists for on-site visits to train faculty during the adoption semester. The company offers a third training resource in its web-based training modules that are always available to assist all users. Tk20’s product specialists also routinely assist clients with importing user-level data from other sources, rubrics and other assessment tools into the system. Absent from other products we evaluated, this level of service frees the client from getting mired in the minutiae of converting assessments and allows the unit administrator to focus on the more critical aspects of the adoption.

The software package is well documented and the company provides printed materials to help clients through the adoption process. Anyone who’s implemented new software knows of the potential pitfalls associated with getting users accustomed to a new way of conducting business. HigherEd includes a step-by-step adoption guide that outlines the responsibilities of all parties in the initial semesters. Tk20’s staff walks you through the guide and explains in detail how the process unfolds. This tailored approach to support allowed us to proceed with our adoption smoothly and in a matter of weeks. No new adoption is without its setbacks, but the few times something didn’t work as planned, Tk20’s engineers and product specialists were only a phone call or an email away. We have yet to have a question go unanswered.

HigherEd is a constantly evolving product that combines the best thinking of university users and industry experts. Not limited to course-based assessment, the package comprehensively supports all aspects of the College. There are modules for field placement, advising, surveys, as well as student and faculty portfolios. Tk20 continually strives to incorporate features that benefit its growing client base. The company also sponsors an annual user conference designed to foster idea sharing among its users as well as garner their input on the product. As with other services, all current customers receive new releases and updated features at no additional charge. This commitment to innovation and satisfying users’ needs makes HigherEd an extensible and flexible data management and assessment package. It has become an essential tool in using data to make informed decisions in our college.

HigherEd has not only benefited the college through allowing us to track data on key unit and program assessments, but it has provided us the capacity to quickly respond to multiple audiences. Donors, legislators, university administrators and many others are interested in the effectiveness and productivity of our programs. Tk20’s product has freed the College of Education from its reliance on institutional research for every data request. No longer is the College subject to the long queues for information—much of the data the College needs is at the fingertips of its faculty and administrators. Through having a comprehensive data management system we are able to show evidence our efficacy in multiple fashions. The system is preconfigured with multiple reports and additional reports are easily built by the unit administrator or with the assistance of Tk20’s capable support staff.

When we purchased HigherEd not only did we gain a comprehensive assessment and data management system, we also gained a professional partner sincerely interested in accompanying us on our journey toward program improvement. The people at Tk20 are genuinely concerned with our ability to effectively prepare teachers to meet the ever-changing needs of the public schools. A leader in the emerging industry of standards-based data management, they bring technology expertise and a deep understanding of the needs of the college of education and its evolving political context.