Sam Houston State University Shows Program Effectiveness
with Tk20 CampusTools
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 CampusTools 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 CampusTools 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 CampusTools 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. CampusTools 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.
CampusTools 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 CampusTools 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.
CampusTools 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 CampusTools 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.
Click here to learn more about CampusTools
HigherEd or to schedule a demonstration with an associate.
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