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Quality measurement and quality assurance in higher education. Quality

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DOI: 10.1108/09684880210416076

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QMS2000: linking
assessment and
information technology
john F. Welsh and Sukhen Dey
Associate University Provost and Associate Professor of
Education, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
and Associate Professor of Computer Science, Indiana University
Southeast, New Albany, Indiana, USA

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QMS2000: linking
assessment and
information technoloav
John F. Welsh and
Sukhen Dey
john F. Welsh is Associate University h o s t and Aswiate
Profeswr of Education, University of Lwinrilie, Louisville,
Kentucky, USA.
Sukhen Dey is Assodate Professor of Computer Sciew,
Indiana Uniwrsity Sdutheast, New Albany, Indiana, U S k
Assessment, Quality, Information systems
Desaibes b w h e University of Louisville developed a
partnership with Dej Systems, a Lwisville tdndogy
company speci~mngin quality and measurement dutions,
to ueate a quality measurement system for hgk
education. QMS2000, a Mndogy-based enterpriswvide
assessment m d , is a relational. interactive information
nl'twn h a t incl* f r m 313 =tisfaction s u ~ e y r
are linked tn mespanding datahss at the University.
QMS2000 is an on-line information systwn, opating in a
n m r k e d , dientmer envirmment that permits lkensed
users access to &sgnated components of the system.
QMS2000 users generate repMts and perforin advanod
statistical a n a l p s drawing from the QM52000 databases.
The data arid r e m are wed to improw academic and
xlppwt programs at the university. The & of QMS2000 in
the Universys qualii impmvement scheme and itr initial
impact are disused.
The research register fw this journal is a v a i i l e at
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a v a i h k at
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Camprrs-Wide lnhrrmth sysbems
Vdwh? 19 - Nu& 2 2M2 - Fp D-80
4
0 M E UP limited lSSH 10650741
WI 10.11081106M7402fW2189[1
73
One of the most potent forces transforming
higher education today is the internal and
external pressure to generate, format and
disseminate information about the performance
of academic programs and support services.
T h e pressure for improved information about
the outcomes of the academic enterprise can be
attributed to three sources:
(1) Administrators and faculty are demanding
valid, reliable and comparable data to
inform campus-level decision making,
smtegic planning, and quality
improvement processes.
(2) T h e Federal G ~ v e m m e n t ,state
coordinating boards, and regiond and
program accrediting agencies now require
institutions to generate and report a wide
array of data elements on finances, s&g,
and students as part of accountabiliry or
institutional effectiveness programs.
(3) The outcomes assessment movement has
jperated nationd interat in the organized
collection and use of information on
student satisfaction and performance to
improve academic programs and
institutional support services Palomba and
Banta, 1999; Lucas, 1996; Tiemey, 1999).
Despite the intense pressure on institutions to
consrmn comprehcnsive dam coue*on and
reporting processes, the potenrial for
information technology to assist in assessment
and quality improvement has not been
dweloped to any si@cant degree. Curiously,
the role of information technolw in w r
y
measurement is only in its nascent stage of
development Observers of the mle and impact
of outcomes assessment and quality
measurement suggest b a t technology-based
approaches hold great potential to improve data
collection and reporting (Astin, 1993; Kinlaw,
1992; Seymour, 1993; Banm, 1997; Palomba
and Banta, 1999). The appropriate application
of information technology can augment support
for assessment by m a k g cam~us-wide
pIarforms for the colledon, management and
dissemination ofinstitutional performance dam.
What is needed today are models of enterprise-
wide approaches to assessment that utilize
information technology. Collegts and
universities must begin to understand that the
measurement of student outcomes and
 QMSZ000: linking asseswnent and informatiwl ierhnolqy Carnpw-Wide Infurmation System
john f. Wekh and Sukhen Dey Volume 1 9 . Nurnkr 2 ,2032 - 73-80.
institutional performance are part of QMS 2000, the s t r u m , managarnent and
information systems, requiring the participation analysis of rhe data in QMS2000, and how
of information technology professionals. As QMS2000 supports assessment at the
Seymour indicates (1993, p. 19): University.
. .. measurement must be institutionalized into a
management
- information system. .. . Continuous
quality improvemtnt requires a continuous flow
of data. The implementation of QMSZOOO
In the current environment of higher education, Dey Systems, Inc. worked with the University
there is a need and an oppommity to develop of Louisville in the deveIopment and processing
newer models of generating, formatting, and of the survey instruments, the creation of
utilizing information a b u t the performance darabases relating the survey data to existing
of coueges and universities for external dormation at the University, and the
accountability and internal quality programming of QMS2000 reports for both the
improvement. This paper contributes to the academic unit and campus QMS systems. T h e
inrerest in developing newer assessment implementation of QMS2000 involved four
models in higher education by describing a broad areas of work described below.
technology-based assessment system that has
been developed and implemented at the Research and system design
University of Louisville. In the fall of 1998, the Zn the initial stage of the project, a team
University of Louisville developed a pamership comprised Dey Systems personnel and
with Dey Systems, a Luuisville company that University representatives completed two
specializes in quality measurement solutions, to related research projects. First, working
create a quality measurement system, known as through assessment liaisons who r e p e n t each
QMS2000, for higher education. T h e academic and support wit, the University
pamership evolved out of the University's need developed outcomes assessment plans for eacb
to develop an enterprise-wide, accessible depec program and a variety of academic and
platform for assessing the University's academic student support units. Each plan included:
and support programs in order to meet the a statement of expected outcomes for
accountability requirements of the Southern student learning, performance, and
Association of Colleges md Schools, post-colIegiate experiences;
specialized accredjting bodies, and the questionnaire items and other measures of
Kentucky Collncil on Postsecondary the expected outcomes;
Education, as well as to supporc internal a schedde for colle&ng, manipulating and
assessments. reporting the data; and
QMS2000 was developed by drawing fiom a plan for using the dam to support
assessment literature in higher education, the programmatic improvements.
uses of measurement in quality improvement
processes in business, and software engineering The process design was based upon internal
in management information systems. The and external needs for information about the
product of this development is a relational, University's performance, includmg the state
interactive information s p e m h t includes coordinating board, amediting agendts, and
data from 313 constiruent satisfadon surveys the strategic planning budgeting md program
that are linked to student, alumni, faculty, staff, review processes at the University. Essential to
and employer databases at the University. As a the system design for each program is the
technoIogy-based continuous quality feedback loop that connects specific
measurement system, QMSZOOO is a model for measurement results with speciiic change
supporting organizational change by assisting processes.
institutions to address simultanmusly the Second, utilizing a subcontract with Dey
challenges of accountability, continuous Systems, Inc. the project team designed the
improvement, and mission development. The information system, including s o h a r e
foUowing describes the impIementation of applications, report fomats and sysrem
 QMS2000: linking assessment and information tecttnolcgy
john F. Wekh and Sukhm Dq.
interfaces between client-sewers at the
University and Dey Systems ofices. Critical to
the information system design was a need to
link data in the University's information
systems with Dey Systems computers in order
to develop samples, mail questionnaires,
process returned questionnaires, and manage,
an a1yze, format and disseminate the results.
Instrument development
Representatives from the project team and Dey
Systems interviewed focus groups of faculty and
st& from each academic program and staff
from each support unit to identify the topics
and issues to be included on the survey
insaumenrs. Once these topics were identified,
the st& at Dey Systems developed draft
versions of the survey instruments in
cooperation with the academic units. The drafts
were relined until questionnaires that satisfied
the units and the Provost's Office were
developed. The pamcipation of f a d r y and staff
in the consauction of questionnaires helped t h e
c o l l d o n of information that is appropriate to
quality improvement and external reporting for
each discipline.
T h e questionnaires included items that wese
specifically customized for the program and
those that were common across the unit and the
University. The University placed emphasis on
making surveys fitting the survey insn-umtnt
each indvidual program in order to maximize
facultv use of the data. However., the -- deans of
each icademic
unit wanted to ensurethat
p u p of questions were common to each
questionnaire in each of heir program^.
SimkIy, the Pmost wanted to em- that a
group of questions on each fypt of
questionnaire were common across the
institution. Thus, the instruments were
comprised four sections: background
information on the respondent, items that were
specific to the program, items that were
common to the academic unit, and items that
were common across the institution.
Once the Provost's Office approved the
questionnaires, Dey Systems initiated the
process of data coIlection by idendfying samples
based on parameters that were approved by the
University, printed and dism'buted the
questionnaires.T h e list below identifies each of
the questionnaires that were produced for ten
Campus-Wde Information Syrtemr
Vdume 19 - Number 2 , 2 0 0 2 . 7 H b
academic units and six support units for a total
of 3 13 separate surveys:
(1) Academic unk QMS (total = 300 academic
unit surveys that serve ten academic units):
continuing student survey;
graduating student survey;
alumni - one year out survey;
- alumni-fiveyearsoutsurvey;
employers of graduates survey; and
- faculty survey.
(2) Univmiry suppmt QMS (total = 13
University support surveys) :
library users and donors surveys (6);
grant writers s w e y ;
information technology users suivey;
newsmdentssurvey;
parents survey;
donors survey;
= international students s w e y ; and
University employee satisfaction survey.
The s t r u c t u r e of QMS2000 posed an enormous
challenge for gathering dam, printing and
mailing the survey insaumenrs, collecring
completed surveys, and reporting the results.
QMS2000 has a dynamic database structure
that is designed to accommodate new surveys
for the University, as well as data fiom other
universities, so that programs, units and
institutions can be benchmarked.
System interfaces and download set up
In the third phase, the project team s e t up
a system interfaces for the client network and
software functions. One of rhe most important
task for QMS2000 is downloading data horn
miversiq records for s m c y ~ n ~ a r a t i oand
n
mailing. T h e University's Registrar, Vice
President for Development and Alumni,
Associate Vice President for Human Resources,
and m c e of Planning and Budget worked with
D ~ Systems
Y to set v the data fields, the
smcturc, frequency, and other details for data
downloads from the University. Another
purpose of the d o d o a d s is to provide the array
of variables required for disaggregating
responses on the constituent sumeys.
Data collection, management, and
presentation
As an integrated database, QMS incorporates
an automated process for data collection,
75
 QMSZMW). linking assessment and information techmlogy Campu-wide I n l o r d o n Syrtems
Jdm F. W h and Subher, Oey volume 19 . Numhpr 2 . ZOO2 -7360

management and analysis. Data are extracted
from existing infomation systems of the
University, inhvidual academic units, and
various omces around campus on a rnonthIy
and/or semester basis. Statistical sampIes of the
databases are selected, pcrsonalizcd
questionnaires mailed to constituents, and the
returned responses are coded, scanned and
appended to t h e data files in each QMS.
The Dey Systems data processing center
manages the administrative applications of
QMS2000. This approach elhinates
e~pcndihutsfor in-house equipment and
personnel at the University but still provide an
enterprise solution to the rnanagemcnc of
assessment data. &cords are d o d o a d e d each Screen for users
monh =dlor with a of
fields QMS2000 databsc. QMS2000 h a t these users
perfoms sampling based on htefia
set by the University and prints personal
messages and addresses on the s w e y forms.
Sumtys are distributed to rccipiu~bwithin
seven to ten days after receipt of a clean,
validated dowdoad. Respondent cnmments on
the survey forms are also entered into a text
database and d e d for aggregation and
analysis. The list below idendfies t h e standard
reports that QMS2000 generates:
amtiveS l ~ a r y ;
benchmark reports;
n m o r k . QMS2000 is set up at onc site within
the coIlege or school, the OfEice of Planning and
Budget, and the Provost's Office. T h e
utilization license includes two user positions at
each site, although more can be added.
Licensed uscn are able to access he system via
personal omp put^ 24 hours a day, seven days a
week. The Dean nnd t h e assessment Iidson are
the typical licensed users for QMS2000 in each
academic unit. University-level data is
accessible through the office of planning and
budget and the Provost's Office.
QMS2000 users &st confront a screen that
them to select a W e of ad
of report thcy would like to generate. The main
the deans' and Vice
President's OEC~S are modified only to ensure
access only to the data
VJiLhh their purview. For instance, the Dean of
the School of Engineering has access to the data
generated by the sunteys of engineering
students, alums, faculty and ernployen, but
does not have access to the same data for the
School of Education. The project t e a m
provided "hands on" raining sessions to enable
the assessment liaisons and other st- to
explore the system and acces its information.
Training is oriented t o the produdon of
speci5c repom containing d a ~ aspecific to each
program or Imit.

- group comparisons;
frequency reports;
control and trend charts;
*lea group lists',
integrated data reports;
quarter/tum charts
verbatim comment reports;
question summary end frequency chart;
statistical btst pmttices; and
integrated corrdations.
QMS2000 produc- several on-he, red-time
statistical Process control rePott-s, bduding
cross-tabuhtions, comparisons over time,
advanced statisti- as wefl as charts and graphs needed to run QMS2000 include:
that can be selected for any data element
captured in the system. Users may also
customize reports to fit speciGc data analysis
needs of the academic unin and the University
offices.
QMS2000 is designed to operate in a
windows environment in any PC-based
76
Data structure and client-server
architecture
A vast amount of data is required from the
University to operatc QMS2000. University
data are Iwated in different datnbases in
different formats for ddTerent schools and
constiments, such as the cenual student
inhormarion system, tbe human r e s o m a
infomation system, the ten academic units, the
six University libraries, information kchnoIogy,
and alumni and development T h e types of dam
data required for mailing the surveys,
including student names and addresses,
which are &warded before the results are
accessible to the Univkcy;
non-idenrifiabIe demographic data, such as
gender, ethnicity and nationality, are
required for group comparisons;
 QM52000: linking asmsment and infurmalion t~hmlcqy
John F. Wekh and Sukkn Dqr
data that identify the student's affiliation to
an academic unit and program to identify
the type of survey to be sent to the student;
data for sample selection, including course
taking parterns, major, enrollment history;
and
data included in the University's data
warehouse, which assists the units and
University planners in interpreting results.
The data returned from the 3 13 different
surveys are placed in 3 13 different tables in the
QMS2000 database, which adds to the
complwtity of the system's reporting module.
Most database applications begin with a given
database smcture. The goal for QMS2000 was
to create an application that would not require
313 different modules to process and report the
data. Instead, the application ref es heavily on
metadata that holds the information for the 3 13
survey tables, pIus 40 other supporting tables.
Figure 1 illustrates the compl&ty of the
systems' data s a u c t w e , limiting detail in rhe
two questionnaires in three disciplines in
engineering as exampIes.
Figure 2 i l u s u a t a the archit-= of QMS Successful assessment can have a dramatic
in a networked client-server architecture.
~ ~ ~ 2 h0c t i0o n0s as a data warehouse, hrn universitie by creating a solid foundation for
which its users at the University access
information. miledatawarehouses are usualb FacuIty who have an effective assessment
thought bf as copies of transaction data
specificaliy s m c u e d for query and analysb,
-action data is required to mail the slliveys
and process the information obtained &om
returned surveys. However, QMS2000 is a
bona fide data warehouse since it operates as a
repository of data drawn, s u n m m and
ag~egmd in fom o~entional
systems -ball, 1996; Gray and Watson,
199 8). QMS2000 provides end-users with
access to a data warehouse of assessment
data in a client-server enviironment'through
menu-driven analytic tools tbat summarize,
organize, and format data for decision support .did and accessible assessment dam for use in
and external reporting.
Consistent with the concepts of data
warehousing, QMS2000 dam is:
subjtctoriented, in that it is organized
around academic disciplines and support
units such as alumni, library services, and
information technology;
Campm-Wide lnlormtion Systems
Volwne 1 9 . Number 2 . 2 0 0 2 , 7 3 4
integrated, in that ckan, validated and
properly aggregated are merged 5orn
several insarutional databases;
non-volatile, in that users cannot write to it;
time-specific, in that the data are ident5ed
using time factors, such as (a) bansaction
date that @iggerst h e suivey, (b) the survey
remned date, and (c) the term and year the
survey is processed;
- summarized, in that the data are presented
only in the aggregate through response
frequencjs, measures of central tendency,
measures of dispersion, and advanced
statistical analysis;
granular, in that h e granularity is
maintained for drilling down into greater
detail; and
meradata, in that the data are used by
system administrators and end-users to
identify the s w e y data and present it in the
right form to the end-user.
The applications and impacts of QMS2000
impact on the performance of colleges and
decision making at dl levels of the organization.
system for their programs can use the data to
provide guidance on curriculum and iusmction
issues. Administrators who have an assessment
system can provide data-based rationales for
changes or enhancements to improve semice to
constitumts. If faculty and administrators have
a system that measures quality on a continuous
basis, they can see the msdn of their decisions
he (Alstcrc, 1995; Camp, 1989).
QMS2000 is an important model for
collechg and using data on p r o m
performance to support organizational
improvcmcntand change.mecontinuous
improvement of higher education demands
decision making and external accountability.
QMS2000 provides such a system for the
University of Louisville. In addition to
pmgamn~aticchanges prompted by data from
the systan, QMS2000 has at least three .
implications for institutions interested in linking
assessment with information technology.
77
 QM52000: linking a s s e m r r t and hhmation technology Gmp&Vde bformation Systems
-- --- --- -
I& F. WeM a d M h e n m y Volme 19 M u m k 2 - 2(YR , 7 3 4

Figure 1 qM52000 data swcture

univen& of
Louisville

afor dl m c y a

1
I
I
1
f
I

First, QMS2000 provides the University of and legitimacy becausc of t h e quality

Louisvik with a common pladorm for measurement project. Faculty and
articulating a philosophy and smtegy of admipistratots art now familiar with QMS2000
assessment, improvement, and using data to and the role it plays in tbt Universify's effons to
document performance to internal and external improve programs and services. Because
constituencies. Assessment a t the University of QMS2000 data ate used throughout tbe
LDuisviUc has been given increased visibility University's accountability and q d i t y
78
 QMSZWO: linking m s m e n t and i n h a l i o n techralogy Campur-Wide Information 5 y s i m
John F. Wekh and M h e n B y
-- -
-
Vdume 19 . N m h r 2 2002 . 7-

71
Figure 2 QMS2000 networked dient-server architecture

I DSI QMS Daiabm

"W" ~ s ~

improvement efforts, faculty, staif and Third, despite signi6cant start up costs fur
administrators are aware that assessment data immanent dweIopment and system set up,
has some impact on their programs. Since QMS2000 has been an exaemely cost-eEcient
QMS2000 constitutes an enterprisewide method ofgenerating and formatting information
saategy for assessment, many constituents at that for accountability and quality improvement.
the University, including information Thqadoption of a common techndogg-based
technology professionals, can describe the approach to assessment across the University
University's philosophy for using data to minimizes duplicate and uncoordinated data
support efforts at accountability and gathering activities. The University's estimates of
improvement, a critical hallmark of quality the cosra of generating the data included in QMS
improvement processes (Chaffee and Schm, demonstrate that the institution saves a
1992; Scherr and Teeter, 1991; Freed and considerable amount of money and time
Klugrnan, 1997). otherwise taken for faculty and staff to complete
Second, QMS2000 devolves much the insuument design, data collection and
responsibility for assessment to the programs management performed by QMS2000.
and units because it genaates considerable QMS2000 is a model of an approach to
accessible information that can be m c t t d , assessment that begins to exploit h e promise of
formatted and used by the programs and units at information technology to higher education. One
the University as they develop accreditation self- of the fundamental achievements of QMS2000 is
studies and pursue quality impruvemcnts. &at it sem as a vehicle for an entire institution
QMS2000 spedicdly enables programs and to develop and utilize data h u t its constituentrr
units to understand the expectations of their to impmve the quality of in programs and
constituents, track constituent perceptions, services. A technology-based, enterprise-wide
performance and post-collegiate experiences, approach to assessment provides institutionswith
and benchmark program performance over time a vehicle to f m s institutional attention on
and a a o s a programs and unis. Assessment is meeting primary strategic objeaives, including
understood as a broad responsibility and not just the generation of information for accountability
a responsibility of the University administration. and quality improvement.
79
 QMSZODO: linking =essment and infwmation technology
h F. Welsh and When Dey
References
Alstete, J. (19951, "Bendmarking in higher education:
adapting k s t practices to irnpmve qualiv,
ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Repwt No. 5, The George
Washington Univershy, Washington, M. ,
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assessment: prqress, problems and possibilities",
New Diredons for Higher FdumWn, No. 100,
Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, Ck
Camp, R.C. (1 989),Benchmarking: The 5 e a d for Indusby
Best h d c e s that Lead to S w . 0 Perfwmance,
~
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p o s ~ o n d a r yeducation", ASHE-ERIC Highw
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Highw Edumtion, Washington. DC.
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Praaices in Higher Education: Different Quesnesnm for
Diffemnt Times, Oryx Press, Phoenix, AZ.
CamptivWde lnfomwtion Sys~ms
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Prxtical Tdniques for Building Dimensional Data
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Schen, L. and Teeter, O.J. (Eds) (1991), "Total quality
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Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA.
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