University Assessment and Compliance
Population Analyses
Each year, the Office of Institutional Research, Assessment and Planning (IRAP) analyzes USC Upstate student population characteristics to provide data used for strategic planning and assessessment of operations. Reports of Freshmen, Graduates, and Transfers are completed and reflect trends in demographics, performance, retention, and matriculation as appropriate.
Freshmen Analyses
2009 Freshmen Analysis
2007 Freshmen Analysis
2006 Freshmen Analysis
2005 Freshmen Analysis
2004 Freshmen Analysis
Transfer Analyses
2008 Transfer Analysis
Graduate Reports
2005-2009 Graduates Analysis
Institutional Effectiveness Reports
These comprehensive reports, submitted to the Commission on Higher Education (CHE) annually, include information about program, general education, and program assessment.
State Accountability Reports
2011 State Accountability Report
2010 State Accountability Report
2009 State Accountability Report
2008 State Accountability Report
2007 State Accountability Report
University Surveys
The University believes that feedback from our constituents is integral to assessment of our activities and effectiveness. The Office of Institutional Effectiveness administers a variety of annual and one-time survey instruments to obtain this feedback and to assist in determining overall satisfaction with the University's pursuits.
Click here to review results of some of the University's survey endeavors.
NSSE/FSSE
The University of South Carolina Upstate has participated in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE) through Indiana University Bloomington. These surveys gather information from first-year and senior students (NSSE) and faculty (FSSE) about the nature and quality of the undergraduate experience to measure the extent to which students engage in effective educational practices that are empirically linked with learning, personal development, and other desired outcomes such as student satisfaction, persistence, and graduation.
2007 NSSE & FSSE
Results
Comparison Groups
2009 NSSE
Results
Comparison Groups
General Education
A General Education Program by definition offers students a common academic experience and stimulates an appetite for life-long education. Mandatory ingredients of this program include the acquisition of college-level skills in communication and reasoning and exposure to the basic areas of knowledge that characterize an educated person. An effective general education program should cultivate an appreciation of cultural as well as intellectual diversity, and the ongoing cultivation of personal integrity and social responsibility. The conditions necessary for such desired character development are therefore embedded in the USC Upstate General Education program: building skill and knowledge-based foundations for living in a complex global society and for continued learning, expanding the breadth of students’ scholarly horizons, and integrating information from across disparate disciplines.
Click here to go to USC Upstate's General Education Site which includes goals, curriculum, and assessment.
Administrative Assessment
In order to ensure all USC Upstate administrative areas are in compliance with the standards of SACS and SC Commission on Higher Education, all units are asked to examine their day-to-day responibilities and create outcomes that reflect these duties. Each unit submits an annual report of quantitative and/or qualitative assessment of these outcomes and any actions or modifications that have been or will be made based on the assessment. An annual revision to the unit assessment plan is also submitted.
Click here to go to USC Upstate's Administrative Assessment Site which includes assessment plans and reports.
Program Assessment
In order to ensure all USC Upstate academic programs are in compliance with the standards of SACS and SC Commission on Higher Education, all undergraduate programs are asked to develop three to six learning goals with specific objectives (student learning outcomes) for each. Additionally, program faculty are to design assessments to be implemented throughout the program curriculum to demonstrate the degree students are achieving proficiency on the stated objectives (student learning outcomes). Assessment findings should be used to help students better achieve proficiency.
Click here to go to USC Upstate's Program Assessment Site which includes assessment plans and reports.
Document Retention and Archive Schedule
In order to ensure legal compliance, USC Upstate has generated a schedule which all employees are obliged to adhere to. This schedule explains the legal requirements for the keeping or disposing of documents and archives your office might generate.
Academic and Administrative Schedules