Reporting

The Office of University Accreditation (UA)  provides oversight and resources for accreditation reporting to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), and for compliance reporting with the Texas Higher Education Board (THECB). As part of this, UA publishes institutional goals and outcomes for student achievement on its website. Also, please share copies of status updates, self-study reports and responses from specialized program accreditors (i.e., ABET, AACSB) with the UA office. Some specialized program responses will require SACSCOC notification.

Institutional Effectiveness (IE)

UA manages the Improve database for institutional effectiveness (IE) plans and reports institutional effectiveness for SACSCOC.

Improve is the University-wide database for collection and storage of academic and administrative improvement plans. UNT focuses on two major categories of expected outcomes: Academic Expected Outcomes (i.e., student learning outcomes) and Non-Academic Expected Outcomes (i.e., administrative outcomes). These plans document how UNT’s academic programs and administrative units demonstrate a commitment to principles of continuous improvement. Improvements should be based on a systematic and documented process of assessing institutional performance with respect to mission. The institutional effectiveness process involves all academic programs, services, and constituencies across campus at all levels.

Each year, department chairs should ensure that data is reported for each plan under their department. Each degree program reports on student learning outcomes (SLOs) and the department reports on administrative outcomes (AOs). Maintenance of the department plan by the chair is vitally important. Department chairs should ensure data is collected and reported for all plans by due dates. Programs which are delivered by more than one method of delivery must disaggregate and analyze results data by delivery mode (face to face, online, off-site locations) Institutes and Centers are encouraged to use the Improve system to fulfill annual reporting requirements. For more information regarding department/division responsibilities and IE cycles, and deadlines, visit UA’s website.

Core Curriculum Stewardship

Department responsibilities with regard to the UNT Core Curriculum include stewardship of core courses to meet THECB and SACSCOC requirements. (1) Approval of core additions, modifications, and deletions must be obtained through the usual UNT channels as well as the Director of the Core, the Oversight Committee of the Core Curriculum (OCCC), and ultimately the THECB. To be considered for inclusion in the catalog for the following academic year, new core courses must be heard by the University Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (UUCC) by its October meeting; core course modifications must be heard by the OCCC by its March meeting. (2) Maintaining the integrity of core courses is paramount. This includes ensuring that all core course sections are deploying the same signature assessment and using the UNT core rubrics when applicable. Additionally, departments are responsible for collecting student data on core objectives, aggregation and disaggregation as appropriate, analysis of findings, planning for improvement, and reviewing plans against future data.

Core Reporting 

All departments are responsible for reporting on core courses each semester including student assessment results (all students in all sections of each course) and each academic year including an analysis of results, a discussion of the use of those results, and action plans showing the efforts to support student mastery of relevant core objectives. Departments may opt to report on the core using Canvas or by submitting specially formatted data.

For more information on UNT Core requirements, see accreditation.unt.edu/core-curriculum and myunt.sharepoint.com/sites/CoreResources. 

Academic Program Review (APR)

UA also oversees Academic Program Review (APR). The university process for APR requires units to complete an in depth review every ten years. This review gives each unit an excellent opportunity to assess its mission, strengths, and challenges. In addition, the unit evaluates its curriculum, operation, and resources relative to the university’s mission and strategic priorities. Institutional Effectiveness reports in the Improve system are a component of the APR.

Off-Site Instructional Locations

UA monitors and reports off-site instructional locations. Any academic department planning to teach a course at a new off-campus instructional site should contact Claudia Cooper with questions and complete the UNT Form to Add an Off-Campus Site for Instruction. The form can be found on the UA site. UA can confirm whether the site is new to UNT.

• All courses taught off the main UNT campus are submitted to the UA office for approval through scheduling in Courseleaf. Study Abroad and Study in America courses use SA-100 and SIA 200 forms instead of Courseleaf.
• Study Abroad courses and international field trips should be routed through UNT's Study Abroad office. Once approval is gained by the Study Abroad office, the course is routed through UA for approval as well. SA-100 forms are produced by International Affairs after the course is approved.
• Study in America (outside of Texas) or travel courses in Texas should be routed to the UA office with a SIA-200 form. These courses require additional reporting which UA handles for the department.
• UNT at Frisco is considered an off-site location. Courses scheduled at off-site locations are routed through UA for approval including Frisco.
• If you are adding or closing a program at an offsite location, please contact UA for reporting requirements. Programs offering 50% or more of a program off-site require approvals and additional external reporting handled by UA. If an approved program decides to stop offering a program at an offsite location, contact UA to begin the teach-out/closure approval process. Instruction should not stop until approval is received.

New degrees and changes to existing degrees

The Office of University Accreditation stands ready to help faculty and administrators report their substantive changes to the appropriate bodies. Several types of changes do require prior approval before implementation. UA’s website contains a section dedicated to substantive changes and reporting requirements for each. The following types of changes require initial provost approval as the changes require reporting to the THECB and/or SACSCOC:

• Creating a new degree/standalone certificate (online, face-to-face, or hybrid)
• Adding a concentration to a degree (only required if the concentration significantly changes the degree in its current form)
• Consolidating degrees
• Initiating programs by distance education (1)
• Adding an additional method of delivery to a currently offered program (2)
• Closing a degree or certificate at all locations and by all methods of delivery (3)
• Closing a method of delivery, an off-campus instructional site or a program at an off-campus instructional site (like UNT at Frisco) (2,3) 
• Increasing/decreasing SCH for a degree/certificate
• Changing a CIP code
• Changing program modality to more than 50% electronically delivered, e.g. online, video conferencing, etc. (1,2)
• Entering into a collaborative academic arrangement that includes the initiation of a dual/joint program
• Offering a degree or certificate program at an offsite location (4)
• Initiating a direct assessment competency-based educational program
• Renaming a degree/certificate
• Creating a Grad Track pathway (a copy of the Grad Track application should be attached to this form)
• Changing the name of a college/academic department
• Moving degree/certificate programs between colleges/departments
• Moving departments to other colleges
• Creating/closing a department/college

(1) Distance education is a method of delivery in which 50% or more of instruction occurs when students and the instructor are not in the same location. It includes synchronous and asynchronous instruction. If instruction is delivered to a location by distance education (synchronously or asynchronously) and students are required to be at the location to receive instruction, then the location is considered an off-campus instructional site.

(2) A specific mode of delivery applies when 50% or more of a program (credential) is delivered by that method. A program may be delivered 50% or more by more than one method (students may have the option to choose from different methods of delivery for the same program, e.g. predominately face-to-face versus predominately distance education).

(3) Closure is defined as closed to admission or entry, not the cessation of instruction. Closure approval ensures the institution has a plan and process to provide students with reasonable completion options that minimize disruption and additional costs.

(4) Percentage of program instruction at off-campus instructional locations: The percentage of the total instruction required to earn a credential measured in credit hours. The Office of University Accreditation should be notified once a program decides to offer 25% or more of a program at an off-campus instructional site.

The Office of Data, Analytics, and Institutional Research (DAIR) promotes sound analytic and institutional research practices, manages existing data models, and provides decision-makers and external agencies with official and transactional academic, enrollment, faculty, financial, and student data. The office has four main functional areas and responsibilities. These areas are 1) institutional research, 2) data governance, 3) data modeling, and 4) analytic deployment.

• The Insights Program is a comprehensive approach to data warehousing, analytics, predictive modeling, and machine learning/AI designed for internal instructional policy analysis and supporting decision-making. The Insights Analytic Dashboards include information regarding enrollment trends, grade distributions, retention efforts, awarded degrees, student demographics, and much more. The DAIR team provides all UNT employees access, training, and support. The Bridge Training Calendar provides the option to sign up for Insights New User or Insights Refresher Training.

• Contact: 940-565-2085, insights@unt.edu 

Centers and Institutes provide an essential framework for advancing UNT's strategic goals for externally funded research, outreach, interdisciplinary scholarship, and service. In addition to the Institutes of Research Excellence, the University currently has Academic Centers and Institutes subject to periodic review in adherence with UNT Policy 06.046. Administrators representing Academic Affairs and Research and Innovation conduct the reviews of UNT centers and institutes every spring with the Executive Council of Center/Institute Directors (ECCID) assistance. Current policy calls for centers and institutes to be reviewed on a 5-year cycle. The Centers and Institutes list on the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs website shows the organized research and service units that engage in research and/or public service and training.