Throughout all our Schools and Colleges, Lake Superior State University students consistently achieve high scores on state and national tests conducted within their disciplines. They consistently perform with excellence in Senior and Undergraduate Research or Projects. The following links provide student achievement data in specific degree programs:
Full program reviews are conducted every five years at Lake Superior State University, with the most recent review completed in 2018.
Information related to loan repayment rates is available from the Financial Aid department. Information about student retention and completion rates is available in our Common Data Set.
Program Review reports and related assessment reports for the 2018 review cycle are available for public viewing:
LSSU uses assessment data and program review to plan effectively for continuing improvements in departmental operations, budgets, institutional effectiveness, and in other functional areas.
Faculty Resources for Assessment of Student Learning
LSSU’s University Assessment Committee collects and reviews annual assessment data on Institutional Learning Outcomes through Student Worker Evaluations (in cooperation with Human Resources), Student Athlete Evaluations (in cooperation with the Athletics Department), and capstone courses (in cooperation with academic program faculty). The committee uses that data to recommend and initiate changes to improve student learning across the university as it relates to the achievement of those outcomes.
The University Assessment Committee also reviews annual assessment data for the General Education Program, and for cocurricular and extracurricular areas. The committee uses this assessment data to provide assessment support to those areas and to make recommendations to improve student learning and student experiences across the University.
This page contains public disclosure information associated with the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965. The public and institutions should be aware that posting information on a website is sufficient to meet the HEA requirements that institutions make certain information available to the public or others. For additional details see: https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2010/2010831rev.pdf
IPEDS
The Data Feedback Report from IPEDS graphically summarizes selected institutional data and compares that data with peer institutions. LSSU submits information to the National Center for Educational Statistics, which includes student enrollment data, student retention rates, graduation rates, etc. The IPEDS Data Feedback Reports (DFR) are publicly available at: https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/Home/UseTheData and reproduced below for convenience.
The Common Data Set (CDS) initiative is a collaborative effort among data providers in the higher education community and publishers, as represented by the College Board, Peterson’s, and U.S. News & World Report. The combined goal of this collaboration is to improve the quality and accuracy of information provided to all those involved in a student’s transition into higher education, as well as to reduce the reporting burden on data providers. This data is maintained by LSSU’s Office of Institutional Research: https://dev-lssu.gotchahosting.com/institutional-research/common-data-set/
Assessment
Assessment
Assessment of student learning at Lake Superior State University encompasses the total student learning experience, in the classroom and beyond.
Academic assessment is an ongoing, open, evaluative process focused on improving student learning. To accomplish that goal, the University ensures that learning expectations are made clear to students and establishes appropriate learning outcomes at the course, program and university levels. Assessment is essential to determine how well student performance matches the expected outcomes, and the resulting information is used to inform changes in courses and programs for the improvement of student learning.
Cocurricular assessment is equally focused on using ongoing evaluative processes to support and improve student learning. Cocurricular assessments are conducted annually through programs and events sponsored by Student Affairs, such as the Laker Success program that provides student success coaching within dorms and to commuter students. Academic Services conducts cocurricular assessment for tutoring, supplemental instruction, and library instruction on academic integrity and information literacy. Cocurricular assessment provides data to inform and make changes for the improvement of services and student learning.
Operational support assessment is an ongoing, open, evaluative process focused on improving university culture and services. It requires the University to make its service and cultural expectations clear to its stakeholders, and establishes appropriate outcomes at each level of operation. It helps determine how well performance matches the expected outcomes, and the resulting information is used to inform changes at the unit and university levels for the improvement of the total student learning experience.
Lake Superior State University’s Institutional Learning Outcomes
The Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs) at LSSU describe the knowledge, abilities, and attitudes that our graduates are expected to acquire prior to graduation, as a result of their overall experiences with any aspect of the University. The ILOs were written by faculty and adopted by approval from the Board of Trustees on November 3, 2017. These outcomes help guide University departments in constructing ILO-connected student learning outcomes for programs, courses, and student services. Annual assessment of those ILO-connected outcomes occurs within departments. Institution-wide direct assessment of the ILOs is conducted annually in capstone courses, among student workers and student athletes, and through extracurricular activities. These annual assessments evaluate students’ development and achievement of these outcomes at multiple touchpoints throughout their years spent at LSSU:
Formal Communication – Students will develop and clearly express complex ideas in written and oral presentations.
Use of Evidence – Students will identify the need for, gather, and accurately process the appropriate type, quality, and quantity of evidence to answer a complex question or solve a complex problem.
Analysis and Synthesis – Students will organize and synthesize evidence, ideas, or works of imagination to answer an open-ended question, draw a conclusion, achieve a goal, or create a substantial work of art.
Professional Responsibility –Students will demonstrate the ability to apply professional ethics when answering a question, solving a problem, or achieving a goal.
Intercultural Competency – Students will display knowledge of, and interact effectively with, members of groups whose identities, beliefs, behaviors, and values differ from their own.
Resources
Curricular, cocurricular, and operation areas report assessment data and track data-driven action plans in Nuventive Improve™.
Faculty and Administrator log in to the Nuventive Improve™ system through this link:
“Assessment Matters”
Course level and Program level assessments are reported annually in Nuventive Improve™ and used to facilitate ongoing improvements to academic programs, academic services, and other student services across campus. Additional assessments in cocurricular, extracurricular, and administrative areas are also conducted to promote and facilitate a culture of continuous improvement at Lake Superior State University.
In 2015, surveys gathered input from faculty and staff to gauge campus-wide perceptions of assessment practices and value at LSSU. This information helped focus LSSU’s efforts to improve assessment practices across campus, and to more effectively concentrate those efforts on using assessment to drive continuing improvements in student learning, student services, and across the University. The survey was re-issued with minor modifications in 2020 to evaluate changes in campus-wide perceptions of assessment practices and value at LSSU. Among faculty, the 2020 survey results showed increasing assessment and quality of assessment of student learning overall among faculty, increasing commitment to learning assessment among faculty, increasing effectiveness of assessment methods among faculty, and increasing impact of assessment on courses and programs. Among staff, the 2020 survey results showed increasing commitment to assessment as a means of directing decisions and improvements within departments, and a perception that assessment is increasingly relevant to how individuals perform in the workplace.
From 2012-2016, the University demonstrated its student-learning focus through its voluntary participation in the HLC Academy for Assessment of Student Learning. Through this process, the University strengthened learning-centered course and program assessment activities through a four-year sequence of events and interactions. Those activities successfully targeted and advanced the institution’s efforts to assess and improve student learning, and amplified the institution-wide commitment to productive assessment of student learning that is now firmly ingrained at LSSU.
HLC Academy 2012-2016
2012-2016 Academy for the Assessment of Student Learning.
From 2012-2016, the University demonstrated its student-learning focus through its voluntary participation in the HLC Academy for Assessment of Student Learning. Through this process, the university matured and elevated its commitment to course and program assessment activities through a four-year sequence of events and interactions. LSSU’s efforts in the Academy helped to direct and intensify the University’s culture of robust assessment processes in support of an institution-wide commitment to student learning. The University entered the Academy in the summer of 2012 graduating with a successful project in June 2016.
Memoranda and supporting documents from The Assessment Committee/Academy Team providing feedback and recommendations regarding assessment, program review, and accreditation.
Do NOT share your account information (ie: log-in information). Other researchers should not have access to your data, unless they are specifically defined within the research proposal approved by the IRB.
SurveyMonkey is one of many online survey tools that researchers’ use to collect surveys from study participants. SurveyMonkey provided tutorials and information on how to use the survey tool, however, it is important in research to understand how the data is collected and stored, to protect participants confidentiality and to protect anonymity.
As a researcher, it is YOUR responsibility to protect the privacy and confidentiality of your subjects. You must follow the guidelines which were approved by the IRB. If you plan to make any changes in how you collect or store your data, please contact your advisor or the committee first.
Try SurveyMonkey Tours to learn how to use the tool properly. Make sure to review all of the manuals and understand how to use the tool before implementation. You actually own the data you collect in the survey. Additional tutorials are available on the Help Center pages.
SurveyMonkey Security and Privacy Policies: Consider the risks!
The SurveyMonkey web site contains information on their Privacy Policy and Security Statement. But this information is about what SurveyMonkey does with your data. You still have to manage the privacy policy for data which you actually collect and inform your users.
SurveyMonkey secures the data which is stored on their servers but cannot gaurantee 100%:
“Despite best efforts, no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is perfectly secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee absolute security. If SurveyMonkey learns of a security breach or potential security breach, we will attempt to notify affected users electronically so that they can take appropriate protective steps. SurveyMonkey may also post a notice on our website if a security breach occurs.”
Try to avoid putting any information that might identify individuals (such as an IP address). Some users may keep the same IP address all the time, and others may use an internet service provider who changes the IP address.
How to Secure Your Survey during Data Collection
This tutorial includes tips on creating a privacy policy for your survey.
One important factor would be to encrypt the personal information in the survey. The survey link uses https:// instead of http://. The “s” represents SSL, or secured sockets layer, a technology used in the process of encrypting data on the web as it is sent from computer to computer. You can learn more about SSL on the SurveyMonkey web site. * Important. SSL is available with the Professional accounts only.
HIPPA – Health Data – Personally Identifiable Health Information
If your study will be collecting any personally identifiable health information as defined by HIPPA, you may now be able to use SurveyMonkey. SurveyMonkey does support the ability to collect PHI at this time but only if you use a HIPPA-enabled account. HIPPA is the law for regulation of health care information and privacy.
Collecting your data
SurveyMonkey can be set up with a secure web link, SSL with https://, to collect surveys anonymously. You can place the link on a web page or in an email. You can also use a popup window to be opened when a visit comes to your web pages. But other types of collectors are not anonymous. Email invitations can track users. Learn more about making a survey anonymous.
Are my survey responses anonymous and secure?: Learn more
How to create a Web Link Collector to your survey?: Learn more
How to create an Email Invitation collector: Learn more
How to embed/popup a survey in a web page: Learn more
The key is to make sure you follow the procedures above, when you create your collector. Make sure to enable SSL if any information in the survey is private or needs to be anonymous. If you are not sure it does, talk to your advisor or contact one of the members of the IRB.
Here are websites and links to other resources to better explain IRB regulations and how to properly utilize tools that are available to the students at LSSU.
