Institutional Research & Assessment

Performance Indicators

Since 1997, the Utah System of Higher Education has laid the groundwork for a performance-based funding system. The principles of this proposal are:

• Start with a few core indicators that have the potential to foster change
• Make sure the indicators are clearly defined and measurable
• Funding for the model should initially be limited
• Funding should be incremental to the base budget
• The mechanism that ties performance to funding should be simple

Four system-wide performance indicators have been adopted:

1. The number and proportion of students who pass licensure examinations.

2. Average credits to graduation divided by total credit hours required.

3. Average credits to graduation for transfer students divided by average credits to graduation for native students.

4. Average weekly teaching contact hours per full-time faculty divided by regental standard weekly teaching contact hour load.

Two institution-specific measures have been adopted:

5. Improving effectiveness of the freshman year by

     A. Increasing access to bottleneck general education courses by expanding availability for selected freshman-level GE courses, and

     B. Increase retention rates of freshmen from fall to the fall semester of  the sophomore year.

6. Increase the quality of degree programs by:

     Increasing the number of academic programs that seek and acquire specialized professional accreditation.

2002 Report:
1a. Professional licensure examinations	Nurse Assistant: 100% A+ & CAN Certification: 100% Automotive ASE: 100% CPA Exam, 1st sitting: 14.5%
1b. National subject-matter examinations	GRE: Number taking the test - 33 (99-00) Verbal Score: 458, national average: 472 Quantitative Score: 506, national average: 555 Analytical Score: 557, national average: 578 LSAT: Number taking the test - 29 (99-00) Overall score: 151, national average: 151
2. Average credits to graduation (all students), 2000-01	147.7, USHE average: 142.4 Efficiency rating for SUU: 1.23 Efficiency rating for USHE: 1.19 (Rating is the average credits divided by the number of credits required for the degree)
3. Average credits to graduation for transfer students, 2000-01	151.1, USHE average: 147.3 Efficiency rating for SUU: 1.26 Efficiency rating for USHE: 1.23
4. Average weekly teaching contact hours for full-time faculty	12.81, Regents standard: 13
5a. Increase access to bottleneck courses	New general education program adopted in 2002, Model capacity: 2100 FTES
5b. Increase fall-to-fall retention rate (National Benchmark: 72%)	Fall 1999 new freshmen: 55% Fall 2000 new freshmen: 58%
6. Increase specialized accreditations	Music: NASM Business: AACSB candidate Education: NCATE candidate Dance: NASD review

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