Section 2: CORE REQUIREMENTS

The institution has a governing board of at least five members that is the legal body with specific authority over the institution. The board is an active policy-making body for the institution and is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the financial resources of the institution are adequate to provide a sound educational program. The board is not controlled by a minority of board members or by organizations or interests separate from it. Neither the presiding officer of the board nor the majority of other voting members of the board have contractual, employment, or personal or familial financial interest in the institution.

A military institution authorized and operated by the federal government to award degrees has a public board in which neither the presiding officer nor a majority of the other members are civilian employees of the military or active/retired military. The board has broad and significant influence upon the institution’s programs and operations, plays an active role in policy-making, and ensures that the financial resources of the institution are used to provide a sound educational program. The board is not controlled by a minority of board members or by organizations or interests separate from the board except as specified by the authorizing legislation. Neither the presiding officer of the board nor the majority of other voting board members have contractual, employment, or personal or familial financial interest in the institution.  (Governing Board)
 

Academic Testing Services provide evidence that these programs meet this requirement. These may be found included in each strategic plan on the websites – http://www.pass.ttu.edu and   The Mission, Vision, and Values statements for both Programs for Academic Support Services and http://www.depts.ttu.edu/testing.  

Programs for Academic Support Services:           

The Learning Center
The Learning Center, dedicated to the academic success of students at Texas Tech University, offers a wide variety of services designed to increase students’ academic effectiveness as well as to enable them to get the most out of their education. The Learning Center offers peer tutoring, self-help learning lab, academic strategy advisements, outreach presentations, and supplemental instruction for historically difficult courses. The supplemental instruction program has grown from covering one course, two sections in 1996 to covering 14 courses and 75 sections in 2003. 
 

Testing Accommodations
Under the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, students with documented learning or physical disabilities may be eligible for various accommodations in classroom and testing situations. Such accommodations may include the following: additional time on tests, the use of a reader or scribe, enlarging testing materials or providing an alternative test format. Working in connection with Access TECH, this service seeks to provide the necessary accommodations to assist with each student’s academic success.
 

XL: Strategies for Learning
XL is designed to provide opportunities for students to acquire and build learning strategies for college. XL: Strategies for Learning is a required course for students returning from first suspension, second semester probation freshmen, and any student who has failed the course having been initially enrolled for either reason above. The course is also open to any enrolled Texas Tech Student. Course goals are to provide students insight into personal and academic skill development. This includes modules on setting and achieving academic goals, learning style awareness, time management skills, and academic study strategies. The course utilizes concepts found in the collegiate edition of Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Students are also given individual time with their instructor to pinpoint and work on specific problems that may hinder their success.
 

Academic Testing Services
Academic Testing Services provides Texas Tech students a myriad of tests designed to both assess and evaluate levels of achievement and to allow students to gain college credit by examination. A full listing of available tests along with sign-up information appears at http://www.depts.ttu.edu/testing.

The CLEP (College Level Examination Program) is a nationally recognized program that allows students to attempt credit for certain college courses. This program fits well with Texas Tech’s initiative “Graduate on Time,” by saving both time and money if a student successfully earns credit for the attempted exam.

The institution has a sound financial base and demonstrated financial stability, and adequate physical resources to support the mission of the institution and the scope of its programs and services.

The member institution provides the following financial statements: (a) an institutional audit (or Standard Review Report issued in accordance with Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services issued by the AICPA for those institutions audited as part of a systemwide or statewide audit) and written institutional management letter for the most recent fiscal year prepared by an independent certified public accountant and/or an appropriate governmental auditing agency employing the appropriate audit (or Standard Review Report) guide; (b) a statement of financial position of unrestricted net assets, exclusive of plant assets and plant-related debt, which represents the change in unrestricted net assets attributable to operations for the most recent year; and, (c) an annual budget that is preceded by sound planning, is subject to sound fiscal procedures, and is approved by the governing board.

Audit requirements for applicant institutions may be found in the Commission policy entitled "Accreditation Procedures for Applicant Institutions.  (Resources)

(Not applicable for the Compliance Certification submitted by institution).

Section 3:  COMPREHENSIVE STANDARDS

Institutional Mission, Governance, And Effectiveness

The Organizational Chart for the Programs for Academic Support Services and Academic Testing Services may be found at http://www.pass.ttu.edu (click on Organizational Chart)

The institution has qualified administrative and academic officers with the experience,
competence, and capacity to lead the institution.

The institution defines and publishes policies regarding appointment and employment of
faculty and staff.

The institution’s policies are clear concerning ownership of materials, compensation,
copyright issues, and the use of revenue derived from the creation and production of all
intellectual property. This applies to students, faculty and staff.

As part of its strategic planning process, Programs for Academic Support Services and Academic Testing Services conducts outcomes assessments on all goals and strategies contained within the plans.  Copies of each department’s assessment reports may be found at http://www.pass.ttu.edu and http://www.depts.ttu.edu/testing. As a result of outcomes assessments, the strategic plans are fine-tuned and adjusted. Each department uses their strategic plans as a living document to provide a road map for necessary student service

Programs for Academic Support Services

To respond to student need, in 1996 the PASS Learning Center incorporated Supplemental Instruction for historically difficult courses. Since that time the   program has continued to grow, largely as a response to growing demand for the program. Our assessments show that students who utilize SI receive more A, B, C grades and persist longer than students choosing to not use SI. Charts and graphs for this program appear at http://www.pass.ttu.edu. A major renovation of the Pass Learning Center space resulted in improved service delivery for testing accommodations students. A renovation of the peer tutor area has increased student satisfaction, as determined through student surveys, of the peer tutoring experience. XL: Strategies for Learning uses both student interviews and instructor feedback to adjust the curriculum. In addition, statistics are analyzed, by section and type, on student success and persistence. These figures help to     determine the type of instruction and section differences that result in higher success and persistence rates. The Texas Success Initiative follows all the mandates as issued by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Goal statements within the strategic plan define the ways students work to complete   their developmental coursework. Strategy and outcome statements mirror the expectations of the THECB.

Academic Testing Services

PROGRAMS

Academic support services conducted through this department include the Learning Center which offers peer tutoring – mainly in science and mathematics, supplemental instruction in designated historically difficult courses, a self-help learning lab with computers and software, outreach presentations on study strategies to student groups and faculty, appointment-based individual student assessments, and testing accommodations for students with documented disabilities. XL: Strategies for Learning offers a structured course that includes instruction on learning strategies, time management, and goal setting. Responding to student needs and differences, several variations of the course appear. The original format, which meets ten weeks, twice a week, comprises the most sections. An accelerated course – four weeks with classes five times a week – has gained popularity. As well, a course was designed for repeaters, those students who had unsuccessfully attempted the course in the past, and a course was designed specifically for probation freshmen engineering majors. The program is currently conducting on-going assessment to determine any differences in student success and persistence among the various course offerings. The Texas Success Initiative program offers appropriate developmental coursework for students who have not successfully passed all basic requirements for mathematics, English, and writing. A copy of the developmental educational plan may be found at http://www.pass.ttu.edu and clicking on the TSI link.

Academic Testing Services

Academic Testing Services assists students academically by providing Credit by Examination (CLEP) and by providing testing services for distance education students. In addition, various assessment tests are provided that gives students more awareness of their level of ability. One such test is Accuplacer used as the assessment instrument for the Texas Success Initiative.

The institution’s use of technology enhances student learning, is appropriate for meeting the
objectives of its programs, and ensures that students have access to and training in the use
of technology.

The Pass Learning Center offers a computer lab and video lab for student use. XL: Strategies for Learning and Texas Success Initiative have interactive websites where students may learn of course assignments and absences. Academic Testing Services has gradually shifted to mainly computer-based testing with the exception of large scale national tests such as ACT and SAT and state education tests such as the TEXES/EXCET.