Administrative assessment is how administrative and academic support units evaluate the efficiency, effectiveness, and alignment of administrative processes with the university's mission, vision, goals, and strategic plan. It is also how administrative units engage in and document continuous improvement.

All administrative units have a role to play in supporting the university's mission and strategic goals. By participating in administrative assessment, units can demonstrate their commitment to continuous improvement and providing high-quality services to the university community. It is a process that allows units to obtain and use data to improve their processes and functions.

Administrative assessment is an important tool to identify areas of improvement, celebrate achievements, and inform decision-making and resource allocation. It also helps to ensure that these units provide high-quality services and support to the university community. 

Administrative units should align their outcomes to annual goals, the mission/vision of the unit, and the mission/vision and strategic priorities of the university.

Best practices for Administrative Assessment

  • Define clear and measurable outcomes that reflect the unit's purpose and functions.
  • Align the outcomes with the university's strategic plan and accreditation standards.
  • Collect relevant and reliable data from multiple sources and methods.
  • Analyze the data and interpret the results using appropriate criteria and benchmarks.
  • Use the results to make recommendations and implement actions for improvement.
  • Document and report the assessment process and results to stakeholders.
  • Review and revise the assessment plan and outcomes periodically.
  • Use assessment results to drive positive changes, adapt processes, and enhance administrative functions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Administrative assessment is important for many reasons:

  • It helps to ensure that administrative units are operating efficiently and effectively. 
  • It helps to identify areas where improvements can be made. 
  • It provides evidence of the value of administrative units to the university community.

Administrative assessment is a way of demonstrating accountability and transparency to internal and external stakeholders, such as students, faculty, staff, administrators, accreditors, donors, etc. It also helps to improve the quality and effectiveness of the administrative and academic support units and to foster a culture of continuous improvement and excellence.

Here are some specific examples of how administrative assessment can benefit administrative units and the university as a whole:

  • Improved efficiency and effectiveness: Administrative assessment can help units identify and eliminate bottlenecks and inefficiencies in their processes. This can lead to significant time and cost savings.
  • Better decision-making: Administrative assessment data can be used to inform decision-making about resource allocation, program development, and other important issues.
  • Enhanced accountability: Administrative assessment allows units to demonstrate accountability to the university community. This can help to build trust and confidence in the university's administration.
  • Increased support: Administrative assessment can help units secure support from the university administration and other stakeholders.
  • Outcomes describe what the unit intends to accomplish or achieve. They should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
  • Outcomes can be categorized into four types: operational outcomes, strategic outcomes, service outcomes, and learning.
    • Operational outcomes focus on the internal processes and functions of the unit, such as efficiency, productivity, compliance, etc.
    • Strategic outcomes focus on the desired future impact of the unit.
    • Service outcomes focus on the external impact and value of the unit, such as satisfaction, retention, graduation, etc.
    • Learning outcomes focus on the key knowledge, skills, or abilities attained due to a learning experience, such as what a person will be able to do, know, understand, or demonstrate.

The progress of improvement efforts should be tracked and evaluated regularly. This will help to ensure that the recommendations are being implemented effectively and that they are having the desired impact.

Contact Us

Naima Wells
Director of Administrative Assessment
Email: naima.wells@erau.edu