There are different ways to parse the complexities of institutional performance. One way is to use the external perspective of policy makers who are pressuring higher education to improve performance. These policy makers might reasonably focus on the following six "performance obligations" and inquire about each obligation using the indicated line of questioning:
- Learning Accountability: Do you benchmark student learning relative to peer institutions and/or learning standards applicable to your organization? If so, how?
- Program Accountability: Are you responsive to academic-program markets that fall within your mission mandate or targeted market focus? How do you measure responsiveness and success relative to such economic-development and market-driven academic program needs?
- Expense Accountability: Has your direct expense per student FTE decreased or increased over the past decade? At what compounded average annual rate?
- Affordability of Access: Has your undergraduate tuition / fee rate decreased or increased over the past decade? At what compounded average annual rate?
- Convenience of Access: To what extent do you deliver courses, programs, and services asynchronously via the Web or a Web portal to qualified students who require or prefer the flexibility and convenience of such delivery options?
- Capacity for Access: Are you able to manage the capacity of your courses, academic programs, and other services to fulfill mission-mandated access goals and to meet enrollment demands from enrolled and prospective students?
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