State Policy Goal 3

Academic Improvement: The academic programs offered by universities will be of high quality and the universities will regularly provide evidence of quality based on measures of their students and graduates.

Evidence that universities have academic programs of high quality and add value to individual student learning is important in understanding higher education’s contributions to a state. To measure the value added through higher education the Board of Regents initiated proficiency exams. In Spring 1998 second semester sophomores at the regental universities took the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) exam designed to measure gains in academic achievement. The CAAP exam can measure the growth in student achievement from the time students enter the university by comparing the results to their ACT test score taken for admission. The examination contributes to the policy goal in four ways:

• By determining the value our public universities add to a student’s education.
• By comparing the progress of South Dakota students to national norms.
• By providing individual students with an assessment of their progress.
• By compiling information for faculty to use in analysis and improvement of curriculum.

Exam results for 1998 were compared to the national norms. In all testing areas (writing, math, reading and science reasoning) South Dakota students tested higher than the national norms.

The Board’s fiscal year 2000 budget request includes a targeted appropriation to support this goal. The FY00 technology plan addresses five current and future needs. First, every student will have access to and be proficient in using technology appropriate to his/her discipline. Second, faculty will have access to appropriate technology to improve teaching and learning environments. Third, every building and room will be wired and, where appropriate, provide access to local, regional, national, and international information resources. Fourth, the universities and schools will have the capacity to send and receive educational programs and instruction to and from anywhere at anytime. Finally, necessary support services will be provided for an efficient and effective learning environment.

The system conducted a comprehensive review of current technology capabilities and the academic needs at the universities and special schools in order to develop the FY00 budget request. The budget request addresses:

• Building Infrastructure: Fiber optic cable will connect all campus academic/administrative buildings, CAT 5 cable within buildings, and a sufficient number of connections or drops to connect campus computers.
• Communication Infrastructure: Routers, switches and hubs are necessary to link elements of the plan. These components direct electronic traffic through the campus local network and the Internet. The routers use the electronic address of the desired Internet site and connect the user and/or his message through the most efficient pathway on the Internet.
• Classroom Technology: Equipment necessary to furnish the additional presentation classrooms (e.g. video/data projectors, document cameras, VCRs, cassette players, and microphones), computer-based instruction where students use computers during the lecture or laboratory, and distance education classrooms that will allow universities to send and receive instruction are identified.
• Human Resources: Sufficient support staff to reach the staffing ratios established by state agencies is included. The plan also includes staff to assist faculty in designing course instruction to off-campus locations and sufficient time to allow faculty to engage in intensive computer retraining once every three years.