Flashlight Case Study

Using a TLT Roundtable and Flashlight 
to Focus a SACS Self-Study 

By Jean Henscheid and Daniel Barron
University of South Carolina

The University of South Carolina relied heavily on Flashlight and Teaching, Learning, and Technology Roundtable principles to develop its recent Reaffirmation of Accreditation Alternative Self-Study Report to the Commission on Colleges, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (http://aim.deis.sc.edu/sacs/). These principles were central to all aspects of the process, from development of the task force and committee structure to creation of survey and focus group questions.

The University's self-study combined a review of the institutional effectiveness of the University with a study of the application of information technology in the University. Whereas the former study is a description of the University in the year 2001, the latter measures conditions in 2001 and also casts a look forward to the year 2006.

The TLT Roundtable ideal helped shape a strategy of inclusion; we benefited especially from participation in the TLT Group's Summer Institute in 1999.  As a result, while other institutions, consciously or unconsciously, have limited the number of individuals involved in the accreditation process, USC chose to include some over 300 faculty and staff members and students in the data collection, analysis and reporting procedures involved in the self-study.  

The Flashlight approach (shining a tight beam on clearly defined aspects of the uses of information technology applications for learning, scholarship, and service) was then used to guide the creation of 15 task forces, each focusing on a narrowly defined topic. Task force topics included the undergraduate student of 2006, the teaching scholar of 2006, and the distant learner of 2006.  The task forces were each encouraged to take the initial proposal and its goals and to develop their goals, to examine existing data sources, to gather necessary additional data, and to submit reports.  This approach resulted in a high level of task force creativity and sense of ownership over the process.  It also led in a very few instances, disappointingly, to some unevenness in the quality of reports.  Yet, even in those instances where initial reports were unsatisfactory, enough other members of the University community were involved in the entire effort to fill in gaps.

A hallmark of the self-study, remarked on by outside evaluators, was the high level of involvement of the entire campus community in the process, including open forums, focus groups, and other data gathering and feedback events.  An extensive web-site provided ongoing access to interim reports and summaries of university-wide conversations.

The self-study process has already resulted in a number of positive outcomes for the University, including adoption of a university-wide Web support software package, membership in the Carnegie Teaching Academy Program, and creation of several councils and committees to examine various aspects of the uses of new technologies, and the project development of a virtual learning center.  The university has also selected to join the Flashlight Network and has piloted use of the Current Student Inventory.  

Most significantly, the inclusive, clearly defined nature of the self-study process may have impacted the culture of communication at the university.  As with many large institutions, members of the USC community generally consider themselves part of loosely coupled smaller organizations.  The self-study process demonstrated that the institution can work as a coordinated team on mission-critical issues.