Is a program in Tk20 the same as a program in the Organizational Hierarchy?
The Organizational Hierarchy in Tk20 is a representation of the data collecting units at your college or university. The structure of the hierarchy usually includes units at the program level. This allows you to enter assessment data in relation to program outcomes, SLOs, goals, etc.
You may also include a program name or multiple program names in the student data file to align a student to an area or area of study. It is possible that this program name or names are the same as the name or names of a program entered in the Organizational Hierarchy.
The confusion is that these program names are interrelated, and this is not the case. A program that appears in Tk20 as a result of a data load would not appear in the hierarchy, and vice versa.
What is the result of including programs in the student data file?
Aligning a student to a program or multiple programs allows you to take advantage of a ‘program’ selection parameter in several Tk20 reports.
Below is a screen shot of a Core NG assessment report indicating the “Programs” parameter selection:
In the instance above, selecting a program or programs will filter data for assessments completed or in progress for the indicated program(s.)
What is the result of adding programs in the Organizational Hierarchy?
The intent of the Organizational Hierarchy is to provide you with a means to map outcomes and collect assessment data from an institutional level down to the program level. (Collecting data at a more granular level than a program is also possible.)
When you create a program in the hierarchy, you may then enter student learning outcome statements. This then allows you to enter narrative comments related to measures of student learning, results, analysis, actions, and more (see Plan Data Entry.) In the screenshot below, the program “Early Childhood Education” under the School of Education (SOE) is selected:
Please consult your CSM for more information.