The Chairs Grade Dashboard gives chairs the ability to query grade data to uncover trends, challenges, and opportunities relevant to their work as leaders.
Many years back, instructors would submit their grades on paper, passing summary sheets to chairs who might review them quickly, observing trends in student success and struggle. In addition, chairs received printed reports of grading distributions in their department, and often these led to conversations among colleagues about student learning and sometimes led to curricular revision. Grades are the very end of a long process and are intended to reflect the extent to which students are meeting course goals and student learning objectives. Chairs and faculty leaders need to investigate whether these intentions are being realized.
When course grades are not coming out as expected at the section, course, or program level, faculty need to come together for further investigation and discussion. They might find that the issue is with a preparatory course or that final grade proportions need adjusting. Or they might decide that the grades are fine, accurately reflecting not just the results of the assessments given, but also the true range of student achievement as defined by the course learning objectives.
Data analyses should help answer questions best pursued by faculty leaders who know their students and their disciplines. Consider seeking help with OFE on Mutli-Section Course Design. For a high-level overview of grades, see the most recent report on grades at OFE Surveys and Reports.
The data in the Chairs’ Grade Dashboard is sensitive and is thus only available to chairs, their designees (like course coordinators or professional staff who support their work), and other leaders in Academic Affairs. Chairs may, however, distribute whatever data analyses they pull to their faculty and staff as is appropriate to pursue their work as disciplinary and program leaders.
Access to the Chairs’ Grade dashboard is requested through the IT Service Portal, through tableau.montclair.edu, and access will be granted once chairs have attended a workshop or consulted with Emily Isaacs. If you need a workshop or would like support, contact Emily Isaacs.
Academic Affairs Grade Dashboard
Deans and members of the Academic Affairs Council are granted access to a similar dashboard, the Academic Affairs Grade Dashboard, also requested through the IT Service Portal. The two dashboards are essentially the same: the only difference is that the AAC Dashboard includes analyses based on Pell-grant eligibility; access is must be more limited to this dashboard.
Trouble accessing the Tableau URL? Very likely because you do not have your campus VPN set up. It’s not difficult and essential to access to the campus network of data — see more about Cisco AnyConnect set up at IT site or see guide below for help.
For those chairs who have access, we have put together a minimal how-to guide to get you started: Department Chair Guide to using the Grade Dashboard.
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