What is a Key Performance Indicator?

A key performance indicator (KPI) is a measure for assessing achievement of a pre- determined goals. In academic program assessment, a KPI is a measure of a student success target. KPIs align with goals and priorities for the academic program.

BENEFIT OF KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Key performance indicators are a valuable tool that helps to assess progress and to identify potential areas for improvement.

Key performance indicators:

• Provide measures of progress toward goals Provide critical information for essential program-level decisions
• Focus efforts on priority goals
• Can provide actionable information
• Can demonstrate growth and advancement in areas of priority

Key performance indicators take time to improve. They often relate to 3-5 years goals, rather than immediate ones.

ALIGN KPIS TO PROGRAM GOALS

Program goals are general statements of what the academic program intends to accomplish. These goals are broad statements of the program’s priorities. A program’s goals flow from the program’s mission. Program goals can create a bridge between priorities and assessment. They provide a framework for determining outcomes but are not specifically related to the curriculum or a single course.

• What are your academic program’s goals and priorities for student success?
• What do you want your program to achieve in 3-5 years related to student success?
• What are the program’s priorities for ensuring equitable academic progress and opportunities
• What is your desired outcome? Why does this outcome matter?
• How are you going to measure progress? How can you influence the outcome?
• How will you know you have achieved your outcome?

A few sample KPIs from other programs

• Student satisfaction Student sense of belonging
• Post-graduation employment rate Dual majors
• Participation in life-transformative education Student participation in research
• Student participation in internships Licensure/certification pass rate
• Disparity in GPA within the major based on ethnicity/gender/first gen status/Pell status
• DFW rate disparity based on ethnicity/ gender/first gen status Retention rate (can include disparities based on ethnicity/ gender/first gen status)
• Graduation rate (can include disparities based on ethnicity/ gender/first gen status)
• Diversity within the major
• Student leadership opportunities

Things to consider when choosing KPIs:

• Align KPIs with your program priorities
• Choose KPIs you can impact
• Choose KPIs you can measure the impact
• Remember that every program is different and will have their own unique KPIs

EXAMPLE KPIs and GOAL SETTING

Key performance indicator	Data source	Performance target	Responsible individual	Timeline
GPA achievement	Institutional research	No GPA differences based on ethnicity, first-generation status, or gender	Department head to obtain data	Every other year (odd years)
Satisfaction with major experience	Exit survey	>75% of students agree or strongly agree they would pursue same degree at UConn if they had to do it again	Director of UG studies to collate data from exit survey	Annually
Sense of belonging	Exit survey	>75% of students scored sense of belonging within the major experience at ≥4 (scale 1-5)	Director of UG studies to collate data from exit survey	Annually
Retention rate	Institutional research	No difference in retention rate based on ethnicity, first-generation status, or gender	Dashboard data pulled by department head	Annually
Graduation rate	Institutional research	No difference in graduation rate based on ethnicity, first-generation status, or gender	Dashboard data pulled by department head	Annually
Submission of 1000- and 2000-level midterm grades	Registrar	Midterm grades submitted for all 1000- and 2000-level course	Director of UG studies to obtain from Registrar	Every other year (even years)