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Here are some answers to the most commonly asked questions about the Standards/Syllabus Alignment Tool (SSAT)

1) What is the SSAT?

2) How will the results be used?

3) Who and what are Analyzers?

4) What is the difference between the faculty track and the analysis track?

5) What if my syllabus doesn't address all the indicators?

6) What if my program doesn't address all the indicators every semester?

7) When do I need to do this?

8) How long will it take to complete a section alignment?

9) What are the hardware/software requirements?

10) What if I am not in the system?

11) What if there are problems or errors?

1) What is the SSAT?

The standards/syllabus alignment tool (SSAT) is a web-based instrument to assist the college and its programs in assessing compliance with a particular set of standards. In this case, the set of standards used is the Maryland State Department of Education's (MSDE) Maryland Technology Teaching Standards (MTTS). It is located at:

http://www.education.umd.edu/ssat/

There is also a pdf help document on how to complete an alignment or conduct an analysis at the following:

http://www.education.umd.edu/ssat/SSAThelpDocument.pdf

In order for that assessment to take place, individual faculty that are involved in courses that address teacher preparation must show the instances (if any) where their syllabi address particular indicators.

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2) How will the results be used?

The results are generally used in groups of courses for program and unit (i.e., College) analyses. Addressing of indicators can be viewed for any subset of courses that an analyzer chooses, and shows where there are voids or thinly covered areas (i.e., where few sections address a given indicator). The program can use that information to see if there are areas where either 1) they currently address the indicator, but it was not noted, or 2) they can investigate if there are any courses within their program where that indicator should/could be addressed and is not.

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3) Who and what are analyzers?

Analyzers are simply users of the system who are given broader access to view large groups of courses. They are able to prepare program and unit reports (charts) that show to what degree their program addresses the indicators within the MTTS. Analyzers are appointed by department chairs and the dean.

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4) What is the difference between the faculty track and the analysis track?

This web-based instrument allows individual faculty to determine how their course syllabus addresses any of the indicators in that set of standards (i.e., the Faculty Syllabus Alignment Track). Those data are then used in the Analysis Track to view where a given program is addressing the individual indicators, and to what level (on a course/section count basis).

All faculty have access to the Faculty Alignment Track for any courses that they teach. In addition, the college is able to appoint any faculty or staff member to be an analyzer, thereby giving that individual access to the Analysis Track.

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5) What if my syllabus doesn't address all the indicators?

It most likely will not, and isn't expected to. The indicators are very comprehensive, and even addressing a few of them might be difficult, depending on the course content (especially in the initial evaluations). A course on incorporating technology into teaching, for example, might have more opportunities to address more indicators than many others. On the other hand, even non-technology-based courses could incorporate technology into the syllabus.

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6) What if my program doesn't address all the indicators every semester?

Even at the program level, it is expected that there will be some that do not address all indicators of all the standards in the SSAT, especially as people are learning the tool.

The goal of this tool is to provide a means for departments to evaluate how well their programs are addressing a given set of standards at a particular point in time. It is to guide you as you work towards full compliance over time. Even with the complexity of the tool, it still requires program familiarity to give fair and accurate results. One area that currently requires human intervention is determining the semester scope that is the most appropriate unit of evaluation for a given program. A three year program will not be able to fully evaluate student exposure to the MTTS standards until three full years worth of data are in the system, so that analysis may be done over that entire time period. For this reason, among others, results should not be taken literally at the quantitative level unless these complexities are accounted for, either by human or (perhaps eventually) technological means.

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7) When do I need to do this?

This tool should become an integrated part of the annual program evaluation, which would require that the alignments are basically continuously being updated. Since the technology is just coming on line, the short answer is the sooner the better. The problem is that the analyzers need time to review and report the data back to the departments in order for them to make informed programatic decisions, and that should be happening now.

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8) How long will it take to complete a section alignment?

It really depends on how detailed you wish to be and how many indicators a particular section addresses. Regardless, there are some steps that may shorten the time spent using the tool on-line.

Download (or visit) and print the MTTS standards used in this tool:

http://www.education.umd.edu/ssat/mtts_file/MDTchrTechStdsMTTS.pdf

By reading through the various indicators, you will be able to easily identify where you may address any of those indicators. You can note directly on the printout where on your syllabus that item is addressed (day or session), and then go on-line to enter that data. Completing this initial step off-line may help speed up the process for some, as navigating the indicators is easier done on one-page.

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9) What are the hardware/software requirements?

Currently, the SSAT only requires the use of a fairly recent browser. This includes Netscape 6.x and above or IE 5.x and above, although we are still investigating all scenarios.

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10) What if I am not in the system?

Please feel free to contact Steve Pragel (spragel@umd.edu or x53618) as he can add your University ID to the SSAT system.

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11) What if there are problems or errors?

Please feel free to contact Steve Pragel (spragel@umd.edu or x53618) with any questions, bugs, or improvements for the SSAT.

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