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Here is a link to the published journal and article

Aligning Strategic Goals for More Space
Shane Arthur and Emmanuel Mitcham

Arthur, S., & Mitcham, E. (2017). Aligning Strategic Goals for More Space. Journal of Training, Design, and Technology, 1(1), 45-48.

Abstract

University Testing Services, at a medium sized university in the United States, offers computer and paper-based tests as well as proctoring for distance learning students. They serve a campus consisting of over 15,000 students, as well as the larger surrounding community. The testing center also provides accommodations for those testing candidates that have special needs or conditions that require attention. Due to the limited space within their office, they are unable to fully accommodate testers which require distraction-free testing. After assessing the testing center’s situation, we concluded that the best possible intervention would a realignment of the center’s goals with the overarching university’s strategic plan. This would help increase institutional buy-in and allow the testing center to strengthen their stance on proposals for more space. 

Problem Statement

We selected a university testing center for a performance improvement project. The testing center coordinator identified one of the major problems facing the center as a lack of physical office space. Their current layout limits the number of students that can test in the center at any given time. Moreover, the testing center is unable to provide an isolated, distraction-free space for testers in need of specific accommodations due to disability or other factors. A distraction-free test environment is a place where the student is not constantly bombarded by aural and visual stimuli.

The purpose of this paper is to propose solutions towards remedying the testing center’s space problem, so that they might better serve testers. We believe the center provides a much-needed service to students as well as the local community and is an essential milestone along various career paths.

Organizational Analysis

The mission of the university testing services is to “administer and provide a secure, efficient and non-discriminatory testing facility to UNCW students and the surrounding community” (University Testing Services). This facility includes computer- and paper-based testing of standardized tests for graduate and certification exams. They administer tests from a wide variety of vendors including The College Board, Prometric, ETS, and more. The testing services staff aims to be as welcoming and comfortable as possible. By eliminating extraneous variables, they hope to prevent any additional stress or anxiety test takers might experience. The lack of space creates a few limitations concerning the latter goal. They are currently lacking a solitary, distraction-free space for testers that might require such accommodations. This unfortunately disqualifies them from administering certain tests from some vendors. It should be noted that testing services is a fee-based office, meaning that the majority of their budget comes from revenue generated from test registration fees. Thus, the lack of space directly impacts their overall earning potential.

Environmental Analysis

Testing services is a relatively small office, with an equally small staff. Space on campus in general is very limited and sharing of office space with other departments is common. One of the offices within the testing center is currently occupied by personnel from an entirely different department. As a result, this space cannot be used for any of the testing center’s purposes. If they wanted to add an additional testing space, the testing center staff would have to sacrifice some of their personal work space. As of now, the only two staff members with full offices are the director and testing coordinator. 

Gap Analysis

Testing services would like to be able to provide a distraction-free space for students with testing accommodations which necessitate the mitigation of distractions within the testing environment. Currently, the best solution available is offering students a distraction-limited environment. To achieve this, staff close the curtain on the window in their computer-based testing room and sit students with distraction-related accommodations in a small corner desk, which is a partial cubicle with half-walls of about 4 feet. Students are also given noise-cancelling ear muffs. The half-walls of the cubicle and the ear muffs serve to eliminate most of the common visual and aural distractions which a student might encounter within the Testing Services office. However, the partial cubicle sits within a room which can hold up to perhaps 5 other testers, meaning that the cubicle used to limit distractions is not isolated and, during busy testing times, would do little to keep the tester in the cubicle unaware of any comings and goings. Furthermore, the cubicle sits next to a window adjacent to a parking lot. The curtain on the window does help to conceal outside distractions, but does not eliminate the possibility of noises entering from outside the building. 

Fig. 1 A diagram of Testing Services (Not to scale). Gray shaded areas indicate
spaces where distraction free testing space could potentially be added. Red X’s
indicate entryways that cannot be used in accordance with testing vendor
proctoring policies.

To move from a distraction-limited to a distraction-free environment testing services would need to provide a small room or space which is isolated from the rest of the office but still allows testing service to operate efficiently. The distraction-free space should be away from any windows and only have a door which is used for the comings and goings of staff and testers in need of the space. Because the building is a shared building, noise-cancelling earmuffs should continue to be provided.

Objective	Current	Deficiency	Ideal
Provide an isolated space for students with testing accommodations.	A distraction-limited cubicle within the computer-based testing area is used to limit distractions	During busy times there will be other testers in the computer-based testing area. Therefore, it is not completely isolated.	A dedicated distraction-free space, with one door for testers and staff to exit and enter.
Eliminate common visual and aural distractions.	Students are provided with noise-cancelling ear muffs. Curtain to window is closed.	The curtain and ear muffs do not completely block distractions.	Dedicated distraction-free space away from windows, built to accommodate one tester at a time.

Cause Analysis

In identifying the root cause of the performance gap, we start off by first defining the problem and its impact to the university testing center’s goals. We previously identified the problem statement as a lack of space to provide testing accommodations for all. 

This specifically impedes their goal of providing a truly non-discriminatory testing environment. Our group began with asking the 5 Whys to analyze why testing services might be facing their problem.   

Why is there a lack of space in University Testing Services?

Every available space in the testing center is currently occupied or designated as a general testing area. The one space that could possibly be adapted into a distraction free testing area is currently being shared with another department.

Why is space within the center being shared with another department?

Due to an overall lack of space and resources campus-wide, certain departments are required to sacrifice space should the need arise.

Why was University Testing Services selected to share space that they otherwise need?

University administrators might assume that University Testing Services can perform all their required tasks with very limited space.

Why would administrators make this assumption?

Administrators may not be aware of the accommodation regulations set by national test owners or they might not place value in a fully equipped testing center.

Why would administrators not place value in a fully functional, well-equipped testing center?

The benefits of a full testing center are not being wholly considered. There may be a miscommunication or a failure to recognize how the testing center aligns with the strategic plan and goals of the university.

We can deduce from this line of questioning that the lack of space is not entirely due to physical space limitations, but administrative allocation of space. The layout of the testing center (Fig. 1) would allow for the inclusion of a distraction-free test environment, however the ideal space is currently occupied.   

Intervention Selection and Feasibility Analysis

The solution to the problem at hand, then, is to simply increase the amount of space available to the testing center. However, due to bureaucracy within the university and the realities of funding, this is obviously a solution which is easier said than done.

For this reason, the primary intervention we have selected is strategic planning. The purpose behind this intervention is to more closely align the goals of testing services with the goals of the university, thus increasing institutional buy-in.

A secondary intervention could be a repurposing of existing space within the testing center. Based on the data we collected, the testing center is already stressing the limits of efficiency within the space they are given, but there are a few spaces which might be suitable for the purposes of distraction-free testing. The storage closet and the proctor room are the best candidates for restructuring. However, both options would require a rethinking of the testing center’s security measures and traffic flow.

Without further data on the inner workings of the university, it is difficult to say for certain how feasible the primary intervention really is. However, it does seem to be the best long-term solution to Testing Services’ lack of space as well as their ongoing struggles with efficiency and funding. Our secondary intervention is more realistic in terms of guaranteed results, but acts more as a short-term bandage to larger issue.

Implications and Recommendations

One important implication of strategic planning is that it also offers testing services the opportunity to reacquire the office which they currently share with the university assessments coordinator. Freeing up this space would solve several of the testing center’s issues at once without significantly altering the flow or organization of the center itself.

In their efforts to increase institutional buy-in, it is our recommendation that testing services reacquaint themselves with the university’s Strategic Plan, which highlights several priorities very much already in line with the services the testing center provides. This priority aims to reflect goals which may offer an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of testing services to the health of the overall university.
 

References

University Testing Services. (n.d.). Retrieved April 22, 2017, from http://uncw.edu/testingservices/