Academic Performance Solutions FAQs

In order to take advantage of APS as a useful tool for academic and business management decision making, all platform users should understand and adhere to the following guidelines:

• APS metrics and benchmarking vary from other reporting as to timing and how the data has been organized, therefore comparisons to IPEDs and other reporting will not provide the same exact results. Comparisons for trending and direction are possible.
• APS can be used as one data point in leadership decision making when evaluating college and department performance; with all the variables and mapping made to align data to EAB standard definitions, the APS metrics cannot be used with a degree of precision as the only data point used for decision making.
• The data can be used broadly when compared to participating Universities for trending and an indication how our performance is directionally, then evaluated based on our student and business needs.
• The data should be used to raise questions and further investigation into academic performance using BGSU’s year over year performance and against benchmarking cohorts.
• Best practices found through the use of the APS platform should be shared between departments and colleges.

The source for EAB APS data is PeopleSoft CSS, FMS, and HCM.   We are extracting a rolling five years of historical data which is uploaded to the platform.

Monthly (on the 1^st of each month). However, updates to the platform are not displayed in APS until 30 days after each semester.

We are only sending Direct Expenses from FMS to APS so that we can benchmark BGSU expenses against other EAB Peer Institutions.  EAB typically exclude research costs in APS to allow for consistent data. The preferred method is to exclude at the fund level rather than the program level, if possible.  The fund expenses includes:    

10000 – BGSU BG Campus
11000 – BGSU – Firelands Campus
12000 – Public Service
13000 – Course Fees – BG Campus
15000 – F&A Recovery
17000 – Course Fees – Firelands Campus
18200 – Faculty Start Up
18300 – Distinguished Prof Emnnt Schlr
18500 – Professional Dev/Research
18600 – Other Designated
18700 – Cost Share
40000 – Federal Sponsored Programs
41000 – Ohio Government
42000 – Local Government
43000 - Other

We are including all class sections that are being taught by BGSU Faculty, Graduate Assistants, and Adjunct Instructors for all courses that are being taught at BGSU Main and Firelands Campus. However, there are some exclusions, as follows:

• College Credit Plus (CCP)
• Study Abroad
• Credit By Exam
• Credit by Validation
• Portfolio Assessment

Whenever EARNED_CREDIT = Y and Final Grade is blank, BGSU must send a non-blank grade to the APS System.  In that case, we are sending a Final Grade of ‘IP’ to APS instead of the blank final grade.   

APS system will display the student credit hour (SCH) in the department where the student is taking the largest number of courses for that term.

APS assigns Faculty to departments by the number of courses taught and assigns their home department to where the majority of the courses reside. The course is the “unit of analysis”. This may not line up to where salaries are paid.

APS categorizes credits by department that offers the credit hour and not which program the student is enrolled in.

If a student takes 51% of courses at the Main campus and 49% at the Firelands Campus, the campus on the student’s program plan stack will be flipped to MAIN and the student will be charged Main campus tuition rates. Conversely, if the student takes 51% of their courses at the Firelands campus and 49% at the Main campus, the campus on this student’s program plan stack will be flipped to FIRE and the student will be charged Firelands campus tuition rates.  This is an internal BGSU Policy.  APS will reflect that same information from PeopleSoft CSS.

We are excluding CCP students for a specific term if they were active in the following CCP Academic Plan Codes for that term (supplied by Registration and Records).  Here is the list of Academic Plan Codes as of 5/09/2019:  CCNFFIRE, CCNFMAIN, CCPFIRE, CCPFUNFIRE, CCPFUNMAIN, CCPMAIN, CCPNFNFIRE, CCPNFNMAIN, CCRDFIRE, CCRDMAIN, COLCRDFIRE, COLCRDMAIN, HSCHLFIRE, HSCHLMAIN, HSMAIN, PSOAFIRE, PSOAMAIN, PSOBFIRE, PSOBMAIN, S2SFIRE, S2SMAIN, TECHFIRE, TECHMAIN.  Note: This specific list of Academic Plan Codes will be maintained as a “String Group” in PeopleSoft CSS (to add or remove Plan Codes from this list).  We are also excluding all Class Sections where Session Code = ‘DEN’ to eliminate CCP Class Sections.

Within APS Tool,

1. Click on Drop Down next to label “Academic Performance Solutions Home”
2. Click on “APS Benchmarks” then “Cohort Profile”
3. Click on “View all Institutions in your cohorts”

There are 3 different types of cohorts:  (1) EAB APS Recommended Group, (2) Enrollment/Budget Group, (3) Student Success Group.

After you are finished reviewing the list of Benchmarked Institutions, click on the button labeled “Close” to go back to the APS dashboard

Three customizable cohort lists are available, made up of a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 15 participating institutions. Open enrollment occurs 3 times a year:

• February
• June
• October

BGSU has selected three cohort groups (1) EAB APS Recommended Group, (2) Enrollment/Budget Group, (3) Student Success Group.

EAB APS Recommended Group

• Central Michigan University
• North Dakota State University
• Old Dominion University
• University of Maine at Orono
• University of Maryland – Baltimore County
• University of Montana
• University of North Carolina – Greensboro
• University of North Dakota
• University of Northern Colorado
• University of South Dakota

Enrollment/Budget Group

• Central Michigan University
• North Dakota State University
• Old Dominion University
• University of Maryland – Baltimore County
• University of Montana
• University of North Carolina – Greensboro
• University of North Dakota
• University of Wisconsin Milwaukee

Student Success Group

• Central Michigan University
• North Dakota State University
• Old Dominion University
• University of Maryland – Baltimore County
• University of North Dakota

Instructional staff without Rank, and Instructional staff not found in HCM employee File.

Full-time status for faculty is 12 credit hours for fall and 12 credit hours for spring or 24 credit hours for the entire academic year. This number can be changed within the APS platform but the new Full-time status applies to all colleges within the university. Total IFTE represents the percentage of instructional staff who are teaching full time.

Instructional staff is assigned to the department where they teach the largest number of courses.

Instructional staff is assigned to the department with higher student headcount of these courses.

The APS Administrator will be notified to add the new course to the APS Platform.

Departments with room to grow is not a calculation but rather a general guide to the circles found in that quadrant. Generally this quadrant shows departments with positive attempted student hour growth but lower levels of fill rate as compared to other departments. The goal is to guide investigation into these departments by clicking on the dots and looking at growth vs. capacity. In general EAB advises an 80% fill rate as ideal.

The cross-listed indicator in PeopleSoft is used to identify those courses that should be cross-listed in APS. Courses indicated as cross-listed are then collapsed. The courses that do not have the cross-listed indicator will not be recognized as cross-listed.

Only direct expenses (direct salaries, benefits, and operational expenses), no revenue and overhead information is held in APS.  No overhead is included in expenses.  The student, faculty and cost data is based on the course and rolled up to the college that offers the course. For example, courses offered by the College of Arts & Sciences roll up to the College of Arts & Sciences regardless of which degree program the student is enrolled in.

Faculty are presented as both headcount and as Instructional Full Time Equivalency (ITFE) based on course load which is set at 24 hours per year in APS. In some areas this course load is not accurate and IFTE metrics should not be used.

Student headcount is captured at the end of each semester vs. on census date (15^th day of the semester). The timing difference will result in a smaller number being reported in APS as compared to census data, so end of semester headcounts in APS provide the most similar data to what’s reported at census date.

Credit Hours: Attempted Credit Hours are based on registered non-transfer coursework only.

Attempted credits will not be analyzed throughout APS where gradable indicator code is 'No'.