OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT IN PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT: CREATING A PEER MENTOR PROGRAM AT A DISTANCE LEARNING...

OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT IN PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT:

CREATING A PEER MENTOR PROGRAM AT A DISTANCE LEARNING INSTITUTION

JENNI L. DAVILA (BRIAN), ED.S.

STEPHEN M. NETTLES, PH.D.

APRIL 24, 2014WSCUC ACADEMIC RESOURCE CONFERENCE

ABOUT ASHFORD UNIVERSITY• Total enrollment is over 55,000 students• 99% online students• Non-traditional

• Adult learners• High transfer credits• Financially independent from parents

• Four colleges: Education; Forbes School of Business; Health, Human Services, and Science; Liberal Arts

• Associate’s, Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees • WSCUC Accredited

BACKGROUND

• Ashford University has committed to improving its year-over-year student retention rate.

• Student Affairs is seeking institutional approval to establish a peer mentor program for adult, online learners.

• The purpose (outcome) of this initiative is to increase student progression and retention.

HOW DO YOU EAT AN ELEPHANT?

Outco

mes

Formative

Summative

Benc

hmar

king

Voice of the

student

Point in time

Trans

action

al

CAS

Stan

dard

s

THE JOURNEY• Analyses of control and test groups to determine impact of

CHAMPS Peer Mentor Program on student progression and year-over-year retention

• Mentor and mentee selection• Student and staff feedback on CHAMPS Peer Mentor

Program structure• Program refinement based on data• Present case to President’s Cabinet to request institutional

approval and support• On-going continuous improvement

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT CYCLE

Identify opportunities

for improvement

Develop systemic solutions

Obtain approval

Implement solution[s]

Departmental report on

impact

Institutional report on

impact

Communicate results to

stakeholders

THE FRAMEWORKUpcraft & Schuh’s Dimensions of Assessment (Assessment in Student Affairs, 1996)

1. Tracking usage of programs/services

2. Assessing student needs

3. Assessing student satisfaction

4. Assessing campus environments

5. Assessing student cultures

6. Assessing program and service outcomes

7. Benchmarking

8. Measuring effectiveness against professional standards

THE FRAMEWORK, CONTINUED

• Formative & summative assessment• Voice of the student, faculty, and staff• Point-in-time & transactional• Benchmarking internally & externally

THE TOOLS

• Assessment plan matrix• Key questions• Existing and needed data• Reporting and communication• Continuous improvement plan

• Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)

QUESTIONS?

The template referenced during this presentation is available electronically through the WSCUC ARC website.

Contact InformationJenni L. Davila, Ed.S.Ashford UniversityJenni.Brian@ashford.edu

Stephen M. Nettles, Ph.D.Ashford UniversityStephen.Nettles@ashford.edu

LinkedIn: Jenni Davila (Brian)Twitter: @JenniLDavila

LinkedIn: Steve Nettles

SO…..HOW DO YOU EAT AN ELEPHANT?

One…

wait for it….

…bite at a time!