Jessica Oyler

Director of Student Affairs Assessment and Strategic Initiatives

Weber State University

ASSESSMENT IN STUDENT AFFAIRS (AND BEYOND)

TAKE A MOMENT TO THINK ABOUT ONE THING YOU’RE REALLY PROUD

OF WITH ASSESSMENT…

THINGS THAT HAVEN’T CHANGED

• Assessment has been a national discussion for almost 30 years.

• For community colleges overall:

• Accreditation is still a driving factor

• Followed by interest in improving learning and institutional commitment

• The heart of assessment is still the same…

• Improving student learning and development

ASSESSMENT TRENDS

• Everyone does assessment

• Portfolios, badges

• Direct assessment

• Strategic planning

• Incorporating student learning into program review

AND MORE TRENDS…

• Performance funding

• Making higher education accountable for results

• Institutional learning outcomes

• Lots and lots of tools.

WHAT INSTITUTIONS SPEND ON ASSESSMENT

• Institutions spend approximately $160,000 on assessment activities (although $108,000 is in salaries)

• 57% of institutions spend less than $25,000 on assessment resources including national surveys, exams, and books

• 65% of institutions use assessment software while 54% pay for that software.

OBSTACLES

What do you believe are the primary barriers to engaging in outcomes-based

assessment?

Category Properties

Time competing priorities; added responsibility; unsure how to re-allocate responsibilities; a feeling of being overwhelmed when trying to approach doing this

Resources professional development; time; rewards for engaging in outcomes-based assessment

Knowledge and Skillsdo not know what assessment is or how to do it, do not know how to compose outcomes; do not know how to select and implement evaluation methods; anxiety over not knowing creates more anxiety

Coordination of Process no central person to coordinate division efforts or to coordinate committee

Conceptual Framework for Assessment

having to overcome traditional and/or historical definitions of assessment; addressing Student Affairs' role in assessing student learning and development; unclear connection of process to academic processes and accreditation processes; unclear expectations for engaging in assessment

Collaboration with Faculty faculty do not collaborate with student affairs folks and vise versa; faculty involvement is limited

Trust

varying levels of conceptual understanding for assessment across various levels of leadership; varying expectations across various levels of leadership; how will evidence be used; who will see evidence; varying degree of expectations for role of student affairs professionals in evaluating student learning and development

Managing Expectations

acknowledging what the goals of a program may be verses (a) how a program can actually deliver those goals; (b) the capacity of the staff to deliver the goals; (c) the knowledge of the staff to be able to deliver those goals; (d) therefore determining what the actual outcomes really are; clarifying the different between passion for what the outcomes should be and what they really can be

(Banta, 2002; Bresciani, Moore Gardner, & Hickmott, 2009; Bresciani, 2006; Bresciani, Zelna, & Anderson, 2004; Palomba & Banta, 1999; Suskie, 2004; Upcraft & Schuh, 1996).

OBSTACLES

TIME

• There is no “new” time

• Reallocating time based on priorities

• Implementing faculty release time and/or workshops and trainings at all levels.

• Can be easily addressed through professional development workshops, the assistance of an assessment coordinator, or professional reading and applications

• Ensuring that everyone is on the same page (or at least in the same book)

• Making sure departmental, division, and institution goals and priorities are clearly articulated.

UNDERSTANDING OF ASSESSMENT

RESOURCES• Be very specific about what resources are required

• Ensure that they are really necessary

• Be creative with regard to where the resource need can be met

• Students

• Faculty

• Colleagues

• Implement rewards structures where possible.

COORDINATION OF THE PROCESS• Develop a plan for assessment within your division or

department

• Designate an individual or committee of individuals to help guide assessment processes

• Incorporate assessment into strategic planning and program review processes

• Consider incorporating assessment into job descriptions.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR ASSESSMENT• Create clear expectations of purpose of engaging in

assessment

• Articulating how planning at all levels fit together and what is being done with data

• Discussing how academic and student affairs collectively contribute to student learning

• Define what excellence looks like.

TRUST• Enhanced by leadership commitment, transparency, and

articulation of values

• Educate student affairs professionals regarding the use of data

• Educate faculty about student affairs professionals’ contributions to student learning

• Focus on what you have control over.

COLLABORATION WITH FACULTY• Faculty Members

• Genuinely interact with faculty/staff and utilize feedback to improve the process

• Faculty /Administrators must have ownership of the process

• Show how this impacts the learning in the classroom

• Provide professional development opportunities

• Include assessment in the annual performance review

• Share the results of assessment and how they’re being used

•Peers• Share examples with each other• Work together; oftentimes, we are assessing the same things

•Students • Incorporate students in all facets of assessment planning

and implementation, if your program is ready•Community Members and employers.• Remember that collaboration is a process of give and take.

COLLABORATION WITH OTHERS

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS

• Acknowledge that our values may not be measurable

• Focus on the components of what we value that are measurable

• Acknowledge that we don’t always find what we think we will

SPECIFIC CHALLENGES FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES

• Varying student characteristics

• Much learning takes place outside of the university

• Less professional support

• Large numbers of adjunct faculty

THINGS TO CONSIDER

• Learning must be facilitated

• We are doing a LOT of assessment. We must make sure to disseminate results and keep the process transparent

• Make sure that you are willing and able to change that which you assess

• Keep it simple

• Every department and institution is different

• Maintain flexibility and structure

THINGS TO CONSIDER

• Identify and celebrate success

• Know the culture of your institution

• Have patience

• Start with those who are excited

• Consider both short and long term goals

• Discuss why you are engaging in assessment

THINGS TO CONSIDER

• Keep a pulse on staff engagement and knowledge

• Look at what you’re learning from your assessment plans

• Use assessment results to inform future decisions

• Don’t leave the plan on the shelf

• Ask stakeholders if they’re seeing what they expect

• Revise the assessment process

QUESTIONS?

REFERENCES• American Association of College and Universities. (2007). College learning for the new global century.

Retrieved from https://www.aacu.org/leap/documents/GlobalCentury_final.pdf

• Banta, T. W., & Associates. (2002). Building a scholarship of assessment. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

• Bresciani, M. J. (2006). Outcomes-based academic and co-curricular program review: A compilation of institutional good practices. Sterling, VA: Stylus.

• Bresciani, M. J., Moore Gardner, M. M., & Hickmott, J. (2009). Demonstrating student success: A practical guide to outcomes-based assessment of learning and development in student affairs. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.

• Bresciani, M. J., Gardner, M. M., & Hickmott, J. (Eds.). (2009). Case studies in assessing student success . New Directions for Student Services, 127. Boston, MA: Jossey-Bass.

• Cooper, T., & Terrell, T. (2013). What are institutions spending on assessment? Is it worth the cost? Retrieved from http://learningoutcomesassessment.org/documents/What%20are%20institutions%20spending%20on%20assessment%20Final.pdf

• Hanover research. (2013). Best and innovative practices in higher education assessment. Retrieved from http://www.grip.umn.edu/assets/best-and-innovative-practices-in-higher-education-assessment-(4). pdf

• Kuh, G. D., Kinzie, J., Buckley, J. A., Bridges, B. K., & Hayek, J. C. (2006). What matters to student success: A review of the literature. Commissioned Report for the National Symposium on Postsecondary Student Success: Spearheading a Dialog on Student Success. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/npec/pdf/kuh_team _report.pdf

• Nunley, C., Bers, T., & Manning, T. (2011). Learning outcomes assessment in community colleges. Retrieved from http://www.learningoutcomeassessment.org/documents/CommunityCollege.pdf

• Schuh, J. H., & Gansamer-Topf, A. M. (2010). The role of student affairs in student learning assessment. Retrieved from http://www.learningoutcomeassessment.org/documents/studentAffairsrole.pdf