Transcript Slide 1

Leading and Managing in
Student Affairs Assessment
Carrie Zelna, Ph.D
Director, Student Affairs Planning, Assessment,
Research, and Retention
NC State University
Ted Elling, Ed.D
Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
UNC Charlotte
Session Outline
I.
Philosophy
• Raising the Value (Saliency) of Assessment
• Building Culture
II. Practical Application
• Current Models from Survey
• Capacity Building/training
• Panel: Structure on their campuses, Training/Capacity building,
reporting/review process, and other
• Strategies for building culture (group work)
III. Strategies for Assessing Assessment
Raising the Value of Assessment
Assessment Reconsidered 2008 Chapter 11
1. Purpose of Assessment should be transparentmake clear the methods of analysis and approach
taken to ensure validity. Transparency of
purpose as well-what is your intent??
2. *Culture* (major focus of the presentation)
orientation towards organizational functioning
that is open to discovery, growth, and
advancement-overall effort toward engaging in
critical examination of an institutions practices,
outputs and outcomes in the spirit of open
discovery.
Raising the Value of Assessment
Assessment Reconsidered 2008 Chapter 11
3. Assessment for, Rather than of learning….how
to better help students learn not just if they did
or not…..Assessment practices that promote
learning should have just as much, or more,
emphasis as those that seek to primarily measure
learning and associate activities (two birds/one
stone? Portfolios, rubrics, case studies, etc)
4. Assessment as Engaged Practice: component of
engaged professional practice-not owned by us.
Should be reflective professional practice
Raising the Value of Assessment
Assessment Reconsidered 2008 Chapter 11
5. Aligning Assessment with Aspirational
(rather than “in practice’) institutional
values: have vision of where you want to
be not just measure where you are.
6. Making Reporting Matter: integrated and
on-going, not end product
7. Affirming Use of Data: use data. 
Building Culture
Linda Suski 2004 Chapter 3
1. Campus Leaders Must Be Onboard
Characteristics/Behaviors of Engaged Leaders
1.
Personal commitment to assessment: They know the concepts and why it is
important
2.
Inspire interest: clear and well (and often) articulated vision of assessment (formal
and informal comments)
3.
Promote communication: communicate with assessment committees-have staff serve
on committees
4.
Encourage Risk-taking: trial and error experimentation-in creating new assessment
strategies and in using results-wait for the kinks to be worked out
5.
Encourage a sense of community: help faculty and staff understand the importance of
building a community with a common understanding of what is important and a
curriculum with a purposeful structure.
6.
Keep promises: assessment on the front burner
7.
Set clear expectations for assessment; provide incentives, resources, support, and
rewards for assessment efforts; and use assessment results for decisions and priorities
Building Culture
Linda Suski 2004 Chapter 3
2. Focus on Teaching and Learning Rather
Than Assessment
a. Frame as Teaching/Learning Efforts:
Bring in people with proven experience
using assessment to strengthen programs.
b. Recognize and Reward Efforts: tenure,
promotion, merit pay, excellence, service
Building Culture
Linda Suski 2004 Chapter 3
3. Empower Faculty and Staff Working on
Assessment
a. Faculty and staff have a leadership role in
planning and implementing
b. Provide guidance as needed
c. Provide support structure to implement
relatively minor changes quickly
Building Culture
Linda Suski 2004 Chapter 3
4. Make Assessment Relevant: Angelo “A
vision worth working towards”
5. Provide Opportunities to Learn about
Assessment: professional development
programs, help-desk, sponsored
attendance at conferences, campus
assessment web site, campus assessment
newsletter/column
Building Culture
Linda Suski 2004 Chapter 3
6. Set Clear Expectations: expectations and
guidance
7. Be flexible: balance expectations with
giving a sense of control
Building Culture
Linda Suski 2004 Chapter 3
8.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Minimize the Burden of Assessment:
Reduce other responsibilities if possible
Provide leadership/coordination/support
Minimal paperwork
Resources and support
Building Culture
Linda Suski 2004 Chapter 3
9. Start Small
10. Start with Success: (I have an opposing
view)
11. Involve Students
12. Celebrate and Reward Assessment Efforts
13. Use Assessment Results Appropriately
14. Don’t Expect Everyone to Get Onboard
Practical Applications
Student Affairs Professionals and Assessment
• May-June 2008
To What Extent is the Profession
Engaged in Assessment?
2008 New NASPA Study
14
2007 Survey Overview
Genesis
Both ACPA & NASPA assessment groups interested
• ACPA Commission for Assessment and Evaluation
• NASPA SAAER Knowledge Community
Administration
Survey jointly developed between ACPA and NASPA
Multiple populations surveyed (July-Dec. 07)
• 2007 IARC participants (n = 515)
• ACPA CSAO’s and Commission members (n = 1000)
• NASPA Voting Delegates and SAAER KC members (n = 3000)
Useable surveys returned (n = 376)
• Rate of Return (8.3%)
• Significant overlap in roles and organizations
15
SA Assessment Professionals Date?
16
By Size
17
By Years of Experience
18
By Level of Responsibility
19
By Organizational Structure
20
Other Models to Consider
21
Summary
Assessment positions are found largely within large public
four year institutions
There are multiple models that describe how assessment is
supported within student affairs
Assessment appears to be a second or third position within
a career in higher education
48% of full-time assessment positions have been filled
within the past two years.
How is assessment supported in smaller private, public and
two-year institutions?
How is assessment supported using part time or multiple
hat positions?
Building Capacity
Assessment Reconsidered 2008 Chapter 5
Mapping Learning
Integrating Learning
Supporting Students as Learners
Assessing Learning
Mapping Learning
Where and how does learning occur?
How does technology impact learning?
Example from SAPARR
Where can the unintentional become
intentional?
Stay current!
Integrating Learning
Notion of vertical learning vs. horizontal
“…tighten the intellectual and social fabric
wove by student interactions…”
Big picture,structure and policy level
Examples: First year experience programs,
Summer Reading Programs
Supporting Students as Learners
Application of the integrated learning
policies
At the tailored, individualize activity level
Examples: reflection as part of service
learning, internships with learning outcomes
directly tied to courses, others?
Assessing Learning
Educating staff regarding systematic
assessment
Data
Assessment Education Framework
Areas of Assessment Practice
30
Professional Development Needs
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Professional Development Needs –
Professional assessment people
This restates the slide above but broken out by desired format
32
Professional Development Needs:
Basic Presentation on Conceptual Topics
33
Professional Development Needs
Advanced Topics & Forums
34
Assessment Education
Framework
http://www.naspa.org/communities/kc/page.cfm?kcpageID=251&kcid=24
NASPA Assessment, Evaluation, and
Research Knowledge Community
Spring 2008
Practitioner Examples
Organizational structure
Support messages from upper
administration
Support for staff-training, assistance with
projects
How staff reports
What happens to report information
Strategies for Assessing
Assessment
I . Outcomes for Assessment Departments
• Examples
• Audience suggestions
II. Methods for measurement
• National studies to date:
• Document Analysis/Rubrics
• Local survey ideas: Attitudes and needs
• Tracking of “calls”
Attitudes
Please indicate your level of agreement.
Strongly agree 4 somewhat agree 3 somewhat disagree 2 Strongly Disagree 1 Don’t Engage 0
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Engaging in assessment has caused me to reflect on the purpose of my unit.
Engaging in assessment has caused me to reconsider how we implement our activities
and strategies.
I consider the assessment of my unit to be integrated into the planning and
implementation of my work.
I consider the methodology I use to assess outcomes to be systematic (thoughtfully
planned and carefully implemented).
I use the assessment process and data to make decisions about my unit and/or
programs.
I am interested in partnering with other units on the assessment of common outcomes.
I am willing to share how my office engages in assessment with others in Student
Affairs at NC State.
I feel like the timeline I have set for the assessment of my unit is manageable.
I need additional training to engage more fully in the assessment process for my unit.
Attitudes
Regardless of your level of engagement with the assessment of your unit, please
respond to the following statements:
Strongly agree 4 somewhat agree 3 somewhat disagree 2 Strongly Disagree 1 Don’t Know 0
10. The primarily purpose for engaging in assessment is to satisfy requirements from
outside my unit.
11. Collectively, our unit outcomes provide an accurate picture of what the unit is trying to
accomplish.
12. I consider the assessment of my unit to be on-going.
13. I am concerned that negative results (data) will reflect on my unit’s performance.
14. There should be a reward structure for engaging in the assessment process.
15. There should be consequences for not engaging in the assessment process.
16. I feel that I have the skills necessary to engage in the assessment process for my unit.
17. Assessment is supported within my unit.
18. Assessment is pervasive within my unit.
19. Assessment is supported within the Division of Student Affairs.
20. Assessment is pervasive within the Division of Student Affairs.
21. Assessment is pervasive within the University.
Audience Suggestions for
Assessing Assessment