Using Data to Inform our Practice in Orientation, Transition & Retention Brett Bruner, Director of Persistence & Retention Fort Hays State University Randy Flowers, Director of Student Life Baker University NODA: Association for Orientation, Transition & Retention in Higher Education 2014 Region IV Conference | Houston, TX

Overview of Session Learning Outcomes Challenges in Assessment Foundations of a Culture of Evidence Culp & Dungy’s (2012) Building a Culture of Evidence in Student Affairs: A Guide for Leaders & Practitioners Portland State University’s (2011) Division of Enrollment Management & Student Affairs – Assessment Handbook Application to OTR – You’ve Collected Data, Now What Do We Do With it? The FHSU Experience – Go Tigers!! The BU Experience – Go Wildcats!! Closing Reflection/Q&A

Learning Outcomes By attending this educational session, participants will be able to: Articulate the definition of a “culture of evidence.” Identify the most important data to tell your story in orientation, transition & retention. List strategies for using the data to inform our practice.

Background of Institutions Fort Hays State University Regional, comprehensive state university 13,000 total students (5,000 on-campus traditional undergrads) Located in Hays, KS (halfway between Kansas City & Denver) New student cohort (Fall 2013) 950 first year students 450 transfer students 150 international students

Background of Institutions Baker University Private, Methodist based university 800 students Located in Baldwin City, KS (1 hour southwest Kansas City) New student cohort 235 first year students 47 transfer students

Challenges in Assessment What challenge(s) do you face in your Orientation, Transition & Retention programs regarding assessment? New undergraduate student leaders Returning undergraduate student leaders Undergraduate student staff supervisors Graduate students New professionals Mid-level professionals

Foundations of a Culture of Evidence “It is important to be clear about the aims of a culture of evidence. The goal is to use evidence to better understand our students & their experiences so we can improve our work with them.” – Sarah Westfall Kalamazoo College (pg. 2)

Risks & Rewards Associated with Creating a Culture of Evidence ChallengeRiskReward Funding Assessment Expertise Competing Priorities Building Capacity Dealing with Fear

What is a Culture of Evidence?

A commitment among student affairs professionals to use hard data to show how the programs they offer, the processes they implement, & the services they provide are effective & contribute significantly to an institution’s ability to reach its stated goals & fulfill its mission. Source: Culp & Dungy (2012) Building a Culture of Evidence in Student Affairs: A Guide for Leaders & Practitioners

What is a Culture of Evidence? What’s the most important assessment data to tell our story? RATHER THAN… What assessment data is available?

Application to OTR You’ve Collected Data, Now What Do We Do With It? Analyze, Interpret, Report & Use the Results Fun part! Making sense of data Use it to inform both your practice & decision making Ex.: Look at the characteristics of your respondents. What can you learn to better understand your data? Do responses vary by… Age? Year in school? Cumulative GPA? Read through qualitative comments & reflect on its overall meaning

Application to OTR You’ve Collected Data, Now What Do We Do With It? Transparency & Reporting Making meaningful, understandable information about student learning & institutional performance readily available to stakeholders Tie to institutional goals for student learning Draw conclusions that are well-supported & clearly-reasoned Future engagement in assessment cycles

Application to OTR You’ve Collected Data, Now What Do We Do With It? Transparency & Reporting Publicly share your assessment plan Publicly share your results Encourage participants’ help in analyzing data Share how conclusions impact program development Highlight assessment results in your annual report Make reports available on departmental websites

Application to OTR You’ve Collected Data, Now What Do We Do With It? Transparency & Reporting

Application to OTR You’ve Collected Data, Now What Do We Do With It? Using Data – Reflection Questions How do your results provide evidence for your outcomes? What do your results say about your program process & the impact of the program on students’ learning & development? Based on the results, what decisions will you make or what action will you take regarding programs, policies, & services as well as improvement/refinements to the assessment process?

Application to OTR You’ve Collected Data, Now What Do We Do With It? Feedback Loops

Application to OTR You’ve Collected Data, Now What Do We Do With It? Feedback Loops “Good assessment fosters dialogue, not simply data collection.” – Culp & Dungy (pg. 101)

The FHSU Experience ENGAGE College Administered during Weeks 3-6 of UNIV 101 Freshman Seminar Student self-perceptions of behavioral & attitudinal characteristics related to academic success & retention

The FHSU Experience ENGAGE College

Data shared with variety of campus resources: President’s Senior Administrative Group (ISM) President’s Extended Cabinet Institutional College Completion Team Division of Student Affairs – Directors UNIV 101 Freshman Seminar Instructors Extended trainings with the following: Division of Student Affairs – Student Life Cluster Office of Residential Life Office of First Year Experience/Persistence & Retention – grad/undergrad staff

The FHSU Experience ENGAGE College Programmatic Changes Curricular changes in UNIV 101 Development of new extended orientation & transition social connections Policy Changes Academic Affairs – mid-term grade conversations Partner Collaborations Residential Life – revamped programming model around central deficiencies

The Baker Experience Emerging Leaders Summit

How do your results provide evidence for your outcomes? Establish Connections with fellow emerging leaders Identify leadership style and characteristics of leadership Identify areas of growth as an emerging leader Provide opportunity to apply leadership style What do your results say about your program process & the impact of the program on students’ learning & development?

The Baker Experience Emerging Leaders Summit

Data shared with variety of campus resources: Dean of Students Associate Dean of Students Student Leadership Staff

The Baker Experience Emerging Leaders Summit Based on the results, what decisions will you make or what action will you take regarding programs, policies, & services as well as improvement/refinements to the assessment process? Need to increase time spent on leadership styles and ways to connect back to the Office of Student Life Need to increase communication regarding ELS (what is it, what happens at the retreat, etc.)

Closing Reflection What is the most important data to tell your story in your OTR program rather than the data that’s available? What is 1 area of refinement for your OTR program as it relates to using the data to inform your practice?

Using Data to Inform our Practice in Orientation, Transition & Retention Brett Bruner, Fort Hays State University Randy Flowers, Baker University NODA: Association for Orientation, Transition & Retention in Higher Education 2014 Region IV Conference | Houston, TX