Effective Assessments Assessment Guidelines and Activities for Student Affairs Presented by Susan Platt, Executive Director of Assessment June 3, 2016

Assessment Matters (pp. 1-3) One of the highest priorities in the division for VP Carmen Taylor Support available through assessment facilitators and the newly established Division of Student Affairs Assessment Center Assessment team members note the importance of professional development they’ve been afforded so they can facilitate assessment for the division Assessment team members see assessment as vital for our work; assessment should guide our decisions Main challenge: encouraging units to embrace assessment and make it integral to their practices

Characteristics of Effective Assessments (p. 4) Place students in the center Involve strategic planning and alignment with University mission Can be quick and as effective as more time-consuming activities; (don’t need to assess everything) Are enhanced through teamwork and collaboration Should contain a variety of quantitative and qualitative data sources Are cyclical and use backwards designs Are tied to a taxonomy of student outcomes that are both cognitive and affective

Backwards Design (pp. 5-6) What is it that you want students to be able to learn and do as a result of your programs, activities and services? What opportunities will you provide to help students achieve these things? How will you assess the achievement of your program goals? How will you use the results to make improvements?

Assessment Center Activities (p. 7) SPSS series WASC accreditation Data fellows Assessment facilitation Quantitative and qualitative measurements Assessment webinars Table talks with other institutions

Student Learning Outcomes (p. 8) Essential Alignments CAS Frameworks Institutional learning outcomes WASC core competencies Identifying your strongest alignments activity (p. 9) Scaffolding learning outcomes in student and academic affairs Three dimensional pyramid with six levels

Assessment Templates (p. 10) Planning in early fall; try to plan for at least two of these: Student learning outcomes University strategic priorities Participation rates Retention and graduation rates Student needs & satisfaction Progress reporting in late spring Should be brief- highlights only Can contain text, visuals, or both; visuals (charts, graphs, word clouds) are particularly effective Note: planning and progress reporting templates are on the Student Affairs Assessment website.

Student Testimonials (p. 11) Through programs, services, and activities, make it a habit to obtain student testimonials about their experiences One minute memoirs Zines Brief essays Interviews Focus groups Other?

Assessment References (pp. 12-15) Key references for assessing student learning, development, and success Models of best practices at other institutions

Assessment Center LA5-173 (p. 19) Drop by or email us: Adriana.Angel@csulb.edu, Lannibeth.Monjaras@csulb.edu, Susan.Platt@csulb.edu