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
Carrie

2. Session Outline 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
Carrie

3. Raising the Value of Assessment Assessment Reconsidered 2008 Chapter 11
Purpose of Assessment should be transparent-make clear the methods of analysis and approach taken to ensure validity. Transparency of purpose as well-what is your intent??
*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.
Carrie

4. Raising the Value of Assessment Assessment Reconsidered 2008 Chapter 11
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)
Assessment as Engaged Practice: component of engaged professional practice-not owned by us. Should be reflective professional practice
Carrie

5. Raising the Value of Assessment Assessment Reconsidered 2008 Chapter 11
Aligning Assessment with Aspirational (rather than “in practice’) institutional values: have vision of where you want to be not just measure where you are.
Making Reporting Matter: integrated and on-going, not end product
Affirming Use of Data: use data. 

6. Building Culture Linda Suski 2004 Chapter 3
Campus Leaders Must Be Onboard
Characteristics/Behaviors of Engaged Leaders
Personal commitment to assessment: They know the concepts and why it is important
Inspire interest: clear and well (and often) articulated vision of assessment (formal and informal comments)
Promote communication: communicate with assessment committees-have staff serve on committees
Encourage Risk-taking: trial and error experimentation-in creating new assessment strategies and in using results-wait for the kinks to be worked out
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.
Keep promises: assessment on the front burner
Set clear expectations for assessment; provide incentives, resources, support, and rewards for assessment efforts; and use assessment results for decisions and priorities
Carrie

7. Building Culture Linda Suski 2004 Chapter 3
2. Focus on Teaching and Learning Rather Than Assessment
Frame as Teaching/Learning Efforts: Bring in people with proven experience using assessment to strengthen programs.
Recognize and Reward Efforts: tenure, promotion, merit pay, excellence, service
Carrie

8. Building Culture Linda Suski 2004 Chapter 3
3. Empower Faculty and Staff Working on Assessment
Faculty and staff have a leadership role in planning and implementing
Provide guidance as needed
Provide support structure to implement relatively minor changes quickly
Carrie

9. 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
Carrie

10. Building Culture Linda Suski 2004 Chapter 3
Set Clear Expectations: expectations and guidance
Be flexible: balance expectations with giving a sense of control
Carrie

11. Building Culture Linda Suski 2004 Chapter 3
8. Minimize the Burden of Assessment:
Reduce other responsibilities if possible
Provide leadership/coordination/support
Minimal paperwork
Resources and support
Carrie

12. Building Culture Linda Suski 2004 Chapter 3
Start Small
Start with Success: (I have an opposing view)
Involve Students
Celebrate and Reward Assessment Efforts
Use Assessment Results Appropriately
Don’t Expect Everyone to Get Onboard
Carrie

13. Practical Applications
Student Affairs Professionals and Assessment
May-June 2008
Ted

14. To What Extent is the Profession Engaged in Assessment?
2008 New NASPA Study
TED

15. 2007 Survey Overview Genesis Administration
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
TED

16. SA Assessment Professionals Date?
Ted

17. By Size
Ted

18. By Years of Experience G

19. By Level of Responsibility
Ted

20. By Organizational Structure
TED

21. Other Models to Consider
TED

22. 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?
Ted

23. Building Capacity Assessment Reconsidered 2008 Chapter 5
Mapping Learning
Integrating Learning
Supporting Students as Learners
Assessing Learning
Carrie

24. Mapping Learning Where and how does learning occur?
How does technology impact learning?
Example from SAPARR
Where can the unintentional become intentional?
Stay current!
Carrie

25. Carrie

26. Carrie

27. 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
Carrie

28. 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?
Carrie

29. Assessing Learning Educating staff regarding systematic assessment
Data
Assessment Education Framework
Carrie

30. Areas of Assessment Practice
Ted

31. Professional Development Needs
Ted

32. Professional Development Needs – Professional assessment people This restates the slide above but broken out by desired format
Ted

33. Professional Development Needs: Basic Presentation on Conceptual Topics
Ted

34. Professional Development Needs Advanced Topics & Forums
Ted

35. NASPA Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Knowledge Community
Assessment Education Framework
NASPA Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Knowledge Community
Spring 2008
Both

36. Practitioner Examples
Organizational structure
Support messages from upper administration
Support for staff-training, assistance with projects
How staff reports
What happens to report information
Ted Introduce

37. 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”
Carrie

38. Attitudes Please indicate your level of agreement.
Strongly agree 4 somewhat agree 3 somewhat disagree 2 Strongly Disagree 1 Don’t Engage 0
1.      Engaging in assessment has caused me to reflect on the purpose of my unit.
2.      Engaging in assessment has caused me to reconsider how we implement our activities and strategies.
3.      I consider the assessment of my unit to be integrated into the planning and implementation of my work.
4.      I consider the methodology I use to assess outcomes to be systematic (thoughtfully planned and carefully implemented).
5.      I use the assessment process and data to make decisions about my unit and/or programs.
6.      I am interested in partnering with other units on the assessment of common outcomes.
7.      I am willing to share how my office engages in assessment with others in Student Affairs at NC State.
8.      I feel like the timeline I have set for the assessment of my unit is manageable.
9.      I need additional training to engage more fully in the assessment process for my unit.
Carrie

39. 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.
Carrie

40. Carrie

41. Audience Suggestions for Assessing Assessment