Do you see yourself as a data person? Do you think only the Student Life Studies staff and a few others are the data people in the Division of Student Affairs? Are you not quite sure of your data identity? If you checked the weather before getting dressed and going outside today, you are a data person (you know we can have four seasons in one day here!). If you step back and think about it, you consume pieces of data and information all day long, you probably have questions about students and your programs, and you think about what your program could look like in the future given your current environment.
Darby
Easy Learning Assessment Methods
by Darby
Do you think the assessment of student learning is a daunting task that requires lots of time, resources, and background in data analytics? Fortunately for many student affairs professionals, assessment can actually be “easy.” Granted, you still need to identify your purpose, audience, timeframe, and use of results, but you don’t need a Ph.D. in statistics.
Let’s say you are facilitating a one-hour presentation, attending a meeting with a student organization you advise, or training new student employees. There is a time frame, as well as some outcome that you want your participants to walk away with (knowledge, understanding, action, etc.). There are a couple of quick assessment techniques you can use to know whether participants have picked up what you wanted them to know or do.
National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment Resources
by Darby
Do you ever have the feeling that there is so much information out there that you don’t know where to start? That can be the case with assessing student learning outcomes. There are books, articles, videos, podcasts, websites, conference presentations, and more! It can be overwhelming.
I’m going to share a good place to start for information, examples, frameworks and more: NILOA, the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment. They advocate for systematic assessment of student learning and provide resources and research to support that endeavor.
[Read more…] about National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment Resources
Assessment is Scary?!?!
by Darby
It’s October (already!), which brings to mind scary movies, suspense, ghosts, and goblins for Halloween. Let’s be honest, I think about the candy, but that’s a different story. I’m not a fan of scary movies or suspense, but I bet that some of you would rather watch a horror movie than work on assessment. Do you think something is going to jump out at you (the deadline is when?) or trip you up (like that log in the woods) or chase you down (is that a chainsaw I hear in the background)? Assessment doesn’t have to be scary or suspenseful. It can be as sweet as candy with the right planning. You might even think of assessment as fun if you have a creative approach.
Outcomes, Measure, and Targets…Oh My!
by Darby
It’s that time of the year again…setting your plans for the year about what you want to accomplish and how you are going to know if you accomplished it. Some of you may even have assessment plans that you have to submit to the university. My hope is that you don’t think those plans are just busywork where you report things that are not important to you. With reflection and connection, assessment plans can be a useful tool for what you already do. Assessment plans typically have outcomes, measures, and targets that guide the plan for implementation, reflection, and decision-making. Let me explain the jargon and how you can frame your planning.
What Do You Really Need to Know?
by Darby
As a new school year is on the horizon, and we are asking staff to plan for their upcoming assessment, I think back to the foundation of assessment that is meaningful and manageable. To me, the core of assessment is “What do you really need to know in order to do the best you can?” Sounds simple, right? Obviously, it can get complicated, but let’s not overthink it.
If satisfaction is important, you can ask your customers/clients/users about their experiences, overall or for specific areas. If you are imparting knowledge to students, you can ask about learning (or have them demonstrate it, which would be even better). If you want to know your audience’s needs, you should get their feedback. When you get the results, you can make changes to improve what you do.
Formative vs. Summative Assessment
by Darby
Last week, I attended NASPA’s virtual Student Success in Higher Education (SSHE) conference. (It’s a great conference; you should think about attending). One of the sessions, Assessment Choices: Moving beyond the Either/Ors of Assessment Work, was presented by Sherry Woosley from Macmillan Learning and Jen Hodges from New Mexico State University. It really spoke to me about the false dichotomy that is sometimes set up in research and assessment—qualitative vs. quantitative, surveys vs. focus group, etc. I really think about this in terms of student learning and how and when we assess to know that learning has occurred. Assessment of student learning is not something that you only do once, and learning is also a developmental process over time.
The Overlap of Assessment, Marketing, and Fundraising
by Darby
Lately, I have been thinking about the similarities and differences between assessment, marketing, and development/fundraising. They might have somewhat different purposes, but there are a few things they have in common that should make us think about how we can better collaborate with each other. And, let me admit upfront that I have a lot of assessment experience, but not much formal education with marketing/communications and development/fundraising. I know, a little knowledge can be dangerous, but I don’t think I’m too far afield.
[Read more…] about The Overlap of Assessment, Marketing, and Fundraising
Fatigue, Survey Fatigue
by Darby
Here we are in May 2021. If you are like me, you are thankful the semester is over and that you have made it this far. You may be experiencing a lot of emotions—relief, exhaustion, contentment, languishing… or all of the above wrapped into one. You might even have a sense of long-term fatigue.
In Student Life Studies, we talk about how many surveys students and staff get throughout the year. We know how many we send out and try to make efforts to be focused, short, and relevant. We don’t know how many other surveys are sent by other units across campus, but anecdotally, I think it is a lot. Students experience SURVEY FATIGUE—it’s a real thing. Students do not have a lot of free time to take surveys and are certainly not going to waste time on poorly designed or executed surveys. You have to make each survey count (and stop doing so many surveys!). In Student Life Studies, we see some surveys with really low response rates and completion throughout the year for a variety of reasons.
Accountability vs. Improvement
by Darby
In the assessment field, some folks emphasize the difference and conflict between assessment for accountability and assessment for improvement. I don’t see them in opposition to each other. In my mind, they are actually closely related and even complementary, especially if you can plan in advance.
Accountability can elicit a negative connotation. It typically is associated with external requirements, reporting to another entity with specific information which may or may not be seen as important by the people doing the reporting. Other people or organizations are in charge of the process. There may be very specific criteria, or there may be some general guidelines that give the unit some latitude around what they report. It may even be seen as drudgery and certainly not fun!
Improvement, on the other hand, can be seen as internally focused and in control of the person doing the assessment. The assessor decides what to assess, how to assess, when to assess, and who to assess. The process can be flexible in data collection and use. It may even be fun because there is ownership in the content and process.
Realistically, both perspectives serve a purpose. I like to think of it this way: if you are taking care of improving your programs by assessing and using results in a systematic way, then the accountability piece will typically take care of itself for the most part. Obviously, it is important to know what accountability expectations are (when reports are due, the needed information, etc.) so you are not scrambling right before some deadline trying to find information that meets the requirement. Ideally, the process you use to collect data for improvement will meet many of the requirements of accountability processes. Be strategic in planning your assessment, so that you are getting the information you need to improve and are able to use that same process in your reporting and accountability requirements.
Copyright 2025 • Student Affairs Planning, Assessment & Research | Division of Student Affairs • All Rights Reserved. • Hosted by Division of Student Affairs Department of IT