Different Year Different Assessment

This academic year will be like no other that we have experienced in our lifetimes. So much change, so much still unknown. While it can cause us stress and anxiety, it can also be an opportunity to look at assessment differently. It’s easy to fall into a pattern of program—assessment—decisions—planning—program—assessment….That pattern has been disrupted because we can’t provide our programs and services in the same way, which necessitates us changing how we assess.

As always, it is important to understand who our students are, what they need, what they are learning, and how satisfied they are (to name a few). Right now, it might be even more important to understand our students’ sense of belonging, when many of our programs and services are being offered remotely and the quality of those virtual engagements. How are students connecting with their peers, which is especially important for new students? How are students’ connecting with organization advisors? How do you know students are learning something when you cannot necessarily observe them as frequently?

It’s time to be a little creative in your big questions, your data collection, and your analysis. Take a breath, grab your favorite beverage, and reflect on the following question: What is the most important thing we need to know from the students we serve (and those we don’t serve) about their experience in our program or service during a global pandemic? Don’t rush this process. Jot down some words, draw a picture, think of a theme song….

When you have that question answered, think about how you are going to gather information about what you want to know. In the past, you might have had an in person audience who could fill out a survey or provide verbal feedback on the spot. Without that, we have to figure out different ways to collect information. Maybe it’s using Zoom polls or chats, doing something in the learning management system, having students tweet using a hashtag, create a video. I’m not that creative, so I know people can come up with even more interesting ways to collect data.

When you have the data collected, think about the best way to analyze it. You might have done a poll, so you have quantitative data, but you could also have saved the chats which give you qualitative data. A great way to get a fresh perspective is to ask students to help you analyze the data to make meaning out of it. When you have the data analyzed think of creative ways to share it. Can you do something graphically with charts or word clouds?

Your changes may not be earth shattering, but I hope they are meaningful for you and the students you work with. It’s going to take all of us to get through a pandemic, and I hope we take this opportunity to think about what is really important and how we can be of service to the students we serve on a daily basis.