Assess This!

Laurie A. BerryKaren A. Huseman

University of Southern Indiana

BLAH

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BLAH

BLAH

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• Key Lingo• Brainstorming assessment• Research questions• Reporting methods

Outline

CREATING

Key Lingo

Definitions

• Assessment is the gathering of information about students, staff and institutions of higher learning (Astin, 1991).

• Assessment is any effort to gather, analyze, and interpret evidence which describes institutional, divisional or agency effectiveness (Upcraft and Schuh, 1996).

Definitions

• Assessment is the process of providing credible evidence of

– resources

– implementation actions, and

– outcomes

undertaken for the purposes of improving the effectiveness of

– instruction

– programs, and

– services

in higher education (Banta & Palomba, 2015).

Assessment versus Research

• Assessment guides good practice

• Implications for a single institution or program

• Research guides theory development and tests concepts

• Broader implications for student affairs or higher education

Types of Assessment

• Surveys• Needs assessment surveys• Eco-system environmental surveys• Scoring rubrics• Tracking & counts• Analysis of existing data

Quantitative

• Environmental scans• Focus groups• Interviews• Personal journals• Staff journals• Participant observations

Qualitative

Direct and indirect measures

• Direct assessment measures are standardized or non-standardized measures demonstrating competency in specific areas.

• Indirect assessment are subjective data combined with other measures (enrollment or graduation data) that can be indicators of student learning.

Brainstorming

What assessment measures do youuse on your campus?

Assessment Measures

• EBI resident satisfaction survey• MAP-Works survey• Diversity survey• Student Learning Outcomes survey• Social media polls• Three things you learned• 1 minute reflection

USI HRL assessments

Small Group

• Discuss possible assessment questions.

• Pick one question for the group from the list generated.

• List the types of assessment you would use to look into this area.

• Share with us.

12 Guiding Questions

1. What is the problem?

2. What is the purpose?

3. Who/what will be studied?

4. What is the best assessment method?

5. How do we decide who/what to study?

6. How should the data be collected?

12 Guiding Questions*

7. What instrument(s) do we use?

8. Who should collect the data?

9. How should we record the data?

10. How do we analyze the data?

11. How do we report the results?

12. How do we use the results?

* Taken from Upcraft and Schuh (1996, p. 316)

Compiling Data

Quantitative• Mean= all of your scores/the number of scores

• Frequency= how many times did this happen

• Use visuals when possible/or logical strings (Question one which stated, “do you own a cell phone?” yielded a response of 4,409 (88%) for yes, 610 (12%) for no, and 1 missing response.)

QualitativeLooking for themes

Compiling Data

Writing Reports

• Meaningful title• Executive summary• Statement of purpose• Design• Results• Summary of interpretation of results• Recommendations• Appendices

Components

• Executive summary (1- 2 pages)• Short report (3- 5 pages)• Targeted supplemental reports• Full report

Report types

HELP

WHAT YOU

OTHERS

Report Examples

Report Examples

Report Examples

Courtesy of PaulGordonBrown.files.wordpress.com

Laurie A. Berrylberry@usi.edu@LaurieABerry

Karen A. Husemankahuseman@usi.edu

Resources

Astin, A. W., & American Council on Education. (1991). Assessment for excellence: The philosophy and practice of assessment and evaluation in higher education. New York: American Council on Education.

Astin, A. W., & Antonio, A. L. (2012). Assessment for excellence: The philosophy and practice of assessment and evaluation in higher education. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Banta, T. W. & Palomba, C. A. (2015). Assessment essentials: Planning, implementing, and improving assessment in higher education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Banta, T. W., Jones, E. A., & Black, K. E. (2009). Designing effective assessment: Principles and profiles of good practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Clouder, D. L. (2012). Improving student engagement and development through assessment: Theory and practice in higher education. London: Routledge.

Keeling, R. P., & International Center for Student Success and Institutional Accountability. (2008). Assessment reconsidered: Institutional effectiveness for student success. United States: ICSSIA.

Upcraft, M. L., & Schuh, J. H. (1996). Assessment in student affairs: A guide for practitioners. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Walvoord, B. E. F. (2010). Assessment clear and simple: A practical guide for institutions, departments, and general education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.