Assessment of Civic Engagement

Northfield, MN

February 25-26, 2011

MN Campus Compact

Civic Engagement & the Academy

"The cultivation of virtues associated with . . . 'personal and social responsibility’ was a guiding principle for the original American liberal arts colleges."

"A recent study of 331 mission statements from top-ranked colleges and universities suggests that one-third of the campuses currently address values, character, ethical challenges, and/or social justice in their mission.”

Hersh and Schneider, 2005

Civic Engagement & the Academy

“[M]any view colleges and universities as having an obligation to prepare morally astute individuals who will positively contribute to the communities in which they will participate”

Hersh and Schneider, 2005

"[E]ducators must equip students with the values, skills and knowledge to become complex thinkers and ethical decision-makers in a society currently plagued with conflict and inequality.” Sylvia Hurtado, 2009

What is “Civic Engagement”?

“For some it denotes any activity that involves groups or communities external to the academy.  Others equate it with the cultivation of political knowledge or of political processes, and perhaps even a sense of political agency.  Still others use the term to describe the development of democratic, creative, caring, committed citizens who actively contribute to creating a democratic society.” Harkavy and Hartley, 2008

Civic Engagement?

Source: jumahmonitor.com

Civic Engagement?

Source: onlineusanews.com

Who decides?

Source: Source:

1001zones.com NY Times

Who’s more engaged?

Source: Source:

thirdage.com biglicknews.blogspot.com

Civic Engagement?

What is it? Who decides? What “counts” as civic engagement? Who counts it? How?

These Questions = Assessment

What is CE on Your Campus?

Service learning Volunteerism Community partnerships Course content Assignments General Education or MN Transfer

Curriculum Student perceptions, attitudes, beliefs

What to Assess? Student learning? Student perceptions? Number of projects on campus? Quality of projects on campus? Impact of projects on campus? Community perceptions of institution? Number of relationships to community partners? Quality of relationships? Impact of relationships?

Where to Assess?

In assignments? At course level? In projects/partnerships? At program/department level? In the community? At the institutional level?

How to Assess? Student learning outcomes

– Tests– Rubrics– Random samplings

Perceptions– Interviews– Surveys

Number/Nature of activities– Inventories– Checklists

Impact of efforts– Dollars– Hours– Testimonials– Focus groups

Challenges to Assessing Engagement in the Academy

"Assessing these institutionally specific[engagement] goals [. . . ] is often a complex task.”

"[D]ifficulty arises from our tendency to 'compartmentalize' assessments, employing one set of instruments for the climate, another for student outcomes.”

Sylvia Hurtado, 2009

Overcoming Challenges Breathe deeply Start with whatever you have:– Good teaching/learning (assignments)– Existing connections to community partners– Institutional goals in place

Exploit opportunities– Direct measures (observable, rubrics, learning)– Indirect measures (perceptions, inferences)

Embrace complexity Move slowly but INTENTIONALLY Review effective practices/models

Assessment as Process Definitions– Institution-wide– In programs, departments and courses– In assignments

Measures/Outcomes Data collection tools– Rubrics (e.g., VALUE from AAC&U)– Surveys (NSSE, Noel-Levitz, ACT)

Closing the loop Iterative

Goals of Workshop

Identify strengths and opportunities of own situation

Move your own process to next level Connect with and learn from other teams Identify allies at own campuses Use facilitators as a resource Engage yourself with engagement and

assessment

Format of Workshop

Concurrent sessions repeated Time for individual team work Time for networking Time to plan, review, evaluate Time to enjoy

Engage!

Assessment:

– Enables creation of concrete tools that explicitly define, teach and measure these skills

– Provides evidence/data of impact and effectiveness of CE efforts

– Allows for more nuanced and effective discourse around these issues

“Educating for personal and social responsibility will take nothing less than a pervasive cultural shift within the academy.” Hersh and Schneider, 2005