Wow, it worked! But did it take time!! We had to:
I came in to the Assessment Council meetings
when people were talking about rubrics. I was not sure
• meet,
what rubrics were or how it might be helpful to me.
• write down what we wanted students to learn,
Others in the meetings were at my same level and frankly
• figure out what that would look like when we
that felt good. We were all a bit lost. Then, two of our
saw it, and
members talked about how they had used a rubric. They
• decide how we wanted to design the learning
brought it in for us to look at and talked about how it had
experiences.
been helpful to them. Two things clicked for me in that
This seemed to take forever. But, once we
meeting. One, I needed help in my department
figured it out—wow! I really could not
and two, a rubric might be useful to us as
believe it! And the part that was most
well.
surprising was that students liked
how we did the assessment. We
That really started things going
In Our Own Voice
didn’t expect that.
for me. After awhile I managed to
It’s not enough to just go with a
get a couple of people in my
When I think about where
“feeling” that things went well. It’s
department interested and we
my department started
not enough to say “well, people
began to meet and talk over
and how we have changed, I
seemed to have fun, so it must have
ideas. Anyway, it’s a long story
really can’t believe it. I felt
been a success.” In order to be
but we got some ideas and then
like I was thrown into
responsible Student Affairs
we really got going. For the first
assessment because I was
professionals who use resources
time the idea of curriculum,
the last one hired and so
learning, and assessment began
wisely, we have to provide actual
was given the job. No one
to make some sense.
meaningful information (data) that
else wanted it and no one
the learning outcomes were met and
seemed very interested. We
We now use a rubric with
that our programs/services made a
were already collecting
our
students that shows them
positive difference toward student
information like our annual
what
we
want them to learn. We
success.
satisfaction survey, who used
also have some vacant lines where
our services, how many
Melissa Yamamoto,
we ask them to put down some
workshops we did, etc. which I
Student Leadership and Involvement
things that they want to learn and we
thought was pretty good. Students
use this information to outline our
liked us and we were busy—that I
training over the course of the year. By
could document.
using the rubric in both formative and
summative ways we were able to see students
Just when I thought I had a handle on
improve in areas that were weak in the beginning. It
assessment, I discovered that I was supposed to
has
made
a huge difference in helping us to keep our
be measuring learning. LEARNING? I certainly could
training
fresh
and our interactions with students about
talk about what I thought we were teaching students
their
learning
focused
and intentional.
and what I thought they learned but I was asked to
demonstrate learning in a planned, organized way.
Ugh! Something else to add to my schedule and I
was already busy with too much to do and not
enough time to do it. I talked to my Director and was
told that it needed to be done and that I should find
the time to do it. So, I added the Assessment
Council meetings to my schedule on top of
everything else. That is probably the one decision I
made that has mattered the most.
This process worked for me and it has worked for
our department. It got us moving toward enhancing what
we do by intentionally focusing on student learning. That
has made a difference and we got some side benefits as
well in terms of collaboration with another unit, more
departmental involvement, documented student learning,
and newfound colleagues across the division.
Thinking as an educator has made all the difference . . . .
Why Do Assessment?
Page 2
In Our Own Voices
Assessment provides us an
opportunity to document our
growth and development and
helps us identify our
challenges and opportunities to
redirect our efforts when need
be.
Assessment establishes a link
for us with the mission of the
university. It challenges us to
think of ourselves in a way that
is more than service
delivery...it identifies our
contribution to the learning
community.
Assessment allows the
opportunity for us to have
information that allows us to
grow.
Assessment can be fun. It
brings people together.
Assessment allows us to
understand more about the
work of others. That it is
nothing to be frightened of....
Student Affairs and the Learning-Oriented
Organization
The Student Learning Imperative: Implications for Student Affairs (ACPA, 1996)
added to the practice of Student Affairs the idea that we are more than just service
providers or administrators. We are active partners in the learning mission of our
institutions—we are educators.
Until ten years ago, student development had been seen as separate and different
than the development and learning that occurs in classrooms and laboratories. The
Student Learning Imperative challenged us to connect to faculty and the academic
curriculum. Many Student Affairs divisions undertook the challenge to transform
themselves from only student service organizations to learning oriented
organizations. This intentional shift has pressed us to examine more closely
whether or not students actually are learning what we intend for them to learn.
Leskes and Miller (2006) advocated that at a minimum to achieve intentional
educational practice in a learning oriented organization three elements must be in
place. These include:
•
Clear goals and outcomes for student learning;
•
Planned learning experiences (curriculum) include the development of a
set of programs and services (including content) that are sequenced
and delivered in ways that foster student development and learning;
Pat Ketcham,
Student Health Services
•
Planned strategies to deliver the learning experiences (pedagogy)
including the delivery methods—how the curriculum will be delivered
(i.e., workshops, coaching, advising, etc.);
Through learning outcomes
assessment we are able to
show the out-of-classroom,
experiential learning that we
provide students and the value
they receive.
•
Genuine assessment that documents how effective our efforts are in
helping students to reach the outcomes that were set for the curriculum
and pedagogy used.
Kami Hammerschmith,
Student Media
Engaging in assessment has
provided me with a sense of
satisfaction that comes from
knowing that my work has
value. Additionally, I have had
the opportunity to learn an
entirely different way of
thinking about my job. I no
longer see “failure” as
something that is “bad,” but
rather as an opportunity to
create something more
worthwhile.
Jo Alexander,
Disability Access Services
Thus, the learning oriented organization engages in a continuous, systematic and
iterative process directed toward the continuous improvement of student learning.
(See Figure 1).
Foremost in this approach is a practice that demonstrates learning and continuous
improvement at its core. A by-product associated with being a learning-oriented
organization is accountability.
Accountability and Educational Reform
Colleges and universities across the country are being called upon to provide a
highly educated and civically involved new generation of college graduates able to
compete in the global marketplace. This call to action is coupled with the belief that
our colleges and universities have underperformed in their core educational
missions and that the cost of education has created the public outcry for some
reliable gauge that can demonstrate what the consumer gets in return for their
higher education investment.
Why Do Assessment?
Page 3
Figure 1: Cycle of Intentional Learning
Program or
Departmental Goals/
Intended Outcomes
Assessment
Intentional
Learning
Cycle
Mission
Planned learning
experiences
(Curriculum)
Planned strategies to
deliver the learning
experiences
(Pedagogy)
Adapted with permission from Taking Responsibility for the Quality of the Baccalaureate Degree.
Copyright 2004 by the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
In Our Own Voices
In the 1990’s the federal government mandated K-12 learning standards and
methods of measurement. In 2006 the committee appointed by The Secretary
of Education, Margaret Spellings, released The Spellings Commission Report
(A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education (2006))
which articulated various “failings” of higher education and proposed several
standardized measures of “quality” for higher education institutions.
Assessment of student learning was linked to accountability and educational
reform. However, faculty and other educational professionals often saw these
standardized measures as having very little to do with good education or good
professional practice. Accountability and educational reform have primarily
focused on the academic curriculum and pedagogical methodologies.
The response from higher education has thus far resulted in more attention paid
to assessment of student learning through evaluations from regional accrediting
bodies and some specialized accrediting agencies in the hopes that higher
education institutions can direct their own changes. Increasingly divisions of
Student Affairs are being called upon to clearly demonstrate their contributions
to the educational mission of the institution. This trend is predicted to continue
and thus divisions of student affairs are also being asked to account for the
contributions to student learning that are derived from their programs and
services.
In most organizations assessment
is occurring (many times unconsciously) but is random and isolated. By building a structure for
assessment, everyone can learn
from each other. As your assessment informs your program, it
helps you do it more efficiently
and save you time in the long
run. A culture of assessment is
also a culture that is inquisitive. It
keeps everyone engaged and
growing.
Kent Sumner,
Memorial Union
We do assessment to measure
the past, determine where we are
in the present, and give us data to
make decisions for the future.
Rick DeBellis,
Extended Campus
Page 4
Why Do Assessment?
In Our Own Voices
It is essential that we look at
what we are doing and how
we are doing it to see if 1)
what we do is still what is
needed and 2) that our
method of delivery is still
effective.
Student Affairs units are consistently programming, providing services, and
advising students. Consideration of our curriculum and pedagogy must be
emphasized so that we achieve our core purpose of enhancing student learning.
Without the learning context, a system of assessment involves only engaging in part
of a process. The assessment process contains the following steps.
1. Questioning whether or not our actions achieved what we wanted;
2. Defining methods to determine if students really got what we wanted
them to get;
A strong assessment will help
shape more effective
programming, both in terms of
service delivery and
educational value.
3. Collecting evidence or gathering data to help answer our questions;
4. Analyzing the evidence (data) in order to make meaning of the
information; and,
Ann Robinson,
Student Media
I believe it gives me a feeling
of moving forward and being
part of an organization that is
willing to move forward.
Linda Reid, Student Health
Services, and members of the
SHS assessment
committee
5. Taking action to refine and improve programs/services based upon
information.
Assessment done within the context of the learning-oriented organization becomes
the means for realizing our potential.
Figure 2 graphically represents the cyclic nature of assessment .
Figure 2: Assessment as an Iterative Process
Take action
Did that work?
(Activity)
(Question)
Mission
Goals
Make meaning of the
evidence
Intended
Outcomes
(Analyze)
(Define Methods)
Gather needed
evidence
Adapted with permission from Assessing For
Learning by Peggy Maki. Copyright 2004 by
Stylus Publishing.
What information is
needed?
(Collect Data)
Page 5
Why Do Assessment?
Improvement of Student Learning is Primary
In Our Own Voices
Assessment is one piece of a process that prompts us to be intentionally focused on
student learning and our role as educators. In order to be successful with our call to
help students fulfill their best potential, our organizations, our students, and our
universities require thoughtful, genuine, and professionally developed learning
experiences (curriculum) that are implemented and delivered in multiple ways over
time (pedagogy). Improvement of student learning is primary. Accountability is a
secondary outcome and is built in to the learning-oriented organizational model
which has a much higher purpose than mere accountability.
Figure 3 graphically portrays the relationship between the learning oriented
organization and the cyclic process of assessment.
Assessment is a way to measure our successes so that we
can more clearly tell our story to
others—related to what we are
trying to accomplish and our
degree of success. Assessment provides insight into our
work.
Lisa Hoogesteger,
Department of Recreational
Sports
Figure 3: Relationship between the Intentional Learning Cycle and the Iterative Process of Assessment
Program or
Departmental
Goals/
Outcomes
The learning oriented organization
uses assessment as part of a larger
process of continually learning and
improving based upon systematic
and intentional assessment. Here
assessment is an integral part of a
more holistic learning process.
Did that
work?
(Question)
Take
action
(Act)
Planned
learning
experiences
(Curriculum)
Assessment
Iterative Process of Assessment
Mission
Mission
Planned
strategies to
deliver the
learning
experiences
(Pedagogy)
Adapted with permission from Taking Responsibility
for the Quality of the Baccalaureate Degree. Copyright 2004 by the Association of American Colleges
and Universities.
Mission
Goals
Make meaning of
the evidence
(Analyze)
Goals
Intended
Outcomes
Intended
outcomes
What information
is needed?
(Define methods)
Helping students learn is a planned,
strategic, and intentional process.
Gather evidence
(Collect data)
Adapted with permission from Assessing For Learning by
Peggy Maki. Copyright 2004 by Stylus Publishing.
Page 6
Why Do Assessment?
In Our Own Voices
Assessment has revealed to us
as a council the areas where
departments are affecting the
student experience in similar
ways. In turn we can work collaboratively to achieve these
outcomes. Personally, I have a
deeper understanding of the
division of Student Affairs and
its mission and vision. I have a
clearer understanding of my role
in the organization and how I
can make an impact on our students in a meaningful way that
is congruent to the mission of
Student Affairs.
Claire Bennett,
Office of Admissions
We do assessment because in
doing so we become more intentional, more focused on
learning (ours and our students), more reflective about
our work, and overall can become better practitioners.
Rebecca Sanderson,
Student Affairs Research and
Evaluation
The value I derive in engaging
in assessment is both professional and personal. Professionally, it allows me to interact and
collaborate with talented colleagues with whom I might not
otherwise have an opportunity. I
have learned a lot from these
colleagues not only about assessment but about how other
components of the university
contribute to the whole. Personally, it provides me with increased knowledge about how
to improve my own practice to
better engage with students and
ensure they are learning what I
want them to know.
Linda Reid, Student Health
Services, and members of the
SHS assessment committee
In 2001 the Willamette University Task Force on Campus Life issued a report
entitled, Towards a Powerful Co-Curriculum: A Report from the Task Force on
Campus Life. In that report the task force defined the co-curriculum as a “. . . set
of goals and the means to achieve them, a designed context for student learning
beyond the classroom. The co-curriculum is intentional and durable rather than
random and ephemeral” (p. 7).
It is a systems approach that is collaborative, allows for many entry points, utilizes
a variety of skills and talents, increases knowledge, provides support systems, and
can be a source of stimulation and renewal.
A successful system is effective in helping students reach their educational and
personal goals by focusing their attention on educationally purposeful activity,
designed and delivered through the curricular and co-curricular offerings.
Importance of a Clear Focus on Student Learning
We must intentionally partner with our academic colleagues as academic general
education core curricula are changing and overall learning outcomes for the core
curriculum are being developed and evaluated. The world is more “. . . complex,
turbulent, and more reliant on knowledge than ever before. But educational
practices invented when higher education served only the few are increasingly
disconnected from the needs of contemporary students” ( AAC&U, 2002, p. x).
Today’s students are more diverse, overall less engaged in educational activities,
and increasingly ill-prepared for the challenges they will face as they graduate from
colleges and universities. We must be more intentional, more focused, and more
engaged in providing significant and purposeful learning experiences. And, we
need to know that what we are providing is having the desired impact on our
students. We cannot afford to continue to deliver programs to students as we have
in the past and expect them to be prepared for a more complex future.
Oregon State University Division of Student Affairs
Early assessment efforts in Student Affairs focused almost entirely on data
collection about customer satisfaction and usage. While this was a great starting
place and provided some information about our programs, services, and students,
it did not address the link between our work and student learning and
development.
We have moved forward from those initial efforts and have developed systems and
structures to support efforts to assess the impact of our programs on student
learning. Often we are consulted about our work by colleges and universities
across the country and have been featured in several publications and research
projects.
Although we are an example for many other divisions of Student Affairs, we do not
have engagement from all areas within our own division. Thus, we cannot wholly
demonstrate the level to which we influence student learning and development.
Page 7
Why Do Assessment?
Now is the time to intentionally examine, better articulate, and align our cocurricular work to ensure that we are offering a coherent set of experiences that
are integral to the academic mission of OSU. This type of intentional work is
occurring across OSU and the academic spectrum and must also occur across all
units within Student Affairs and the co-curriculum.
We must all be thoughtful, focused and intentional in articulating our intended
outcomes. We must articulate our curriculum so that we know what and how we
are going to provide learning experiences. We must be collaborative and data
based in our planning and execution. We must use the structures and support
systems available to us in order to produce data that is truly informative. We must
all engage with each other in meaningful ways and use data to inform our work and
communicate our outcomes and impact on student learning, in order to design our
best possible future.
__________
This publication was written and developed by the
In Our Own Voices
It is fun to be a part of the bigger
picture of a department that connects to our mission as a unit as
well as the mission of the wider
SA and OSU constituencies. I
feel more connected to the programs we do and to making them
more effective rather than just
repeating what has always been
done in the past.
Being part of the assessment
team through my department is
challenging because it pushes
me within my department to
question our decisions as well as
not remain stagnant.
Michele Ribeiro,
Counseling and Psychological
Services
Oregon State University
Student Affairs Assessment Council
March, 2009
Active Members of the Student Affairs Assessment Council
Jo Alexander, Disability Access
Services
Eric Hansen, Housing and Dining
Services
Angi Baxter, Research and Evaluation
Lisa Hoogesteger, Recreational Sports
Claire Bennett, Admissions
Pat Ketcham, Student Health Services
Adry Clark, Career Services
Anne Lapour, Career Services
Tina Clawson, Recreational Sports
Jodi Nelson, Vice Provost’s Office
Allison Davis-White Eyes, Intercultural
Services
Linda Reid, Student Health Services
Tyler De Adder, School of Electrical
Engineering and Computer Science
Rick DeBellis, Extended Campus
Beth Dyer, Counseling and
Psychological Services
Kerry Evans, Recreational Sports
Kami Hammerschmith, Student Media
Michele Ribeiro, Counseling and
Psychological Services
Ann Robinson, Student Media
Assessment provides an integrity
to my work and the work of our
department.
Pat Ketcham,
Student Health Services
Our pace of advancement depends on the effectiveness and
efficiency of today’s actions. We
can ensure the greatest benefit
by properly measuring the results
of our decisions, and redirecting
our actions according to what we
learn. Trial and error has proved
to be a valuable method for solving problems, but will always take
a back seat to informed decision
making.
Tina Clawson,
Department of Recreational
Sports
Rebecca Sanderson, Research and
Evaluation
Kent Sumner, Memorial Union
Melissa Yamamoto, Student Leadership
and Involvement
“In Our Own Voices”
sections are written by
individual members of the
OSU Student Affairs
Assessment Council.
Page 8
Why Do Assessment?
In Our Own Voices
I am fortunate to work with some
very wonderful colleagues whose
commitment, energy, sense of humor, and dedication are wonderful.
I have also been able to use my
creativity in ways that have felt very
freeing and energizing. I have also
been able to see the “fruits of my
labor” in some very concrete ways.
Mostly the value however, is that it
has helped me be a better professional.
Rebecca Sanderson,
Student Affairs Research and
Evaluation
References
American College Personnel Association. (1996). The student learning
imperative: Implications for student affairs. Washington, DC: ACPA.
Association of American Colleges and Universities. (2004). Taking responsibility
for the quality of the baccalaureate degree. Washington, DC: Association of
American Colleges and Universities.
Association of American Colleges and Universities. (2002). Greater
expectations: A new vision for learning as a nation goes to college.
Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Leskes, A. & Miller, R. (2006). Purposeful pathways: Helping students achieve
key learning outcomes. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges
and Universities.
Maki, P. L. (2004). Assessing for Learning. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.
Assessment is a wonderful way to
understand our various departments’ interconnectedness and the
possibilities that our departments
provide for students.
Pat Ketcham,
Student Health Services
The value is in discovering areas
for improvement, and finding successful ways to make the improvements.
Linda Reid,
Student Health Services, and
members of the SHS assessment
committee
In general, immersion in the critical
thinking process has caused me to
view the world differently. It has
heightened my awareness of the
data around me and armed me with
a practical caution about its interpretation. It has encouraged me to
ask questions about origins and
assumptions behind statements.
Tina Clawson,
Department of Recreational Sports
U.S. Department of Education (2006). A test of leadership: Charting the future
of U.S. higher education. Washington, DC. Downloaded on October 24, 2008
from http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/hiedfuture/reports/final-report.pdf
Willamette University Task Force on Campus Life. (2001). Towards a powerful
co-curriculum: A report from the task force on campus life. Salem, OR:
Willamette University.
Steps for Developing an
Intentional Learning Cycle
1. What specifically do you want students to learn from you and your
program? Write that down.
2. What curriculum (set of learning experiences and content) are you
using to achieve that end? Write that down in sequence, timing,
delivery methods.
3. Identify what you would see if students successfully achieved #1.
Write that down.
4. Develop a way or ways to collect that information and compile/
analyze it. Write that down.
5. Take time to think about and reflect upon the information you
collected. Write that down.
6. Use the data and reflections on the data to improve your program.
Write that down.
7. Congratulations, you have developed an intentional learning cycle
with appropriate assessment and documentation.
Ask for help, consultation, support, and mentoring from the Student Affairs
Assessment Council. We are in the process, we also struggle to understand
and implement our learning, we have successes, we know this works and can
make us more effective in our work to educate our students.