ASSESSING STUDENT LEARNING
ABOUT DIVERSITY
at two faith-based institutions
Lisa Bortman Pepperdine University
Tatiana Nazarenko Westmont College
Dinora Cardoso Westmont College
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Workshop Learning Outcomes
You will

Learn how to design and implement various assessment methods
(signature assignment, surveys, focus groups) for collecting the evidence
about Diversity on campus.

Learn how to use quantitative and qualitative evidence for diagnosing
challenges and developing an intervention plan.

Develop an action plan based on the assessment
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Basic Purposes of Our Study

Assess the Institutions’ Missions, Values, and Learning Outcomes

Diversity and faith development through social justice issues.

Holistic rubric.

Longitudinal assessment.

Opportunity to:
o Identify trends around students’ understanding of diversity and social justice at
religious institutions, and
o Develop measurement tools in the areas of diversity, global learning, and faith
development.
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Initial Stage 2014–15

Pepperdine University, University of San Diego, and Westmont College
collaborated on developing :
 A signature assignment
o Readings: paired with
o Prompt questions
 A Diversity and Social Justice rubric based on the AAC&U Value Rubrics
 The three campuses piloted the diversity project.
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Rubric Categories*
Graded on a four-point scale:
 Self-Awareness
 Cultural Diversity
 Empathy
 Social Responsibility
 Understanding Systems
 Faith
* Adapted from the AAC&U Value Rubrics
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Interactive Group Activity
Discuss at your table:
 What is your institution’s Learning Outcome for
diversity?
 What types of assignments, readings, and prompts
could be used to test diversity on your campus?
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Titles Included in Case Studies
Pepperdine University:
 Kids Deal with Vomiting, Burning Eyes Working on Tobacco Farms
 Here’s What You Need to Know About the Kidnapped Nigerian Girls, Boko
Harem and How the U.S. is Getting Involved
 Who Gets to Graduate? [High-achieving students from low-income
families run into numerous challenges on their way to graduation]
Westmont College:
 Shoppers fighting back against ‘shopping while black’ profiling with social
media, lawsuits
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Direct Assessment
Tools, Methodology,
and Key Findings
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Diversity and Social Justice
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Results
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Results
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FINDINGS
Results from this project revealed that Pepperdine
students scored, on average, at the milestone levels (2
and 3)
Pepperdine’s graduate student participants also scored
on similar levels as did its undergraduate students.
To score a 3 or 4, respondents had to provide analysis
and insight that demonstrated they understood issues
from more than one perspective.
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DIVERSITY
An unexpected result was that a significant number of students scored in the
benchmark (1) range of every dimension in the study.
The benchmark designation was initially included in the study primarily to
identify weaknesses or describe a limited understanding of the issues.
One focus group participant pointed out that students could easily go
through four years of college without taking a class that raised issues
pertaining to diversity. Other participants explained that they had learned
about diversity primarily through living and interacting with people of
diverse backgrounds in the residence halls, but they noted that it would be
easy to avoid such interaction. Quality interaction with—rather than merely
being in the presence of—people of diverse backgrounds is necessary to help
students develop deeper understandings of diversity.
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FAITH
Another unexpected result from the study was the scores
recorded in the dimension of faith. In the faith category, the
rubric required participants to address faith as practiced by
others and interfaith collaborations in order to be placed in one
of the higher categories.
Although students essay responses were lower than hoped for
students in the focus groups were better able to articulate the
relationship between their faith and their perspectives and
beliefs about diversity and social justice. In the focus groups,
students indicated that loving others is a key Christian concept.
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Direct Assessment
Signature Assignment
“Diversity Reflections”
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Direct Assessment: Westmont College’s Tools
 In 2015-16, a Diversity Assessment Committee was assembled.
 The committee adapted the rubric from the preliminary study.
 A similar reading focused strictly on race was also chosen.
 Students wrote short essay responses to six prompt questions.
 The modified diversity assignment was titled “Diversity Reflection.”
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Direct Assessment: Methodology
 Senior-level courses participated in the Spring 2015.
 Student written responses (n=81) were collected via LiveText.
 Faculty and staff trained to assess responses.
 Two assessors read each student’s answers.
 After the DSA was scored, the entire team gathered to
 Discuss results.
 Generate a list of pertinent questions.
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Direct Assessment: Westmont Demographics
Participants
67% seniors
22% juniors
10% sophomores
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Direct Assessment: Westmont Results
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Direct Assessment: Key Findings
 Between 21% and 37% of students were at the initial stage of
development on the dimensions of the rubric.
 The highest scores were in the dimensions of empathy, understanding,
and applying principles of cultural diversity.
 The lowest scores related to social responsibility and faith.
 Overall, Westmont seniors did not demonstrate better results than their
under-classmates.
 Ethnic minority students demonstrated better results than white students.
 Female students outperformed male students.
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Indirect Assessment
Student DLE Survey,
Faculty/Staff Surveys
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Indirect Assessment: Spring 2016 Student DLE Survey
 Joseph Briones, a senior from Kinesiology, conducted the Student
Diverse Learning Environmental (DLE) Survey based on HERI as his
Honors project.
 Students’ responses (n=350) to eight questions were compared to similar
survey administered in 2011.
 The 2016 DLE demonstrated that overall student awareness about
diversity has increased.
 Students are more introspective about programming, more eager to learn,
and more prepared to interact with individuals or groups unlike
themselves.
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Indirect Assessment: Faculty/Staff Surveys
 Fall 2016 - selected questions from the Student Diverse Learning
Environments Survey (DSLES) were administered to Westmont faculty
and staff.
 The main purpose was to determine whether Westmont faculty and staff
see student diversity learning environments through the same lenses as
students do.
 61 faculty and 107 staff members responded to the survey.
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Indirect Assessment: Results
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Interactive Group Activity
In groups, develop an Action Plan
(3-5 items) for addressing the
issues identified by the Diversity
ILO assessment.
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Westmont College: Closing the Loop
 Fall 2016, the assessment results were presented at:
 College Diversity Committee
 Faculty Academic Senate
 Faculty meeting and faculty input collected and discussed by the Academic Senate
 The results were posted on the Educational Effectiveness website.
 December 2016, the Strategic Planning Committee identified diversity as
one of the college’s cross-cutting strategic goals.
 Spring 2017 President formed a Diversity Track of Work.
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Westmont Closing the Loop
 Curriculum: The Lead Assessment Specialist is updating the inventory of
courses that make ethnic, gender and cultural (non-western) diversity
their prevalent focus.
 Surveying students of color: Do we fully understand our majority and
minority students’ needs for learning about diversity?
 Faculty Professional Development: There is a clear need for faculty to
learn the necessary tools for facilitating discussions on diversity. One
challenge will be in securing a commitment from a critical number of
faculty members in each department to be trained in this area.
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Westmont College: Closing the Loop
 Recruitment and retention: New approaches to recruiting and
retaining faculty of color are being explored.
 Infrastructure: A mechanism for courageous conversations on
various aspects of diversity for students, faculty and staff needs to
be created.
 Staffing: Is it feasible for the college to establish the position of a
chief diversity officer with a 50% administrative and 50% teaching
load?
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Thank you!
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