Our Story:Our Story: The Story of One Student Affairs Division’s Quest to Improve Assessment
Don Whalen, Coordinator of Assessment, Department of
Residence
Carolyn Nading, Assistant Registrar, Office of the Registrar
NASPA International Assessment & Retention Conference
St. Louis, MO
June 10th, 2007
Overview:Overview:I. Where are you at?II. Why do we have an assessment
committee?III. Who is involved in the
assessment committee?IV. What are the involvements of
the assessment committee?V. When is the committee active?VI. Where does the committee do
it’s work?VII. How does the assessment team
do what it does?VIII.Conclusions/discussion/
questions
Where are you at?Where are you at?
• Do you have an assessment office on your campus?
• Do you have an assessment person or staff dedicated to assessment in your student affairs division?
• Where would you rate your student affairs division in its assessment efforts: beginning, intermediate or advanced?
Iowa State University Iowa State University FactsFacts• 1st land-grant institution in U.S.
• Student Population = 25,462 (Fall 06)– 20,440 undergraduates– 4,583 graduate/professional students
• Six undergraduate colleges– Agriculture, Business, Design, Engineering,
Human Sciences, & Liberal Arts & Sciences• Carnegie Doctoral/Research Extensive
University • Accredited by the Higher Learning
Commission, a commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
Division of Student Division of Student AffairsAffairs
• Enrollment Services– Admissions– New Student
Programs– Student Financial
Aid• Registrar’s Office• Student Counseling
Service• Student Health
Center• Memorial Union
– Student Activities & Organizations
• Dept. of Residence• Dining Services
• International Students & Scholars
• Learning Communities • Dean of Students:
– Academic Success Center
– Disability Resources– Greek Affairs– Judicial Affairs– LGBT Student Services– Multicultural Student
Affairs– Recreation Services– Student Legal Services– Women’s Center
WhyWhy do we have an do we have an Assessment Committee?Assessment Committee?
• Implementation• Committee charge• Changes in leadership &
membership• Defining and shaping our
purpose
The purpose of the Assessment The purpose of the Assessment TeamTeam
• Establish a liaison with the university assessment efforts, including those of the Provost’s Office and Institutional Research
• Conduct Assessment for the Division (consistent with the Student Affairs Strategic Plan)
• Identify or establish professional development opportunities related to assessment
• Act as a resource for departments within the division. Communicate with department level teams or staff with assessment responsibilities.
WhoWho is involved in the is involved in the Assessment Committee?Assessment Committee?
• Original Committee Make-Up• Current Committee Make-Up
– Representation at all levels– Entry-level professionals– Registrar component (unique)– Full-time Researcher- DoR
• Support Staff
WhatWhat are the are the involvements of the involvements of the
committee?committee?
• Educate division staff at all levels– Departmental Outreach: training
sessions & meetings with each department
– Members consulted with departments – Encourage assessment within the
division and its’ departments– Annual reporting of projects– Project support through review of
assessment methodology
WhatWhat are the are the involvements of the involvements of the committee? committee? (cont.)
• Collaboration between departments
• Resource for departments within the division
• Keeping assessments aligned with the strategic plan
• Assessment of committee involvements
WhenWhen is the committee is the committee active?active?
• Creating the culture of improvement
• General activity during the academic year
• Training activities• Activity at various roles
and levels• When to engage students
in assessment initiatives
WhereWhere does the does the committee do it’s work?committee do it’s work?
• General meeting structure- once per month
• Previously twice per month• Meeting w/ departmental
staffs• Informal contacts among
members
HowHow does the assessment does the assessment team team
do what it does?do what it does?• Education of staff
– Assessment basics• Developing outcomes, qualitative & quantitative
research, focus groups, survey development
– Assessment-related skills• Excel, pivot tables, queries, SPSS, Stata,
knowledge of data
– Available resources on campus• Institutional Research (CIRP, NSSE), Statistics Lab,
RISE, Registrar’s data
– Encouraging collaboration– Establish working relationships– Consultation– Common readings on assessment
HowHow does the assessment does the assessment team do what it does?team do what it does?
• Group Projects– Research
• “Financial, Academic, & Environmental Influences on the Retention & Graduation of Students” retention project
• Student leadership study
– Surveys • Student Opinion Survey• NASPA gambling survey • NASPA benchmarking survey• Student Affairs Satisfaction survey (local)• Student Employment Survey (local)
HowHow does the assessment does the assessment team do what it does?team do what it does?
• Reports• Publications • Presentations
– On-campus– Regional– National/International
• Budget
Discussion:Discussion:
• Would this model work on your campus? What changes would you need to make?
• What barriers would you face in implementation?
• Who would you need buy-in from to make it happen?
Other Questions:Other Questions:
• What has been successful for you to get people involved in assessment at your institution?
• Have you formed collaborative relationships with faculty or others outside of student affairs?
• How have these collaborations enriched your campus community? Have any projects or initiatives resulted?
“If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn’t
be called research, would it?”
~Albert Einstein
Conclusion/Conclusion/QuestionsQuestions
Please feel free to contact us for further
information/questions:
Carolyn Nading- [email protected]
Don Whalen- [email protected]
http://www.iastate.edu/