Module 7: Moving Forward

Assessment has the power to positively transform our programs and our student’s educational experience; however, we must be strategic when creating, promoting and maintaining a culture of assessment at our institutions. We must make sure to obtain commitment across campus and leadership levels; to be consistent with our language and framework; to communicate clearly, frequently, and transparently with stakeholders across campus, and connect our assessments to larger the institutional mission, goals, and culture.

 

In “Building a Culture of Evidence in Student Affairs,” Culp (2012) describes steps to consider when building a plan to create, promote, or maintain a culture of assessment at your campus (p. 24-27).

  • Create a culture of assessment baseline, which may help you develop an accurate picture of your department, division, or institution’s strengths and weaknesses.
  • Recognize and build on areas in student affairs that already have culture of assessment components in place.
  • Identify gaps that matter.
  • Develop a plan to build on strengths, minimize weaknesses, and deal with gaps that have the potential to weaken culture of assessment initiatives.
  • Link assessment plans to each staff member’s annual goals and performance reviews.
  • Provide ample opportunities for student affairs professionals to implement their professional development plan. Arrange trainings, invite consultants to campus if feasible, organize student groups, and support participation in webinars and state or national conferences.
  • Identify key stakeholders across the institution who are capable of and willing to assist student affairs professionals in designing and implementing an effective culture of assessment.
  • Develop a culture of assessment plan that is realistic and leverages the skills and resources available in the student affairs division.
  • Tie the culture of assessment plan to the institution’s culture of evidence plan and to the budgeting and resource allocation process in student affairs.
  • Test and refine the culture of assessment plan.
  • Communicate with student affairs colleagues in a positive, data-based manner about the importance of establishing a culture of assessment and how such a culture will strengthen the institutions’ ability to fulfill its mission and reach its goals—and increase the ability of student affairs to compete for institutional, state, and national funding.

Overcoming Obstacles

When creating, promoting, or maintaining a culture of assessment at your institution, many student affairs professionals have come across these four common barriers (Bresciani, 2006):

  1. Lack of understanding of the value and importance of assessment
  2. Limited time and resources
  3. Limited understanding/expertise in assessment
  4. Perceived benefits of assessment are not enough to engage in assessment

 

Many of the hesitations from members within our institutional communities stem from the fear that comes from the unknown of what it means to assess one’s programs or services. Many believe assessments findings may be used to reduce program funding, eliminate jobs or resources, and expose their program weaknesses with a fear of reprimand.  Moreover, student affairs staff may already feel taxed and have perceived limited time to engage in assessment, especially if they feel they do have the skills needed to do this work.

 

All of these fears can be alleviated. Open communication about and transparency around assessment is a good place to start. Members in our communities—from students to top-level institutional leaders—need to understand what assessment means and how assessment data will be consistently used. Provide the opportunities for skill building early on and often. It is never too early to build trust when we have asked staff to participate in the assessment process. When we ask departments and programs to complete assessments, we also ask them to be transparent—which may leave many individuals feeling vulnerable to process and results (Bresciani, 2006). There must be trust that the institution’s decision makers will make informative and careful decisions based on a department or program’s outcomes, evaluations, data, and recommendations. Once this trust is built, members in our communities will continue to participate in assessments and reviews and may help expand assessment efforts across the institution (Bresciani, 2006). Building staff competency to do assessment is also essential. By providing training and resources ongoing, staff will have the skills needed to do this work.

Reference

Bresciani, M. J. (2006). Outcomes-based academic and co-curricular program review: A compilation of institutional good practices. Stylus Publishing, LLC.

 

Culp, M. M. & Dungy, G.J. (Eds.).  (2012). Building a culture of evidence in student affairs: A guide for leaders and practitioners. Washington, DC: NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.

Culp, M. M. (2012). Building a culture of evidence in student affairs: Establishing a baseline.  Retrieved from http://apps.naspa.org/cultureofevidence/MOD2PP.pdf Links to an external site.

 

Kennedy-Phillips, L. (2015, September 11). Oregon Assessment Conference. Oregon State University.

 

Maki, P. L. (2010). Assessing for learning: Building a sustainable commitment across the institution. Stylus Publishing, LLC.