Assessment in Student Affairs:Some Thoughts on a Tricky Business

Peter T. Ewell

National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS)

Student Affairs Assessment Conference

Emory University

October 14, 2013

Logic of This Keynote

Challenges and Dilemmas of Assessment Practice in Student Affairs: What Makes This a Tricky Business

Growing Demand for the Kinds of Proficiencies at the Center of Student Affairs

Some (Occasionally Odd) Techniques for Getting at These Proficiencies

Using Results of Assessment to Improve Programming and Practice in Student Affairs

A Prefatory Comment

Two Worlds of Assessment:

Academic: Faculty Want to Know About that Small Piece of the Student that is Trying to Learn [Mathematics, History, etc.]

Student Affairs Professional: Want to Know About the Experience and Development of the Whole Student that is Experiencing an Emotional, Attitudinal, and Cognitive Process of Transformation

Some Particular Challenges of Assessment in Student Affairs

The Domains of Interest are Not Easy to “Measure”

Many of Them are Affected by Dispositions to Act in Particular Ways Even Though Students “Know” What they Should Do

Attributions of Cause are Hard to Relate to Individual or Isolable Programmatic Features or Elements

The Growing Demand for These Kinds of Proficiencies

Employer Complaints About Recent College Graduates [and What They Want Instead]

Demands for Integrated Abilities and Practical Competence

Reflected in Prominent Expectations Frameworks Like the Lumina Degree Qualifications Profile (DQP) and AAC&U’s LEAP Goals

Graduate Attributes: Top Choices for Employers from 2013 AAC&U Survey

Percent Reporting “Very” and “Somewhat” Important:

Ethical Judgment and Integrity – 96%

Comfortable with Diverse Backgrounds – 98%

Demonstrated Capacity for Professional Development – 94%

Interest in Giving Back to Communities Our Company Serves – 71%

Some Proposed Revisions to DQP 2.0

Confronts the ethical issues present in prominent problems in politics, economics, society, scholarship, or the arts and demonstrates how at least two different ethical perspectives, influence decision making with respect to such problems

Describes how knowledge from different cultural perspectives would affect inter pretations of prominent problems in politics, society, the arts and/or global relations

Some AAC&U LEAP Goals

Ethical Reasoning and Action

Inter-Cultural Knowledge and Competence

Teamwork and Problem Solving

Civic Knowledge and Engagement – Global and Local

Foundations and Skills for Lifelong Learning

Some Useful Approaches for Gathering Evidence About Values and Dispositions

Survey Items and Item Construction

Time Diaries and the “Beeper Study”

Formal Focus Groups and Interviews

Informal Observation and Imagery

Checklists

Rubrics Applied to Behavior and Work Products

Inventories of Good Practice

Survey Items and Item Construction

Scales with Even Numbers of Decision Points

“Semantic Differential” Items

Scenario Based Items (e.g. The Defining Issues Test)

Open-Ended Items (e.g. “Areas and Agents of Change”)

Semantic Differential Items Example

“Areas and Agents of Change” Example

Observation and Imagery

Develop and Pilot Clear Observational Protocols

Ensure What You are Looking at is Typical

For Ongoing Processes, Observe Regularly at Defined Points in Time

Consider Using Photographs or Videos to Capture Demographic Mixes or Ongoing Patterns of Behavior

Observation and Imagery

Develop and Pilot Clear Observational Protocols

Ensure What You are Looking at is Typical

For Ongoing Processes, Observe Regularly at Defined Points in Time

Consider Using Photographs or Videos to Capture Demographic Mixes or Ongoing Patterns of Behavior

Some Applications of Checklists

Academic Advising

Service Learning Courses

Internships, Field Placements

Student inquiries

Academic Skills Centers

Residence Hall and Student Group Advisors

AAC&U VALUE Rubric for Teamwork

TEAMWORK VALUE RUBRICfor more information, please contact value@aacu.org

  Capstone4

Milestones3

2

Benchmark1

Contributes to Team Meetings Helps the team move forward by articulating the merits of alternative ideas or proposals.

Offers alternative solutions or courses of action that build on the ideas of others.

Offers new suggestions to advance the work of the group.

Shares ideas but does not advance the work of the group.

Facilitates the Contributions of Team Members Engages team members in ways that facilitate their contributions to meetings by both constructively building upon or synthesizing the contributions of others as well as noticing when someone is not participating and inviting them to engage.

Engages team members in ways that facilitate their contributions to meetings by constructively building upon or synthesizing the contributions of others.

Engages team members in ways that facilitate their contributions to meetings by restating the views of other team members and/or asking questions for clarification.

Engages team members by taking turns and listening to others without interrupting.

Individual Contributions Outside of Team Meetings Completes all assigned tasks by deadline;work accomplished is thorough, comprehensive, and advances the project.Proactively helps other team members complete their assigned tasks to a similar level of excellence.

Completes all assigned tasks by deadline;work accomplished is thorough, comprehensive, and advances the project.

Completes all assigned tasks by deadline;work accomplished advances the project.

Completes all assigned tasks by deadline.

Fosters Constructive Team Climate Supports a constructive team climate by doing all of the following:•Treats team members respectfully by being polite and constructive in communication.•Uses positive vocal or written tone, facial expressions, and/or body language to convey a positive attitude about the team and its work.•Motivates teammates by expressing confidence about the importance of the task and the team's ability to accomplish it.•Provides assistance and/or encouragement to team members.

Supports a constructive team climate by doing any three of the following:•Treats team members respectfully by being polite and constructive in communication.•Uses positive vocal or written tone, facial expressions, and/or body language to convey a positive attitude about the team and its work.•Motivates teammates by expressing confidence about the importance of the task and the team's ability to accomplish it.•Provides assistance and/or encouragement to team members.

Supports a constructive team climate by doing any two of the following:•Treats team members respectfully by being polite and constructive in communication.•Uses positive vocal or written tone, facial expressions, and/or body language to convey a positive attitude about the team and its work.•Motivates teammates by expressing confidence about the importance of the task and the team's ability to accomplish it. •Provides assistance and/or encouragement to team members.

Supports a constructive team climate by doing any one of the following:•Treats team members respectfully by being polite and constructive in communication.•Uses positive vocal or written tone, facial expressions, and/or body language to convey a positive attitude about the team and its work.•Motivates teammates by expressing confidence about the importance of the task and the team's ability to accomplish it. •Provides assistance and/or encouragement to team members.

Responds to Conflict Addresses destructive conflict directly and constructively, helping to manage/resolve it in a way that strengthens overall team cohesiveness and future effectiveness.

Identifies and acknowledges conflict and stays engaged with it.

Redirecting focus toward common ground, toward task at hand (away from conflict).

Passively accepts alternate viewpoints/ideas/opinions.

Evidence-Based Management: What Does a “Culture of Evidence” Require?

Respect for the Facts

Clear Goals and Objectives

Concrete Evidence About the Achievement of Goals and Objectives

An Attitude Toward Problem-Solving that Avoids “Finger-Pointing”

Clear Follow-Through On Decisions and Why They Were Made

Willingness to Stop Doing Things When They Don’t Work

Strategies for Addressing Key Difficulties in Building a Culture of Evidence

Keep the Outcomes Framework Simple

Look at Data Distributions, Not Just “Averages”

Adjust the Approach to Accommodate Important Differences in Context

Share Approaches Across Units

Don’t Wait for Perfection

Some “Points of Attack” in Building Cultures of Evidence

Expectations Exercises

Use Results to Inform and Initiate Discussions, Rather than “Give Answers”

Initiate Visible Opportunities to Consider Results and What They Mean

Present Results as Discrepancies

Disaggregate Results to Show Variations

Package Results Around Perceived Problems or Embed Them in Regular Decision Processes

Some Final Reminders

If It’s Important, Try to Assess It – No Matter How “Tricky” the Business Seems to Be

Dispositions Matter – So Experiment with Indirect and Unobtrusive Approaches

Use Multiple Forms of Evidence Wherever Possible

Be Creative and Have Fun