Foundations of Assessment II
Methods, Data Gathering and Sharing Results
What do you still have questions about?
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How to effectively speak to students about problems
How to include all stakeholders (develop partnerships)
Developing effective questions
What tools or mine-able data already exist that we can use in our
assessment projects
• When are you asking too much info at once (i.e. mid-year reviews)?
• How to narrow down the focus of the assessment
• How to stay on top of assessment while working on other programs
What do you still have questions about?
• How to draw conclusions from assessment data (especially data
from long-term assessments)
• Quick assessments and what they look like
• How long an assessment process should take
• How to choose the right assessment method
• How to conduct an assessment interview
• How to incentivize participation in data collection
• Further understanding how to “measure” qualitative data
• How much is too much data collection? How do you predict the info
you will need or want?
Goals of Today’s Presentation
1. Understand the various
methods available for
assessment
2. Learn how and why to share
results
3. Gain confidence to plan and
conduct assessments in your
department
The
Assessment Cycle
Website: Assessment
Resources
Forms
A few questions
• What methods have you used
for data collection?
• How did you determine that
those methods were the best
way to gather evidence?
Common Methods for Gathering Evidence
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Surveys
Rubrics
Interviews
Pre/Post evaluation
Reflection
Quick assessments
Document Analysis
Reviewing existing data
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Focus Groups
Demonstrations
Observations
Written papers, projects
Posters and presentations
Portfolios
Mobile data collection
Tests, exams, quizzes
Contributing Source: Campus Labs
Things to consider when selecting a method
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How will you use the data?
Available resources (i.e., time, materials, budget, expertise)
Potential for collaboration
Timing: Religious holidays, large events, student schedules
Direct vs. indirect
Quantitative vs. qualitative
Contributing Source: Campus Labs
What Type of Data Do I Need?
 Direct Methods: Any process employed to gather data which
requires students to display their knowledge, behavior, or
thought processes.
 Indirect Methods: Any process employed to gather data
which asks students to reflect upon their knowledge,
behaviors, or thought processes.
Source: Campus Labs
What Type of Data Do I Need?
Quantitative
 Focus on numbers/numeric
values
 Easier to report and analyze
 Can generalize to greater
population with larger
samples
 Less influenced by social
desirability
 Sometimes less time, money
Qualitative
 Focus on text/narrative from
respondents
 More depth/robustness
 Ability to capture “elusive”
evidence of student learning
and development
 Specific sample
Questions for Choosing a Method
 Is your method going to provide you with the evidence you need
to make a statement about the learning that occurred?
 If you are assessing satisfaction or service effectiveness, is the
method going to give you the most detailed and accurate
information?
 Do you have the time and resources to use the specific method?
Adapted from Campus Labs
Surveys
Advantages
Disadvantages
 Useful when you have a large
population.
 Easily administered
 Easy to compare longitudinally
 You can ask a variety of
questions
 Quick data turnaround
 Good for statistical reporting
 Indirect measure
 Interpretation – lack of skill in
understanding results
 Low response rates
 May need secondary direct
measure to learn more
information
Focus Groups:
What is a focus group?
 Qualitative research
 Small group, open discussion
 Gauges opinions, perceptions and attitudes
Focus Groups
Advantages
Disadvantages
 Able to collect a lot of rich data in
short time
 Facilitation requires skill
 Check perceptions, beliefs and
options
 Explore specific themes
 Participants build off each other’s
ideas
 Can be a good follow-up to a
survey
 Not generalizable to population
 Time needed for preparation and
analysis
 Lack of control over discussion
 Can be difficult to attract
participants
 IRB may be required
Quick Assessment Techniques
 Quick, easy, and systematic
 Assessment does not HAVE to be time-consuming
 Minimal resources
 “Pulse” on how things are going
 Specific techniques available on BC website
Rubrics
 Scoring tool for subjective
assessment
 Assess student performance
on learning objectives
 Clearly define acceptable and
unacceptable performance
 Training programs, interviews,
projects
Rubric Example
Mobile Devices
How/When to Use Mobile Devices
Campus Pulse Survey
 Larger audience and more diverse
sample
 Dining Halls, residence halls,
computer lounge
 Topic suggestions: food, campus
facilities, hot topics, world events
Point of Service Survey
 Distribute to students after they
stop an office on campus
 Focus on service experience
 Locations: Career Center,
SABSC, Residential Life
After an Event Survey
 Immediate response
 After a concert, meeting, or dance
Activity: Choosing a Method
• Use your assessment project/idea
• What are the outcomes you are assessing?
• What is the best way to gather this information?
Why?
• Report out to the group
Analyzing and
interpreting your
data requires as
much diligence and
strategy as the
design process
Qualitative Data
Analysis
 Read the data with an eye for themes, categories, patterns, and
relationships
 Have multiple people read the data and discuss the key themes
 Identify contradictions surprises
Interpretation
 Make assumptions, add meaning, and come up with conclusions
– keeping your own assumptions and beliefs visible.
 Do not disregard outliers: Data that is surprising, contradictory,
or puzzling can be insightful
Source: InSites 2007
Quantitative Data
Analysis
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Campus Labs - sort your data, use crosstabs, and view it in
graphs or pie charts.
Campus Labs does not help you analyze or interpret your
data!
Your responsibility is to describe the data as clearly,
completely, and concisely as possible.
Interpretation
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For each learning outcome, compare the results with the level
of intended outcome. What does the data show?
Reporting Assessment Results
• In what ways have you seen assessment results
reported?
Source: Campus Labs
Why Focus on Reporting Results?
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Role Modeling
Buy-in
Historical Documentation
Evidence trail
What about sensitive data and/or campus
politics?
Source: Campus Labs
Formats for Audiences
Students
• Email invitations
• PR campaign
(flyers,
newspaper, TVs)
• Student
government
meetings
Internal campus
partners
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Cabinet meetings
Elevator speech
Exec. summary
Annual reports
Staff
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Roadshows
Brief emails
Newsletters
Retreat
Full reports
External
Constituents
• Presentations
• Website
• Press releases
Source: StudentVoice
Policymakers are more likely to read information if:
• Information is in short bulleted paragraphs, not large blocks
of type
• Charts or graphs are used to illustrate key points
• If provided in print rather than electronically
• Recommendations and implications are presented
Source: Campus Labs
Questions to Consider when Planning a Report
When do you need to report your results?
Who is the audience of the report?
Why is this information important to this audience?
What are your options for reporting the results?
What is the best method for reporting your results?
What exactly should be or needs to be included?
Basic Structure of
Assessment Report
1.
2.
3.
4.
Executive summary
Purpose of assessment
Methods
Description of
participants
5. Findings
6. Discussion/implications
and conclusion
Questions/Discussion