Campus Assessment Network
Notes from Meeting of
November 17, 2009
The second meeting of the Campus Assessment Network (CAN) for the 2009–2010 academic year was held
on Tuesday, November 17, at 12:30 p.m. in Campus Life 115.
Welcome and Introductions
Carolinda Douglass convened the meeting. Present were Will Boelcke, Amy Buhrow, Carolinda Douglass,
Barbara Johnson, Brian Lance, Greg Long, Beth Towell, and Carrie Zack.
Announcements and Updates

The Office of Assessment Services (OAS) has completed its move to the lower level of Adams Hall.
The conference room on that floor is available for meetings, so CAN will be gathering there as
appropriate.

The assessment book group has had good attendance and has spurred some good ideas. Some
additional copies of the book under discussion, Building a Scholarship of Assessment, are available for
interested individuals through the assessment office.

A faculty member of the University Assessment Panel (UAP) is planning to contribute an article to
Toolkit, the online assessment newsletter. OAS invites such participation from other interested parties
across campus.
CAN Webpage
The current CAN webpage content and navigation were presented by Will Boelcke. It was remarked that the
MAP to Excellence posters highlighted there are out of stock; additional laminated posters will be ordered. It
was thought that the site would be a good place to publish online any relevant writings by faculty on
assessment subjects.
Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA)
Will Boelcke gave a presentation about NIU’s participation in the Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA),
whose main product is the online College Portrait. NIU joined this initiative at the behest of the president in
July, and NIU’s profile was posted in October. The member institutions are public land-grant universities,
and the targeted audience includes both prospective students and accreditors. The major purpose of the
profile is to help students determine whether they are a good fit for a given institution. The three standard
data elements for each institution portray student/family information, experiences, and outcomes. Careful
thought was given to the themes for our nine unique data elements, so that they provide as informative and
compelling a view of the university as possible. These nine buttons can link directly to the NIU website.
There are some Google analytics available to provide information on visitors to the VSA College Portrait site.
It was suggested that the university try to capture the visitors’ addresses so that we can provide additional
marketing material to them.
Baccalaureate Review
Greg Long, co-chair of the Baccalaureate Review Task Force, gave a presentation that summarized the task
force’s activities and findings to date. Such a presentation is being brought to every college’s curriculum
committee and senate. As background, he mentioned that a thorough review of the university’s curricular
goals had not been undertaken since 1983. In gathering its data, the task force decided that they needed to be
inclusive, transparent, and methodical, so students, faculty, and staff all participated in the discussions. Goals,
which are what drive an institution’s curriculum, were sought for the major field, for general education, and
for co-curricular activities.
Feedback was quite consistent from the various focus groups and online surveys. Narratives supplied the
major themes of critical thinking, communication, and context; content for the major field and creativity also
figured prominently in the discussions.
Although critical thinking was the most cited goal, it is a challenge to measure. In the area of communication,
students thought that they should become better writers, and many felt that knowledge of a foreign language
was of great import. The area of context includes not only a knowledge of history and the application of a
historical perspective in today’s gobal neighborhood; it also mandates the responsibility of privilege and the
need for social service. Study abroad, or at least away from the local environment, could become an
important means towards this goal.
The next step is to convene campus learning groups to formulate meaningful and measurable student goals,
and to do so with a focus on the future, as this process of questioning and evaluation may not occur again for
five to ten years, or more.
Other Business
In spring, CAN meetings may return to a more regular schedule. Friday afternoon is thought to provide
opportunity for the greatest participation. Members will be informed of the dates as soon as they have been
set.
It was proposed that at one of the spring meetings Amy Buhrow give a presentation about the state of
assessment in the College of Business, where she has been preparing for a role as assessment coordinator.
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