Campus Assessment Network (CAN)
Notes from meeting of
November 21, 2008
The thirteenth meeting of the Campus Assessment Network (CAN) was held Friday, November 21,
2008 at 2:30 p.m. in Campus Life 115.
Members present:
Rowene Linden (Accountancy), Carolinda Douglass, Amy Swanson (Assessment Services), Bob
Riggle (College of Business), Brad Peters (English & Writing Across the Curriculum), Donna Askins
(Provost Office), Angela Branson (Residential Life, Housing & Dining), Deborah Robertson (College
of Visual & Performing Arts).
Announcements
Brad Peters was welcomed to his first Campus Assessment Network Meeting. Peters is an Associate
Professor in the Department of English and Coordinator of the Writing Across the Curriculum
Program.
Douglass announced upcoming assessment events:

Of the ten units recognized for outstanding assessment practices, nine so far, have agreed to
participate in the 2009 Assessment Expo which has been scheduled for February 20, 2009.
Participants will create a poster on their assessment practices and give a brief talk to kick off
the roundtable discussions. Topics for the roundtable discussions include, using rubrics to
assess learning outcomes, using multiple methods to assess a single outcome, closing the
assessment loop, and innovative technology for engagement and assessment.

The Susan Hatfield workshop scheduled for March 20, 2009 will have two sessions. The first
will focus on culture of assessment and the second on student involvement in assessment.
Further details and information about registering for these events will be forthcoming.
2009 Assessment Expo
The presenters at the 2009 expo are from ten departments that were recognized for having outstanding
assessment practices in 2007-2008. Eight of the units were recognized based on practices outlined in
their annual assessment reports. Of these, five are academic units and three are student affairs units.
Two additional departments were recognized for innovative classroom practices which engage students
in learning and assessment of learning. CAN members discussed the possibility of a ‘people’s choice’
award in which Expo attendees select the top presentations for special recognition. Askins presented a
rubric she obtained at a recent assessment conference, which could be adjusted for use in selecting the
top presentations. Due to the difficulty of rating diverse presentations, alternative methods for
obtaining audience feedback were discussed.
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Campus Assessment Network 10/10/08 Notes
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Campus Assessment Message
Douglass announced that we will work with Media Services to create posters and other materials to
promote the assessment messages. Robertson volunteered a graphic design student who will work with
the committee. Further suggestions were provided for creating a tighter message such as trying to
maintain uniformity in keywords between the messages. The subcommittee will review the suggestions
and finalize the messages before beginning work with Media Services.
Formats for publicizing the assessment messages were discussed. Suggestions included creating
bookmarks, putting posters in the dorms, reaching students at orientation, reaching faculty at the new
faculty forum, and reaching community partners through posters or other materials at the Barsema
Alumni Center. Linden suggested the messages be placed on the website, and consideration be given to
how accessible it is for students and parents to reach them from the main page.
Focus Groups: Bob Riggle
Professor Bob Riggle presented an overview of the findings of the student focus groups conducted in
Spring 2008. These focus groups investigated the practices students use to assess their own learning.
Questions focused on how students set goals for their learning, how they measure and direct their own
learning, and how they identify and address gaps in their learning.
The focus groups were conducted by students in marketing courses taught by Dr. Riggle and sampled
students from the Colleges of Business and Health and Human Sciences, and the Asian American
Center. The focus groups were intended to be exploratory and several themes emerged. Many students
identified graduating, getting a job, networking and social experiences as goals for their college
learning experience. Gaining professional experience and learning as much as possible emerged as
minor themes. When asked how students can be involved in measuring and directing their own
learning in meaningful ways, and how students can identify gaps in their learning, active learning and
proactively seeking knowledge emerged as major themes. Experience and exposure emerged as a
minor theme. Student responses to questions about incentives that would help students become more
involved in measuring their own learning fell primarily into two categories; whips and carrots. A copy
of the moderators guide and the power-point presentation are available on the Campus Assessment
Blackboard Community documents section under Meeting Handouts & Other Materials.
Future steps may include a campus report, professional publications and further research.
CAN members who have an assessment practice they would like to share or get feedback on are
encouraged to contact Carolinda Douglass at cdoug@niu.edu.
The next meeting will be held on February 4, 2009 from 1:30-3:30 p.m. in Campus Life 115.
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