Student Affairs Assessment Leaders
Structured Conversation | 06.27.2013
Adam Peck, Ph.D.
Dean of Student Affairs, Stephen F. Austin State University
Frequent speaker on assessment methodologies, as well as
cultivating creativity and critical thinking
Amma Marfo, M.Ed
Assistant Director of Student Activities, Involvement and
Assessment, Emmanuel College
Coordinates assessment for the Office of Student Activities
and Multicultural Programs
Gather
Evidence
Determine
Hot to
Achieve
Outcomes
Identify
Specific
Outcomes
Articulate
Mission and
Goals
Implement
Change to
Improve
Closing
the Loop
Review and
Interpret
Results
Recommend
Actions
Gather
Evidence
Determine
Hot to
Achieve
Outcomes
Opening
the Loop
Implement
Change to
Improve
Communicate
Results to
Students
Review and
Interpret
Results
Recommend
Actions
• The learner will understand how common assessment methodologies
can be adapted for student use.
• The learner will be able to identify three methods of collecting valid
assessment that are suitable for student use.
• The learner will appreciate how increasing student awareness of
assessment can help them to identify and prompt their own learning.
• The learner will be able to apply what is learned to develop their
own approaches to involving students in the assessment process.
1. How have you engaged students in collecting assessment data?
2. How can we increase the reliability (qualitative) and validity
(quantitative) of student-collected data?
3. What obstacles have you experienced in creating a culture of
student-collected data? How have they been overcome?
4. How do we encourage students to close the loop and use the results?
5. How do we motivate or incentivize the use of these practices?
6. How can we help students become aware of their own learning inside
and outside the classroom, and help them connect to other things that
they’re learning?
• Raise your hand or type in a question at any time! Because
there are two of us, we’ll do our best to get to your input or
queries as we talk.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions! Assessment is a complicated
beast, so ask if you need clarification or don’t understand what
we’re saying.
• Want to save your questions for a more private forum? Feel
free to email us, we’re happy to chat more!
• Adam: peckae@sfasu.edu
• Amma: amma.marfo@gmail.com
Encourage use of assessment methods that embrace a common
vernacular or concept.
Example: Apples to Apples as an assessment tool! (Individual, or as part
of a focus group)
End of semester/year exit interview questions were phrased in such a way that they
could respond with a green card. Simple answers such as
“good” or “fine” were replaced with robust
alternatives, and made the process fun!
Other Iterations: “Kings” style playing cards,
Trivial Pursuit as a collection mechanism for
dimensions of an experience.
Student Organization Assessment Center (SOAC), Texas A&M University
Make assessment of programs easy.
How did you like tonight’s
program?
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
Terrible
• Give them tools to use.
• Teach them basic statistics
Make some tools for them to use.
Teach them to do paired t-tests using Excel. Make sure they know
that they not only need the same number of students in a pre-post,
but need to make sure they are the same students. Show them
how a p-value relates to the confidence interval.
Two main obstacles commonly encountered:
• “I don’t know what to ask!”
• “I don’t understand why this is important.”
Combat the first concern by asking a LOT of questions of those
wishing to assess a program or initiative!
Combat the second concern by applying the “miserable job”
model (Lencioni, 2007)
• Fight against irrelevance, anonymity, and immeasurement
• Paul Jacobsen-Miller, Emporia State University
• “The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly” of Survey Questions
•
•
•
•
Make it a part of officer transition
Change the flow of group development
Build it into end of year celebrations
Publicize (positive and negative) results
Handing the baton.
We have to ensure there is interaction between outgoing officers
and informing officers.
Change the flow.
We have to move goal setting from the beginning of the organizational
calendar to the end of it. Encourage organizations to go beyond
celebrating achievements into assessing weaknesses.
Publicize the results!
• Incorporate use of assessment into criteria for year-end awards
for programs and organizations.
• Allow students who are good at these topics to teach others
about it
• Get on Board Day, Emmanuel College
• Student Organization Development Series, Emmanuel College
University of Rochester Students Association
• Week of Reflection
• Fortune Reflection Cookies
• Gratitude
Adam Peck, Ph.D.
Dean of Student Affairs, Stephen F. Austin State University
Email: peckae@sfasu.edu
Phone: 936.468-7249
Amma Marfo, M.Ed
Assistant Director of Student Activities, Involvement and
Assessment, Emmanuel College
Email: amma.marfo@gmail.com
Phone: 617.735.9963