Team Project: Assessment in a Hypothetical College
Linda Reisser
Portland Community College,
Cascade Campus
Bruce Clemetsen
Linn-Benton Community
College
Team Project
 Today’s Student Services leaders need to be able to:
not only . . .
 understand today’s students and their development
 work as team members
 carry out program activities effectively
 apply theory, research findings, and principles of good
practice
 But also . . .
 Understand the importance of evaluating programs
 Ask critical questions
 Gather data on program effectiveness
 Identify outcomes
 Assess how well those outcomes are met
 Use findings to improve services
Team Project

Evaluate the effectiveness of a program
in a hypothetical community college.

Based on your findings, make
recommendations to improve the
program’s services and outcomes in the
future.

Give a ten minute presentation about
how you did this, and what you learned.
Context
 What is assessment?
 Why is assessment important?
 A few important terms
and Examples
 Team Project hand-outs
What is assessment?
What is assessment?
The systematic and ongoing practice of determining
the impact of educational interventions and services
for the purpose of:
1) improving program quality and
2) reporting on program outcomes
Assessment is any effort to gather, analyze, and
interpret evidence which describes institutional,
departmental, divisional, or agency effectiveness.
(Upcraft, M.L, & Schuh, J.H., 1996)
Why Is Assessment Important?
DRIVING FORCES
Professional
National
State
Institutional
Professional Values
The Student Learning Imperative:
Implications for Student Affairs
(published in 1994 by the American College Personnel Association)
#5. Student affairs policies and programs are
based on promising practices from the research
on student learning and institution-specific
assessment data.
http://www.acpa.nche.edu/sli/sli.htm
Principles of Good Practice in Student Affairs
(National ACPA/NASPA Study Group, 1997)
#4. Good practice in student affairs
uses systematic inquiry to
improve student and institutional
performance.
"Good practice in student affairs
occurs when student affairs educators
ask, 'What are students learning from
our programs and services, and how
can their learning be enhanced?’”
Source: http://www.acpa.nche.edu/pgp/principle.htm
The Completion Agenda
U.S. Dept. of Education
A Call to Action on College Completion
U.S. Dept. of Education
A Call to Action on College Completion
“Today the Vice President challenged every Governor to
host a state college completion summit, and promised that
the Department of Education would help any state develop
a plan to boost completion.
The Vice President also announced the release of a new
“College Completion Tool Kit,” produced by the
Department of Education. The tool kit includes
information on seven low-cost or no-cost strategies that
states can use to boost completion.”
Posted on March 23, 2011
http://www.ed.gov/blog/2011/03/call_to_actio/
“The President has set a clear goal”
“By 2020, America will have
the highest proportion of
college graduates in the
world. Right now we are ninth.
70% of students go on to
pursue some kind of
postsecondary education after
high school, but less than half
actually get a degree or
certificate within six years.”
College Completion Tool Kit
Strategies for Governors to Consider
1. Set Goals; Develop an Action Plan
2. Embrace Performance-Based Funding
3. Align High School Standards with College Entrance
and Placement Standards
4. Make it Easier for Students to Transfer
5. Use Data to Drive Decision Making
6. Accelerate Learning and Reduce Costs
7. Target Adults, especially those with “Some College,
but No Degree”
Accreditation Standards Revised
Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
New emphasis on outcomes:
“meaningful, assessable, and verifiable
indicators of achievement”
http://www.nwccu.org/Standards%20and%20Policies/Standard%201/Standard%20One.htm
Oregon Initiatives
CCWD (Dept. of Community Colleges and
Workforce Development)
 “Measure What You Treasure” Report
 Student Success Oversight Committee
• Milestones and Momentum Points—>
Achievement Compacts
• CCSSE and SENSE
• 27 Best Practices
• Grant-funded initiatives
• Strategic Planning
Does your department or program. . .
- have a mission statement?
- have annual goals?
- collect data?
- have measurable outcomes?
- look at the data and reflect on what it
means?
- use the findings to improve service?
- submit an annual report?
Assumptions
1. We assume that our programs
and services have a
significant impact on student
success and development.
1. In order to improve, we need
to be intentional about
assessing the impact of what
we do.
Assumptions
Assessments should be:
•
based on meaningful indicators of
achievement
•
used for improvement by informing
planning, decision making, and
allocation of resources
•
made available to appropriate
audiences
Cycle of Assessment
Improvement
& Next Steps
Create an
Action Plan
Evaluation/
Assessment
Implement
Activities
Data
Gathering
A Few Important Terms
Mission
Goals
Learning Outcomes
Service Outcomes
A Few Important Terms
Mission - Why we exist.
- describes the core purpose of the program.
Goals – What we hope to do, accomplish, or deliver
- used for general planning
- not intended to be directly measurable
Learning Outcomes – what students are able to know, do,
or value as a result of the program.
Service Outcomes – intended results of services delivered.
Such as:
- numbers served, student satisfaction, demographics
of students served, services provided
- changes you want to see in programs and services.
Mission Statement - Example
Academic Advising
Academic advising is an essential service
provided by professional advisors who support
students’ intellectual growth, and empower them
to clarify and attain their diverse academic,
personal, and professional goals. In
collaboration with students, faculty, staff, and
external partners, the Academic Advising
Program fosters student retention and success.
Zero in
Mission Statement - Example
Academic Advising
Academic advising is an essential service provided
by professional advisors who support students’
intellectual growth, and empower them to clarify
and attain their diverse academic, personal, and
professional goals. In collaboration with students,
faculty, staff, and external partners, the Academic
Advising Program fosters student retention and
success.
Mission Statements - Examples
Multicultural Center
Founded to address institutional racism and the
unique needs of students of color, the
Multicultural Center provides services and
programs that support academic achievement,
leadership development, and the retention of
students of color.
Mission Statements - Examples
Multicultural Center
Founded to address institutional racism and the
unique needs of students of color, the Multicultural
Center provides services and programs that support
academic achievement, leadership development,
and the retention of students of color.
Mission Statements - Examples
Student Leadership Program
The Student Leadership Program complements
the college’s academic programs and enhances
the overall educational experiences of students
by providing social, cultural, multicultural,
intellectual, recreational, community service,
and campus governance programs.
Mission Statements - Examples
Student Leadership Program
The Student Leadership Program complements the
college’s academic programs and enhances the
overall educational experiences of students by
providing social, cultural, multicultural,
intellectual, recreational, community service,
and campus governance programs.
Mission Statements - Examples
Women’s Resource Center
provides a central location for services that
support the academic achievement of women,
while working to increase access to education
for women, improve the retention of women
students at the college, and encourage
women’s leadership development.
Mission Statements - Examples
Women’s Resource Center
provides a central location for services that
support the academic achievement of women,
while working to increase access to education for
women, improve the retention of women students
at the college, and encourage women’s
leadership development.
Alignment?
Is the mission statement aligned
with the college’s mission?
Goals – PSU examples
• Examples of program goals:
• Increase volunteerism
• Increase diversity
• Increase accessibility of volunteer
opportunities
• Increase awareness of disability resources
services
Goals – PSU examples
• Examples of student learning goals:
• Engage students in learning
• Promote students’ academic success
• Foster students’ personal and intellectual
growth
• Foster students’ leadership skills • Foster
collaboration
Goals Example
Multicultural Center
 Provide access to higher education for students of color.
 Encourage empowerment and self-esteem in students of
color by teaching self-advocacy.
 Enable students of color to make informed choices
regarding academic, career, and personal issues by
providing accurate information, support and education.
 Develop students of color as leaders by supporting
student- initiated programs and providing training in
leadership skills.
Goals Example
Women’s Resource Center
 Encourage empowerment and self-esteem in women.
 Develop women’s leadership skills.
 Encourage exploration of gender issues.
 Enhance personal development of women and men by
integrating theory and learning into their daily lives.
 Provide a programmatic context for informed action
and practical experience of issues critical to women
and society.
Alignment?
Are goals aligned
with mission?
With College
goals?
With funding
agent?
Outcomes vs. Goals
 Outcomes are specific statements derived from
goals in language that makes objectives
measurable.
 Outcomes are what we will assess.
 Outcomes essentially take a goal and connect
it to a place, time, group of participants, and a
level for performance.
 Outcomes are specifically about what you
want the end result of your efforts to be, the
changes you want to occur.
 It is not what you are going to do to the
student, but rather it describes what you want
the student to do.
 An outcome must be measurable, meaningful
and manageable. It must specify a target
audience. It must provide you with evidence
you need.
Learning Outcomes – what students are able to
know, do, or value as a result of the program.
Service Outcomes – intended results of services
delivered.
Such as:
- numbers served, student satisfaction,
demographics of students served, services
provided
- changes you want to see in programs
and
services.
Learning Outcomes – Examples?
Learning Outcomes - Examples
• Students will be able to recall at least 5
of the 7 elements of the Social Change
Model).
• Students will demonstrate increased
leadership skills by successfully
completing a leadership skills inventory,
as indicated by a score of at least 80%
correct.
Service Outcomes – Examples?
Service Outcomes - Examples
• The XXX program will increase awareness
of its programs/services by 20%.
• The XXX program will increase the diversity
of its volunteers to reflect the diversity of
the PSU.
Service Outcomes (Student Leadership)
PCC/PCC
Cascade
Goals
Diversity
Program/Goal
Diversity
Retention Club
Coordinators
Goal: Provide
Support for
Diversity Clubs
including:
Black Student
Union,
Q Club,
MEChA,
United Tribes,
International
Students.
Service Outcomes
Learning
Outcomes



6 event (series) per
term for targeted
groups
Student success
benchmarks met
6 active diversity
clubs
Assessment Strategy




Student event coordinators
will complete After Action
forms to help evaluate the
event with the leadership
team
Event participants will be
sent the “Post Cultural Event
Survey” via Survey Monkey
Club Members will be sent
the “Club Experience
Survey” via Survey Monkey
The DRCs will collect
information from students
attending their meetings,
events and activities with a
sign in sheet. Using meeting
sign in sheets, event sign in
sheets and club rosters,
students will be sorted into
minimal, low, medium and
high contact groups and then
assessed to see if they are
meeting benchmarks (TBD).
Comments
Student Leadership Program Learning Outcomes
PCC Panther Path
Student Leadership
Learning Outcomes
Improve Communication Skills
Students will improve their interpersonal communication skills
· By demonstrating a respect for other’s viewpoints
· Understand how to de-escalate a confrontation through communication
· Understand how the different communication styles interact with each other.
Effectively apply active listening skills.
· Be able to succinctly summarize another’s point of view to verify understanding.
· Develop the skills to perceive the listeners interpersonal needs.
· Maintain proper eye contact while communicating interpersonally.
PREPARE
Develop collaborative communication skills
· Facilitate communication between other team members.
· Give critical feedback effectively (non-threatening).
· Receive, and reflect on, critical feedback from others.
· Demonstrate acknowledgment and validation of the feelings, opinions, and contributions
of others.
ENGAGE
Improve Leadership Skills through Project Management
Students will be able to pre-plan a project:
· The ability to articulate the need for the event
· Be able to clearly describe the goals of the project
· Identify the population(s) who will benefit
COMMIT
COMPLETE
THRIVE
Students will understand how to successfully execute a project:
· Students will be able to reverse plan an event identifying the necessary components of
their project
· Design a calendar with specific times and dates for various stages of the project
· Manage other team members and assign tasks as needed
Students will develop the ability to reflect on projects and make recommendations
for the future:
· Develop the skills to objectively assess project performance
· Constructively document “best practices” and capture the information for the future
First Steps
What questions do we have?
What assessment strategies can we try out this
year?
What data do we already have?
How can we use data to improve student success?
Some types of assessment
Usage Numbers – students served, number of participants
Possible methods: existing data, tracking system, calendar system, KPI
Student Needs – general of specific populations
Possible methods: survey, focus group, visual methods
Program Effectiveness – level of satisfaction, involvement,
effectiveness, helpfulness, etc.
Possible methods: survey, focus group, observation
Cost Effectiveness – benefits compared with cost?
Possible methods: existing data, comparative data, KPI
Some types of assessment
Campus Climate or Environment – assess the behaviors/attitudes
on campus
Possible methods: focus groups, survey, existing data, case study, observation
Benchmarking – comparing a selected group with a comparison group
Possible methods: survey, rubric, existing data, KPI
Using National Standards or Norms (i.e., CAS) or normative data
(e.g. , test scores)
Possible methods: survey, document analysis, existing data
Learning Outcomes – assess how a participant will think, feel, or
act differently as a result of your program/course/service
Possible methods: survey, rubric, existing data, KPI
Team Projects
Groups meet here and find locations
 Kori Bieber – Rattlesnake Rock Community College
 Bruce Clemetson – Great Blue Heron Community
College
 Jim Eustrom – Barnum and Bailey Community College
 Alicia Moore – Cornbelt Community College
 Linda Reisser – Gotham City Community College
Timeline
Tuesday
Team Projects – Part 2
11:00 – 12:00 and lunch with team
Team Projects – Part 3
5:00 – 5:30 pm – Reconvene in large group
Challenges
Resources
Wednesday
Team Projects – Part 4
11:30 – 1:30 – Meet with teams
Team Projects – Part 5
1:30 – 3:00 – Team presentations