Leading Assessment for Student Success

"This book explains how to tell the story of assessment while engaging each student affairs team member on your campus, whether it is the senior student affairs officer or a front-line professional. Each chapter builds on the previous, making the case for why assessment matters and how to implement assessment practice so that inquiry becomes a priority, deeply embedded into the daily work of all who believe in and contribute to student success.

It shares various ways to evaluate implementation of student success theory and practice in a manner that leads to improving relevant outcomes. Upon reading, you will likely gain ideas to cultivate a culture of inquiry along with important means to communicate results to stakeholders and garner their feedback for prioritizing recommendations. This book provides a ‘how to’ in making assessment an integral practice of the student affairs profession.

It is my hope that the leaders (read: all of you) who are reading this book are the leaders who have that kind of courage – the courage to hold space for transformation to occur. If so, I invite you to read this book and fully engage in the lessons colleagues share. Explore how the ideas presented in these pages may be adapted and taken up within your organization. Then, collaboratively execute and enjoy the fruits of your investment in meaningful inquiry.”

Marilee J. Bresciani Ludvik, Professor, Postsecondary Education - , San Diego State University

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Part One: Philosophical Commitments
1. Tenet One: Understand the "Why" of Assessment
2. Tenet Two: Commit to Student Learning as a Primary Focus

Part Two: Division Leadership and Culture
3. Tenet Three: Lay the Foundation for a Sustainable Assessment Culture
4. Tenet Four: Develop Strategies to Engage Staff in Commitment to Assessment
5. Tenet Five: Implement Accountability and Support Structures to Encourage Assessment
6. Tenet Six: Anchor Cultural Change

Part Three: Sound Assessment Practices
7. Tenet Seven: Develop Assessment Plans
8. Tenet Eight: Connect Assessment Plans to Institutional and Divisional Goals
9. Tenet Nine: Determine the Appropriate Methods for Assessing Programs and Services
10. Tenet Ten: Disseminate Data to Leverage Buy-In and Promote Utility to the Campus Community

Epilogue: Using the Ten Tenets to Navigate Change

About the Contributors

Index

Rosie Phillips Bingham

Rosie Phillips Bingham is Vice President for Student Affairs and a professor in Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Research at the University of Memphis. Bingham serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Career Assessment and is a past member of the editorial boards of In Session Journal of Clinical Psychology, the NASPA Journal, the Journal of College Student Development, the Journal of Counseling and Development, and The Counseling Psychologist. She is co-editor of Career Counseling and African Americans (2001) with Walsh, Brown, and Ward. She is past co-chair of the Council on Student Affairs within APLU and is a national leader in advocating for a focus on learning and assessment in Student Affairs.

Daniel Bureau

Daniel Bureau is Director for Student Affairs Learning and Assessment at the University of Memphis and has worked within student affairs for 18 years. In his role, he is tasked with helping departments within the Division of Student Affairs to develop assessment plans and collect evidence for annual reporting. Dan has been actively involved in the Student Affairs Assessment Leaders organization, as well as maintaining activity in the ACPA Commission for Assessment, Evaluation and Research. He currently serves on the Council for the Advancement of Standards board of directors. Dan has written articles on assessment in student affairs and presented over 20 workshops on this topic.

Amber Garrison Duncan

Amber Garrison Duncan is the Evaluation and Strategy Officer at Lumina Foundation focusing on managing evaluations and applying evaluation findings to inform Lumina’s strategies to reach Goal 2025. Amber also serves on Lumina’s strategy work group focusing on new systems of quality credentials in higher education, including the Degree Qualifications Profile and Tuning. These activities allow her to draw upon her many years of campus-based experience designing co-curricular learning experiences and leading assessment. Previously, Amber worked in student affairs and in her last role she created the office of Student Affairs Assessment and Research at the University of Oregon. Amber has researched and written on general education, integrative learning, assessment, Latina’s in higher education and women in leadership.