Assessment in Student Affairs: Campus Life Programs

1. Assessment in Student Affairs:Campus Life Programs Dan Bureau Mahauganee Shaw

2. Positioning Assessment in Student Affairs • Assessment – The ongoing, systematic process of collecting, analyzing, and using information about divisional, departmental, and programmatic effectiveness, in order to improve student learning (Upcraft & Schuh, 1996; Anderson, Bresciani, & Zelna, 2004).

3. The Assessment Cycle in Student Affairs Work

5. It’s about being intentional, forward thinking and responsive all at the same time. • It’s about positioning ourselves as educators who work with students outside the classroom • It’s about shifting the focus from hoping they learn to expecting that they will learn

6. What are students learning? • Assessing Learning • Determined outcomes • Student’s own perceptions • EBI • CAS Student Learning and Development Domains • Student Voice – Student Unions and Activities Evaluation • NSSE • ACUI Assessment Toolkit • Home grown

7. What are the outcomes of involvement in student union events, programs and activities? • Assess outcomes of engagement • Besides “learning,” what should they be able to do? • Student leaders, those involved and those who benefit from participation in programs • Student Voice • EBI • NSSE • Focus Groups • Basic work: what can you report from your interactions with students over the span of time?

8. To what extent are students satisfied? • Assessing satisfaction • Overall campus perceptions of your programs. • Perceptions of specific groups of students. • NSSE • EBI • Home grown • Focus groups

9. To what extent are operations efficient? • Assessing efficiency and operational effectiveness • What aspects can different functional areas improve upon? • Are there best practices that your institution can mirror/implement? • CAS Standards • ACUInfo • Student Voice – Coming soon – (operational, size of facilities, funding, services, etc.) • Interviews with colleagues • Professional immersion experience – why not?

10. To what extent is our staff competent? • Assessing professional competence • Professional development opportunities (in-house, regional, national) • ACUI Core Competencies • Staff Evaluations • Student Evaluations of Staff • College Union and Student Activities Evaluation Program

11. CUSA Benefits • Gain a peer-to-peer review of an institution’s college union and student activities operation • Develop perspective and appreciate the value of an institution’s college union and student activities program, services, and operations • Assess levels of customer satisfaction • Conduct a detailed analysis of areas responsible for delivering high-quality and customer-friendly programs, services, and facilities • Influence the future direction of the organization

12. Diverse Approaches • Quantitative • Surveys • Evaluations • Qualitative • Open-ended surveys • Focus Groups • Interviews • Meetings with students • Observations

13. Make it a part of your work • If you don’t like assessment, find someone who does to help you • Reframe your role • Educator • Cycle of assessment • Reflection • Revisit your current work • Track your time • What can you remove? Revise? • Think like an assessment person • Interactions with students • Interactions with colleagues