Introduction to Assessment – Support Services

Andrea BrownDirector of Program Assessment and Institutional Research

Dr. Debra BryantAccreditation Liaison

The Three Questions of Assessment

• What are we trying to do?– What is our purpose or mission?

• How well are we achieving our purpose? – How well are we doing it?

• How can we improve?– What can we do better?

Why Assessment?

• Purpose– To clarify our purpose, why we exist

• Effectiveness and Accountability– To answer the question, are we effective– To be accountable to our customers

• Success/Improvement– To tout our success– To find areas of weakness to improve

• Planning– To plan for the future

You Already Do Assessment

• You already do assessment, BUT we don’t document it well– What process, policy, software, equipment,

position have you changed or added in the last year?

– Why did you do it? What evidence did you have that led you to the decision for change?

– Assessment is documenting that process

Use Results to Make Improvements and

Revise

Gather & Analyze Data Interpret Findings

Establish Measures/Benchmarks

for each Objective

Identify Department Objectives (1-2)

University Mission & Core ThemesLearning, Values, Community

Diagram adapted from The Assessment Model – University of San Francisco

Assessment Model

Map Department Objectives to Core Themes

Getting Started

• 1) University’s Mission Statement Core Themes and Objectives– Mission Statement: Dixie State University is a

teaching institution that strives to enrich its community and the lives of its students by promoting a culture of learning, values, and community.

– Core Themes and Objectives, see handout

Getting Started

• 2) Department Mission Statement – Have or create a mission statement for your

department/unit– All staff members should be involved– It should clarify what your purpose is– How do you link back to the University’s mission

statement?– Is it available on your website?

Getting Started

• 3) Department Objectives– Have or create 3-4 department objectives– All staff members should be involved– They should be specific, clear, concise and

measureable– They should link back to your department mission

statement– This is the “how” you will fulfill your mission

statement

Getting Started

• 4) Align Objectives– Align your department objectives to the

University’s Core Theme Objectives– You do not need to link to all of the Core Themes– You do not get any extra points for linking to all

Core Themes or any punishment for not linking to the Core Themes

– Aligning with the Core Themes may help us at the University level find more data

Getting Started

• 5) Know Your Data– What data do you currently have or collect that

would speak to your mission statement and hence your objectives

– Know what data is worth collecting• What does it tell you?• What can you do about it?• Is it Quantitative? – Numbers, how many• Is it Qualitative? – Satisfaction, how good

Getting Started

• SSAR Form A– All the getting started data is collected on the

SSAR Form A– The SSAR Form A once created will just need to be

revisited each year for updates and revisions– Due June 28, 2013

Use Results to Make Improvements and

Revise

Gather & Analyze Data Interpret Findings

Establish Measures/Benchmarks

for each Objective

Identify Department Objectives (1-2)

University Mission & Core ThemesLearning, Values, Community

Diagram adapted from The Assessment Model – University of San Francisco

Assessment Model

Map Department Objectives to Core Themes

Yearly Assessment

• 1) Identify 1-2 Objectives to Assess– Pick what you want to evaluate this year– We recommend evaluating all of your Objectives

the first year, that way you have a better idea of what data you need, what data you want, and how to get it, it will also help you plan for questions in the Institutional Surveys

Yearly Assessment

• 2) Establish Measures/Benchmarks– What are you going to measure• One should be Quantitative (Numbers, how many)• One should be Qualitative (Satisfaction, how well)

– What is the Benchmark• Baseline – First time/look at the data• Threshold – Minimum acceptable mark• Target – Your ultimate goal

Assessment Tools

• Things you may want to consider for measurements – Qualitative– Institutional Surveys (Graduating/Alumni, Student,

Faculty/Staff, Community, Employer)– Department Surveys (Students, Customers,

Community, etc.)– Focus groups (1-2 hours of high usage customers to

give you feedback)– SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses,

Opportunities, Threats)

Yearly Assessment

• 3) Gather and Analyze Data – Interpret Findings– Gather Data

• How will you collect your data• Who is the target, what is the sample• What is the time frame

– Analyze Data• What does this tell you• Who does this tell you about, who doesn’t it tell you about

– Interpret Findings• What can you do about it• What should you do about it

Yearly Assessment

• 4) Use Results to Make Improvement and Revise – Close the Loop– Use Results• Propose and implement changes

– Revise if Necessary• Make changes to your objectives• Make changes to your measures/benchmarks• Make changes to your data gathering process

Yearly Assessment

• SSAR Form B– Will be created each year and will be completed in

two parts – Planning, and Implementing– Will need to be updated in July each year (this

year 2013) up through the Data Collection Method - Planning

– Then at the end of May the following year (next year, 2014) the rest of the form will be completed and submitted with your results and actions taken - Implementing

Uses of SSAR Forms

• A guide to improve department functionality– It is for you, don’t make it just paperwork

• Submitted to and archived by your chain of command up to the Vice President, and to Program Assessment and Institutional Research

• Used in the University’s Annual Report 2013/2014 year

Timeline

• Due Dates– SSAR A Form – Due June 28, 2013– SSAR B Form – Planning section, up through Data

Collection – Due August 2, 2013– SSAR B Form – Implementing section, with Results

and Action Taken – Due May 30, 2014– SSAR A Form – Due May 30, 2014 (for 2014/2015

year)

Questions

• Questions about the process?• Questions about the SSAR Forms?• Questions about the use of the SSAR Forms?• Questions about the timeline?