Western New York Assessment Consortium

11:00 am

Divisional Showcases: The following showcases will illustrate and provide examples of how divisional leadership has motivated, trained, and/or organized an assessment program at the divisional level.

• Union 209 - "Aligning the work of Student Affairs professionals with the Academic Mission: Building an assessment culture at Schenectady County Community College"

The Schenectady County Community College (SCCC) Student Affairs Division works diligently to advance the assessment culture on campus while serving as active partners in intentionally advancing student learning. Consistent with the SCCC Strategic Plan, the Student Affairs Division engages in a five-year assessment plan, built around a four-step program review process.

 This session will provide an overview of the program review process that includes: self-study, campus review, external review and departmental action plan with recommendations.  In addition, the presenters will describe the collaborative planning process that has aligned the work within Student Affairs with the academic mission for the collective purpose of:

• • ensuring high quality programs/services through continuous feedback and improvement;
  • providing data illustrating the educational value the department’s programs and services add to the student learning experience at SCCC;
  • making data driven decisions regarding the department’s programs and services to be used as a component of the Student Affairs Division Strategic Plan, Program Review, institutional accreditation;
  • developing a base of information to enhance institutional effectiveness.

• Union 119 - "Building a Culture of Evidence at SUNY Oswego"

  Come learn how the Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management is building a culture of evidence at SUNY Oswego. In November 2012, our Divisional Assessment Team was formed to create a culture where we regularly measure the impact or influence of our services or programs, and where we are empowered to use results for the purpose of continuous improvement. In 6 months we have accomplished the following:

  • Adopted a comprehensive model of assessment
  • Created a Divisional planning and assessment cycle
  • Met with every department to identify needs related to planning and assessment
  • Coordinated and delivered a series of workshops on assessment for both classified and professional staff
  • Encouraged departments/units to develop or affirm mission statements and goals, to write objectives for 2013-14 and to prepare for a formal reporting of outcomes in May 2014.

  In this session we will share the strategies we used to engage staff in the process, what our plans are for next year, as well as lessons learned. As a result of attending this program, participants will be able to develop a process for building a culture of evidence and continuous improvement on their own campus

• Union 185 - "A Departmental Model of Centralized Assessment Support -Binghamton’s Student Affairs Assessment & Strategic Initiatives (SAASI) department"

  Binghamton University is one of few institutions that created a department focused upon supporting the assessment efforts within a Division of Student Affairs. This model showcases the importance of assessment, the realities associated with developing skill sets at the department level, and the evolution of approaches for assessment support. While this approach is not appropriate or reasonable for all campuses, there can be many things to learn from our experiences.

  This session will provide an overview of the history of assessment support at Binghamton, the evolving approaches used, key principles and philosophies, staffing models, resource allocation and projects managed. We will:

  • provide many lessons learned about strategies used to engage departmental staff in assessment- including successes and opportunities for improvement.
  • engage session participants in discussion about the fundamentals of supporting assessment efforts–regardless of the infrastructure of that support (committee, individual, top-down/bottom-up, etc.)
  • showcase what a centralized assessment support department has been able to accomplish for the Division of Student Affairs.

• Union 220 - "Be a Best-Practice School" - CampusLabs

  Curious about how other schools take their assessment plan to the next level?  Need some fresh ideas to inspire your assessment committee? Come learn about strategies and best practices from four different colleges around the country that will improve your assessment planning, collecting, and reporting. Topics include survey fatigue/response rate strategies, mixed methods, strategic planning, and the creation and use of a learning outcomes framework.

1:15 pm

Departmental Showcases:  The following showcases will illustrate how specific departments manage and utilize assessment at the department/office level.

• Union 119 - The College at Brockport Education Opportunity Program - "How do you Assess the World's Greatest Counselor"

Formalized assessment of what we do as counselors, programs, and institutions is the name of the game. Developing a culture of assessment is difficult, confusing and often generates real resistance. As higher education professionals, we are challenged to embrace a culture of assessment to improve our services to our student populations. The assessment process and structure at the College at Brockport will be presented as a rubric for change at other institutions.  Key areas covered will include;

• • How professional program assessment is a way of doing our jobs better (not an additional chore to be done)
  • Gaining a better understanding of formal assessment versus folklore
  • Compare/contrast different approaches to assessment
  • Gaining a better understanding of the role students play in the assessment process

Additional topics will address the following; how does the assessment process impact EOP counselors, how do you foster a culture of assessment in programs, divisions and/or institutions, how do you translate what EOP counselors do into assessable learning outcomes, and do KPI’s, benchmarks, and dashboards have any value in opportunity programs? This model while originally designed for Opportunity Programs is very applicable to other divisions and individuals in higher education.

• Union 185 - University at Buffalo - Wellness Education Services

Two years ago the University at Buffalo instituted a three-tiered alcohol and other drug intervention program for students who violate substance-related policies on campus. This new intervention required training of para/professionals to refer students to one of three available interventions based on a risk assessment screening. The goal of this process was to intervene with students based on their usage (low-risk to high-risk), not on policy violation recidivism, which may or may not be indicative of severity of substance use.

The systematic referral system, combined with consistent intervention programs, allowed instructors to collect data on who was being referred, knowledge obtained from the intervention, student satisfaction and level of usage three months post-intervention. This showcase will explore the evolution of this intervention program, best practices learned from the data and how to use this knowledge to refine the program in the future.

• Union 220 - Genesee Community College - The Center for Academic Progress and Athletics

In 2008 Genesee Community College created a five year assessment cycle that encompassed all administrative units of the College. Beginning in 2009 a minimum of five units per year began to assess their operations following the -- Plan – Act --- Assess – React -- model, using customized linked Excel workbooks to track progress over several years.

Assessment Plans and Progress Reports have clearly demonstrated that administrative units are using assessment results to enhance and inform the planning process. Over the five-year cycle 7 areas of Student and Enrollment Services have been or are being assessed for effectiveness ~ Admissions, Athletics, Center for Academic Progress, Career Center, Child Care, Counseling, and Financial Aid (assessment results from departments in BOLD will be shared during this showcase).

• Union 209 - "From data to decision: How assessment can enhance Career Services"

This session will showcase how UB Career Services presently uses assessment to understand the student experience with their services.  We will share how data informs our decision-making, innovation, and future directions.  Specifically, the presentation will focus on how the counseling team uses effective assessment practices to enhance their offerings, availability and services to students.

1:15 pm

CampusLabs Coaching - Union Lounge

For those assessment conference goers who have a campus-specific question or just prefer the personal touch, sign up for a 1-on-1 assessment coaching session with Melissa Wright, M.A. and Mary Odden, M.S., Assistant Directors for Assessment Programs at Campus Labs. You will have the option sign up at the beginning of the day for a 15 minute conversation on any topic, ranging from assessment planning to reporting and sharing your assessment results (and everything in between)!

2:15 pm

Closing the Loop: Interpreting and Reporting Assessment Result s - Union Ballroom West

Are you comfortable administering assessments, but find it difficult to take that final step and interpret and/or report on the results? You are not alone: “Closing the Loop” is one of the most commonly missed steps in the assessment cycle, but also one of the most important. This session will provide practical strategies for interpreting and reporting assessment findings. Participants will leave with concrete tips on how to “close the loop” on their campus and also gain insight into the promising reporting and sharing practices of other campuses in the U.S.