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Course 3. Fall 2008
Title:
Getting Started with Assessment
Dates:
11/3/08-11/21/08
Cost:
ACPA Members - $150
ACPA Student Members - $75
Non-ACPA Members - $175
Instructor: Gavin W. Henning, Ph.D., Director, Student Affairs Planning, Evaluation, and Research, Dartmouth College
Description:
Assessment is the buzzword around higher education. Various stakeholders including the federal government, regional accrediting associations, students, parents, and boards of trustees are demanding it. Student affairs may need assessment more than any other organization in an institution in higher education. Why? We need to validate our work and support our budgets. More than ever, we as student affairs practitioners and residence life educators need to demonstrate our connection to the academic mission of higher education and student outcomes, particularly learning outcomes. With shrinking budgets, funds are allocated based on effectiveness and connection to those institutionally defined outcomes. But, there is a more important reason to perform assessment: to perform our work better. Through assessment, we can learn how to serve students more effectively and more efficiently.
This short course will provide the basic building blocks for doing assessment on your own. You will gain the confidence and understanding to effectively implement the assessment plan you develop during this course.
Course Outline:
Week 1 - Overview of Assessment Basics
Week 2 - Overview of Data Collection Tools and Methods
Week 3 - Practical Application of Assessment
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Articulate the purposes of assessment
- Describe the basic types of assessment that exist
- Develop basic outcomes
- Articulate various methods for collecting data
- Effectively present assessment results
- Implement the steps in an assessment model
Participant Expectations:
Participants should plan to spend approximately 3 to 4 hours per week in this course. This will include time to read materials, complete on-line exercises and surveys and participate in asynchronous on-line discussions. Participants will need to log on for course content that will be posted weekly. In addition participants will need to respond to questions posted on the discussion board each week. As the discussion board is asynchronous, students may check in and post at their convenience. This learning tool will be an important part of participant's learning experience.
Instructor Bio:
Gavin W. Henning is the Director of Student Affairs Planning, Evaluation, and Research at Dartmouth College. In this current position, he supports student learning and development by initiating division-wide assessment efforts and supporting assessment projects within individual departments.
Along with student affairs assessment, Gavin has experience in residential life, judicial affairs, and institutional research and currently serves as chair of the ACPA Commission for Assessment and Evaluation. Gavin's work has been published in professional journals and he has been an invited presenter at colleges and universities and has presented at regional and national conferences.
Gavin holds a B.S. in Psychology and Sociology from Michigan State University, an M.A. in college and university administration from Michigan State University, an M.A. in sociology from the University of New Hampshire, and a Ph.D. in education policy and leadership from the University of New Hampshire.
Specific professional interests include student learning assessment, higher education policy, and student conduct. Of particular interest is the relationship between students, parents, and colleges.
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