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Assessment in Student Affairs
Comprehensive Model of Assessment
The following seven-step approach to assessment will be used by the Student Affairs Division at Valdosta State University. (Adapted from M. Lee Upcraft and John H. Schuh. Assessment in Student Affairs. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1996)
The first major component of a student affairs assessment program is keeping track of who uses your student services, programs and facilities. Frequency assessment can tell us how many clients are using student affairs offerings; and furthermore, how they are described by gender, race, age, class standing, residence and other important variables.
Why should we track our clientele?
• If our intended clients do not use what we offer, then our purpose will not be achieved.
• We want to keep track of who and how many, because this will help us to determine what
services, programs and facilities we should offer.
• We must know that our clients and users are representative of the student population.
• It can assist us in determining resource allocation and resource requirements, in
making decisions regarding programming and service delivery offer.
• It provides for a baseline for establishing a benchmark.The second component of this model is assessing student and other clientele needs. The basic principle is that we should meet the needs of our students, but often it is not easy to accomplish.
Needs assessment seeks to answer questions such as
• What kinds of services, programs, and facilities do students and other clientele need,
based on student and staff perceptions, institutional expectations, and research on student
needs?
• How do we distinguish between student wants and needs?
• How do we know if what we offer fits our clientele?What are some needs assessment techniques?
• Questionnaires
• Interviews or focus groups, but make sure focus group is representative of your clientele
for what you are assessing.
• Observations
• Polling opinions
• Reading the School Newspaper Editorials.The third component is assessing student and other clientele satisfaction with our services, programs, and services, and that those experiences are consistent with the goals of the institution. Furthermore, this type of assessment will provide important understandings of students', and other consumers', experience on campus.
Satisfaction assessment seeks to determine: of those persons who use our services, programs and facilities, what is their level of satisfaction? Through assessment of satisfaction, we also seek to identify strengths and weaknesses of our programs, services, and facilities.
Static Measures of satisfaction ( available without undertaking a complex research study):
1.) Persistence – do students persist year to year?
2.) Participation Rates – what is the rate of participation? Are their trends?
3.) Spending Patterns – where and how do studentsspend their money?
4.) Membership Recruitment and Retention – are student groups meeting the needs of
students?
5.) Programs – who is offering them and how many?
6.) Student newspapers - what campus issue appear in the stories, editorials, and letters?
What is their tone, etc.?Active Measures of Student Satisfaction (specific techniques that can be used when conducting an assessment project):
1.) Quantitative measures (normalized surveys and ad hoc measures)
2.) Qualitative measures (interviews, reviewing documents, observing behavior, "secret
shopper", etc.)4) Student Cultures and Campus Environment Assessment
It is important to look at the collective perceptions of a campus. Also, it is important to understand student cultures - where they conduct their day-to-day lives. Remember that each student lives in his/her own cultural environment. Likewise, all students do not have the same interests, friends and classes. Assessing the campus environment what and how the conditions and elements of the campus affect student learning and growth. Each campus is unique and different. The 34 institutions within the University System of Georgia are an excellent example.
Assessing student cultures and campus environments would seek to answer questions such as:
• Who are our students? Where do they come from? Why do they choose VSU? What do
they want from their university experience? What does the institution expect from its
students?
• How are students socialized into the culture of VSU? What subcultures exist? How are they
treated?
• What is the quality of life in the residence halls? For off-campus students? For commuters?
• What is the academic environment, both inside and outside the classroom?
• What is the history and traditions of the university?There are numerous models and techniques to measure a campus environment. The best way to possibly measure our (VSU) campus environment may be by using a nationally known instrument or using resources on campus such as Institutional Research or student interviews.
A fifth component is assessing outcomes. For those who use our services, programs and facilities, is there an effect on their academic success, learning or development - particularly when compared to those non-users? Not all outcomes important to student services and programs are learning outcomes. There may be other important programmatic outcomes, such as the delivery of services in a timely and efficient manner.
Outcome assessment is the most valid way to demonstrate the effectiveness of student services; however, it is also the most difficult, complex, and misunderstood of all assessment methodologies.
6) Comparable Institutional Assessment, or Benchmarking
How does the quality of our services, programs and facilities compare with like institutions? The key is to compare ourselves to like institutions that have good assessment programs and collect good data.
When conducted properly, a benchmarking study can help to 1) justify existence, (2) improve quality, (3) demonstrate affordability, (4) develop strategic plans, (5) formulate policy, and (6) improve decision making.
A seventh component is assessing effectiveness - through reference to national or professional standards and/or through measuring cost effectiveness. How do our services, programs, and facilities compare to accepted national standards, such as those standards developed by the Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS) for Student Services/Development Programs, various national and regional accrediting agencies, and professional organizations. Are the benefits students derive from what we offer worth the cost, and how do we know that?