Assessment and Evaluation

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Assessment and Evaluation

• Christine M. Cress, Ph.D.
• cressc_at_pdx.edu
• October 2007

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Why Assess Our Actions?

• Assessment helps us to articulate our learning to
  others in an effort to provide effective
  educational programs
• AssessmentLearning

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Assessment Learning Cycle

• Experiences
• (programs/projects)
• Implementation Assessment
• (strategic decisions)
  (data collection)
• Analysis
• (insights)

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Grant Performance Measures

• Increased Academic Engagement
• Student Perspectives improved attitudes toward
  learning for academic engagement
• Student Perspectives interest in continuing
  community service after the project/graduation
• Homeland Security/Emergency Preparedness
• Community partner survey

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Student Survey

• As a result of this SL Experience
• I better understand how to use my knowledge and
  skills to make a difference in the community
• I better understand how to use course readings
  and information to make a difference in the
  community
• I better understand how my college education can
  benefit both me and my community
• I am more likely to finish my degree and graduate
• I am more likely to involve myself in community
  service in the future

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Year One Findings

• 288 Student Surveys
• 107 male, 171 female
• 33 1st year, 36 2nd year, 20 3rd year
• 93 white, 87 Am Indian, 41 Asian/PI, 27
  African Am, 21 Hispanic/Latino
• 61 SL course, 28 extended SL exp

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Year One Findings

• Learning for Academic Engagement
• Nine out of ten college students agreed that as a
  result of their service-learning experience they
  increased their
• understanding of how their college education can
  benefit both themselves and society (92.3)
• understanding of how to use their knowledge and
  skills to improve the community (90.7)
• understanding of how to use course readings and
  information to gain insight into community issues
  (89.8)
• likelihood of completing their college degree
  (87.6)

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Year One Findings

• A significant majority of the students reported
  that they enhanced their civic capacity (the
  ability to demonstrate leadership in the
  community in creating positive change)
• capacity to create positive community change
  (86.4)
• likelihood of involving themselves in community
  service in the future (85.6)
• capacity to become a community leader (80.3)

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Year One Findings

• Each of the four facets of the ASSETS grant
  initiatives demonstrated overwhelming success
• Baby Boomers
• Disadvantaged Youth
• Homeland Security/Domestic Preparedness
• Start-up Service-Learning
• 80-90 of all students reported academic learning
  for engagement and civic capacity improvement

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Year One Findings

• Impact on education preparedness for homeland
  security/emergency preparedness
• 100 of partners at community agencies, as a
  result of their collaboration with the
  service-learning college, agreed that
• students were committed to improving community
  emergency preparedness
• they contributed to student learning about
  community needs
• they felt valued by the faculty for their
  knowledge and expertise
• they felt that the service-learning project
  contributed to improving community emergency
  preparedness

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Dissemination Considerations

• Sound Bites
• Multiple Audiences
• Multiple Formats/Reports
• Specific Recommendations with Timeframes
• Implementation and Follow-up
• Conference Presentations
• Publications
• Institutional Research Board/Human Subjects
  Approval

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2nd Year Assessment

• Work with Instructors to disseminate and collect
  surveys
• Complete EXCEL file with data coding
• Check on IRB/Human Subjects Process

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EXCEL Data File

• ID response 1, 2, or student id
• Q1Q7 1 strongly disagree4strongly agree
• Gender Male1, Female2
• College Year 11 freshman, 22 sophomore
• Race/Ethnicity 1White, 2Asian/Pacific
  Islander
• 6other, 7multiple
• SL Experience Type 1course, 2single exp,
  3extended
• College Name (10 characters)
• Date Numerical
• Leave blank responses blank (no zeros)
• Save Datafile ASSETSDatacollegenameDec2007
• Email Datafile to cressc_at_pdx.edu by Dec 6

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ID , Q1, Q2, Gender, Year, Race, SL Type,
College, Date

• 121 4 2 3 4 2 1 1 2 UW 3/21/2007
• 4 4 4 4 1 2 2 1 UW 4/17/2007
• 4 3 4 4 2 1 1 1 UW 4/17/2007
• EXCEL Features (or convert into SPSS)
• Chart/Bar Graphs
• Percentages
• Gender Demographic Comparisons

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Data Presentation

• 28 Students participated in the course
• 14 men, 14 women
• 88 white, 7 Asian/PI, 3 AA, 2 H/L
• 92 sophomores, 8 freshman
• 95 agreed that the course increased their
  knowledge and skills in understanding how to
  improve the community.
• 7 out of 10 students reported that they are now
  more likely to complete their college degree.

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Data Presentation
Table 1 Increased Academic Engagement
(Percentage Agreed / Strongly Agreed) (n28)
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Data Presentation
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Questions

• Comments?
• Ideas?
• Examples?