GETTING STARTED WITH ASSESSMENT

1
GETTING STARTED WITH ASSESSMENT

• Barbara Pennipede
• Associate Director of Assessment
• Office of Planning, Assessment and Research
• March 2002

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WORKSHOP TOPICS

• What is assessment?
• Why is assessment important to Pace University?
• Why assessment in Administrative and Educational
  Support Units (AES)
• Steps in developing an assessment plan for your
  unit.

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What is assessment?

• ASSESS (V) TO EXAMINE CAREFULLY
• Assessment is the systematic collection, review
  and use of information about educational programs
  undertaken for the purpose of improving student
  learning and development. (
  Marchese 1987)

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The Importance of Assessment to Pace University

• To improve the effects of teaching on student
  learning and development
• To examine and enhance institutional
  effectiveness
• To advance the reputation and image of Pace
  through the quality of its programs

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The Importance of Assessment to Pace University

• To attract and retain qualified students
• To maintain and strengthen its standing among its
  competitors
• To satisfy the requirements of accrediting
  agencies

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Statement by the Middle States Commission

• An accredited institution is characterized by
• Linkage of outcomes assessment to the
  institutions ongoing planning and resource
  allocation process and to strategic efforts to
  improve institutional quality.

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Why Assessment in Administrative and Education
Support Units?

• To know if we are offering the right services and
  how well we are providing them

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Reasons Often Cited

• Effective linking of AES services to academic
  programs
• Accreditation requirements
• Continuous quality improvement
• Institutional effectiveness

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Administrative and Education Support Units

• Educational Support
• May not be primarily instructional or academic
• Contributes directly to student learning or
  instruction

• Administrative
• Provide services which maintain the institution
• Are essential to its operations
• No direct impact on instructional programs

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Underlying Assumptions for Assessment in AES

• The primary aim of assessment is the continuous
  improvement of campus operations, especially as
  they support and promote the Universitys
  teaching and learning environment
• Assessment is to be embedded as part of the
  normal order of business
• Assessment will be a cyclic process and an
  ongoing unit or programmatic activity.

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Steps for Assessment Process

• Establish a linkage to the Universitys Mission
  and Goals
• Prepare the Unit Mission Statement
• Formulate Measurable Objectives
• Identify Activities and Strategies to Achieve
  Objectives
• Identify Unit Means of Assessment and Criteria
  for Success
• Conduct Assessment Activities
• Document use of Results for Service Improvements

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The Pace University Mission Statement

• In keeping with its motto, Opportunitas, Pace
  University offers qualified students the
  opportunity to discover and fulfill their
  potential. At Pace, supportive and challenging
  programs prepare graduates for meaningful lives
  and successful careers in a rapidly changing
  world. The Universitys commitments combine
  respect for traditional academic values with
  readiness to meet the challenges of the future
  with energy and innovation.

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Pace Mission Statement Core Values

• Giving highest priority to teaching and learning
• Placing the liberal arts and sciences at the
  center of undergraduate education
• Stressing critical thinking, communication, and
  technological competence as essential skills
• Fostering intellectual growth, ethical maturity,
  and civic responsibility

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Core Values continued

• Balancing theory with practical applications
• Responding to the individual needs of an
  increasingly diverse society and global economy
• Preparing students for an increasingly diverse
  society and global economy
• Emphasizing service as an integral part of
  teaching and life-long learning

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Pace Mission Statement Commitments

• Access and opportunity for qualified students of
  diverse backgrounds
• Maintaining collegiality and the free exchange of
  ideas
• Engaging students actively in the learning
  process
• Involving students and faculty in decision-making

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Pace Mission Statement Commitments continued

• Managing the University responsively,
  effectively, and with financial responsibility
• Providing an excellent, affordable private
  education
• Continuing experimentation in the use of new
  technologies to support more effective teaching
  and extend educational opportunities

17
Pace Mission Statement

• Our assets, values, and commitments enable us to
  further individual opportunities to learn, teach,
  and expand knowledge. Thus, Pace University
  continues to embody Opportunitas, renewing this
  theme for new generations to whom we offer an
  education focused on student achievement and the
  promotion of patterns of living and learning that
  will enlighten and endure.

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Characteristics of Unit Mission Statement

• Describes the purpose of the unit, services and
  clients
• Is brief in length
• Provides linkage to and support of University
  mission and goals
• Is understood and accepted by employees within
  the unit

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Examples of AES Mission Statements

• Career Center
• Library
• Accounting Office

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Formulate AES Objectives

• Purpose of objectives
• support the Units mission statement
• provide the linkage to the means of
  
• assessment

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Types of AES Objectives

• Process Oriented
• Volume of unit activity
• Efficiency
• Compliance
• Outcomes Oriented
• Effectiveness
• Attitudinal Oriented
• Satisfaction

• What unit intends to accomplish
• What clients are able to do after receiving AES
  services
• How satisfied are clients with AES services

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Formulating Unit Administrative Objectives

• Administrative Objectives should be
• Linked to the Unit Mission Statement
• Realistic
• Limited in number
• Measurable

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Choosing the Short List of Administrative
Objectives

• Administrative Objectives initially chosen should
  be
• Targeted on those areas that can be improved
  using currently available resources and personnel
• Related to the services the unit provides
• Relatively easy to assess within one cycle
• Directly under the control of the AES unit

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Identifying the Means of Assessment

• When will assessment activities take place?
• Where will we find information that will reflect
  accomplishment of our objective?
• Exactly How will the assessment be
  accomplished?
• How well should the unit perform on the means
  of assessment identified, if the unit is
  functioning the way it should?

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Common Assessment Activities

• Client satisfaction measures
• Direct counts
• Results of external evaluation
• Outcome measures

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Unit Criteria of Success

• Identify a reasonable level of service
  improvement to expect given the resources and
  personnel of the unit
• Set performance levels as reference points or
  benchmarks
• Select a percentage of improvement for its
  services
• Use peer institutions who provide the same
  service to help identify

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Use of Results for Service Improvement

• Changes in organizational structure
• Changes in process procedures
• Relations with the constituencies
• Changes in assessment procedures
• Changes to comply with regulatory requirements
• Internal resource reallocation
• Justification for additional resources