Assessments

by Emily Braught, M.Ed.

When I set out to find a practicum experience in assessment skills, I did so because I was genuinely curious about applying information to improve student affairs practice. The Center for Career and Professional Development at Clemson University, with its reputation for producing quality work and its high touch with students, felt like the perfect place. I thought I might learn some practical excel skills, different approaches to analysis, and gain a few trendy bullet points for my resume. I knew it was a topic I was interested in, but I did not expect to uncover a new passion area.

I learned almost everything I expected to, from analyzing data to presenting key findings to leadership in the department. Since I wasn’t in the career center for an extended period of time, my learning process was expedited. As a graduate student, many of my takeaways were centered on how I could apply the shortened practicum experience to starting a new role in a new office while maintaining a passion for assessment. And, having just started a new role in a new department, a lot of these lessons from my quick learning practice experience, have proven to be valuable reflection.

• Assessment feels different in every department

When starting a new position, identifying the way assessment makes employees feel is incredibly important. Is assessment viewed as punitive in the office or is it viewed as an opportunity to recognize and celebrate fellow employees? Is data collected with purpose and then used in real-time to make adjustments to practice or is it collected as an afterthought and not used in decision making processes? Is it part of the daily function of the office or does it feel like a monthly or yearly chore? Identifying current employee’s feelings towards data collection and analysis can be incredibly important to implementing new assessment initiatives or joining in on existing projects. Finding out who drives assessment planning in the office and having a conversation about their perspective is a good start, but don’t forget about talking to those who are excited about assessment don’t hold an official assessment role or talking to those who are very hesitant about assessment and are expected to implement. Gathering multiple perspectives can also be a highly impactful way to build relationships and identify how you can positively contribute to your office assessment practices.

• Assessment looks different in every department

Of course we know that people’s styles of data collection and information sharing is different depending on every department, division, and institution. In part, this is due to resources available and what divisional leaders may be looking for, but so much of an employee’s relationship with assessment is office culture dependent. These office culture differences could have a major impact on the skills, technology, and knowledge base you need to be successful. For example, data presentation might be fine on an excel spreadsheet with highlights in graphs in some departments, whereas other departments might want a summative report with all information present. Some departments might be looking for one sheet with key bullet points that need to be considered in decision making while others may be expecting as far as IRB approval for some of the more serious projects. No matter how big or small, identifying what kind of assessment presentation and facilitation expectations are present in the office is essential to success in the office. New professionals should consider ways they can gain practical skills in new systems earlier in their employment so that they are equipped with what they need to be successful when they are asked to share information or present on their personal findings.

• Macro and Micro level assessment both have a place

Depending on the positions of the people you are working with, the type of information they are expecting to receive will be different. A director or higher level professional may be looking for bigger picture information that demonstrates overall success of all their programs. Total number of students interacted with, total number of hours, total numbers of students who attended the career fair all have their place. Smaller pieces of data, like how many students visit the career center on Mondays compared to Fridays in the fall semester can have just as much important to the overall functioning of the office and might have a huge impact on the professionals that work with individual programs or initiatives. New professionals have the responsibility to identify which pieces of macro and micro information are important for their success in the job and identifying new pieces of information.

• The aggregate doesn’t always tell the whole story

Looking at massive spreadsheets of career attendance can be helpful, especially for those employees interested in the big picture data.  Disaggregating that information by different student populations, different colleges, and other classifications is even more helpful for identifying ways to improve. When starting a new position and integrating into a new office, spend time disaggregating data by different classifications. Figure out what which student populations are being focused on in the department, division, and institution so that you can share your data more meaningfully, or uncover new ways to support different student populations. This can help you help identify categories of students who may be falling through the cracks of your services. For new professionals, spending time with information such as this can give you a much more robust picture of the scope of your office and the students that you serve. It could also help you build stronger relationships or even employees in your office who work with specific programs or initiatives.

Spending a semester absorbing assessment practices of a career center has proven incredibly valuable to my overall success as a professional. Overall, whether or not assessment is a passion area for you, taking the time to learn an office’s culture around and perspective on assessment can be very useful to any professional starting a new role. I hope a few of these points stick with you as you reflect on your current role or as you pursue your next step!

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Emily Braught, M.Ed. currently serves as the Residence Coordinator for Academic Initiatives for Housing and Residence Life at Indiana University Purdue University – Indianapolis. Prior to this position at IUPUI, Emily spent two years as the Graduate Assistant for Residential Learning with University Housing at Clemson University, with an emphasis in assessment practices and student learning. While completing her Master of Education, Emily gained additional assessment experience in the Center for Career and Professional Development and the Calhoun Honors College.