Sharing Assessment Results

References:
Upcraft, M. Lee., and John H. Schuh. "Reporting and Using Assessment Results."   Assessment in Student Affairs: a Guide for Practitioners. San Francisco: Jossey-      Bass, 1996.

Upcraft and Schuh find five major steps/questions to consider when preparing reports from assessment results:

1. Who is/are the audience(s)?

• May be more than one audience
• Often best to write one main report and then create smaller, catered subreports for individual audiences

2. Determining the appropriate format

• Based on audience
• Some options:
• Tables: Good if audience knows the topic, some brief explanation should be included
• 1-2 page Executive Summary: purpose, methods, findings, and recommendations
• 3-5 page Short Report: Mix between executive summary and full comprehensive report
• Supplemental Reports: This is particularly good with larger assessments that cover a variety of topics. The topics can be broken down (read: functional areas, departments, etc.) and thus the audience is not burdened with unrelated information.
• Complete Report: What was done?, Why was it done?, Discussion of findings, and Conclusions. This may not actually be sent to anyone but is good to have as a resource instead of having to reexamine the results…it is all there for you in a more accessible format

3. Include all components

• Catchy title: sounds cheesy but draw in the reader…make a good first impression
• Executive Summary: MOST IMPORTANT part because it is often the most reviewed – while it needs to be brief ensure that it is still accurate and doesn’t make overwhelming generalizations
• Statement of Purpose: why did you conduct this assessment?
• Design: What was it? Why did you choose this method of data collection? Not only should you include methods but limitations of the given method should also be explained.
• Results: Quantitative – explain results concisely in body, further charts and graphs can be appendices; qualitative – general themes and select quotes is best practice
• Summary of Results: also very important because it should concisely bring together all of the results.
• Recommendations: make sure to tie any recommendations directly into findings; speculation is allowed so much as it is clearly labeled as such

4. Make it interesting!

• Use headings to break it up!
• More casual tone than a formal study or doctoral dissertation
• Find a way to craft a narrative

5. What to do with “difficult” findings?

• Use praise as well as criticism
• Phrase potentially controversial results gently
• Avoid blaming anyone
• Let the audiences know before publicly sharing results