Assessment in Action:
Student Success & Satisfaction

2011 Annual Report 2012 Annual Report

This site is intended to serve as a resource to professionals in the Division of Campus Life as well as a site for our public stakeholders to learn about how we continue to work toward a culture of accountability. It is not only a resource for conducting your own departmental assessment, but it is a way to share and review the findings of other departments. In this way, the division can be more intentional with assessment and allow our findings to be shared and inform our work as a division.

Why Assessment?

Ongoing assessment and evaluation of programs are important principles and values in Student Affairs and other professions.  While most professionals understand the merit of assessing programs and services, competing priorities and lack of time often get in the way of incorporating assessment in an ongoing and meaningful way.  The Division of Student & Campus Life requires all departments to make assessment a central divisional goal and practice. In support of this goal, the Assessment Team (SCL A-Team) offers technical and strategic support around assessment.

Continuous Improvement
Assessment is an important priority for the division given that continuous improvement of programs is central to success.  Departments within the division need to assess in order to be certain that programs are meeting and/or exceeding their intended goals.  If it is determined that programs are falling short, then staff must systematically find ways to improve.  Ongoing practice of assessment is also essential given the ever-changing nature of our student population.  The same programs and services that worked 10 years ago may not meet the needs of our current students.

Alignment & Accountability
Assessment helps practitioners align the institutional vision and strategic plan with program goals.  Assessment is also critical in determining accountability and goal achievement.

Success & Satisfaction
Assessment is an effective tool for communicating departmental success and student satisfaction, which can be overlooked due to lack of methodical assessment approaches.  Sharing divisional and departmental victories with influential constituents becomes more powerful when assessment measures support one’s assertions. To say that a program ‘felt like a success’ holds significantly less weight than being able to demonstrate through quantitative or qualitative measures that program outcomes were achieved and students were satisfied. Also, communicating success on a departmental level can be an effective tool for promoting teamwork and productivity.

Trend Analysis, Longitudinal Studies, & Benchmarking
Assessment plays an important role in identifying new issues and trends that are occurring on campus.  Assessment mechanisms provide valuable data about population changes.  Staff members become more responsive to new trends in student preferences and changes in student culture. Longitudinal studies provide the institution with valuable data of how populations are changing over time and helps staff predict future behaviors and attitudes.  Benchmarking is also an important assessment approach, which provides professionals with valuable comparison information of similar functional areas and programs at different institutions.

Outcomes
Given the increasing attention on learning outcomes throughout higher education and more stringent requirements from accreditation associations, practicing assessment has become a necessary component of college and university day-to-day operations. Engaging in the assessment process compels individuals to state intended goals.  Articulating specific goals are the first step in meeting desired programmatic and student learning outcomes.

Diversity & Social Justice
One of the most important goals for the University of Vermont and the Division of Student & Campus Life is to diversify the campus and create an open and welcoming climate for all groups and populations.  Assessment helps institutional leaders understand current campus climate issues and highlight critical areas for improvement.  As new programs are implemented to support diversification, assessment helps leaders determine whether these programs achieve the desired outcomes.

Professional Standards
The American College Personnel Association (ACPA), the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), and the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) all include regular assessment as a central principle and ethical practice in student affairs work.  Assessment is important because it helps practitioners do their best, be accountable, and remain student-centered.