“ Developing 136 Assessments Programs in One Year: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”

1. “Developing 136 Assessments Programs in One Year: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” Grand Valley State University, Michigan International Assessment & Retention Conference 2007 St. Louis, MO

2. Grand Valley State University • Public Institution • West Michigan • Carnegie classification, Masters 1 • 24,000 students • Enormous growth – doubled enrollment in 12 years • Liberal Education Mission

3. CHALLENGES University climate Competing University initiatives Faculty buy-in Assessment doesn’t equal evaluation of faculty teaching Managerial model Other faculty responsibilities Faculty learning curve Forging relationships with faculty governance members Short timetable

4. ACTIONS • Developed a collaborative model • Provided internal and external assessment workshop opportunities for faculty • Created assessment websites • Initiated meetings with unit heads to discuss assessment • Purchased an assessment data management system

7. Hypothetical Case - Classics – Student Learning Goals (outcome) Minimum of 2 Goals, 2 Objectives/Goal, 2 Measures/Objective

8. The GOOD University-wide • Collaboration • Engaging with faculty governance • Faculty created and owned College level • Initial large group meetings • Small group meetings • Curmudgeon effect • Availability • Patience

9. The GOOD General Education • Slow, sequential, small, and sustainable • Using course-embedded measures • Cheery and upbeat rather than the stick • We lag behind the university by one year

10. The BAD (not as good) University-Wide • University Assessment Committee (UAC) too isolated from faculty at large and other faculty governance committees • UAC members should have had more training early on • Wrong people on the bus • Funding - not organized process

11. The BAD (not as good) cont. College level • Lack of sufficient training and responsible for many other areas apart from assessment • Large group meetings further in the process – expertise too varied to be effective • Underestimated faculty understanding in worrying about backlash • Too much information early on • Information not organized sufficiently to stave off confusion • Minimal recognition or reward in departments for faculty who work on assessment plans

12. The BAD (not as good) cont. General Education • New role for the GE faculty governance committee – learning curve • Process of assessment not distributed early enough • Lack of communication with department chairs

13. The UGLY • Competing University and College initiatives • Workload documents • Benchmarking • Strategic Planning • Recent reorganization of University • The Heavy Hammer of NCA • Faculty skepticism

14. WHERE WE ARE TODAY - IMPLEMENTATION • FACULTY DEVELOPMENT • Continue to help faculty develop measures, objectives, rubrics, surveys, and course-embedded measures • How to use the assessment database • Continue to refine some assessment plans • Continue to develop a climate of assessment – as a meaningful, integral activity

15. WHERE WE ARE TODAY - IMPLEMENTATION • DATA COLLECTION • All units collected assessment data last year • General Education starts this fall

16. WHERE WE ARE TODAY - IMPLEMENTATION • ASSESSMENT REPORTS • 1/3 of the departments will prepare an assessment report for Oct. • 1/3 more in May.

17. SUGGESTIONS • Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate!!! • Administrative planning is essential • Small groups for training, answering questions, providing informational models • Construct groups thoughtfully according to need • Simplify • Be available all the time • Faculty owned • Goal is improving student learning • Meet with departments individually • Obtain funding early on and distribute through transparent process

18. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS • Faculty governance committees – Univ. Assessment Committee, General Education Subcommittee • Individual faculty • Departments

19. CONTACTS Maria Cimitile cimitilm@gvsu.edu www.gvsu.edu/clas Julie Guevara guevaraj@gvsu.edu www.gvsu.edu/assessment www.gvsu.edu/uac www.gvsu.edu/ncaselfstudy Carol Griffin griffinc@gvsu.edu www.gvsu.edu/gened