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Assessment In Action: Trio Student Success Program, Candace Faistenhammer Bracey, Spencer Myers

Assessment in Action Conference

TRiO Student Success Program (SSP) will showcase how our program uses data collection and assessment tools to strengthen and elevate the services offered to first-generation students at Western Michigan University. The TRiO SSP overall mission is to maximize the personal and academic success of our students through advocacy, education and holistic development with the vision that our members can prove themselves to be an elite community of purpose-driven students who positively impact the world around them. With the help of consistent and intentional practices, our program can uphold our commitment to students from the moment they obtain membership until completion.

2022 Western Michigan University Assessment In Action Conference, Office Of Institutional Effectiveness

Assessment in Action Conference

Included here is the program from the 12th Annual Western Michigan University Assessment in Action Conference held virtually on April 8, 2022. The conference, sponsored by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, is a one-day event where those new to outcomes assessment can come and learn fundamental knowledge about the field, but it is also a place where those who have worked as leaders in outcomes assessment can come and extend their knowledge and skills and network with colleagues. Conference offerings included learning opportunities on various assessment topics for both academic and learner supports units.

More information can be found on …

Anti-Deficit Perspectives On Institutional Diversity Efforts, Ej Edney

Assessment in Action Conference

Institutions of higher learning are central to preparing people to shape the world in which we live. Yet widening opportunity gaps evidence a need for structural change that increases access and improves outcomes for all students. It is important to consider the lens through which practitioners assess and address the unique challenges and opportunities of an increasingly diverse student population. This session will focus on developing anti-deficit approaches to providing the kinds of opportunities that help solve our most pressing DEI challenges.

Wmu Assessment Mini Grant Panel Part Ii, Karen M. Stokes Chapo

Assessment in Action Conference

This session features the 2021 WMU Assessment Mini Grant recipients sharing about the scope of their projects, lessons learned, and insights gained. There will be ample time for attendees to ask questions. To learn more, click here to watch brief interviews with the panelists.

Wmux Makers Lab: Designing And Measuring Tranformational Outcomes, Office Of Institutional Effectiveness

Assessment in Action Conference

In this interactive session, you will design a transformation--an outcome focused on a change in thinking and ability--and a brief curriculum plan to foster that transformation. Using a clothesline method, you will then identify an authentic performance task, objectives, and measures that align with your transformation. You will work individually with paper and pen and collaborate with others in breakout rooms to share and further develop your ideas. It will be highly interactive, so come prepared to share ideas and don't forget to bring paper and a writing utensil.

Wmu Assessment Mini Grant Panel Part I, Karen Stokes Chapo

Assessment in Action Conference

This session features the 2021 WMU Assessment Mini Grant recipients sharing about the scope of their projects, lessons learned, and insights gained. There will be ample time for attendees to ask questions. To learn more, click here to watch brief interviews with the panelists.

2021 Western Michigan University Assessment In Action Conference, Office Of Institutional Effectiveness

Assessment in Action Conference

Included here is the program from the 11th Annual Western Michigan University Assessment in Action Conference held virtually on April 9, 2021. The conference, sponsored by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, is a one-day event where those new to outcomes assessment can come and learn fundamental knowledge about the field, but it is also a place where those who have worked as leaders in outcomes assessment can come and extend their knowledge and skills and network with colleagues. Conference offerings included learning opportunities on various assessment topics for both academic and learner supports units.

Reshaping The Whole Story: Using Data To Enhance The Fye Experience For Students And Instructors, Adrienne Fraaza

Assessment in Action Conference

In January 2020, the Office of Student Transitions set out to overhaul the FYE experience for students and instructors. Past data indicated there was great opportunity to evaluate and reshape multiple components of the course, including: instructor hiring and training; course consistency; learning outcomes and assessment; and the integration of CliftonStrengths for Students into all sections. This session will go over the journey of planning and implementing the changes based on previous data gathered, the pivots made due to Covid-19, lessons learned, and how data collected this year will inform changes for next fall.

Western Michigan University Assessment Fellows Grants: A Brief History, Featuring The 2019-20 Fellows Grant Recipients, Karen M. Stokes Chapo

Assessment in Action Conference

In this session, we will provide a brief overview and history of the WMU Assessment Fellows Grant Program and the 2019-20 grant recipients will share about their projects and experiences.

Envisioning Ourselves As Educators: Practices For Student Affairs, Vicki Wise

Assessment in Action Conference

NASPA and ACPA collectively created seven Principles of Good Practice for Student Affairs (1997) as a framework for how student affairs can put student learning at the heart of its work. In this session, we will explore these seven principles for student affairs and uncover ways to move from theory to action through learning about backward design and development of a learning syllabus.

Holistic Assessment For Continuous Improvement In Student Success Programs, Lauren Carney, Vun Doubblestein, Nate Nguyen, Sue Murray, Liliana Salas

Assessment in Action Conference

Student success programs serving diverse student populations describe how they use a holistic and qualitative approach to measuring student success and conducting program evaluation. They will discuss data collection and implementation to enhance programming and services for students served.

How To Engage And Assess Learning Through Discussion In Any Modality, Jef Fisher, Megan Hess, Alyssa Moon, Matt Strock, Wendy Swalla

Assessment in Action Conference

Discussion is not just sharing ideas and answering questions. It can assist students in developing deeper understanding while honing their communication skills. A form of experiential learning, discussions empower students to communicate and vocalize their thinking, internalize experiences, and encourages them to more aptly reflect on and apply what they learn. In this interactive session, we will explore examples and exercises that you can use in any course to facilitate discussion and gauge student comprehension.

Using Data Visualization For Continuous Improvement, Ciji Heiser, Evan Heiser, Ewa Urban

Assessment in Action Conference

This session will identify key principles and recommendations for building effective visualizations and dashboards in higher education. Presenters will address the core aspects of the process for dashboard development, the benefits of using dashboards, and the ways in which dashboards support continuous improvement. Participants will engage in conversations about metrics they can focus on while building department and/or institutional dashboards. Presenters will share examples of several dashboards used for continuous improvement at WMU, including a dashboard for advancing equity, student success services, WMU Signature, and post-graduation outcomes reporting.

Opening Panel Discussion: Using Data For Continuous Improvement, Office Of Institutional Effectiveness

Assessment in Action Conference

At the 2021 WMU Assessment in Action Conference, Dr. Zebulun Davenport (West Chester University), Dr. Sara Finney (James Madison University), Dr. Ciji Heiser (panel moderator, Western Michigan University) and Dr. Vicki Wise (Oregon State University), participated in a discussion around the topic of learning assessment and using data for continuous improvement. Here you will find a list of resources that the panelists shared for your reference and further discovery about the topics they discussed in the panel.

Importance Of Reflective, Collaborative And Transparent Practices To Close The Assessment Loop, Vicki Wise

Assessment in Action Conference

In this session we explore the importance of closing the assessment loop and how collaboration, reflection and transparency are necessary conditions for doing so. The importance of closing the loop is to make evidence-informed decisions. This session offers up practical ways and promising practices to encourage collaboration, reflection and transparency to make assessment more meaningful.

This Is Not A Quiz: How Do We Create And Evaluate Authentic Assessments?, Jef Fisher, Megan Hess, Alyssa Moon, Matt Strock, Wendy Swalla

Assessment in Action Conference

This hands-on workshop will cover the basic principles of designing and evaluating authentic assessment of learning. In this session, you will work in small groups to create an authentic assessment and will walk away with rubrics that can be modified to suit your purpose.

Connecting Assessment Practice To Equity Work, Ciji Heiser

Assessment in Action Conference

This presentation will share a series of examples that connect assessment work to equity. Examples will include embedding equity throughout the assessment cycle, incorporating diverse perspective in learning outcomes frameworks, working with a student advisory council, and using data visualization to advance equity.

Continuous Improvement In Student Affairs, Jen Wells

Assessment in Action Conference

Imagine booking a trip but never getting on the plane, or buying a movie ticket but never walking into the theater. Or what if you fully planned a program, but you never executed it? Barring environmental or extraneous factors, it’s hard to imagine not following through in these scenarios. Now, think about learning valuable information through an assessment project, but never using it. This should be equally unfathomable. The data collected in our assessments should be meaningful by informing our work and helping us continually improve. This presentation offers strategies on how to make data-informed decisions, demonstrate why this is …

Continuous Improvement In Academic Affairs, Jen Wells

Assessment in Action Conference

As faculty, we are asked to focus on teaching, research, and service; how we manage our work is often pre-determined by how we allocate time to these three elements. With that, the question is where assessment and continuous improvement fit. This presentation will offer a model of continuous improvement and ideas on how it can be integrated in your current work and not as a check the box exercise. We will also review how assessment can be scaffolded and implemented at the graduate level.

Writing & Connecting Learning Outcomes Across The Co-Curricular Environment, Marilyn Duke, Ciji Heiser, Anthony Helms

Assessment in Action Conference

This session focuses on the two primary areas of writing learning outcomes and then connecting outcomes to a co-curricular map. In the first part of the session, participants will work through a learning outcomes model to draft new outcomes or revisit existing outcomes and receive feedback from peers and session facilitators. In the second part of the workshop, the discussion will shift to how to connect learning outcomes across multiple programs and services to develop co-curricular maps. Outcome maps help staff identify areas of strength in student learning outcomes and gaps in outcome development. Participants will have the opportunity to …

Curriculum Mapping As A Path For Success, Susan L. Caulfield, David Paul, Cynthia Visscher

Assessment in Action Conference

This workshop engages participants in a conversation about their knowledge and experience with curriculum mapping. Examples of curriculum mapping are provided, along with assessment outcomes related to such mapping. Participants will be asked to articulate a class or program-level outcome and workshop facilitators will be able to assist with the definition and creation of outcomes. Such outcomes will then be related back to curriculum mapping. Participants will leave with two different examples of curriculum mapping, as well as some experience in engaging the process of curriculum mapping.

What's Your Assessment - Why?, Jen Wells

Assessment in Action Conference

Accountability. Accreditation. Resources. Student Success. Student Learning. Student Development. External Factors. Program Review. All of these terms and more are associated with assessment. In this keynote, I want to go back to the why! Why is this important? Why should we do this? What is the why of assessment and how do our own experiences translate and transfer into the concept of continuous improvement.

2019 Western Michigan University Assessment In Action Conference, Office Of Assessment And Undergraduate Studies

Assessment in Action Conference

Included here is the schedule and session descriptions from the 10th Annual WMU Assessment in Action Conference held on March 15, 2019. The conference, sponsored by the Office of Assessment and Undergraduate Studies at Western Michigan University, is a one-day event where those new to outcomes assessment can come and learn fundamental knowledge about the field, but it is also a place where those who have worked as leaders in outcomes assessment can come and extend their knowledge and skills and network with colleagues. Conference offerings included learning opportunities on various assessment topics for both academic and learner supports units.

2018 Western Michigan University Assessment In Action Conference, Office Of Assessment And Undergraduate Studies

Assessment in Action Conference

Included here is the schedule and session descriptions from the 9th Annual WMU Assessment in Action Conference held on March 16, 2018. The conference, sponsored by the Office of Assessment and Undergraduate Studies at Western Michigan University, is a one-day event where those new to outcomes assessment can come and learn fundamental knowledge about the field, but it is also a place where those who have worked as leaders in outcomes assessment can come and extend their knowledge and skills and network with colleagues. Conference offerings included learning opportunities on various assessment topics for both academic and student supports units.

Using Elearning For Assessment, Katrina Davidson, Alyssa Moon

Assessment in Action Conference

There are many ways to formatively and summatively assess learner knowledge using an online learning environment. This session will give an overview of these tools and examine use cases.

Integrating Formative And Summative: Assessment Approaches In Student Support Work, Ciji Heiser

Assessment in Action Conference

This session will focus on how to integrate both formative and summative assessment approaches into programs and services provided for student support. We will discuss the assessment cycle including learning and operational outcomes, selecting and designing assessment tools (both formative and summative), collecting data, and analyzing data to make data-informed decisions.

Why Are We Doing This?, Linda Suskie

Assessment in Action Conference

Many find assessment to be a pointless paper-pushing exercise. Done right, however, it is essential to helping students learn and succeed. This presentation will summarize research on strategies that help students learn and succeed and explain the role of assessment in those strategies.

Creating Great Learning Experiences That Help Students Learn And Succeed, Linda Suskie

Assessment in Action Conference

Great learning activities have three components that connect to each other: a clear purpose, clear guidelines for activities that engage students, and clear grading criteria. In this fast-paced workshop, we will work through all three.

"What Is My Target?": Clarifying Student Learning Outcomes, Anthony Helms, David Paul

Assessment in Action Conference

This session will provide an overview of best practices in writing feasible and measurable learning and process outcomes, including hands-on time to work on your own outcomes.

Defining Outcomes, Gloria Rogers

Assessment in Action Conference

This workshop will engage participants in the writing of measurable outcomes and how they relate to scoring rubrics. Group discussion and formal feedback will enhance the understanding of the critical role of well‐defined outcomes in the assessment process.