Assessment: Demonstrating Your Success

What Retention Efforts Have Been Successful? A Sample Of Our Group’s Responses

Mentoring programs have been successful.

Small class sizes, instructors taking personal interest in students-increasing engagement. Low student to advisor ratios in many programs.

Reaching more students by e-mail rather than US mail.

Tutoring

The Student Solutions Center has shown some success.

What Retention Efforts Have Been Successful? A Sample Of Our Groups Responses

Meeting 1:1 with students to discuss their method of study, getting them to set up study plans, teaching them to underline or otherwise ID key terms in test questions, eliminating wrong answers by crossing them out, dealing with test anxiety.

All efforts have had some impact, however, all could be improved.

The Summer Bridge Program.

Academic support in freshman dorms has been very beneficial for at-risk or students – We have increased the number of dorm activities to foster the growth of community and sense of home for the students.

How Do You Know These Efforts Have Reduced Attrition?

How would you convince a skeptic ?

Two Types Of Assessment

The two main types of assessment are:1. Subjective: Decisions are based on opinion.2. Objective: Decisions are data driven.

Dangers Of Subjective Assessment

1. Your intervention may not receive credit for its successes.2. In general, people tend to overestimate the accuracy of their

subjective assessments.3. While many people give great credence to their own subjective

impressions, we often have little faith in the subjective opinions of others.

4. Persons who rely on subjective assessment cannot demonstrate to skeptics that their programs are successful.

How Good Is Your Current Retention System?

A Skeptic Might SayThat It Is

No Better Than Your Data Demonstrates It To Be

Practical Challenges In Objective Retention Assessment (Part 1)

1. Many key personnel do not appreciate the importance of empirical assessment.

2. Good assessment requires time and many college and university personnel are already overworked.

3. Practical and ethical considerations often prevent equating groups via randomization.

Practical Challenges In Objective Retention Assessment (Part 2)

4. The results of evaluation are often potentially threatening. 5. Good assessment requires highly trained individuals.6. There are many people who collect data but relative few

researchers.

Shortage Of Assessment Specialists

The APA and the field as a whole worry that even as demand for experts in quantitative psychology is soaring, the number of students entering the subspecialty is decreasing. APA and others hope to change that. Many students aren't aware of the field, and those who are often lack mathematical ability or interest. The ever-increasing shortfall means that there aren't enough quantitative psychologists to train the next generation and ensure that all psychologists can properly analyze increasingly sophisticated research.

Now APA and others are launching initiatives designed to lure young people into an area they say offers enormous opportunities in venues ranging from academia to research institutes to testing companies.From an article in the Monitor, American Psychological Association

Goals Of Objective Assessment

The purpose of objective assessment is usually to:1. To target at-risk students.2. To determine the effectiveness of an intervention

program.

Why Conduct At-Risk Assessments

1. To identify at-risk students.2. To determine why a particular student is planning to

discontinue their education at your college or university.3. To discover the factors that best distinguish graduates

from non-graduates at your institution.

Purposes Of Program Assessment

1. Accountability-Demonstrate that your program is more effective than leaving students alone. Without accountability claimed successes are just wishful thinking.

2. Determine why your program is effective (e.g., Does it better identify at-risk students, increase social integration, etc.).

3. Direct future changes in your program.

Demonstrating Program Success Is Not Enough

You must determine why the program reduced attrition.

The Influence Of Policy Makers On Assessment Programs

The success or failure of an assessment program greatly depends upon the input of policy makers, most of whom are not behavioral scientists. Policy makers who have a beneficial impact on assessment tend to:1. Recognize That Good Assessment Is Cost Efficient2. Accept That Good Assessment Is Not Cheap3. Know The Skills And Attributes To Look For In An Evaluator4. Provide Strong Administrative Support5. Be Involved In Defining And Redefining Investigative Issues6. Favor Data Rather Than Opinion Driven Decision Making

That‘s All Folks