AALHE 2018 Annual Conference

Regional and programmatic accreditors require evidence of co-curricular activities and assessment to support learning outcomes. Co-curricular learning activities enhance student experiences and provide learning opportunities positioning students to gain relevant career-related skills. Co-curricular initiatives built to support curriculum can assist students in developing broad skills such as critical-thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, effective communication, and cultural competence. Assessment and student affairs educators should engage one another to form partnerships which improve understanding of how co-curricular experiences impact student learning and development (Busby, 2015). Ongoing collaboration between these professionals facilitate the exchange of information, increase accountability, minimize duplicative efforts, and confirm the accuracy of reporting (Busby, 2015). This session explores one institution's collaborative approach between academic affairs and student affairs to provide meaningful partnerships in assessing targeted co-curricular activities. Assessment and student affairs professionals and faculty members responsible for providing co-curricular learning opportunities will engage in discussions and interactive exercises creating draft co-curricular assessment plans, identifying assessment strategies, measures, and benchmarks of student achievement for targeted learning outcomes. Direct and indirect assessment measures used to evaluate co-curricular activities will be outlined as examples. Discussions about working together to complete reports satisfying institutional/accreditor needs/requirements and potential next steps at participants' home institutions will occur.