AALHE 2018 Annual Conference

Much of higher education's impact takes place outside of the classroom, isn't articulated by many academic learning outcomes, and is often missed by traditional assessment practices. Regardless of their auspices under academic or student affairs, many of these co-curricular experiences and outcomes present significant challenges to assessment. In this interactive session, we will discuss: and present strategies to address: three of the issues that arise in assessing the co-curricular.

First, how do we meaningfully measure "soft skills" which are called so because of their inherent resistance to measurement? Second, how do we gather valid and reliable data in settings where students are often not compelled to provide responses (as they are in course-based settings)? Third, what are important considerations in examining data when pre-post and treatment-control designs might yield invalid interpretations?

In each area, we will review some of the practical and theoretical challenges to applying common (i.e., academic) assessment practices in the co-curricular context. We will then examine best practices and research to addressing these challenges. Finally, we will provide practical tools and strategies to addressing each challenge in your own work.