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Sunday, June 3
 

1:30pm MDT

Registration Desk
All pre-registered conference attendees must pick up their AALHE credentials prior to attending any conference activities. Those who did not register in advance can do so onsite if space allows.

Speakers
avatar for Jamie Wigand

Jamie Wigand

Executive Director, AALHE


Sunday June 3, 2018 1:30pm - 4:30pm MDT
TBA

1:30pm MDT

Registration Desk
All pre-registered conference attendees must pick up their AALHE credentials prior to attending any conference activities. Those who did not register in advance can do so onsite if space allows.

Speakers
avatar for Jamie Wigand

Jamie Wigand

Executive Director, AALHE


Sunday June 3, 2018 1:30pm - 4:30pm MDT
TBA
 
Monday, June 4
 

8:00am MDT

Open room for work space
Monday June 4, 2018 8:00am - 5:00pm MDT
Sinclair

8:00am MDT

Registration Desk
All pre-registered conference attendees must pick up their AALHE credentials prior to attending any conference activities. Those who did not register in advance can do so onsite if space allows.

Speakers
avatar for Jamie Wigand

Jamie Wigand

Executive Director, AALHE


Monday June 4, 2018 8:00am - 6:00pm MDT
TBA

9:00am MDT

Pre-Conference Workshop 3: Assessment in Competency Based Education: An Introduction
Competency-based education (CBE) is becoming a buzzword in higher education, with more and more institutions and programs considering and adopting a competency-based approach.  However, tried and true methods for academic assessment may not be as easily transferrable as it may appear on the surface.  This session will focus on defining and measuring outcomes in competency-based education.  We will begin with a discussion of what CBE is and how to write meaningful competencies.  Next, we will address the design and development considerations of assessment for competency-based learning.  Finally, we will provide an overview of quality measures for competency-based assessment, including a discussion of psychometric issues.

More information here. Register for this half-day workshop here.

Speakers
avatar for Sean Gyll

Sean Gyll

Sean Gyll is Senior Manager of Psychometrics at Western Governors University. His primary focus is on helping organizations to establish strategic assessment-related standards and practices, with an emphasis on the assessment value chain and its impact on learning outcomes. Sean received... Read More →
MT

Maren Toone

Maren Toone is the Manager of Assessment Development for the College of Health. She joined WGU in 2014 and has supported Academic Programs as an assessment developer and the manager of assessment improvement. In her current role, Maren manages the design, development, and support... Read More →
avatar for Laura Williams

Laura Williams

Western Governors University
Laura M. Williams is Senior Manager of Assessment Development for General Education at Western Governors University. In that role, she supervises a team of Assessment Program Managers and Assessment Developers and provides direction and strategy for assessing General Education and... Read More →



Monday June 4, 2018 9:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Idaho
  Pre-Conference Workshop

9:00am MDT

Pre-Conference Workshop 4: The Power of Formative Assessment, Feedback, and the Science of Learning
Formative assessment using quizzes, tests, and exams has been shown to be one of the most powerful strategies to ensure that students do well on summative assessments and that retention rates increase. This interactive workshop clarifies the concepts of formative assessment, summative assessment, and competency and shows how outcome based assessment that includes the science of learning is used for a learning measure and a strategy for teaching and learning. A coding system that links test item response to outcome statements and replaces grades with outcome attainment values will be demonstrated, including how to map course-level outcome attainment values to program and institutional goals.

More information here. Register for this half-day workshop here.


Speakers
avatar for Ronald Carriveau

Ronald Carriveau

Ronald Carriveau earned a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, Measurement and Methodology, from the University of Arizona. He has extensive experience in learning and assessment as a consultant, test publisher, director for testing and evaluation for a large metropolitan school district... Read More →


Monday June 4, 2018 9:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Olympus
  Pre-Conference Workshop

9:00am MDT

Pre-Conference Workshop 5: Leadership of Assessment: Tips for Applying Leadership Theory to Assessment Leadership
Assessment officers are important leaders of institutions of higher education.  Yet, many assessment leaders say they have never been introduced to leadership theories that can guide how they manage and lead assessment units or institutions.  Leadership is contextual, cultural, and challenging at times.  This session will serve participants by introducing a number of leadership theories than can be used in responding to many of the typical challenges assessment leaders face. Participants will be asked to reflect on contexts of their institution, articulate desired goals and outcomes for their institution and institutional culture of assessment, and implement responses to case studies in assessment leadership.  Participants will find the session to be fun, energetic, restorative, and directly applicable to their role as assessment leaders at their institutions.

More information here. Register for this half-day workshop here.

Speakers
avatar for Matthew Fuller

Matthew Fuller

Matthew B. Fuller, Ph. D. is Associate Professor of Higher Education Leadership and Director of the SHSU Doctoral Program in Higher Education Leadership. His scholarly interests include higher education assessment, legal issues, history, rural student engagement, and financial aid... Read More →


Monday June 4, 2018 9:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Teton
  Pre-Conference Workshop

9:00am MDT

Pre-Conference Workshop 6: Meta-Assessment: Building an Impactful Process for Your Campus
Meta-assessment, or the process of evaluating the quality of program assessment, can be surprisingly beneficial (Fulcher & Good, 2013; Ory, 1993). In fact, it has recently been recognized by CHEA as an institutional best practice (James Madison University, 2015 Award). The approach allows an institution to 1) set clear expectations for assessment reporting, 2) monitor the pulse of assessment activities campus-wide, 3) identify areas for intervention, and 4) demonstrate—to internal and external audiences—improvement in assessment quality over time. However, building a meta-assessment process is challenging in that it involves many potential components and design decisions (Fulcher, Coleman, & Sundre, 2016). In this session, we will share perspectives on key decision factors from two “rival” institutions (Auburn and Alabama) that are three years into meta-assessment implementation. Workshop participants will be invited to create action plans for introducing meta-assessment on their campuses.

More information here. Register for this half-day workshop here.

Speakers
avatar for Katie Boyd

Katie Boyd

Dr. Katie Boyd is the Associate Director of Academic Assessment at Auburn University and leads programming to support assessment activities of all academic degree programs at Auburn.  Her role is largely focused on improving the quality of programmatic assessment by implementing... Read More →
avatar for Chris Coleman

Chris Coleman

Dr. Chris Coleman is the Associate Director of Institutional Effectiveness at the University of Alabama (UA) and the lead architect of UA’s meta-assessment process, which fosters high-quality assessment across both educational programs and support/administrative units. He completed... Read More →


Monday June 4, 2018 9:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Snowbasin
  Pre-Conference Workshop

9:00am MDT

Pre-Conference Workshop 1: Assessment Fundamentals: Optimizing Teaching and Learning Through Learning Outcomes Assessment
Do you want to build a foundation to use assessment to optimize student learning or evolve academic programs? Have you been asked to participate in assessing student learning outcomes (SLO) in your department and you have no idea what to do? Have you been assessing SLOs under the direction of others, who are now rotating out of the assessment mix, leaving you to teach others about assessment?
This is the workshop for you.
We will increase your assessment comfort level and knowledge through discussion and activities designed to do the following: identify the purpose(s) of SLO assessment; explain types of assessment; present a typical assessment cycle to highlight the connection between teaching and learning; craft SLO statements; design and use a curriculum map; visit types of direct and indirect evidence of learning; introduce types of tools for assessment; interpret results and identify possible actions to improve teaching and learning.

More information here. Register for this full-day workshop here

Speakers
avatar for Allen Dupont

Allen Dupont

Allen Dupont, PhD, is the Director of Institutional Effectiveness at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.  Prior to joining UTHSC, Allen was Director of Assessment for Undergraduate Academic Programs at North Carolina State University.  Allen began his career as a... Read More →
avatar for Teresa Flateby

Teresa Flateby

Georgia Southern University
Dr. Terri Flateby is the Associate Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness at Georgia Southern University and has over twenty years of experience leading academic assessment at Georgia Southern University and the University of South Florida. She has consulted with institutions... Read More →
avatar for George G. Klemic

George G. Klemic

Lewis University
George G. Klemic, D.B.A., is a professor of Business Administration and Department Chair in the College of Business at Lewis University, in the Chicago suburbs. He has been at Lewis for eleven years, prior to that, serving as Associate Professor, Department Chair, and Dean of the... Read More →


Monday June 4, 2018 9:00am - 4:00pm MDT
Arizona
  Pre-Conference Workshop

9:00am MDT

Pre-Conference Workshop 2: Evidence-based Assessment: Developing and Validating Instruments for Criterion-Referenced Measures
Assessment professionals consistently request more approachable, methodologically-grounded professional development opportunities. Given this need, we believe that psychometric and evaluation specialists should partner to translate and de-mystify these fields and promote effective assessment. Our interactive, full-day session will employ assessment models and approaches that bridge disciplines of psychometrics and evaluation. Psychometric literature is often mathematically dense and theoretically bound while evaluation can be viewed as qualitative or judgment-focused. Fortunately, these fields complement when properly reassembled in applied assessment. This workshop will begin by discussing approaches to “standard setting” (e.g., cut scores for proficiency), then consider programmatic limitations, and finally investigate specific methodologies. The afternoon methodology discussion will illuminate pros and cons of statistical, measurement, and psychometric models, applying mixed methods to a variety of evaluation projects. Participants are encouraged to bring institutional projects with methodological questions; alternately sample cases will be provided. Workshop outcomes include evaluation of data sets, standard setting, and initial validation approaches.

More information here. Register for this full-day workshop here.

Speakers
avatar for Myrah Stockdale

Myrah Stockdale

Director of Assessment, Campbell University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Myrah is the Director of Assessment for Campbell University's College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (CPHS). The position is responsible for the oversight of the assessment and accreditation cycles of the 11 degree programs offered at CPHS. Her interests in teaching and learning... Read More →
avatar for Julie Davis Turner

Julie Davis Turner

Associate Dean, Van Andel Institute Graduate School
I focus on curriculum innovation and educational development, as well as program evaluation.  Curricular innovation, continuous program review, and full-circle feedback fuel improvement in our PhD program by identifying important “next steps”. Student success is a primary motivator... Read More →



Monday June 4, 2018 9:00am - 4:00pm MDT
Wyoming
  Pre-Conference Workshop

12:00pm MDT

Lunch on your own
Monday June 4, 2018 12:00pm - 1:00pm MDT
TBA

1:00pm MDT

Pre-Conference Workshop 10: An Agatha Christie Approach to Solving the Mystery of Assessment Practice
This session will provide participants with an Agatha Christie analytical approach, as in Murder on the Orient Express, to solving the mystery of two of the most challenging stages of the assessment process: 1) designing specific and realistic assessment outcomes; 2) applying assessment results for continuous improvement, including revisions and enhancements to the assessment process itself. Participants will engage in reflection, analysis, and discussion of cases of assessment practices in higher education and will examine and apply actionable strategies for their own professional practice. Presenters will facilitate roundtable teams’ deliberation and lead case debriefing and analysis.

More information here. Register for this half-day workshop here.

Speakers
avatar for Cynthia Howell

Cynthia Howell

Faculty, Leadership for Higher Education, Capella University
Dr. Cynthia Howell has served as faculty for Leadership for Higher Education in the graduate School of Education at Capella University since 2004. She designs and teaches courses on assessment, education program evaluation, advising and retention, and others and serves on dissertation... Read More →
avatar for Barbara Keener

Barbara Keener

Barbara J. Keener is an associate with the Institute of Higher Education, College of Education, University of Florida. Prior to this position, she served in faculty and administrative positions with universities, private liberal arts colleges, community/state colleges, higher education... Read More →


Monday June 4, 2018 1:00pm - 4:00pm MDT
Snowbasin
  Pre-Conference Workshop

1:00pm MDT

Pre-Conference Workshop 11: Improving Improvement: Engaging Students in the Assessment Process
Too often institutions invest in the assessment of student learning with too little return on investment in relation to learning improvement. While improvement of learning has become a greater focus of the assessment process, key stakeholders such as students do not have a seat at the table. The purpose of this workshop is to assist participants in engaging students in the assessment process so as to enhance learning improvement efforts. Participants will learn how to recruit students as well as engage students in a way that brings new insights into students’ educational experience and elevates their voice in the learning improvement process. Participants will develop strategies for partnering with students to reduce resistance to assessment among other key stakeholders (e.g. faculty and administrators).

More information here. Register for this half-day workshop here.

Speakers
RA

Robin Anderson

Dr. Robin Anderson is a Professor and Academic Unit Head for the Department of Graduate Psychology at James Madison University where she teaches Assessment Consultation, Research Methods, and Assessment and Public Policy. She also serves as Program Director for JMU’s Higher Education... Read More →
avatar for Nicholas Curtis

Nicholas Curtis

Lead Assessment Consultant, James Madison University - Center for Assessment and Research Studies
Nick Curtis serves as the lead assessment consultant to academic programs at James Madison University. In this role, he works to assist programs at JMU seeking to measure the impact of their program on students. Specifically, he works with programs to develop clear and measurable... Read More →
avatar for Julie McDevitt

Julie McDevitt

Julie McDevitt coordinates academic program and general education assessment at Palo Alto College in San Antonio, TX, as the Coordinator of Measurement & Evaluation. Ms. McDevitt worked for 12 years at the secondary school level as a Spanish and ESL Teacher, Instructional Specialist... Read More →


Monday June 4, 2018 1:00pm - 4:00pm MDT
Flagstaff
  Pre-Conference Workshop

1:00pm MDT

Pre-Conference Workshop 7: Visualizing Assessment Data through Interactive Dashboards: Creating a Basic Report
This workshop will walk users through transforming assessment scores into interactive dashboards that enable faculty, staff, and administrators to more deeply engage with direct assessment results.  Data preparation, model creation, and report design will be shown using provided sample data files.  Processes learned will be transferrable to a variety of visualization technology platforms.  For this workshop to fully engage with the session, participants will need a windows laptop with the free Power BI desktop client installed.

More information here. Register for this half-day workshop here.

This session will be a step-by-step, hands-on walkthrough.  Participants are required to bring a Windows laptop capable of running Microsoft Power BI Desktop.  There will be a lot of material to get through in a short time, so we are asking you to do the following in advance of the workshop.  On the laptop you will use in the session, please:
 
  1. Download, install, and make sure you can open the most recent version of the free Power BI Desktop client (https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/desktop/).
  2. Download the data source files (https://bit.ly/2FyRFw4) and save them in an accessible location on your laptop.

Speakers
avatar for Frederick Burrack

Frederick Burrack

Director of Assessment, Kansas State University
Frederick Burrack is Director of Assessment, Professor of Music Education, Graduate Chair for Music, Distinguished Graduate Faculty. He joined the Kansas State music faculty as a music education specialist in Fall 2005. Dr. Burrack taught instrumental music education at Ball State... Read More →
avatar for Chris Urban

Chris Urban

Assistant Director, Office of Assessment, Kansas State University
Chris Urban (chrisu@ksu.edu) is Assistant Director of Data Analytics at Kansas State University. He previously served as Assistant Director of Assessment. Chris is currently working toward a Ph.D. in Student Affairs in Higher Education. His research interests include learning assessment... Read More →



Monday June 4, 2018 1:00pm - 4:00pm MDT
Tucson
  Pre-Conference Workshop

1:00pm MDT

Pre-Conference Workshop 8: Tuning as Assessment: Leveraging Faculty Buy-in, Improving Student Learning
This interactive, collaborative workshop will introduce the Tuning process to participants. Working in small groups, participants will collectively define an “intractable curricular problem” at an institution. Such problems might include curricular bloat, general education revision, program reorganization, and retention and graduation issues (including improving assignments). Participants will then use the Tuning process to develop solutions to these problems. The workshop will provide participants with knowledge of the elements of the process, its disciplinary and regional adherents in American higher education (including the state of Utah), and how to introduce Tuning on their own campuses. Because Tuning has been endorsed by disciplinary organizations, it is an ideal process for promoting faculty discussion of and participation in assessment and initiatives to improve student learning. This workshop utilizes some of the insights from design thinking methods to facilitate resolutions to difficult problems where faculty input and engagement is necessary to bring about meaningful institutional changes. Tuning also promotes the idea that assessment is a dynamic, relational practice leading to enhanced educational opportunities for students, not only the practice of documenting student learning.

More information here. Register for this half-day workshop here.

Speakers
avatar for Norman Jones

Norman Jones

Norman L. Jones is professor of history at Utah State University. Author of eleven books and numerous articles on the Elizabethan era, he is a prize-winning teacher. He writes and consults on higher education issues, especially on General Education, the Degree Qualification Profile... Read More →
avatar for Nancy Quam-Wickham

Nancy Quam-Wickham

Office of Assessment of Teaching & Learning
Nancy Quam-Wickham received her doctorate in History from the University of California, Berkeley. She was formerly Chair of the History Department at California State University, Long Beach and worked as a Senior Assessment Specialist at WSU. She has a longstanding interest in the... Read More →



Monday June 4, 2018 1:00pm - 4:00pm MDT
Olympus
  Pre-Conference Workshop

1:00pm MDT

Pre-Conference Workshop 9: Creating a Faculty-Centric Approach to Successful Assessment and Accreditation
Learn how to use five key foundations to create a faculty-centric culture of continuous improvement that sparks faculty curiosity assess and improve.  Learn a few simple but effective incentives can motivate faculty to participate in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, experiment with new pedagogy, and to participate actively in assessment. In this hands on workshop you will experiment with the framework, tools, and policies that transformed our culture at “mach speed” according to the WASC accreditation site visiting team.

More information here. Register for this half-day workshop here.

Speakers
PB

Penny Bamford

Samuel Merritt University
Penny Bamford, PhD is Director of the Teaching and Learning Excellence Group at Samuel Merritt University.
CB

Christine Broz

Christine Broz is Senior Instructional Designer at Samuel Merritt University.
VL

Valerie Landau

Valerie Landau is Director of Assessment at Samuel Merritt University where she designs tools and methodologies for continuous improvement for teaching and learning. From 2002-2008 she worked closely with Douglas Engelbart running an international Educational Networked Improvement... Read More →


Monday June 4, 2018 1:00pm - 4:00pm MDT
Teton
  Pre-Conference Workshop

2:00pm MDT

Networking event: United Way Children's Snack Kit Event
$8.00
This event takes place Monday afternoon prior to the official start of the Conference.
Register for this event at AALHE’s site

To give back to our host city, AALHE is working with United Way to create snack kits for local Salt Lake City schools in need.  Conference attendees can purchase a snack kit to assemble and enjoy a fun networking opportunity while helping to feed children in need.

Help make snack kits with the United Way of Salt Lake and ensure students who attend South Salt Lake's summer school program receive the nutrition they need and can continue their learning even after the school year has ended. During the school year many students in South Salt Lake receive breakfast, lunch, and dinner through programs at their schools. When summer comes around it can be difficult for families experiencing food insecurity to ensure kids’ nutritional needs are being met. Snack kits are an easy and fast way to make sure they are getting the food they need.

Monday June 4, 2018 2:00pm - 4:30pm MDT
Sun Valley

3:30pm MDT

Snack
Snack provided for Pre-Conference Workshop attendees

Monday June 4, 2018 3:30pm - 4:30pm MDT
Foyer

5:00pm MDT

Leading Change in Uncertain Times: The Role of Assessment & The Future of Learning
Guided pathways, competency-based education, alternative credentialing systems, and other large-scale initiatives across the country aim for increased student success through structural changes. But how are we defining success? Where do social justice, economic development, and the public good fit? Drawing on 15 years of experience working with large-scale change initiatives, Alison Kadlec will connect the dots between the leading higher education reform efforts nationally and the critical role played by assessment professionals within institutions, systems and states.

Speakers
avatar for Alison Kadlec

Alison Kadlec

Alison Kadlec specializes in higher education and workforce development.She has worked with dozens of colleges and universities across the country to support the capacity of institutional leaders and faculty at every level to effectively engage members of their communities as constructive... Read More →


Monday June 4, 2018 5:00pm - 6:15pm MDT
Ballroom A&B
  Keynote

6:30pm MDT

AALHE Annual Reception
Join us for a reception hosted by Watermark. Light refreshments and drinks will be served. A free drink ticket was provided upon registration.



Monday June 4, 2018 6:30pm - 8:00pm MDT
East Terrace
 
Tuesday, June 5
 

7:00am MDT

Complimentary Morning Yoga Session
Complimentary Morning Yoga Session by Salt Lake Power Yoga.  

Only 15-20 people can be accommodated, on a first-come basis.    

Tuesday June 5, 2018 7:00am - 7:30am MDT
Garden Terrace

7:00am MDT

Continental Breakfast Buffet
Tuesday June 5, 2018 7:00am - 9:00am MDT
Foyer

7:00am MDT

Poster set-up
Poster presenters, please make sure to set up your poster during this time.  Breakdown by 5:30pm

Tuesday June 5, 2018 7:00am - 9:00am MDT
Ballroom A&B

7:00am MDT

Registration Desk
All pre-registered conference attendees must pick up their AALHE credentials prior to attending any conference activities. Those who did not register in advance can do so onsite if space allows.

Speakers
avatar for Jamie Wigand

Jamie Wigand

Executive Director, AALHE


Tuesday June 5, 2018 7:00am - 5:00pm MDT
TBA

8:00am MDT

Conference Kick-Off
Join us for conference orientation, networking, a chance to visit with colleagues interested in similar topics and introduction to the Conference Reflection Guide

Speakers
avatar for Jeremy Penn

Jeremy Penn

Director, Student Affairs Assessment, North Dakota State University
Jeremy Penn is the Director of Student Affairs Assessment at North Dakota State University. Prior to his current position, he was the Director of University Assessment and Testing at Oklahoma State University and was a Program Assessment Coordinator at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln... Read More →



Tuesday June 5, 2018 8:00am - 9:00am MDT
Ballroom C

8:00am MDT

Open room for work space
Tuesday June 5, 2018 8:00am - 5:00pm MDT
Sinclair

9:15am MDT

AALHE Committee Meeting: Recruitment & Retention
Please join AALHE's Recruitment & Retention Committee meeting to learn about the functions of the group, future projects, and volunteer opportunities for Members.  The meeting is open to all attendees.

Recruitment & Retention analyzes membership data, recruits & retains members. The committee makes recommendations of the conditions under which membership is established and renewed. This committee also manages Member volunteers and directs the annual survey of members

Speakers
avatar for Andre Foisy

Andre Foisy

Excelsior College
Andre Foisy is the Executive Director of Institutional Outcomes Assessment at Excelsior College. Foisy has taught and worked in higher education assessment for more than a decade. Prior to his role at Excelsior College, Foisy served as the Assistant Director of Assessment and Evaluation... Read More →
avatar for Josie Welsh

Josie Welsh

Director - Institutional Effectiveness, Missouri Southern State University
Josie Welsh is a social psychologist who has worked both in faculty and administration at both large public and small private universities. Josie oversees assessment and institutional research and teaches senior thesis for the honors program at Missouri Southern. She serves on... Read More →


Tuesday June 5, 2018 9:15am - 10:15am MDT
Sawtooth

9:15am MDT

Conversation with Accreditors
Moderator: Jane Marie Souza, University of Rochester
Panelists: Heather F. Perfetti, Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Mac Powell, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
Anthea M. Sweeney, Higher Learning Commission

Perceptions concerning the role of regional accreditors vary greatly across institutions and even within individual institutions. This panel brings together representatives from accrediting agencies to foster a greater understanding of the complex accreditor/institution relationship. The conversation will consider topics such as innovation in education, expectations for assessment, the peer-review process, and the changing landscape in higher education accreditation. We hope you will join this panel session with representatives from three accrediting bodies as we explore key accreditation topics and address questions from attendees.

Tweet & Talk follow up session will run from 10:30 -11:30am. 

Speakers
avatar for Heather Perfetti

Heather Perfetti

Vice President, Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Dr. Heather Perfetti joined the Middle States Commission on Higher Education as Vice President liaison to institutions in January of 2015.  She has since been promoted to the position of Vice President for Legal Affairs and Chief of Staff in 2017.  Previous positions include Vice... Read More →
avatar for Mac Powell

Mac Powell

Senior Fellow, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
Dr. Mac Powell serves as Senior Fellow of the Commission on Colleges and Universities.  Prior to joining the Commission, he served as president of three universities, including John F. Kennedy University, where he led the institution’s successful efforts to become a service-learning... Read More →
avatar for Jane Marie Souza

Jane Marie Souza

Associate Provost for Academic Administration, University of Rochester
Jane Marie Souza, PhD serves as the Associate Provost for Academic Administration/Chief Assessment Officer, University of Rochester. She is a board member and president-elect of the Association for Assessment of Learning in Higher Education, past editor-in-chief for the organization's... Read More →
avatar for Anthea M. Sweeney

Anthea M. Sweeney

Vice President, Higher Learning Commission
Dr. Anthea M. Sweeney joined the Commission in March 2013. She serves as Vice President for Accreditation Relations and Eligibility. Dr. Sweeney previously worked as the Assistant Dean for Academics at a law school in North Carolina, where she also served as founder and director of... Read More →


Tuesday June 5, 2018 9:15am - 10:15am MDT
Ballroom C

9:15am MDT

What Zombies Can Teach Us: Momentum for Academic Excellence
We could learn a thing or two from zombies. The urge to survive is like trying to navigate in higher education today. It makes us feel lifeless at times; our relentless drive to stumble forward with the notion of getting closer to what we want. Our commitment to move towards a goal, even if we have no concept of worth. And of course the desire to eat brains - who doesn't want brains? Kentucky's efforts are guided by a five-year strategic agenda, Stronger by Degrees. This guiding document, organized around the themes of opportunity, success, and impact, highlights 11 objectives. One of those objectives is to promote academic excellence through improvements in teaching and learning. To support the strategic agenda, the Council on Postsecondary Education has implemented initiatives to support the twenty-four 2-year and 4-year public institutions, with a focus on academic quality. Participants will have the opportunity to define academic quality, engage in a discussion regarding the merit of a state's involvement in the enterprise of higher education, and consider the role of their statewide governing, policy, and/or coordinating boards and how they can have a key role in promoting academic excellence.

Speakers
avatar for Tara Rose

Tara Rose

Director of Assessment, Louisiana State University
Dr. Tara Rose serves as Director of Assessment. Working collaboratively with faculty, staff, and administrators, she leads academic quality efforts including strategies for direct, performance-based assessment of student learning at the program and university levels that reflect current... Read More →


Tuesday June 5, 2018 9:15am - 10:15am MDT
Wyoming

9:15am MDT

A Peer Review Model to Evaluate Institution-Wide Assessment Reports: A Step-by-Step Guide and Lesson Learned
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso (TTUHSC El Paso) utilizes self-assessment practices to ensure evaluation and ongoing improvement of its institution-wide effectiveness process. As part of this effort, the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness (OIRE) has implemented a systematic peer-review model that has resulted in campus-wide participation in the assessment/evaluation process, while providing feedback and in-depth analysis of educational and administrative institutional effectiveness (IE) assessment reports. This annual formal review structure incorporates a training component to prepare and directly engage faculty, staff, and administrators for the evaluation of reports. Under this format, and with the use of tool and rubrics, peers review and evaluate assessment reports and their components --including mission statements, strategic goals and objectives, outcomes, assessments, targets, findings, and improvement/intervention strategies. This session will introduce participants to the TTUHSC El Paso annual peer-review model and provide step-by-step instructions on how to implement and utilize this model at the institutional, school, and unit level.

Speakers
avatar for Oliana Alikaj-Fierro

Oliana Alikaj-Fierro

Assistant Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Accreditation, Texas Tech Health Sciences at El Paso
avatar for Christiane Herber-Valdez

Christiane Herber-Valdez

Director, Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso


Tuesday June 5, 2018 9:15am - 10:15am MDT
Olympus

9:15am MDT

Effective Surveys
UPDATE -- I have uploaded the slides and some supporting documents. Thanks to all who attended! Please feel free to email with follow-up questions.

This session is intended to synthesize ideas from several disciplines into a set of practical ideas and tools for assessment staff to use in designing surveys, analyzing results, and improving them. The theory comes from machine learning (predictive analytics), psychology (item design), information theory (distributional properties), tools from educational measurement, text mining, and Astin's model for understanding student development.

This collection of ideas blends nicely to create a few selected ways to look at survey item data and the interactions between them. The resulting tools do not require great knowledge of the listed bodies of work--there are a few technical concepts, but these can easily be looked up a leisure for those wanting to know more, and the _usefulness_ of the concept should be obvious without a theoretical background. For example, information theory gives us a nice formula for assessing a trait of survey responses we might casually refer to as "how spread out they are."

Real examples will be used to show how surveys can be highly effective in understanding student traits and the influence of those traits on student outcomes.

Both quantitative (e.g. Likert-like) survey elements and written text will be considered, with emphasis on the former.

Speakers
avatar for David Eubanks

David Eubanks

Assistant VP for Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness, Furman University
David Eubanks holds a PhD in Mathematics from Southern Illinois University and currently serves as Assistant Vice President for Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness at Furman University. He has worked on the practical side of assessing student learning, including student writing... Read More →


Surveys pptx

Tuesday June 5, 2018 9:15am - 10:15am MDT
Teton

9:15am MDT

Embedding Assessment: An Effective Model for Engaging Faculty in General Education Assessment
Most higher education institutions use standardized tests/published instruments to measure the attainment of their general education outcomes. Course embedded assessment hold promise as an effective model to engage faculty in general education assessment. It provides unique opportunities for faculty professional development as they engage in the revision and development of assignments that closely align with scoring rubrics. Engaging faculty in the General Education assessment process broadens their understanding and interpretation of assessment results. This session will discuss institutional strategies and processes used to engage faculty in general education assessment which include: adaptation and use of existing rubrics such as the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC & U) rubrics, revision and development of assignments to align with scoring rubrics, calibration training to reach consensus about rubric criteria and levels of achievement to ensure inter-rater reliability.

Speakers
EO

Elizabeth Owolabi

Concordia University Chicago
The speaker has more than 16 years progressive experience in helping improve the quality of higher learning in academia, industry and government by providing leadership for institutional research, outcomes assessment and accreditation. She had previously served as the Associate Dean... Read More →


Tuesday June 5, 2018 9:15am - 10:15am MDT
Wasatch

9:15am MDT

Let's Give Them Something to Talk About: Exploring Assessment Language and Culture
Creating and maintaining a campus culture that values assessment is among the most critical responsibilities assessment professionals accept. Paramount to the creation of an effective culture of any nature is the development of an understood, shared language among all stakeholders. One major finding from a survey conducted by the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment in 2017 revealed that effective communication about student learning is both an opportunity and a challenge for assessment professionals (Jankowski, Timmer, Kinzie, & Kuh, 2018). Professionals are tasked, implicitly, and increasingly explicitly, with fostering institutional cultures which value student learning outcomes assessment. This symposium will explore the use of language as a tool to foster assessment cultures, from the perspective of three markedly different institutions.

The first portion of the symposium will include an overview of the topic, as well as small and large group discussions with attendees. Following this introduction, each of the presenters will provide their experiences at their institutions in a case study format. The symposium will end with a summary and a discussion of future directions with attention paid to scholarship needs and opportunities in this area.

Speakers
avatar for Sean Fitzpatrick

Sean Fitzpatrick

Department Chair - Allied Health, Marian University
Marian University, WI; Assistant Professor in Exercise and Sport Science; Chair - Committee for Student Learning; and graduate of WASC's Assessment Leadership Academy Class V.
avatar for Kara Moloney

Kara Moloney

Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Lead, University of California, Davis
I am passionate about culturally-responsive education research, especially when it supports efforts to provide equitable and inclusive opportunities in which all students can thrive academically, personally, and professionally. I get paid to help my colleagues to ask and answer questions... Read More →



Tuesday June 5, 2018 9:15am - 10:15am MDT
Arizona

9:15am MDT

Leveraging Data from Academic Program Review to Impact Student Learning
When the status quo is unacceptable, you re-envision the system to leverage data capacity and catalyze change on campus. Engage in a conversation about closing the loop on assessment through academic program review and action planning. In efforts to enhance the culture of quality across the university, Samford University implemented Taskstream by Watermark in all areas of Institutional Effectiveness. Learn how this implementation enabled Samford to re-envision the academic program review process, and to streamline and strengthen the quality of assessment informed decisions for prioritizing academic programs and services.

Sponsored by: Watermark Insights


Tuesday June 5, 2018 9:15am - 10:15am MDT
Tucson

9:15am MDT

Toward a Multifaceted Understanding of Learning Outcomes: A Longitudinal Investigation (Phase I)
Practitioners in the field of undergraduate education are under pressure to ensure that their students acquire sufficient knowledge and skills for post-college success, but they have limited evidence to demonstrate expected learning gains in specific content areas, generic skills, and noncognitive aspects of student development. This session will discuss a longitudinal study that is currently underway with four partner institutions across the United States. We intend to discuss results from Phase I of this study using secondary cross-sectional data to explore performance differences between different cohorts (e.g., freshmen vs. seniors) based on data from more than 200,000 students attending 300+ U.S. institutions. Three types of outcomes assessments were employed, including assessments of: (1) generic skills (Critical Thinking), (2) domain-specific knowledge in Business, and (3) noncognitive skills in 10 sub-dimensions (e.g., self-management). This session is intended for stakeholders in higher education who are interested in investigating longitudinal trends in student learning outcomes, and will discuss challenges in conducting a longitudinal study in this area. We will also discuss the types of inferences and insights to be gained through longitudinal and cross-sectional data. This session will involve breaking into small groups to facilitate discussion around these topics.

Speakers
avatar for Katrina Roohr

Katrina Roohr

Educational Testing Service
Katrina Roohr is a Managing Research Scientist in the Academic to Career Research Center at the Educational Testing Service, a non-profit educational organization and world-class leader in assessment, validity and fairness, and measurement research. She received her Ed.D. in Psychometric... Read More →


Tuesday June 5, 2018 9:15am - 10:15am MDT
Idaho

9:15am MDT

Using the Academic Program Assessment Model for University Unit Assessment
The presenter will show how the structure of academic program assessment was used to develop a unit assessment protocol across all units of the university. Based on development of unit goals and outcomes aligned with a newly developed strategic plan, each university unit was asked to develop 3 major goals with aligned outcomes from that plan that would be assessed annually over a three-year cycle. A common template was used for this process. This model allows for the individuality of units across all departments of the university while maintaining a common unifying element of its Mission and Strategic Compass. Participants will be given samples of the template and encouraged to develop and adapt the template to meet their own institution's needs. This will be followed by an explanation of the process for periodic unit evaluation for effectiveness, and how the annual assessment contributes to periodic evaluation. The theoretical model for unit evaluation and strategic planning is based on Alexander & Serfass' Strategic Quality Planning and Continuous Improvement (1999). The underlying theory is that of KAIZEN, continuous improvement. The process includes the elements of internal and external scans, benchmarking success and vision sharing, tactical considerations, and analysis of interrelationships.

Speakers
avatar for Janet Thiel

Janet Thiel

Director of Assessment, Georgian Court University
Janet Thiel, OSF, PhD, currently serves as Director of Assessment at Georgian Court University in Lakewood, NJ. She previously was the Assessment Officer for Neumann University (Aston, PA), within her role of Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs. Other experiences include... Read More →



Tuesday June 5, 2018 9:15am - 10:15am MDT
Flagstaff

9:15am MDT

Fine and Performing Arts Program Assessment: Challenges and Opportunities
Assessing art and performing arts programs might seem to present challenges of subjectivity. Clichés like "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" might serve as attempts to capture this perspective. However, arts faculty are professionals and thus possess sound and experienced-based perspectives, and their judgements can, and do, render valuable insight into student learning and development in the arts. In addition, arts professionals can serve as panel assessment participants, providing professional perspective (as opposed to traditional "academic judgement" in areas such as English, History, etc.), and give extremely valuable feedback to the program leaders about student performance that can be incorporated into the curriculum. In this session, we will describe our processes for assessing student work in Columbia's performing arts and art majors; how internal and external perspectives are utilized; and how these approaches inform us about student growth in our arts disciplines. Attendees will view and assess samples of student work in diverse arts disciplines, such as Photography and Design, and discuss the challenges, opportunities, and ultimately, the benefits of these activities.

Speakers
avatar for Neil Pagano

Neil Pagano

Associate Provost, Columbia College Chicago
Neil has served as a campus assessment leader and accreditation liaison officer at Columbia College Chicago. He is also a Peer Reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission and regularly serves as a mentor at HLC's assessment academy and workshops.
TR

Tyler Roeger

Manager for Assessment and Faculty Development, Columbia College Chicago
Tyler has been the director of assessment at Columbia College Chicago since 2017. Prior, he was involved in varied assessment activities as a faculty member at institutions in several academic departments and consistently publishes on his research.


Tuesday June 5, 2018 9:15am - 10:15am MDT
Snowbasin

9:15am MDT

Mapping Points of Interest: Assessing students’ engagement with digital primary sources through digital heat maps and written reflection
This presentation will highlight the authors' experiences deploying the Digital Archival Advertisements Survey Process (DAASP) model. This model is a collaborative active learning exercise designed by the researchers that leveraged a series of complex Qualtrics surveys to aid students in evaluating primary source documents of print-based advertisements. With DAASP, the researchers were able to assess the students' ability to evaluate their biases of the advertisements in a first-year composition course This presentation will share students' experiences interacting with and reflecting on archival advertisements (mid-twentieth century) in a first-year composition class in Fall 2017 utilizing the DAASP model. Furthermore, this presentation will share analysis completed by the researchers to assess their primary research question: Do students perceive heatmap-centered collaboration as helpful with their evaluation of library-licensed digital primary sources?

Speakers
avatar for Russell Michalak

Russell Michalak

Director & Assistant Professor, Goldey-Beacom College


Tuesday June 5, 2018 9:15am - 10:15am MDT
Uintah

10:30am MDT

AALHE Committee Meeting: Knowledge Development Task Force
Please join AALHE's Knowledge Development Task Force meeting to learn about the functions of the group, future projects, and volunteer opportunities for Members.  The meeting is open to all attendees.

The AALHE Board established the Knowledge Development Task Force (KDTF) in 2017. Its mission is "To identify and facilitate ways to advance the development of a body of knowledge devoted to assessing and improving student learning in higher education.

Speakers
avatar for David Dirlam

David Dirlam

Author, changingwisdoms.com
David Kirk Dirlam, Ph.D. is an AALHE Board Member and author of Teachers, learners, modes of practice: Theory and methodology for identifying knowledge development (available from Routledge / Taylor & Francis by March 6, this year).



Tuesday June 5, 2018 10:30am - 11:30am MDT
Sawtooth

10:30am MDT

Talk and Tweet: Continued Conversations with Accreditors
Moderators: Jane Marie Souza, University of Rochester and Steven Hawks, University of Minnesota
Panelists: Heather F. Perfetti, Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Mac Powell, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
Anthea M. Sweeney, Higher Learning Commission


This session will serve as an opportunity to continue the conversations with accreditors by offering additional time with our panelists. In a more informal session, participants will be able to ask their questions live or through Twitter moderator, Steven Hawks, who will be collecting questions sent to: “#aalheconversations”. Attendees can submit their questions at any time either during the initial session,  Conversation with Accreditorsor at the start of this second session. We hope you will take advantage of this extended time to carry on the conversations about critical assessment and accreditation topics.

Speakers
avatar for Steven Hawks

Steven Hawks

Director of Undergraduate Assessment, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Steven Hawks serves as the Director of Undergraduate Assessment, and works with approximately 150 different undergraduate programs in 9 undergraduate serving colleges/schools. He has worked in assessment for nearly 12 years, and has presented at a number of accreditation and assessment... Read More →
avatar for Heather Perfetti

Heather Perfetti

Vice President, Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Dr. Heather Perfetti joined the Middle States Commission on Higher Education as Vice President liaison to institutions in January of 2015.  She has since been promoted to the position of Vice President for Legal Affairs and Chief of Staff in 2017.  Previous positions include Vice... Read More →
avatar for Mac Powell

Mac Powell

Senior Fellow, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
Dr. Mac Powell serves as Senior Fellow of the Commission on Colleges and Universities.  Prior to joining the Commission, he served as president of three universities, including John F. Kennedy University, where he led the institution’s successful efforts to become a service-learning... Read More →
avatar for Jane Marie Souza

Jane Marie Souza

Associate Provost for Academic Administration, University of Rochester
Jane Marie Souza, PhD serves as the Associate Provost for Academic Administration/Chief Assessment Officer, University of Rochester. She is a board member and president-elect of the Association for Assessment of Learning in Higher Education, past editor-in-chief for the organization's... Read More →
avatar for Anthea M. Sweeney

Anthea M. Sweeney

Vice President, Higher Learning Commission
Dr. Anthea M. Sweeney joined the Commission in March 2013. She serves as Vice President for Accreditation Relations and Eligibility. Dr. Sweeney previously worked as the Assistant Dean for Academics at a law school in North Carolina, where she also served as founder and director of... Read More →


Tuesday June 5, 2018 10:30am - 11:30am MDT
Ballroom C

10:30am MDT

The State of Affairs of Assessment in Higher Education: Professional Development Needs
Using past research and results from multiple national surveys, a group of professionals selected by the Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education (AALHE) and Taskstream-Tk20-Livetext explored the roles/positions of assessment practitioners, the assessment activities typically performed within these roles, practitioners' perceptions about their work and the importance of assessment, and what they identified as their own professional development needs. The main purpose of the analysis was to inform the creation of future professional development offerings and opportunities. The analysis confirmed previous studies about the increasing institutionalization of assessment and expanded on the multiplicity of roles and responsibilities that assessment practitioners are asked to perform. At the same time, the analysis revealed persisting tensions and gaps between the potential of assessment for improving student learning and educational effectiveness, and what professionals are able to accomplish in practice. In interaction with participants, presenters will discuss what professional development needs should addressed if assessment is to fully fulfill its promise of using evidence to change institutions and practices with the aim of improving student learning.

Speakers
LA

Laura Ariovich

Dr. Laura Ariovich is Director of Institutional Assessment at Prince George's Community College, in Largo, Maryland. She came to the US as a Fulbright Scholar and earned a Ph.D. in Sociology from Northwestern University.  Before coming to the US, Laura completed her undergraduate... Read More →
avatar for Conna Bral

Conna Bral

Accreditation and Assessment Manager, Midwestern State University
Dr. Conna Bral currently serves in a leadership role for accreditation and assessment for West College of Education at Midwestern State University in Wichita Fall, TX. She has served in a variety of administrative roles in post-secondary academic affairs. She has led the design and... Read More →
avatar for Patricia Gregg

Patricia Gregg

Assoc Dir, Assessment & Review, Georgia State University
Patricia L. Gregg, Ph.D. is Associate Director for Assessment and Review at Georgia State University. She is responsible for managing consolidated assessment of the core curriculum. She has served as an institutional effectiveness evaluator and lead QEP evaluator for SACSCOC. She... Read More →
avatar for Matthew Gulliford

Matthew Gulliford

Senior Account Manager, Taskstream|Tk20
Matthew Gulliford is part of Taskstream-Tk20 Account Management team and works closely with institutions to understand their assessment needs and goals in order to determine how Taskstream-Tk20 can help advance meaningful assessment practices on their campuses. Before joining the... Read More →
avatar for Jennifer Morrow

Jennifer Morrow

Associate Professor, University of Tennessee
Dr. Jennifer Ann Morrow is an Associate Professor of Evaluation, Statistics, and Measurement. She has over 20 years of experience conducting higher education assessment and developing assessments and surveys. She maintains an active presence on Twitter: https://twitter.com/evalua... Read More →



Tuesday June 5, 2018 10:30am - 11:30am MDT
Tucson

10:30am MDT

Assessing Diversity and Cultural Competence
Student learning in the area of diversity is an area of focus for many institutions of higher learning. This research focused on program leaders' understandings and attitudes toward enhancing outcomes, assessment tasks, and associated measures of learning in areas of disciplinary relevant diversity. The research also reviewed learning outcomes and associated measures of learning integrated in programs across a large college and assessment findings from direct and indirect measures of diversity learning. The session will begin with an overview of the research purpose, questions, and methodology. The audience will interactively experience discussions similar to those elicited in the research, to include (a) reviewing programmatic outcomes, assessments, and measures; (b) discussions that guide decisions to focus outcomes toward disciplinary focused learning expectations; (c) refining assessment tasks through which students can demonstrate the defined learning; and (d) aggregating assessment findings to understand qualities of learning in areas of diversity.

Speakers
avatar for Frederick Burrack

Frederick Burrack

Director of Assessment, Kansas State University
Frederick Burrack is Director of Assessment, Professor of Music Education, Graduate Chair for Music, Distinguished Graduate Faculty. He joined the Kansas State music faculty as a music education specialist in Fall 2005. Dr. Burrack taught instrumental music education at Ball State... Read More →
avatar for Chris Urban

Chris Urban

Assistant Director, Office of Assessment, Kansas State University
Chris Urban (chrisu@ksu.edu) is Assistant Director of Data Analytics at Kansas State University. He previously served as Assistant Director of Assessment. Chris is currently working toward a Ph.D. in Student Affairs in Higher Education. His research interests include learning assessment... Read More →


Tuesday June 5, 2018 10:30am - 11:30am MDT
Wyoming

10:30am MDT

Assessment for Capacity Building through Institutional Assessment of Oral Communication
Teaching and assessment capacity-building can happen at each step of the assessment process. Providing assignment design tips, engaging faculty in collaborative discussion of student work, and promptly pushing out resources on pedagogical strategies are just some examples of capacity-building activities in the assessment process. Focusing on capacity-building is a powerful way to communicate to the teaching faculty and staff that assessment is for learning.
Using institutional oral communication assessment as the focus of this interactive session, the facilitator will share institutional oral communication assessment and capacity-building strategies from the literature, practices from multiple institutions, and the project that she led at a large public research university. The facilitator will engage the participants to reflect on oral communication assessment strategies appropriate for their own institution. The participants will leave the workshop with a list of capacity-building activities/strategies to engage teaching faculty and staff in continuous improvement of teaching, learning, and assessment practice.

Speakers
avatar for Yao Hill

Yao Hill

University of Hawaii at Manoa
Yao Z. Hill, Ph.D., is a faculty specialist in the Assessment Office at University of Hawai"˜i at Mānoa. She assists with program learning outcomes assessment projects and coordinates institutional learning assessment activities. She specializes in faculty professional development in learning assessment. She has over 10 years of experience in program evaluation, educational measurement... Read More →


Tuesday June 5, 2018 10:30am - 11:30am MDT
Sun Valley

10:30am MDT

Emerging Practices for Assessing Co-Curricular Learning
Many of us face challenges assessing student learning in the experiences we offer students outside the classroom. Traditionally, these experiences are assessed within the units that provide them. In this symposium, we present three models of assessing co-curricular learning across units: 1) a model that started with creating five learning domains, mapping experiences, and developing measures to collect evidence across units; 2) a model that assesses high impact practices, focusing on faculty-touched co-curricular aspects and ways to blend enrollment data and degree program policies and practices with assessment objectives; and 3) a model that seeks to assist faculty and staff in embedding intercultural competence outcomes (and assessment thereof) into the curriculum and co-curriculum. We share our successes and challenges with creating and implementing these new approaches, and invite your feedback and insights.

Speakers
avatar for Jane Jensen

Jane Jensen

Associate Professor, University of Kentucky
Dr. Jensen joined the Educational Policy Studies faculty at UK from Indiana University with a PhD in Anthropology and Higher Education. Her research includes the study of student transitions to and through college, credentialing, and policies regarding student success and general... Read More →
avatar for Sharron Ronco

Sharron Ronco

Assessment Director, Marquette University
Dr. Ronco has been responsible for implementation of student learning outcomes assessment for over 20 years.  She is a seasoned presenter and workshop convener at national and regional assessment conferences.  She has collaborated in the development and implementation of new co-curricular... Read More →
avatar for Katherine N. Yngve

Katherine N. Yngve

Assessment Specialist, Purdue University
I am an anti-racist educational measurement professional, who specializes in identifying & measuring the competencies (also called "constructs" or "soft skills") of intercultural, inclusive, multicultural and interpersonal effectiveness . In a nutshell, I teach people how to teach... Read More →



Tuesday June 5, 2018 10:30am - 11:30am MDT
Arizona

10:30am MDT

Engaging Adjunct Faculty in Assessment
Columbia College tenured faculty design program assessment, however adjunct faculty are instrumental in implementation because they comprise more than 75% of the teaching staff. The purpose of this session is to explore ways to engage adjunct faculty in the assessment process in spite of barriers presented by the nature of their positions. I plan to use my experiences with adjunct faculty to:
suggest strategies for engaging them in assessment and
to moderate a focused discussion with the audience members to generate additional ideas.
Because adjunct faculty are becoming more pervasive in higher education, the design and topic of this session will appeal to most assessment professionals attending the conference.

The agenda for the proposed session follows:
20 minutes: Introduction and review of current research on best practices and my strategies for working with adjunct faculty.
20 minutes: "World Cafe" style discussion of strategies for removing barriers and engaging.
15 minutes: Discussion of ideas from the groups.
5 minutes: Conclusion, summary, closure.

Speakers
avatar for Cyndi Louden

Cyndi Louden

Director of Assessment, Columbia College
Dr. Cyndi Louden is the Director of Assessment at Columbia College, Missouri where the student learning outcomes assessment program has been reinvented within the last few years. Peer review of assessment results has successfully enhanced use of data for improvement and a collaborative... Read More →


Tuesday June 5, 2018 10:30am - 11:30am MDT
Wasatch

10:30am MDT

One step back, two steps forward: tips and tool used to jumpstart a stalled assessment process
Colleges and universities are challenged to create or improve meaningful processes for assessment that promote continuous improvement. There are many roadblocks to assessment including a compliance mentality and fear of the process. In this session, discover how one community college overcame years of starts and stops and finally got assessment on the road and moving forward. Advice and tools will be shared.

Speakers
avatar for Kathleen Gorski

Kathleen Gorski

Assistant Dean of Assessment, Waubonsee Community College
Dr. Kathleen Gorski is the Assistant Dean of Outcomes Assessment & Program Review at Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove, Illinois. She has been at Waubonsee since 2016 where she was hired to create a systematic process for outcomes assessment and program review. Gorski has... Read More →



Tuesday June 5, 2018 10:30am - 11:30am MDT
Uintah

10:30am MDT

Prioritizing Data from National Standardized Instruments
A common problem when using national standardized instruments (e.g., NSSE, SSI, CIRP, CLA+) is the overwhelming amount of data one receives. How does an institution make sense of all the data and how can an institution turn these results into actionable items? In this session we will examine actual data from these types of instruments and go through the process of understanding and prioritizing the results into actionable items for an institution. We will also discuss strategies for this process based on institutional mission, outcomes, and brand. This session is intended for Assessment Directors and Assessment Committee members, but would also be valuable for administrators and faculty.

Speakers
avatar for Joel Frederickson

Joel Frederickson

Bethel University, Bethel University
Professor of Psychology and Associate Dean of Assessment & Accreditation at Bethel University. Peer reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission. I have sat on past CIC panels regarding the use of the Collegiate Learning Assessment.


Tuesday June 5, 2018 10:30am - 11:30am MDT
Snowbasin

10:30am MDT

Summiting Everest: How One University Aligned Co-Curricular and Academic Assessment Practices for a Culture of Improvement
Many universities are conducting curricular and co-curricular assessment, but they struggle to design a system of assessment that easily generates this information and tells a meaningful story. Creating an assessment system that generates meaningful data can be difficult, or even impossible at times, almost as if one is embarking on an impossible journey. In this interactive session, participants will learn how to design an assessment system that supports both curricular and co-curricular units and will help them to know the right questions to ask, what is important for their own story, and how to sync up all of their assessment and improvement efforts in a way that is both meaningful and compliant. Through this, they will be able to meet the increasing demands for accountability from accrediting bodies while still finding meaningful ways to engage faculty and other assessment personnel across their institutions. This session is geared towards both assessment professionals and academic leadership for higher education institutions.

Speakers
avatar for Tim Fowler

Tim Fowler

Director of Institutional Assessment, Liberty University
Tim is the Director of Institutional Assessment at Liberty University. He specializes in facilitating academic program-level learning outcomes assessment and co-curricular departmental assessment. He has presented at both regional and national conferences on assessment related topics... Read More →
avatar for Peter Lee

Peter Lee

Assistant Director for Institutional Assessment, Liberty Univeristy
Peter Lee came to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness in March 2018 after working for 5 years as the Assessment Director at Ivy Christian College. In 2007, Peter and his family came to Liberty to further his education. Peter earned a M.R.E., M. Div., and a D. Min. from Liberty... Read More →
avatar for Erin Schroeder

Erin Schroeder

Assistant Director for Institutional Assessment, Liberty University
Erin Schroeder is an Assistant Director for Institutional Assessment at Liberty University. Her main passion is to encourage and equip people and organizations to be successful in healthy, effective, and fulfilling ways. Through her experiences and training in school, ministry and... Read More →


Tuesday June 5, 2018 10:30am - 11:30am MDT
Teton

10:30am MDT

What Do I Do When There Is No Classroom? Challenges in Assessing the Co-Curricular
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.

Speakers
avatar for Ross Markle

Ross Markle

ETS
Ross Markle serves as a Senior Research and Assessment Director for the Higher Education Division at Educational Testing Service. In his role, he supports ETS' thought leadership efforts in higher education by collaborating with operational and research areas, as well as the higher... Read More →
avatar for Katrina Roohr

Katrina Roohr

Educational Testing Service
Katrina Roohr is a Managing Research Scientist in the Academic to Career Research Center at the Educational Testing Service, a non-profit educational organization and world-class leader in assessment, validity and fairness, and measurement research. She received her Ed.D. in Psychometric... Read More →


Tuesday June 5, 2018 10:30am - 11:30am MDT
Flagstaff

10:30am MDT

Teaching Assessment to Graduate Students: Challenges, Successes, and Lessons Learned
Graduate courses in higher education assessment attract early- to mid-career professionals, many of whom arrive with preconceived ideas about assessment. These adult learners typically experience challenges as they undergo a paradigm shift in their thinking and ultimately design realistic and effective assessment plans for their own institutions. In this session, a professor who designs and teaches assessment courses and a teaching assistant share their experiences as they help graduate students to unravel misunderstandings of assessment and design proposals to implement new or revised assessment efforts for their institutions. Participants are invited to share their challenges and successes on their paths to understanding and implementing assessment and to share their own "lessons learned" for their professional practice in teaching, administration, or student services.

Speakers
avatar for Cynthia Howell

Cynthia Howell

Faculty, Leadership for Higher Education, Capella University
Dr. Cynthia Howell has served as faculty for Leadership for Higher Education in the graduate School of Education at Capella University since 2004. She designs and teaches courses on assessment, education program evaluation, advising and retention, and others and serves on dissertation... Read More →



Tuesday June 5, 2018 10:30am - 11:30am MDT
Olympus

10:30am MDT

Measuring Student Growth Using Evaluation Rubrics As Formative Assessment Tools
Measuring student growth throughout the course of a program is a challenge as students are taking a variety of courses, meeting a variety of outcomes, and completing course assignments and assessments with a variety of teachers. When confronted with the challenge of measuring student growth to meet accreditation standards, the presenters of this session collaborated with faculty to develop an evaluation process to measure student growth within the course of the students' time in the Professional Education program. In this session, participants will hear about the process of creating the Teacher Candidate Evaluation System to measure teacher candidate growth in preparation for program completion and program licensure. The presenters will share methods used in creating the evaluation process as well as in the implementation of the system throughout the program. While in the first year of implementation of this evaluation process, the promising practice is creating a common language for feedback toward higher student growth in meeting teacher standards. The intended audience includes professors, adjunct faculty, department or program chairs, deans, and anyone interested in investigating options for evaluating student growth.

Speakers
avatar for Emily Turner

Emily Turner

William Woods University
Dr. Turner (turner@campbell.edu) is in her third year with Campbell University for the School of Education and Adult and Online Education programs. She has co-led the Professional Education faculty through CAEP Accreditation, rebuilt and designed revitalized education programs including... Read More →



Tuesday June 5, 2018 10:30am - 11:30am MDT
Idaho

11:30am MDT

Lunch on your own
Tuesday June 5, 2018 11:30am - 1:00pm MDT
TBA

11:45am MDT

Learning Improvement Story-Collection Team Meeting
By invitation only--contact Monica for an invite and instructions.
Participants from the Learning Improvement Summit will gather for lunch (bring your own lunch) to discuss critiera/guidelines for collecting stories about learning improvement as a result of an assessment process.

Speakers
avatar for Monica Stitt-Bergh

Monica Stitt-Bergh

Associate Specialist of Assessment, University of Hawai
Monica Stitt-Bergh is an educational psychologist and works in the Assessment Office at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. In her current position, she is an internal consultant for and offers workshops on learning outcomes assessment. She also plans and conducts institutional... Read More →


Tuesday June 5, 2018 11:45am - 12:45pm MDT
Sawtooth

1:00pm MDT

Topical Interest Group Deep Listening Session: Building AALHE member collaboration, professional development, and advancement
The Topical Interest Groups (TIGs) subcommittee invites AALHE members to participate in a deep listening session with the attempt to establish the purpose and potential agenda for three major interest groups (Research, Leadership Formation, and Hot Topics/Emerging Trends) which have emerged from discussions on the ASSESS Listserv and the AALHE Member Survey.

Participants will have the opportunity to share what they want/need out of TIGs and will begin the work of defining the goals/purposes of TIGs in the three currently-established major branches. The Subcommittee will compile and analyze the feedback and report back to all participants and to the Events Committee.

The Events Committee of the AALHE has charged the Topical Interest Groups Subcommittee to identify areas of interest for TIGs; promote AALHE TIGs to members as a way to meaningfully connect with other assessment practitioners; to foster and collaborate with TIG leaders to develop plans for maximum participation by members; to assist with the development of AALHE TIG products; and to facilitate connections between TIG members/leaders to other assessment opportunities.

Through active participation in this deep listening session, AALHE members will have the opportunity to expand and engage with an ongoing community of practice within the organization and profession.

Group participants should use the following link to complete the activities during the session: bit.ly/AALHETIGs  

Speakers
avatar for Moreen Carvan

Moreen Carvan

Director, Asssurance of Learning, Marian University of Wisconsin
Dr. Moreen Carvan is Marian University's Director of Institutional Effectiveness. She earned her Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Cincinnati, with a specialization in educational research and change. In the course of her career, Dr. Carvan has worked in two... Read More →
avatar for Leah Simpson

Leah Simpson

System Director for Distance Learning, Kentucky Community and Technical College System
JS

Joseph Sullivan

Associate Dean for Institutional Effectiveness, Marietta College
Joseph Sullivan is an Associate Professor of English, specializing in Shakespeare and has served as Director of Assessment since 2013 and Associate Dean of Institutional Effectiveness since 2019.
avatar for Keith Werosh

Keith Werosh

Associate National Dean, Institutional Effectiveness, DeVry University
Dr. Keith Werosh is currently Associate National Dean, Institutional Effectiveness at DeVry University where he promotes engagement in the assessment of student learning for the DeVry University system and works toward integrating assessment into the University’s model of program... Read More →



Tuesday June 5, 2018 1:00pm - 2:30pm MDT
Teton

1:00pm MDT

Generating Quality Test Items Workshop
In higher education, peer review is an established method of ensuring quality of publications. Furthermore, anything that is truly important to us in our professional lives, we tend to peer review. Sadly, however, somethings of utmost important to our students: test/exam items: are often not provided the benefit of peer feedback. Poor quality test items may unfairly impact student grades and have the potential to undermine motivation, engagement and learning. This session addresses this issue by demonstrating how to evaluate test items for content accuracy, applicability to audience, clarity of writing, and alignment to student learning outcomes as well as teaching methods. Using a test item review guide provided, participants will actively engage first in critiquing sample test questions, then in drafting their own questions using the strategies learned. Participants will discuss how the peer review process can be used to improve quality, enhance awareness, and expand capacity for, assessment at their institutions.

Speakers
avatar for Jane Marie Souza

Jane Marie Souza

Associate Provost for Academic Administration, University of Rochester
Jane Marie Souza, PhD serves as the Associate Provost for Academic Administration/Chief Assessment Officer, University of Rochester. She is a board member and president-elect of the Association for Assessment of Learning in Higher Education, past editor-in-chief for the organization's... Read More →


Tuesday June 5, 2018 1:00pm - 2:30pm MDT
Arizona

1:00pm MDT

It's Not Rocket Science: Best Practices and Hands-on Training in Item Writing
Western Governors University (WGU) is an online, non-profit, competency-based university. As assessment developers at WGU, we work with internal and external stakeholders on a daily basis to create quality assessments. Our assessment development practices are based on psychometric standards that help assure that assessments are both valid and reliable.
Many teaching professionals have extensive training in educational approaches and practices, but little to no training in assessment development. In our interactive skills session we will share some of our approaches and how to apply them to create quality items for objective assessments.
As assessment developers we strive to make sure that our items are written in a way that discriminates between students who are competent and those who are not. We seek to make every item we write both valid and reliable, so that they truly measure student competence, rather than students' test-taking abilities.
For this presentation we will first briefly outline WGU's competency and evidence-statement approach to writing objective assessments. We will create a set of mock competencies and evidence statements for a workshop in which participants will create items using the following item-writing standards:
Alignment to ES
Question format
Parallelism
Sensitivity/Bias/ADA regulations


Tuesday June 5, 2018 1:00pm - 2:30pm MDT
Uintah

1:00pm MDT

Visualizing your assessment data: Hands on practice with graphic design basics
Data visualization is a powerful means for telling the most impactful stories of our assessment data. With critical decision making relying heavily on assessment data it is imperative that the data we collect be able to get to the point and show what is really going on with our programs, colleges, and universities. In this workshop, participants will gain basic skills with data visualization, graphic design, and message branding in order to tell their assessment story. We will begin with an overview of assessment data visuals and the basics of graphic design including color and institutional or programmatic branding. Participants will then be able to practice their skills with sample quantitative data. Next, participants will practice their skills with qualitative data, ensuring a wide variety of data visualization experiences. Participants will also have the option to utilize their own assessment data to create visuals with input from a visualization specialist and graphic designer. Participants are asked to bring their laptops with Microsoft Excel in order to have hands-on practice with sample data. A graphic designer will be on hand for consultations about design and color choices for presenting data effectively.

Speakers
avatar for Courtney Vengrin

Courtney Vengrin

Coordinator of Assessment, Iowa State University



Tuesday June 5, 2018 1:00pm - 2:30pm MDT
Wasatch

1:00pm MDT

What Does it Take? How to Find (and Become) the Best Professionals to Positively Impact Assessment Work
As institutions work to improve their assessment processes and structures, our roles as assessment professionals evolve to meet new challenges. Assessment professionals are uniquely positioned to forward institutional culture and processes regarding the assessment of student learning. Our field has experienced significant change in the past two decades, responding to accreditation and accountability demands and to internal critique from our peers in the assessment community and from faculty. Suskie (2009) discusses critical characteristics for assessment coordinators. We revisit her framework, presenting an analysis of career trajectories of assessment leaders, an analysis of current assessment job descriptions, and compare this to a participant-generated listed of key assessment professional skills and dispositions. Participants reflect on their own skills and dispositions, practicing how to articulate each to various audiences. Finally, we provide resources for professional development. Our continued improvement as assessment professionals positions us to "focus but adapt" our skills toward increasingly effective assessment leadership in our spheres of influence (Kuh et al, 2015).

Speakers
avatar for Susan Donat

Susan Donat

Director of Curriculum; Assistant Director of Assessment, Messiah College
Dr. Susan Donat serves as liaison between curriculum and assessment efforts at Messiah College, coordinating assessment efforts and curriculum for over 90 programs. This past academic year, she worked to reduce the institutional learning outcomes from 53 to 6, shepherding the proposal... Read More →
avatar for Kate Simcox

Kate Simcox

Director of Assessment, Messiah College
Dr. Kate Simcox serves as the Director of Academic Assessment at Messiah College. She is also co-chair and Professor of Communication. As Director of Academic Assessment for the college, Dr. Simcox chairs the assessment of student learning committee, coordinates institutional assessment... Read More →



Tuesday June 5, 2018 1:00pm - 2:30pm MDT
Idaho

1:00pm MDT

Classroom Assessment and Accountability For Learning Through Interactive Notebooks
Many university professors struggle with student accountability for homework / out of class reading and assignments. We assign the homework so that our time together in class is allowed to be built around engaging in application of the content. However, when our students regularly show up having not done their part of preparation, how can we engage them in meaningful application, if they don't know what it is they're applying? In this session, participants will hear how interactive notebooks (INBs) have been implemented in multiple courses (both main campus face to face and online) to increase student accountability, application, and retention of content. The focus for the participants in our time together will be hearing about the implementation process thus far, as well as beginning to build INBs of their own for use in their next course! The presenters will share effective strategies using INBs to minimize lecture driven courses and maximize high-yield, interactive, and engaging experiences in learning. The intended audience includes professors, adjunct faculty, department or program chairs, deans, and anyone interested in a different approach to university level instruction.

Speakers
avatar for Emily Turner

Emily Turner

William Woods University
Dr. Turner (turner@campbell.edu) is in her third year with Campbell University for the School of Education and Adult and Online Education programs. She has co-led the Professional Education faculty through CAEP Accreditation, rebuilt and designed revitalized education programs including... Read More →



Tuesday June 5, 2018 1:00pm - 2:30pm MDT
Sun Valley

1:00pm MDT

Is "Closing the Loop" depleting your energy? A guided approach to focusing resources where they are most needed
As discussed in the literature, the process of "closing the loop" following an initial assessment of program learning outcomes involves several steps. Once data collection is completed, the subsequent work includes:
1. Analyzing and discussing results with different audiences
2. Developing an improvement plan to address areas of weakness
3. Implementing changes in the program as outlined in the improvement plan
4. Reassessing program outcomes to measure the impact of the changes introduced

Even though this sequence of events makes sense conceptually, practitioners recognize that completing all this work for every single assessment may not be the best course of action. Sharing and discussing results are essential assessment activities, but requiring that such discussion inevitably lead to the creation and implementation of an improvement plan is not always feasible or even desirable. Imposing this requirement across the board may lead to minor, inconsequential program changes, carried more for the sake of compliance than in the spirit of meaningful learning improvement. Based on our institution's experience with assessing program learning outcomes, this session proposes a rubric-based approach to guide practitioners in deciding when to implement steps 2-4 of the "closing the loop" process listed above.

Speakers
LA

Laura Ariovich

Dr. Laura Ariovich is Director of Institutional Assessment at Prince George's Community College, in Largo, Maryland. She came to the US as a Fulbright Scholar and earned a Ph.D. in Sociology from Northwestern University.  Before coming to the US, Laura completed her undergraduate... Read More →
SW

Sade Walker

Prince George's Community College
Ms. Sade A. Walker is a Senior Research Analyst at Prince George's Community College in the Office of Research, Assessment, and Effectiveness. She plays a key role in the student learning outcomes assessment and institutional effectiveness processes at the college. In addition to... Read More →


Tuesday June 5, 2018 1:00pm - 2:30pm MDT
Snowbasin

1:00pm MDT

Science Assessment Phobia? Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) to the Rescue
This session will equip assessment professionals to retool traditional, disciplinary content-heavy college science assessments by using the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The National Research Council and education stakeholders have proposed that states should teach and assess not only the one dimension of science content knowledge but three dimensions of science: 1) disciplinary core ideas (DCI) (2) science and engineering practices (SEP), and (3) crosscutting concepts (CCC). Subsequently, states and universities are creating 3-D science assessments that align with 3-D instruction.
Assessment professionals will benefit by understanding the three dimensions of NGSS and how they can shape assessments. The NGSS provide a common language and logic between assessment professionals and subject matter experts. The session will point to NGSS performance expectations, evidence statements and learning progressions that are the foundations of good assessment design. In this session, you will learn assessment lessons through science demos, learn how to color-code 3-D NGSS performance expectations, achieve fluency in the NGSS through games and view examples of three-dimensional science assessments.
 


Tuesday June 5, 2018 1:00pm - 2:30pm MDT
Wyoming

1:00pm MDT

Best Practices in Writing Assessable Student Learning Outcomes
Student learning outcomes (SLOs) are the foundation of the assessment edifice. Yet, many faculty and administrators -- and even assessment professionals -- craft SLOs that would benefit from further development. This session will start with a presentation of guidelines for writing meaningful, assessable SLOs. Participants will then have the opportunity to write SLOs for their course, program, or university and work in small groups with others to give and receive feedback.

Speakers
avatar for Jill Kern

Jill Kern

Director of Assessment & Accreditation, Eastern Washington University
People should talk to me about how to craft assessable student learning outcomes.


Tuesday June 5, 2018 1:00pm - 2:30pm MDT
Tucson

1:00pm MDT

Build Your Improvement Plan!
Do you have assessment results, but you're struggling with what to do next? A well-defined and actionable improvement plan can help you outline, communicate and implement how assessment results will be used at your institution. In this highly interactive session, we will review the components of effective improvement plans and start working toward your first plan. Participants will identify key areas for action and practice techniques for discussing, revising and implementing their improvement plans after the conference. This session is appropriate for individuals or groups of colleagues and for assessment results that were gathered at the institution, general education, program, or course levels. A variety of improvement plan templates will be available for you to use at the session and beyond.

Speakers
avatar for Faon Grandinetti

Faon Grandinetti

Associate Director, Outcomes Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness, Harper College
Faon Grandinetti has been helping faculty and staff at Harper College improve their assessment practices since 2012. As Associate Director of Outcomes Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness, she assists colleagues in implementing outcomes-based assessment to improve educational... Read More →



Tuesday June 5, 2018 1:00pm - 2:30pm MDT
Olympus

1:00pm MDT

Meta-Assessment: A Blueprint for Evaluating Programmatic Effectiveness
Assessment is becoming ubiquitous across higher education. As institutions commit more time into developing assessment processes, it is vital to determine the quality of these processes. The evaluation of assessment processes, known as meta-assessment, can be a challenging task. The purpose of this skill-building session is to provide participants a blueprint for engaging in program-level meta-assessment to gauge the quality of their academic degree program assessment processes. Assessment quality is a vital component in the use of assessment for improved student learning and change.
The session will start with an overview of meta-assessment, as practiced at our university (hereafter, the University). Participants should have an introductory knowledge of program-level assessment. Most of the session will be active learning, with little lecture. Participants will evaluate the effectiveness of an actual academic program's assessment process. Each participant will be provided with a truncated copy of a University program's assessment report. With support from the presenters, participants will use a meta-assessment rubric to provide ratings for each aspect of the program's assessment process. The session will conclude with a discussion of the impact of the meta-assessment process, including faculty engagement, increases in programmatic assessment quality, and assessment quality in the learning improvement process.

Speakers
AA

Allison Ames

James Madison University
Dr. Allison Ames is an assistant assessment specialist in the Center for Assessment and Research Studies and an Assistant Professor at James Madison University in the department of Graduate Psychology. Dr. Ames is also coordinator of the Quantitative Psychology Concentration within... Read More →
TW

Tom Waterbury

James Madison University
Tom is a doctoral student in the Assessment and Measurement program at James Madison University. Along with his coursework, Tom assists academic programs with all phases of their assessment process. His current research is on student engagement in higher education and statistical... Read More →


Tuesday June 5, 2018 1:00pm - 2:30pm MDT
Flagstaff

2:30pm MDT

Snack
Snack provided during the Poster Session 

Tuesday June 5, 2018 2:30pm - 4:00pm MDT
Ballroom A&B

2:30pm MDT

Recognition & Rewards: Explicitly Valuing Faculty Roles in Assessment
What policies and practices support sustainable assessment at your institution? Are there systemic gaps or barriers to faculty engaging in meaningful assessment, as part of what they regularly do? How do you demonstrate a faculty-driven, "effective, regular, and comprehensive system of assessment of student achievement to your accreditor? At our decentralized, research-intensive university, we've been exploring these questions and working toward concrete improvements in practices for the past six years. We've found that some aspects of assessment lacked clear policies or expectations, and some policies and practices were in conflict. This poster session will share strategies and tools our assessment office used to a) gather data about existing assessment practices and barriers, b) work with stakeholders to clarify roles and responsibilities, and c) recognize exemplary assessment practices. More recently, an Associate Dean in our largest college helped advanced system-wide recognition of faculty engagement in assessment as a part of annual review, through her intentional outreach and strategic engagement with university and faculty leaders under our institution's shared governance system. This turning point in policy will impact practice university-wide, at all levels.

Speakers
avatar for Kimberly Green

Kimberly Green

Director of the Office of Assessment of Teaching and Learning, Washington State University
Kimberly Green has directed the Office of Assessment of Teaching and Learning at Washington State University since 2011, supporting colleges, programs, and campuses to assess student learning and use results that can guide faculty decisions about effective curricula and instruction... Read More →



Tuesday June 5, 2018 2:30pm - 4:00pm MDT
Ballroom A&B

2:30pm MDT

A Critical Assessment of the Assessment of Critical Thinking
Because of the importance of critical thinking skills for college graduates, most higher education institutions include critical thinking as a general education outcome. Nevertheless, this outcome is among the most difficult to assess. This poster will review three distinct approaches to assessing proficiency in this area: the essay-test format Critical Thinking Assessment Test (CAT), the objective ETS Heighten Critical Thinking Assessment test, and assessment of student writing using the Critical Thinking AACU Value Rubric. Students from two senior biology seminars completed both tests and their final course paper was rated by both authors using the Critical Thinking AACU Value Rubric. The poster will share student perceptions of the two exams, the expenses and logistical challenges of each approach, and psychometric properties of the three measures.

Speakers
avatar for George Smeaton

George Smeaton

Director of Institutional Research and Assessment, Keene State College
I am very interested in creative discipline assessment, and general education assessment, particularly the "murkier" general education outcomes such as critical thinking, civic engagement, diversity, and wellness. I am also interested in the application of statistical procedures... Read More →


Tuesday June 5, 2018 2:30pm - 4:00pm MDT
Ballroom A&B

2:30pm MDT

A Model for Assessing Study Abroad Programs
Participants attending study abroad programs are increasing dramatically from year to year. Students attending these programs seek to expand their international experience and understanding while improving their educational portfolio. However, the assessment of the value and impact of such programs on student learning and for the overall program improvement lacks a comprehensive model that examines the efficacy of study abroad learning at multiple levels (e.g., university, college, department, and program). This presentation proposes such a model and discusses the first iteration of its use in the study abroad programs of a major university.

Speakers

Tuesday June 5, 2018 2:30pm - 4:00pm MDT
Ballroom A&B

2:30pm MDT

Communication as a Learning Outcome in Graduate Education
At the undergraduate level, effective communication orally and in writing is nearly always explicitly named as a learning outcome. Graduate programs, varying as they do much more than undergraduate programs, may or may not include effective communication as a student learning outcome (SLO), even though most faculty would agree that communication is essential to professional success in virtually any field. In this exploratory study, we examined the SLOs of graduate programs at a research university in the Southeastern United States. We calculated the percentage of programs that include effective communication (oral, written, or both) in their SLOs and documented how communication was assessed. Next, we surveyed programs that do not include effective communication as an SLO to explore reasons for not doing so. We present the results of our investigation along with suggestions for whether and how to include communication as a learning outcome in graduate programs.

Speakers
avatar for Sara Cushing

Sara Cushing

Georgia State University
Dr. Sara Cushing has been recently appointed Senior Faculty Associate for Assessment of Student Learning. She is a professor of applied linguistics with expertise in second language assessment, particularly in the area of writing.



Tuesday June 5, 2018 2:30pm - 4:00pm MDT
Ballroom A&B

2:30pm MDT

Defining Student Learning Outcomes: Case of a Diversity Proficiency Course
This session purpose of this session is to engage participants in reflecting on learning outcomes and objectives at the institutional, program, and course levels. The impetus for this presentation is the challenges in aligning course objectives/learning goals to the institutional objectives for the diversity proficiency core requirement that student at a small liberal arts college are expected to meet as a graduation requirement. Learning outcomes are at the forefront of academic planning processes, which require alignment of course objectives to instructional and assessment tasks and making sure the learning outcomes are met. This presentation compares the objectives and learning outcomes of courses aimed at meeting the institutional learning outcomes for the diversity proficiency core. Stakeholders engaged in creating objectives at the institutional, program and course levels like academic deans and faculty will benefit from this presentation as they realized the challenges in aligning objectives and learning outcomes at the various levels in the institution. They will also be able to reflect on the extent to which the objectives and learning outcomes of courses at their institutions are aligned to the institutional expectations.

Speakers
avatar for Comfort Ateh

Comfort Ateh

Associate Professor, Providence College
Agronomist turned Educator and a believer in assessment at the core of every success.



Tuesday June 5, 2018 2:30pm - 4:00pm MDT
Ballroom A&B

2:30pm MDT

Engaging Student Perspectives in Institutional Assessment: Strategic Communications Capstones Tackle the NSSE and Course Evaluations
How can universities utilize the unique perspective and developing expertise of senior students to help address institutional assessment challenges, such as response rates to course evaluations or surveys? Institutional assessment activities often target student experiences and learning, but rarely involve students in their planning. Primary deployment of students in implementing assessment activities has been either pure labor: hanging flyers: or to conduct research and write reports (NCA&T and Wabash Scholars). This poster session will share examples from Washington State University's Murrow College of Communications, where students enrolled in the Strategic Communications capstone course have partnered with the Office of Assessment of Teaching and Learning, as their client, to complete projects aimed at addressing institutional assessment challenges. Student teams act as agencies to conduct background research, gather data and formulate messaging campaigns based on their findings. This research may include interviews and focus groups with fellow students to gain insights into attitudes, motivations, barriers and/or suggestions to improve participation. Student-to-student research can promote candid responses, which, in turn, can inform the creation of more effective assessment campaigns. These projects result in fully-researched campaign proposals for the student's portfolio, and actionable strategies for addressing our university's institutional assessment challenges.

Speakers
SB

Scott Benson

Washington State University
Scott Benson holds master's degrees in Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning and in TESOL. Prior to joining WSU as a Senior Assessment Specialist, Scott worked at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates where he served in the university's Office of Educational... Read More →
avatar for Anne Peasley

Anne Peasley

Washington State University
Anne Peasley is Assessment Coordinator and Office Manager in the Office of Assessment of Teaching and Learning. Her recent projects include leading project management and promotion of National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) across Washington State University's six campuses.



Tuesday June 5, 2018 2:30pm - 4:00pm MDT
Ballroom A&B

2:30pm MDT

GEER: Global Edtech Evaluation Repository
Every institution has conducted some kind of edtech research - to vet potential products or determine a tool's efficacy, for example. Yet many also hesitate at the start: Has anyone evaluated this tool? If so, how? What kinds of questions did they ask? What did they learn? Professionals turn to friends, colleagues, their mailing list of choice - but what if you could find the answers to these questions by connecting with peers around the world? Enter GEER - the Global Edtech Evaluation Repository.

Initiated in 2016, the GEER project is designed to aggregate and make available reports written by HE institutions around the world, and further aims to share good practices and experiences related to educational technology evaluations and assessments . Research/study questions, processes, analyses, results, instruments, and more can be shared between institutions within the GEER community, and previous GEER presentations have discussed the project's usefulness in the IT/edtech fields. Because GEER's success is directly linked to the strength, reach, and size of its network of institutions, this poster talk is a call for participation directed to the higher education assessment community.

Speakers
avatar for Chris Willis

Chris Willis

Other, North Carolina State University
Chris Willis, Assistant Director for DELTA Planning and Assessment, leads the evaluation and assessment of course redesign and educational technology projects to demonstrate ways in which technology, pedagogy, and teaching best practices support student success and engagement. He... Read More →



Tuesday June 5, 2018 2:30pm - 4:00pm MDT
Ballroom A&B

2:30pm MDT

Internships across degree programs: Are we measuring the same experiences?
Background: The purpose of this paper is to review the perception of internship field coordinators and review assessment of internship experiences in order to understand how various degree programs conceptualize the process of assessment of these internship /practicum experiences. Methods: Internship coordinators through Department Chairs or Directors were asked to complete a survey which examined the process and assessment of internship experiences. Responses were collected via Survey Monkey using a mixed methods approach. Results: Wide variation was found between how Internship sites were assessed and the types of assessment tools which were used. In addition, there was wide variation in how site supervisors were trained and how follow-up with initiated with the interns. Conclusion: Findings suggest that work is needed to assure that the process of training and follow up follows some standard metric. In addition student orientation to and assessment of internship experiences needs review and direction to ensure that the same objectives are being measured. Implications for assessment and curriculum development. Findings from this study point to the need for the development of standardized rubrics to be used to help facilitate the assessment process.

Speakers
EJ

Elaine Jurkowski

Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Dr. Jurkowski has worked in the area of assessment for most of her career. She has served on the Campus Wide Assessment Committee at SIUC for over a decade, and served as a Provost Faculty Fellow, exploring the issue of assessment from rubric to curricular innovation. Currently Dr... Read More →


Tuesday June 5, 2018 2:30pm - 4:00pm MDT
Ballroom A&B

2:30pm MDT

The Impact of Applying a Selected Response Item Taxonomy to Assessment Design and Analysis
This session will introduce a selected response item taxonomy (including related cognitive level information and descriptions) and the results of applying it to assessment data and the resulting implications on assessment design in the context of a competency-based model. The focus will be on application of the model and development of best practices.


Tuesday June 5, 2018 2:30pm - 4:00pm MDT
Ballroom A&B

2:30pm MDT

The Program Health Index: A New Approach to Program Evaluation
This poster presents a multifaceted approach to the use of data for program evaluation (assessment). The poster illustrates the Program Health Index along with the current assessment challenges that the model is meant to overcome. The Program Health Index is based on research in improvement science and continuous improvement models developed and researched in K-12 settings. The advantage it provides to administrators and assessment professionals is that the model provides parameters that most faculty find meaningful while still requiring a common system for quality improvement.

Speakers
avatar for Erin Crisp, Ed.D.

Erin Crisp, Ed.D.

AVP of Innovation, Indiana Wesleyan University
Erin Crisp is the AVP of Innovation at Indiana Wesleyan University. She serves at the hub of institutional spokes that include instructional design, faculty enrichment, strategic program launch, and employer partnerships. Crisp earned her doctorate in instructional systems technology... Read More →



Tuesday June 5, 2018 2:30pm - 4:00pm MDT
Ballroom A&B

2:30pm MDT

VALUE 2.0: Using assessment data to (re)define lifelong learning in professional education
The study examines student learning outcomes (SLOs) and assessments that are linked to the lifelong learning core competency from approximately 100 programs at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU), a health professions university. This will help determine the breadth of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that the various programs expect from their students and give insight about how to revise the definition of lifelong learning within the context of health professions education. This data will be used in conjunction with the pre-existing VALUE rubric (AACU, 2009) to create a framework for reflective practice and lifelong learning at OHSU. Research questions include:
1. How is lifelong learning defined within SLOs across health profession education?
2. How do health professions educators assess lifelong learning within their programs?
The intended audience is educators and administrators engaged in assessment of core competencies, particularly in graduate or professional education.

Speakers
KM

Kirstin Moreno

Education Manager, Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine


Tuesday June 5, 2018 2:30pm - 4:00pm MDT
Ballroom A&B

2:30pm MDT

Assessment Strategies for Asychronous Online Graduate Statistics Courses
Many universities have statistics courses taught in a distance education format. These courses can be taught synchronously (in real-time) or asynchronously (not occurring at the same time). We teach both our masters-level and doctoral-level graduate statistics courses in an asynchronous format. Teaching an online course brings about its own unique challenges and limitations. The focus of our presentation will be on the challenges of developing and implementing assessments in online statistics courses, specifically ones that are asynchronous. We will offer suggestions regarding best practices in assessment for this type of course delivery model as well as share assessment examples that we have utilized in our online statistics courses.

The statistics education reform movement (American Statistical Association, 2005) advocates utilizing assessment methods that are more active participation focused rather than traditional assessment methods like exams. Research has shown that assessment methods such as projects and group work are more authentic and could increase students' statistical literacy (Baglin et al., 2013; MacGillivray, 2010). These types of assessments can be challenging to incorporate within an online classroom, especially one that is asynchronous. We will offer suggestions for types of assessments as well as feedback that we have found effective in our online courses.

Speakers
avatar for Jennifer Morrow

Jennifer Morrow

Associate Professor, University of Tennessee
Dr. Jennifer Ann Morrow is an Associate Professor of Evaluation, Statistics, and Measurement. She has over 20 years of experience conducting higher education assessment and developing assessments and surveys. She maintains an active presence on Twitter: https://twitter.com/evalua... Read More →
LR

Louis Rocconi

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Louis is an Assistant Professor in the Evaluation, Statistics, and Measurement program at the University of Tennessee. His research interests focus on methodological issues in educational research, the impact of disciplinary cultures on student development, and students' use of quantitative... Read More →


Tuesday June 5, 2018 2:30pm - 4:00pm MDT
Ballroom A&B

2:30pm MDT

Flipping Fundamentals of Physics
Many first year students enter college lacking the problem solving ability required for success in higher education. The flipped classroom environment allows students to work collaboratively on challenging quantitative and conceptual problems with help and scaffolding from peers and instructors. Developing problem solving skills early on in college can lead to future success in subsequent college science classes and ultimately in students' future careers. The paper describes the assessment of flipping an introductory physics classroom by analyzing several types of data, in order to get multiple perspectives, both before and after the course was flipped. Instructors, assessment specialists, department chairs, and administrators will benefit from individually discussing the challenges and lessons learned about both the process of flipping an introductory course and evaluating the impact of that process. Student grades in the course, GPA in subsequent courses, retention, student evaluation data, and instructors' experiences teaching the course are analyzed and shared. Results indicate that students performed better in the flipped version of the course and the associated lab course. Students also performed better in subsequent quantitative reasoning courses after the course was flipped with female students making the largest increases. However, flipping the course also resulted in lower student evaluations.

Speakers
PR

Philip Reeves

Yale University
I am the Associate Director of Educational Program Assessment at the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning at Yale University. In this role, I assist instructors with the design and implementation of educational assessments, serves a program evaluator, and consults on grant-funded... Read More →


Tuesday June 5, 2018 2:30pm - 4:00pm MDT
Ballroom A&B

2:30pm MDT

Hear-See-Do: A Tool for Measuring and Assuring Quality of Situated Learning in Experiential Education
An important component of experiential education is situated learning, or the opportunity for students to learn and demonstrate skills in the context of the practice setting. One challenge in overseeing experiential coursework is assessing and understanding the quality of situated learning opportunities for students at various practice sites. To help address this issue a "Hear See Do continuum rubric was developed to calculate a score representing the extent to which students have the opportunity to "do specific tasks during a practicum experience. A parallel rubric was used for students to self-assess their preparedness to engage in each task to understand adequacy of pre-experience preparation. This poster will demonstrate the application of these rubrics across five consecutive classes for two distinct experiential education courses and analysis of the results. The findings allow for the identification of specific tasks and training sites that are most in need of attention and development, providing the opportunity for faculty to focus their efforts in improving situated learning engagement.

Speakers
avatar for Curtis Jefferson

Curtis Jefferson

Director of Assessment & Accreditation, University of Washington School of Pharmacy
Curtis Jefferson is Director of Assessment & Accreditation at the University of Washington School of Pharmacy. In this role, he oversees and manages curricular and program assessment for the Doctor of Pharmacy program. Curtis has presented sessions and posters on experiential education... Read More →


Tuesday June 5, 2018 2:30pm - 4:00pm MDT
Ballroom A&B

2:30pm MDT

Leveraging Existing Survey Tools for Other Uses Beyond Traditional Surveys
Assessment activities offer ways for faculty to think about student learning in the curriculum and how to support it most effectively in their own classes and department. Many assessment activities can increase shared faculty understanding of the curriculum. For example, curriculum mapping helps instructors understand how courses are situated in the curriculum, and the essential contributions that courses make toward student learning outcomes. As another example, scoring student work with a shared rubric can deepen a common understanding of program learning outcomes among faculty, and, over time, can help focus instruction and improve communication and feedback to students. However, faculty are oftentimes conducting assessment with limited resources, including faculty time and support for logistics, and additional effort and support is typically needed for interdisciplinary and multi-campus program assessment coordinated among departments and campuses. As a result, finding shared times to complete assessment activities can be a barrier to faculty engagement. This poster will present specific examples of how to leverage the Qualtrics survey tool for other uses beyond traditional surveys, to help streamline and improve data collection.

Speakers
avatar for Lindsey Brown

Lindsey Brown

Assessment and Data Specialist, Washington State University
As an Assessment and Data Specialist in the Office of Assessment of Teaching and Learning, Lindsey Brown analyzes data from various sources and prepares customized reports and presentations for a range of audiences, including faculty and institutional leadership. She consults with... Read More →



Tuesday June 5, 2018 2:30pm - 4:00pm MDT
Ballroom A&B

2:30pm MDT

Proctored Assessments in Online Math Classes: Does it Matter?
The Community College of Baltimore County continues to expand its online course offerings. All online math courses are standardized, meaning multiple instructors teach using the same course shell and assessments. The number of proctored assessments is not mandated by the institution, so some instructors have all assessments proctored while others have only the final exam proctored. The presenter will share data collected from online classes of Introductory Algebra. The data will compare instructors who require proctored assessments to those who do not require proctored assessments. Does proctoring assessments in online math classes matter? Are there significant differences in retention or final exam performance between the two groups? How are the results impacting assessment in future online courses? These questions will be answered!

Speakers

Tuesday June 5, 2018 2:30pm - 4:00pm MDT
Ballroom A&B

2:30pm MDT

What institutional data can tell us? Curriculum, advisement, and student success
Session's purpose:
This poster aims to present the approaches to use the basic statistics techniques to obtain, clean, analyze, and interpret the institutional data for assessment.

Target audience:
Educators participating in assessment committee in higher education

Content:
By analyzing the institutional data of 459 journalism students-2007 to 2010 cohorts, the author assessed the curriculum and student success in a Journalism Department at a public university in Southwest region of the United States. Statistics analyses found: 1) For the 106 first time freshmen who entered the college about 10 years ago but haven't graduated by 2017, 67.9% of them haven't taken any journalism classes! 2) For first time freshmen, African American students performed lower than the average in both 1st-year continuation rate and 6-year graduation rate. For first time transfers, Latino students performed lower than the average in both 1st-year continuation rate and 4-year graduation rate. Solutions were provided in terms of the developments of the current curriculum and advisement based on students' ethnicities. Tables and the graphics will be shown in the poster.

Engagement:
Using the author's own SPSS dataset as an example to show audiences how to run the data step by step.

Speakers

Tuesday June 5, 2018 2:30pm - 4:00pm MDT
Ballroom A&B

2:30pm MDT

Building a Viable and Sustainable Training Program for Qualified Assessment Specialists Known as Educational Diagnosticians
Educator accreditation for graduate programs is a seal that assures quality in educator preparation. Accreditation provides a framework that has helped the University of New Mexico's (UNM) Educational Diagnostic Preparation Program (EDAG) to facilitate effective forms of assessment that lead to meaningful interventions and ongoing self-assessment, evidence-based analysis, and continuous improvement of an efficacious program.

In New Mexico, educational diagnosticians are responsible for assessing students with disabilities determining eligibility for special education services. The purpose of this presentation is to share findings of the first three years of a ten-year longitudinal research study, "Preparing Educational Diagnosticians for Practice: Building a Viable and Sustainable Program. This study tracks assessment skills and development of UNM/EDAG graduates as they transition into successful employment, which in turn provides a model that can demonstrate valuable directions of growth and improvement for program-level learning outcomes for educator preparation programs. The key to engagement of participants will be the learning that evolves during poster session interactions with the intended audience: those involved in other educator preparation programs in higher education. The poster will graphically depict findings from the study and handouts will include the researcher-designed rubrics, checklists, and worksheets used to collect data.

Speakers

Tuesday June 5, 2018 2:30pm - 4:00pm MDT
Ballroom A&B

2:30pm MDT

Coming full circle: assessing the assessment
The poster presents an example of the assessment of program goals through course level assessment during multiple semesters, in a variety of courses, by full-time and adjunct faculty in the psychology department at Harford Community College. The purpose is to show the full assessment cycle including initial findings, analysis, assessment of the assessment tool and adjustments, aligning of the assessment process, changes in teaching, and follow up assessment. Any faculty member or administrator can benefit from knowledge of the process and data from this assessment project. The poster includes information about the process as well as assessment data which reflects both overall learning and differences in performance of 100 and 200 level students, students taught by adjunct versus full time faculty, and online versus face to face classes. Discussion of the poster will present insights into more effective and yet simplified assessment practices that ultimately promotes more effective attainment of student learning objectives.

Speakers
avatar for Regina Roof-Ray

Regina Roof-Ray

Assistant Professor, Harford Community College



Tuesday June 5, 2018 2:30pm - 4:00pm MDT
Ballroom A&B

2:30pm MDT

Conjunctive Scoring in Competency-Based Assessment
Competency-based education (CBE) is an emerging trend in the K-12, higher education, and employment domains. One defining characteristic of CBE is that students must demonstrate mastery on one competency before they proceed to the next competency. However, there is a dearth of evidence-based best practices for developing competency-based assessments in general and the impact of scoring models specifically. The proposed study comparatively evaluates three classes of scoring models - compensatory, Angoff-based conjunctive, and norm-referenced conjunctive scoring models.


Tuesday June 5, 2018 2:30pm - 4:00pm MDT
Ballroom A&B

2:30pm MDT

Redesign and Shine: Using Assessment to Help Tell Your Course Redesign Story
Assessment plays an important role for measuring the impact of course redesign on teaching and learning compared to the traditional lecture method. Distance Education and Learning Technologies (DELTA) at North Carolina State University provides financial and staff resources to help faculty achieve the redesign of large gateway courses and critical path courses that serve as foundation studies for students to successfully transition to more advanced study. This poster will provide an overview of DELTA's findings (data and interpretations) that showcases how the successful redesign of specific STEM courses (Statistics, Engineering, Chemistry, Math, Physics) is helping improve attrition rates; increasing access to required courses; helping increase student engagement in face-to-face class and laboratory sections; addressing the need to cope with increasing enrollment demands; and investigating the use of technology to achieve more efficient and effective instructional methods.

Speakers
avatar for Traci Temple

Traci Temple

Other, North Carolina State University
Traci Temple, Director for DELTA Planning and Assessment, provides leadership and strategic direction to DELTA's Senior Management in research, assessment, and evaluation for DE services, programs and courses. Traci is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the College of Design, teaching... Read More →
avatar for Chris Willis

Chris Willis

Other, North Carolina State University
Chris Willis, Assistant Director for DELTA Planning and Assessment, leads the evaluation and assessment of course redesign and educational technology projects to demonstrate ways in which technology, pedagogy, and teaching best practices support student success and engagement. He... Read More →



Tuesday June 5, 2018 2:30pm - 4:00pm MDT
Ballroom A&B

4:00pm MDT

Letters to the Accreditors: Impacting Assessment at the Regional Level
AALHE is a voice of assessment professionals at the regional and national levels. Several regional accrediting agencies report citation rates of 40% and higher on assessment standards. As assessment professionals, we know that myriad factors, including knowledge, practice, culture, standards, and individual differences may be contributing to this problem. This session will provide the AALHE Board of Directors with information you would like conveyed to leaders of the regional accrediting agencies regarding assessment expectations in the accreditation and reaffirmation processes. First, the presenter will guide small groups through discussions about their experiences writing self-studies, hosting site visits, responding to reports, and addressing concerns raised by peer review teams. Next, participants will divide into small groups of those having served and not having served as peer reviewers and respond to prompts about ways the regional accrediting agencies can better serve institutions. Results will be shared with participants and with the Board of Directors of AALHE.

Speakers
avatar for Josie Welsh

Josie Welsh

Director - Institutional Effectiveness, Missouri Southern State University
Josie Welsh is a social psychologist who has worked both in faculty and administration at both large public and small private universities. Josie oversees assessment and institutional research and teaches senior thesis for the honors program at Missouri Southern. She serves on... Read More →


Tuesday June 5, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Olympus

4:00pm MDT

Closing the Loop in General Education: Adapting Current Models to New Accreditation Standards
The purpose of the session is to explore methods used to close the assessment loop in General Education. This has become especially germane to universities and colleges due to an increased emphasis through accreditation and accountability initiatives that extend to general education. For example, in December 2017 SACSCOC adopted a new principle that requires institutions to provide '€˜evidence of seeking improvement based on analysis of the results' (from principle 8.2(b)) for general education. This represents a significant expansion of the previous requirement for general education reporting.
In this session, we will discuss the process used at the University of Florida to accumulate evidence of student learning in general education, as well as the challenges we encounter in this process as a large, decentralized research university. We currently require programs to report annually how faculty use prior-year outcome and program goal data to modify and improve. The primary challenge is ensuring that faculty, program leaders and assessment personnel analyze and review the data collected, and consider fully its implications for program improvement. In addition, we will share and discuss alternative methods for this process.

Speakers
MD

M. David Miller

University of Florida
Professor, Research and Evaluation Methods Chair, General Education Assessment Committee


Tuesday June 5, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Snowbasin

4:00pm MDT

How do you lead learning assessment in a decentralized university?
Decentralized universities face unique challenges in developing student learning assessment policies, processes, and culture. While decentralized budgeting and business operations foster innovation and nimble decision-making, assessment leaders in decentralized universities often find it difficult to adapt and/or implement assessment models and strategies presented at workshops. How do you lead student learning assessment from central administration when "central might be viewed as the enemy? How do you get everyone on the same page regarding student learning assessment when the same page isn't the cultural norm? What happens when you don't hold the carrots or sticks and there is little consistency regarding who does? How do you manage schools or units that are in varying developmental stages of assessment? How do you handle data management when no one is using the same system? Join this panel of assessment leaders from a decentralized R1 university for an honest dialog exploring these challenges and discussing potential strategies for addressing them.

Speakers
JS

Janet Schreck

Associate Vice Provost for Education, Johns Hopkins University



Tuesday June 5, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Arizona

4:00pm MDT

Paved with Good Intentions: When Good Assessment Plans Go Wrong, and How to Fix Them
The complexities of conducting program and institutional level assessment are known too well by even the novice assessment practitioner. In their quest to obtain results that can be used to improve teaching and learning, practical and methodological roadblocks and potholes can meet them at every turn. The clarity of learning outcomes, the alignment of measures and educational experiences, sampling, data analysis, dissemination, and motivation can each present obstacles worthy of focused consideration and discussion. In this session, we have assembled a panel of experienced assessment practitioners with keen interests in helping others navigate the hazardous terrain of assessment methodology and design. Their varied perspectives on data collection, data use, and ultimately learning improvement will be discussed.
This panel will help the audience identify methods and approaches to assessment that that tend to miss their intended mark. They will discuss an array of issues that impact all phases of the assessment cycle. Assessment practitioners at all levels of experience will be welcome to participate in an innovative Q&A session.

Speakers
avatar for Keston Fulcher

Keston Fulcher

Executive Director of Assessment, James Madison University
Dr. Fulcher is the Executive Director of the Center for Assessment and Research Studies, and Associate Professor, Graduate Psychology, James Madison University. Previously, he served as the Director of Assessment, Evaluation, and Accreditation at Christopher Newport University in... Read More →
avatar for Natasha Jankowski

Natasha Jankowski

Director, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment
Dr. . Natasha Jankowski is Director of the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) and research associate professor with the department of education policy, organization and leadership at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is co-author, along with... Read More →
avatar for Ross Markle

Ross Markle

ETS
Ross Markle serves as a Senior Research and Assessment Director for the Higher Education Division at Educational Testing Service. In his role, he supports ETS' thought leadership efforts in higher education by collaborating with operational and research areas, as well as the higher... Read More →
JR

Javarro Russell

Sr. Assessment Strategist, ETS
Senior Research and Assessment Director in the Global Education Division at Educational Testing Service in Princeton, NJ. Javarro obtained his doctorate in Assessment & Measurement from James Madison University. He has a background in consulting on measurement and assessment design... Read More →


Tuesday June 5, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Ballroom C

4:00pm MDT

Please take my survey! Strategies for Raising Response Rates
During the data collection process, many challenges arise when it comes to acquiring high survey response rates, particularly when using online surveys. The purpose of this session is to introduce 20 best practice strategies for data collection when considering factors such as the population of interest, dealing with limitations, and delivery method, ultimately resulting in the highest achievable response rate. Such strategies include considering how much and what kind of content to include in a survey, when to send out the invitations to participate, how to maximize the impact of incentive items, and more. The aim of this session is to instigate meaningful dialogue among the presenters and audience members in order to promote active discussion about the 20 strategies, as well as sharing not only our successful experiences in data collection, but also our not-so-successful experiences. This session will provide audience members with a foundation of knowledge and helpful tips which can be applied to their own assessment and data collection process. The intended audience includes anyone at any level who use surveys as a method for data collection. Participants will be actively learning through lively discussion which we will guide by prompting discussion questions.

Speakers
avatar for Kelva Hunger

Kelva Hunger

Assistant Director, Assessment and Analysis, Oklahoma State University - Main Campus


Tuesday June 5, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Sun Valley

4:00pm MDT

Using Asynchronous Forums to Engage Faculty, including Adjuncts, in Assessment
Implementing consistent assessment processes that produce actionable results and engage contingent or adjunct faculty can be a challenge at any institution. The goals of this presentation are to share methods used to implement consistent assessment practices at scale; provide replicable ideas that can improve faculty engagement, in particular adjunct faculty engagement through innovative alternatives to face-to-face meetings; review simplified reporting mechanisms that adjunct faculty can use to promote actionable results; and discuss the important "next steps where assessment results are shared with stakeholders and used to improve programs.
In 2016, the University of Phoenix School of Health Services Administration developed a standardized asynchronous forum to engage adjunct online faculty in assessment meetings. The forum provided greater schedule flexibility intended to improve faculty participation in assessment activities. The 2016 efforts resulted in 53% adjunct online faculty participation rates and set the benchmark for future asynchronous forums. The 2017 results for Health Admin was a 64% participation rate, and for the School of Nursing, where these forums were implemented in 2017, there was a 58% participation rate. Theses asynchronous assessment forums engaged faculty and produced actionable reports that continue to drive assessment changes.



Tuesday June 5, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Wyoming

4:00pm MDT

Engaging mindfulness in the Classroom to Address Student Stress and Anxiety Around Assessment
The purpose of this interactive session is to provide participants an introduction and direct experience of how mindfulness-based, stress reduction (MBSR) techniques have been effectively used to address anxiety and stress among college/university students concerning academics and particularly assessment situations.

Any educator across all disciplines who directly teaches, student affairs personnel, campus leaders (e.g., department chairpersons) and any individual involved with student welfare (e.g., counseling personnel) would benefit from experiencing this session.

Participants will be provided a brief overview of the research and literature around the use of mindfulness to address student anxiety, particularly, some of the research about anxiety and stress specifically associated with assessment. Then participants will be introduced to and engage into two research-based and easily implemented MBSR activities, dynamic breathing and visualization, used to lessen stress and anxiety (Rogers, 2017). The session will conclude with a debriefing of the activities and question and answer period including but not limited to how they might bring these practices back to their courses and campus. Participants should come prepared to actually experience the MBSR activities.

Speakers
PW

Penelope Wong

Berea College
Dr. Penelope Wong is an Associate Professor in Education Studies at Berea College, where she helps prepare secondary level teaching candidates. Her research interests include inclusive teaching practices, service-learning, experiential learning, English education, educational technology... Read More →


Tuesday June 5, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Idaho

4:00pm MDT

Embedded Assessments in Pharmacy Education
This presentation will focus on the development, implementation, and data collection of embedded assessments that are aligned to CAPE 2013 domains for pharmacy education. The 4 domains include 2 which are not easily evaluated through traditional quantitative methods: professionalism and approach to practice. Ensuring that students are ready for advanced practice experiences at the end of their P3 year includes assessing these "softer" skills. The presenter will discuss how rubrics were developed and used for assessment in the program and how the results were presented for accreditation. Additionally, the presenter will discuss lessons learned from the initial implementation of this process. This session is intended for those new to assessment and for those who work in, or work at institutions which have, professional schools. Participants will work with specific outcomes in the CAPE domains to discuss effective assessment methods.

Speakers
avatar for Meagan Mielczarek

Meagan Mielczarek

Director of Assessment, Binghamton University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences


Tuesday June 5, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Flagstaff

4:00pm MDT

From Idea to Implementation to Impact: Cultivating Collaborative Partnerships for Assessment-Driven Curricular Change
Temple University's Fox School of Business and Management is in the second year of an ongoing undergraduate core curriculum redesign. This session describes the origins of the redesign, discusses strategies for implementation, and highlights the impact the redesign is creating on the Fox community. This discussion-based session will mimic the processes Fox used create a sense of community ownership around the undergraduate redesign, highlighting the way standardized rubrics for critical thinking and communication were created and implemented across the undergraduate core curriculum. Further, it will focus on the practices and strategies used by the Fox School of Business to engage faculty, students, staff, and employer partners in the curriculum redesign process. This session will move attendees through the three stages of redesign: Idea Generation, Implementation, and Impact, showcasing how critical thinking, communication, and quantitative reasoning skills integration and assessment continues to be woven through the undergraduate core curriculum, with a particular emphasis on how we engaged both the Fox community and external partners in each stage.

Speakers
avatar for Laura Aboyan

Laura Aboyan

Associate Director, Curriculum Management and Assessment, Temple University
Laura Aboyan is the Assistant Director of Curriculum Management and Assessment and is leading the implementation phase of the BBA Redesign Initiative at the Fox School of Business at Temple University. She has worked in program-level assessment in multiple disciplines since 2010... Read More →



Tuesday June 5, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Uintah

4:00pm MDT

Student Centered Assessment: Using Outcomes Transcripts for Visible Learning
This interactive session demonstrates an innovative approach to curricular, co-curricular and experiential education assessment mapping leading toward student mastery of skills necessary for practice and team readiness. This is an opportunity for higher education leaders & faculty to drill down into a student-centered assessment structure within a competency-driven program to reveal how students progress in their development of requisite competencies, which translate to excellence in healthcare. Within this discussion, assessments linked to a competency-driven program are highlighted through a curricular mapping schema within a visible learning framework based on the research of John Hattie. This system provides unique and transparent evidence of student learning through a transcript of competency artifacts informing visible progress and mastery of skills necessary for successful evidence-based practice. The value of this assessment structure is two-fold: Visible learning allows students to use feedback to self direct their learning, select resources and practice essential skills and secondly, it offers evidence for programmatic and instructional improvement. 

Speakers
avatar for Suzanne Carbonaro

Suzanne Carbonaro

Director of Assessment, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, University of the Sciences
Suzanne Carbonaro, M.Ed, MS, CE School Administrator, is the Director of Assessment for the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy at the University of the Sciences. Suzanne has 25 years experience in higher education teaching, scholarship and leadership. She came to USciences from Rider... Read More →
avatar for Carolyn Giordano

Carolyn Giordano

Associate Provost, University of the Sciences
Carolyn Giordano, PhD, FASAHP is the Associate Provost of Institutional Effectiveness at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. She has nearly a twenty-year history working in Healthcare Education and is a leader in the areas of educational assessment and evaluation. Her... Read More →
avatar for Caitlin Meehan

Caitlin Meehan

Vice President of Operations, AEFIS
Caitlin Meehan is the Vice President of Operations for AEFIS "” Assessment, Evaluation, Feedback and Intervention System, a Philadelphia based software company created to help ease the pains associated with assessment and accreditation. As the Vice President of Operations, Caitlin... Read More →



Tuesday June 5, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Teton

5:30pm MDT

Networking dinner: Takashi
Takashi
18 W Market St, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Menu

Join your colleagues for a networking dinner-outing. Reserve your spot here.

Google review stars: 4.7/5.0
Cost: $$$
Cuisine type: Japanese Restaurant

Walking map: https://goo.gl/maps/JSnTiJ4KuMS2

Speakers

Tuesday June 5, 2018 5:30pm - 7:00pm MDT
Outing

6:00pm MDT

Networking dinner: Cucina Toscana
Cucina Toscana
282 300 W, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Menu

Join your colleagues for a networking dinner-outing. Reserve your spot here.
Reservations will be made for the group where possible.

Google review stars: 4.1/5.0
Cost: $$$
Cuisine type: Italian

Walking map: https://goo.gl/maps/rEtsDnFUb232

Speakers
avatar for Cyndi Louden

Cyndi Louden

Director of Assessment, Columbia College
Dr. Cyndi Louden is the Director of Assessment at Columbia College, Missouri where the student learning outcomes assessment program has been reinvented within the last few years. Peer review of assessment results has successfully enhanced use of data for improvement and a collaborative... Read More →


Tuesday June 5, 2018 6:00pm - 8:00pm MDT
Outing

6:00pm MDT

Networking dinner: Market Street Grill - Downtown
Market Street Grill - Downtown
48 W Market St, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Menu

Join your colleagues for a networking dinner-outing. Reserve your spot here.
Reservations will be made for the group where possible.

Google review stars: 4.2/5.0
Cost: $$$
Cuisine type: Seafood Restaurant

Walking map: https://goo.gl/maps/sskHGCwefzo

Speakers
avatar for Claudia Stanny

Claudia Stanny

Director, Center for University Teaching, Learning and Assessment, University of West Florida
The facilitator has directed a university Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) since 2006. The facilitator provides consultations and professional development workshops on effective teaching, curriculum development, grant writing, and career advancement for faculty in academia... Read More →


Tuesday June 5, 2018 6:00pm - 8:00pm MDT
Outing

6:00pm MDT

Networking dinner: Oasis Café
Oasis Café
151 S 500 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84102
Menu

Join your colleagues for a networking dinner-outing. Reserve your spot here.
Reservations will be made for the group where possible.

Google review stars: 4.4/5.0
Cost: $$
Cuisine type: Café

Map: https://goo.gl/maps/c4mqidiQchJ2
UTA GoRide
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.passportparking.mobile.transit.utagoride&hl=en
IOS:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/uta-goride/id1258173083?mt=8

Tuesday June 5, 2018 6:00pm - 8:00pm MDT
Outing

6:00pm MDT

Networking dinner: Squatters
Squatters
147 West Broadway (300 South), Salt Lake City, UT 84010
Menu

Join your colleagues for a networking dinner-outing. Reserve your spot here.
Reservations will be made for the group where possible.

Google review stars: 4.2/5.0
Cost: $$
Cuisine type: Brewpub

Walking map: https://goo.gl/maps/JmmzX5MBMp32

Tuesday June 5, 2018 6:00pm - 8:00pm MDT
Outing
 
Wednesday, June 6
 

7:00am MDT

Complimentary Morning Yoga Session
Complimentary Morning Yoga Session by Salt Lake Power Yoga.  
Only 15-20 people can be accommodated, on a first-come basis.     

Wednesday June 6, 2018 7:00am - 7:30am MDT
Garden Terrace

7:00am MDT

Continental Breakfast Buffet
Wednesday June 6, 2018 7:00am - 9:00am MDT
Foyer

7:00am MDT

Registration Desk
All pre-registered conference attendees must pick up their AALHE credentials prior to attending any conference activities. Those who did not register in advance can do so onsite if space allows.

Speakers
avatar for Jamie Wigand

Jamie Wigand

Executive Director, AALHE


Wednesday June 6, 2018 7:00am - 5:00pm MDT
TBA

8:00am MDT

AALHE Committee Meeting: Collaborations & Partnerships Task Force
Please join AALHE's Collaborations & Partnerships Task Force meeting to learn about the functions of the group, future projects, and volunteer opportunities for Members. The meeting is open to all attendees.

The goal of this task force is to recommend ways in which AALHE and other professional organizations can work together to advance the field of assessment of learning in higher education through sharing of resources and creation and promotion of leadership and professional development opportunities for our members.

Speakers
avatar for Jen Sweet

Jen Sweet

Director of Assessment, DePaul University
Jen Sweet is the Director of Assessment at DePaul University; she has worked in assessment for over 15 years and presents a faculty development workshop each year on non-traditional assessment models each year for faculty/staff at DePaul and Loyola Universities.


Wednesday June 6, 2018 8:00am - 9:00am MDT
Sawtooth

8:00am MDT

Identifying Problems in Assessment
David Eubanks recently took what Erik Gilbert labeled a "courageous position that university administrators should emulate. In A Guide for the Perplexed, Eubanks argues that "the whole assessment process would fall apart if we had to test for reliability and validity. Discussing that statement in terms of the original article and related issues, this session outlines problems with current practices in assessment with regard to standards of statistics and measurement, faculty development, accreditation, and public policy. Eubanks will address issues of data quality. Next, Gilbert will explain why he and other faculty believe assessment is not only ineffectual but harmful to faculty, students, and institutions. Lynn Priddy will discuss ways in which current practices in assessment create barriers to innovation and will explain how the focus on compliance and accountability, versus learning, has distracted current practices in assessment from their very purpose, created a focus on "activity vs innovation, and eroded public trust in both accreditation and higher education. Bob Shireman will conclude by discussing how public policy debates led to the current state of affairs in assessment. Participants are invited to submit questions for the panelists electronically throughout the session. A follow-up session discussing potential futures will be offered.

Speakers
avatar for David Eubanks

David Eubanks

Assistant VP for Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness, Furman University
David Eubanks holds a PhD in Mathematics from Southern Illinois University and currently serves as Assistant Vice President for Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness at Furman University. He has worked on the practical side of assessing student learning, including student writing... Read More →
EG

Erik Gilbert

Erik Gilbert is a professor of history at Arkansas State University who specializes in 19th and 20th century East Africa and the western Indian Ocean. He is the author of Dhows and the Colonial Economy of Zanzibar (2004), Africa in World History (2004) now in its third edition and... Read More →
LP

Lynn Priddy

Dr. Lynn E. Priddy serves as Provost and Chief Academic Officer of National American University, an institution specifically working with the states, accreditors, and the US Department of Education to step in and serve displaced students when their colleges close. NAU absorbs these... Read More →
RS

Robert Shireman

Robert Shireman is a senior fellow at The Century Foundation working on education policy with a focus on affordability, quality assurance, and consumer protections. He served in the Clinton White House as a Senior Policy Advisor to the National Economic Council and later for the Obama... Read More →
avatar for Josie Welsh

Josie Welsh

Director - Institutional Effectiveness, Missouri Southern State University
Josie Welsh is a social psychologist who has worked both in faculty and administration at both large public and small private universities. Josie oversees assessment and institutional research and teaches senior thesis for the honors program at Missouri Southern. She serves on... Read More →



Wednesday June 6, 2018 8:00am - 9:00am MDT
Ballroom C

8:00am MDT

It's not you, it's me: applying theories of organizational psychology to motivate and engage assessment stakeholders
Stuck in a rut? Unable to successfully move assessment forward? Feeling uneasy about how assessment stakeholders view and use assessment at your institution? Maybe it's time to change the dialogue you're having with institutional stakeholders about assessment practice. This session will cover some basic theories relating to the science of human behavior in the workplace grounded in organizational psychology. You will learn how theory translates to actionable strategies that motivate, inspire and lead organizational change and how those changes directly relate to the assessment practices at your institution. During this session, participants will engage in lively discussion grounded in personal experience and start work on a change management plan that you'll take with you, share with colleagues and can be implemented the week you return to the office.

Speakers
avatar for Jonathan Keiser

Jonathan Keiser

City Colleges Chicago, City Colleges of Chicago
Jonathan Keiser is currently Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Educational Quality at City Colleges of Chicago where he oversees faculty facing academic operations including assessment of student learning, faculty development, and compliance and accreditation. Before taking this... Read More →
avatar for Keith Werosh

Keith Werosh

Associate National Dean, Institutional Effectiveness, DeVry University
Dr. Keith Werosh is currently Associate National Dean, Institutional Effectiveness at DeVry University where he promotes engagement in the assessment of student learning for the DeVry University system and works toward integrating assessment into the University’s model of program... Read More →



Wednesday June 6, 2018 8:00am - 9:00am MDT
Sun Valley

8:00am MDT

Collecting Accreditation-Relevant Assessment Data across your Institution: A Strategy for Any Educational Setting
The session will offer a strategy for engaging the campus community in the regular collection, documentation, and sharing of assessment data that highlight and support the mission of the institution. Presenters will share how the accreditation and continuous improvement strategy was implemented in two very different educational settings: a private, highest-intensity research university and a small, for-profit online institution. They will demonstrate how the process utilizes technology to support ongoing assessment while organically promoting institutional improvement, and how use of the resulting data can inform an engaging self-study process regardless of institution classification. Participants will be asked to share challenges they face in the self-study cycle, comment on how the proposed process could be implemented in their unique setting, and brainstorm additional ways the strategy could engage faculty and staff.

Speakers
avatar for Jane Marie Souza

Jane Marie Souza

Associate Provost for Academic Administration, University of Rochester
Jane Marie Souza, PhD serves as the Associate Provost for Academic Administration/Chief Assessment Officer, University of Rochester. She is a board member and president-elect of the Association for Assessment of Learning in Higher Education, past editor-in-chief for the organization's... Read More →
avatar for Alison Witherspoon

Alison Witherspoon

American College of Education
Alison is currently the Director of Assessment and Accreditation for American College of Education. She earned her M.S. in Public Service Management with a specialization in Higher Education from DePaul University and has worked in higher education assessment and institutional research... Read More →


Wednesday June 6, 2018 8:00am - 9:00am MDT
Flagstaff

8:00am MDT

Developing a comprehensive general education assessment system to promote teaching and learning improvement: Challenges and solutions
Higher education has become an increasingly fluid environment. Many college students in the United States attend more than one institution in pursuing their degrees. This high level of fluidity poses challenges for meaningful assessment. The challenge can be especially daunting for general education assessment, when students complete course work (mostly in general education) at 2-year institutions and then move on to complete degree requirements at 4-year institutions. Such is the case for Franklin University, where a large percentage of students transfer in their general education requirements. This presentation will share the lessons that Franklin has learned in conducting general education assessment and using findings to help improve teaching and learning throughout the university. Participants will have opportunities to join in the discussion about challenges and solutions in general education assessment. Particular emphasis will be placed upon conducting assessment not just to generate data to meet compliance requirements, but more importantly, to promote teaching and learning improvement.

Speakers
avatar for Yuerong Sweetland

Yuerong Sweetland

Franklin University, Franklin University
Dr. Yuerong Sweetland is the Director of Assessment and faculty at Franklin University. In addition to teaching graduate-level evaluation and research methods courses, she oversees the design, collection, evaluation, and reporting for program and university assessment. She has been... Read More →



Wednesday June 6, 2018 8:00am - 9:00am MDT
Snowbasin

8:00am MDT

Fairness and Assessment: Performance and Academic Success for LatinX Students
What counts and what matters in assessment? Foucault's concept of panopticism and its model of surveillance tests the notion of evidence as improvement for student learning. Who dictates the rubric, the standards, the benchmarks? This presentation will explore techniques and procedures on how to create the Assessment Toolkit, and for whom?
Participants will explore techniques to design their own psychometric properties of validity (tools measuring what they are supposed to measure) and reliability and consistency in assessment for LatinX students in the twenty-first century.

Speakers
avatar for Javier Clavere

Javier Clavere

Associate Professor, Berea College
As a polymath, his research interests includes semiotics, systems theory, sacred music, popular music and semiotics, Foucault studies, semiotics and globalization, multi-modality, and the semiotics of educational processes. Javier is the Executive Director of the Semiotic Society... Read More →


Wednesday June 6, 2018 8:00am - 9:00am MDT
Uintah

8:00am MDT

If assessment happens and no one is around to hear about it, does it make a sound?
The answer, of course, is no. We need to communicate the results of our assessments and our improvement plans with a variety of stakeholders in order to make an impact, but sometimes we struggle with those communications. Learn about the creative methods Harper College's Learning Assessment Committee and Planning and Institutional Effectiveness division have used to engage students and employees in reviewing assessment results, improving student learning, and more. Attendees will also have the opportunity to share their own innovative ideas for improving communication and engagement.

Speakers
avatar for Faon Grandinetti

Faon Grandinetti

Associate Director, Outcomes Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness, Harper College
Faon Grandinetti has been helping faculty and staff at Harper College improve their assessment practices since 2012. As Associate Director of Outcomes Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness, she assists colleagues in implementing outcomes-based assessment to improve educational... Read More →



Wednesday June 6, 2018 8:00am - 9:00am MDT
Wasatch

8:00am MDT

In the long run: Gathering evidence from alumni to improve your institution’s educational impact
Many of the broader learning outcomes that we seek for students are only fully realized in the years after they complete their degrees. Life-long learning, critical inquiry, civic engagement, and other liberal learning outcomes are fully and consequentially expressed in the lives of students after they graduate. In this session, we will demonstrate how institutions can use survey data and qualitative evidence to develop actionable information about the undergraduate experiences that promote the post-college realization of these outcomes.

While many institutions collect information on important post-college labor market outcomes, fewer use alumni perceptions of the pedagogies and good practices that promote the post-graduate attainment of broad outcomes.

In this session, which is aimed at assessment professionals who are examining the impact of undergraduate experiences on broad learning outcomes, we will:

1. Review the evidence from a multi-institution survey and a qualitative study on the relationship between the different undergraduate pedagogies and good practices experienced by alumni and outcomes in their post-college lives; and

2. Review the strengths and weakness of each approach, and provide examples of the kinds of reporting and data summaries that have, and have not, made the evidence from these inquiries actionable.

Speakers
CB

Charles Blaich

Wabash College
Charles (Charlie) Blaich, PhD, joined the Wabash College Center of Inquiry in 2002. Charlie, along with others at the Center, is responsible for making the Center of Inquiry's mission come true: to strengthen liberal arts education for all students, regardless of who they are or what... Read More →


Wednesday June 6, 2018 8:00am - 9:00am MDT
Teton

8:00am MDT

The Cycle Continues: Assessment at William Woods University
How can we expect faculty to engage in assessment if they’re not included throughout the process? In this session, I’ll share how we approach this question at William Woods University by walking through the three assessment workshops we conduct throughout the academic year. These workshops enable faculty to understand the goal of assessment and how it fits with what they’re teaching. Faculty see the student learning outcomes several times throughout the year, which helps keep the idea of assessment more current. WWU provides tremendous support to the assessment process which has paid off in reporting, faculty buy-in, and recent HLC reaffirmation where the University was commended on the culture of assessment that was evident on campus. Join us for this session to hear the details of how we created that culture of assessment.

This session is sponsored by Watermark Insights 



Speakers
avatar for Carrie McCray

Carrie McCray

Associate Dean of Academic Assessment, William Woods University
A full time faculty in American Sign Language Interpreting with added duties in Assessment, with recently flopped responsibilities and is a full time Associate Dean with an added teaching load. Working in Assessment and continuing to teach has kept me in the "trenches" with faculty... Read More →


Wednesday June 6, 2018 8:00am - 9:00am MDT
Tucson

8:00am MDT

"I want you to know that I'm a hard worker": What students want their professors to know and be able to do to improve learning
Students want to learn: and they want faculty members to know what they want to learn, how they learn best, and what they want to get out of a course or program of study. Student input before and during a course help faculty design better learning experiences for all students. This interactive presentation will introduce faculty and assessment professionals to practices that introduce students to the learning environment and assessment of student learning, with the goal of obtaining better, more holistic and meaningful data about student achievement. Participants will learn about using surveys, innovative and transparent assignments, and pedagogical approaches that can invite students into the process of measuring learning, making students equal partners in the assessment process. Sample surveys, assignments, and other materials will be provided.

Speakers
avatar for Nancy Quam-Wickham

Nancy Quam-Wickham

Office of Assessment of Teaching & Learning
Nancy Quam-Wickham received her doctorate in History from the University of California, Berkeley. She was formerly Chair of the History Department at California State University, Long Beach and worked as a Senior Assessment Specialist at WSU. She has a longstanding interest in the... Read More →



Wednesday June 6, 2018 8:00am - 9:00am MDT
Wyoming

8:00am MDT

Facilitating Assignment Design Charrettes: Sharing Resources, Tools, and Practices
Evidence from the work that students do in their courses is proving especially powerful for improving student learning - but this is only true when the assignments and tasks that faculty require of students are clearly and explicitly aligned with designated learning outcomes. To facilitate tight alignment between assignments, evaluative criteria, and student learning outcomes, faculty are coming together collectively to work on assignment design. This session features the work of those fostering faculty discussion space around assignment design, highlighting the ways that a focus on assignments as assessments can more deeply engage faculty and also strengthen student learning and success. Participants will hear about lessons learned, toolkits, and resources available from the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) to support campuses that are interested in facilitating assignment design conversations, both face-to-face and online, as an embedded part of their assessment process. Panelists will share ways they have modified available resources to support their assignment conversations.

Speakers
avatar for Gianina Baker

Gianina Baker

Acting Director, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA)
Gianina Baker, Acting Director, provides leadership and directs research specific to the assessment of student learning at colleges and universities, primarily under the Lumina Foundation grants, at NILOA. Her main research interests include student learning outcomes assessment at... Read More →
avatar for Kimberly Green

Kimberly Green

Director of the Office of Assessment of Teaching and Learning, Washington State University
Kimberly Green has directed the Office of Assessment of Teaching and Learning at Washington State University since 2011, supporting colleges, programs, and campuses to assess student learning and use results that can guide faculty decisions about effective curricula and instruction... Read More →


Wednesday June 6, 2018 8:00am - 9:00am MDT
Arizona

8:00am MDT

Evidence in Teacher Preparation: Establishing Reliability and Content Validity of Educator Preparation Program-Developed Rubrics
Educator Preparation Providers (EPP) are challenged to strengthen program assessments through well-constructed rubrics that provide valuable feedback to candidates about their performance and to faculty for making data-supported program decisions. This session will discuss the process for establishing reliability and content validity for planning and student teaching rubrics containing four major constructs related to effective teaching, as aligned to state and EPP's practices of teaching. Judgements from subject-matter experts regarding the relative representativeness of the assessment items in measuring the overarching construct, as well as the importance and clarity of those items was obtained. Results demonstrated evidence towards alignment between assessment content and student learning standards and constructs which the assessments were designed to measure. While this process satisfies accreditation-based technical quality guidelines, participants will also learn how this work provided an increased level of faculty understanding in establishing a more robust assessment system for the EPP overall.

Speakers
GM

George Michna

Director of Assessment, Accountability, and Accreditation, Neag School of Education; University of Connecticut
Dr. George Michna is the Neag School of Education's, at the University of Connecticut, Director of Assessment, Accreditation, and Accountability. In this role, he serves as the national accreditation (CAEP) and specialized professional association accreditation (SPAs) and unit and... Read More →



Wednesday June 6, 2018 8:00am - 9:00am MDT
Idaho

8:00am MDT

The Physics of Learning Improvement by Design
At James Madison University, we have begun to engage in a process of Learning Improvement by Design (LID) to support lasting and meaningful change in learning improvement for students in an academic program. The process starts with selection of a curricular wide student learning objective which requires an increase in student achievement. This is coupled with building an assessment instrument for the learning objective. This instrument is used to collect baseline levels to compare to post intervention levels of learning. This session will look at the overall LID process and then specifically look at the assessment development process. We will highlight the progress in the Physics programs in assessing the computational abilities of their graduating students. Lesson learned will be discussed. This session in intended for those interested in program wide improvement of a student learning improvement by scaffolding in courses in the curriculum, how to assess the learning objectives of a multifaceted learning objective. Participants will learn how this is done through LID and will begin developing outline of how to apply this to their own academic programs by directed activities and reflection.

Speakers
avatar for Steven Harper

Steven Harper

Associate Professor of Engineering, James Madison University
Steven R. Harper earned a B.S. in Engineering Physics from the University of California, Berkeley 1981 and then served in the United States Navy onboard submarines and as a Material Professional. During his career he earned an M.E. in Electrical Engineering from the University... Read More →



Wednesday June 6, 2018 8:00am - 9:00am MDT
Olympus

8:00am MDT

Open room for work space
Wednesday June 6, 2018 8:00am - 5:00pm MDT
Sinclair

9:15am MDT

The Immunity To Change
Why is change so difficult, even when we are genuinely committed to it? How can we do a better job closing the gap between what we intend and what we are actually able to bring about? Desire and motivation aren't enough: even when it's literally a matter of life or death, the ability to change remains maddeningly elusive. In this talk, Deborah Helsing will show how our individual beliefs–along with the collective mind-sets in our organizations–combine to create a natural but powerful immunity to change. When the status quo is so potent, how can we change ourselves and our organizations? Deborah will use examples from higher education to illustrate and encourage.

Speakers
avatar for Deborah Helsing

Deborah Helsing

Deborah holds a faculty position at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, teaching courses in Adult Development, Immunity to Change, and co-teaching a course in personal mastery. She provides individualized executive coaching to high potential educational leaders as... Read More →


Wednesday June 6, 2018 9:15am - 10:15am MDT
Ballroom A&B
  Keynote
  • about <strong>Deborah</strong> holds a faculty position at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, teaching courses in Adult Development, Immunity to Change, and co-teaching a course in personal mastery. She provides individualized executive coaching to high potential educational leaders as part of the Doctor of Educational Leadership program.<br>Deborah is also Co-Director of Minds at Work, where she coaches, consults, and provides training on the Immunity-to- Change approach. Her most recent publications include co-authoring <em>An Everyone Culture: Becoming a Deliberately Developmental Organization</em>, winner of an 800-CEO- Read Business Book Award, <em>The Immunity to Change Coach’s Guide</em>, and <em>Right Weight, Right Mind: The ITC Approach to Permanent Weight Loss</em>.<br>

10:30am MDT

Developing an Assessment Certificate: A Conversation About Current Trends and Needs
The Assessment Certification Sub-Committee has been surveying the landscape of available training opportunities for AALHE members. We have explored existing options provided by regional and specialized accrediting bodies, other professional associations, and graduate degree programs. Additionally, we have investigated models for professional certifications in fields comparable to ours. In this interactive session, committee members will share what has been learned to date, identify the gaps that might be filled by an AALHE assessment certificate, and most importantly seek feedback from participants about the form and structure such a certificate might take.

Speakers
avatar for Joan Littlefield Cook

Joan Littlefield Cook

Director of Academic Assessment, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Joan Littlefield Cook is the Director of Academic Assessment at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She is a professor and former chair of the Psychology Department. She has been involved in assessment at the department, college, university, and system levels through her career... Read More →
avatar for Patricia Gregg

Patricia Gregg

Assoc Dir, Assessment & Review, Georgia State University
Patricia L. Gregg, Ph.D. is Associate Director for Assessment and Review at Georgia State University. She is responsible for managing consolidated assessment of the core curriculum. She has served as an institutional effectiveness evaluator and lead QEP evaluator for SACSCOC. She... Read More →
avatar for Timothy Melvin

Timothy Melvin

Assistant Professor and Director of Assessment, Marshall University College of Education and Professional Development
Dr. Timothy Melvin is both the Assessment Coordinator for Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, and the Co-Director of the President's Commission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. He received a doctoral degree in Higher Education Leadership from Argosy University and... Read More →
avatar for Jen Sweet

Jen Sweet

Director of Assessment, DePaul University
Jen Sweet is the Director of Assessment at DePaul University; she has worked in assessment for over 15 years and presents a faculty development workshop each year on non-traditional assessment models each year for faculty/staff at DePaul and Loyola Universities.


Wednesday June 6, 2018 10:30am - 11:30am MDT
Flagstaff

10:30am MDT

How ready is University of Botswana Faculty of Education level of readiness in implementing student outcomes-based assessment practices.
The past decades have seen a shift in assessment of leaning. An immense set of alternative assessment methods have been developed and implemented in many educational systems as a result of new discoveries and changing theories in the field of student learning. These innovative methods have been supported on the basis that they produce active, reflective, and self- regulating learners. With the realization that University Of Botswana is still lacking behind in the implementation of the 21st outcome based assessment practices researchers saw it fit to engage with faculty members of institutions already implementing outcome based assessment practices and learn from them on how the, Faculty Of Education can practically engage in outcome based assessment practices. Participants will be given an opportunity to dialogue with presenters regarding what they are dong in their institutions to promote outcome based assessment practices and how best University of Botswana can adequately engage in this process to attain the country's national goals.


Wednesday June 6, 2018 10:30am - 11:30am MDT
Wasatch

10:30am MDT

Identifying Solutions to Problems in Assessment
As a follow-up to "Identifying Problems in Assessment", David Eubanks, Erik Gilbert, Lynn Priddy, and Bob Shireman will suggest potential futures and offer solutions to avoiding previously identified snares and pitfalls in assessment as it is currently practiced. Erik Gilbert, Professor of History and Chair of Arkansas State University's Institutional Review Board, will begin by providing a faculty view of professional development needs of faculty for improvement of teaching and learning in the Academy. Next, David Eubanks, author of A Guide for the Perplexed, will offer guidelines for using basic tenets of statistics and measurement when designing assessment protocols. A veteran Vice-President for Accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission and current Provost, National American University, Lynn Priddy will then discuss ways to uphold assessment for learning in light of H.R. 4508, PROSPER, the Higher Education Act. Bob Shireman, senior fellow at The Century Foundation, will conclude by suggesting pathways for advancing solutions for improved assessment practices to public policy. Participants are invited to submit questions for the panelists electronically throughout the session.

Speakers
avatar for David Eubanks

David Eubanks

Assistant VP for Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness, Furman University
David Eubanks holds a PhD in Mathematics from Southern Illinois University and currently serves as Assistant Vice President for Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness at Furman University. He has worked on the practical side of assessing student learning, including student writing... Read More →
EG

Erik Gilbert

Erik Gilbert is a professor of history at Arkansas State University who specializes in 19th and 20th century East Africa and the western Indian Ocean. He is the author of Dhows and the Colonial Economy of Zanzibar (2004), Africa in World History (2004) now in its third edition and... Read More →
LP

Lynn Priddy

Dr. Lynn E. Priddy serves as Provost and Chief Academic Officer of National American University, an institution specifically working with the states, accreditors, and the US Department of Education to step in and serve displaced students when their colleges close. NAU absorbs these... Read More →
RS

Robert Shireman

Robert Shireman is a senior fellow at The Century Foundation working on education policy with a focus on affordability, quality assurance, and consumer protections. He served in the Clinton White House as a Senior Policy Advisor to the National Economic Council and later for the Obama... Read More →
avatar for Josie Welsh

Josie Welsh

Director - Institutional Effectiveness, Missouri Southern State University
Josie Welsh is a social psychologist who has worked both in faculty and administration at both large public and small private universities. Josie oversees assessment and institutional research and teaches senior thesis for the honors program at Missouri Southern. She serves on... Read More →



Wednesday June 6, 2018 10:30am - 11:30am MDT
Ballroom C

10:30am MDT

Assessing Civic Competency and Engagement in Higher Education: The Development Process
In the past several decades, there have been major efforts to promote a civically literate society (Torney-Purta, Cabrera, Roohr, Liu, & Rios, 2015), and numerous surveys have been conducted with higher education institutions (HEIs) and employers that stress the importance of civic learning (e.g., Association of American Colleges and Universities, 2011; Hart Research Associates, 2015). The purpose of this session is to discuss the development process and research support for a next-generation Civic Competency and Engagement assessment intended for all college students, regardless of major. We will first discuss the research-driven approach used to develop an assessment framework, and will then present assessment considerations and findings from a large-scale field test. Finally, we will discuss the ways in which results from this assessment can be used by HEIs for evaluation and curriculum improvement purposes. The intended audience includes HEI stakeholders who are interested in assessing civic learning. We intend to engage the audience in discussion about current efforts to define and assess civic learning as a college outcome. Participants will learn about ways to define this type of construct, and the elements that go into developing an assessment to measure student learning in civic knowledge, skills, and engagement.

Speakers
avatar for Katrina Roohr

Katrina Roohr

Educational Testing Service
Katrina Roohr is a Managing Research Scientist in the Academic to Career Research Center at the Educational Testing Service, a non-profit educational organization and world-class leader in assessment, validity and fairness, and measurement research. She received her Ed.D. in Psychometric... Read More →


Wednesday June 6, 2018 10:30am - 11:30am MDT
Teton

10:30am MDT

Co-Curricular Learning and Assessment: Partnering with Student Activities for Student Success!
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.

Speakers
avatar for Peggy Simpson

Peggy Simpson

Director of Academic Assessment, Colorado Technical University
Dr. Peggy Simpson is the Director of Academic Assessment at Colorado Technical University. Peggy's experience includes over 20 years in experience in a variety higher education institutions with roles that included responsibility for assessment, accreditation, and other quality assurance... Read More →



Wednesday June 6, 2018 10:30am - 11:30am MDT
Snowbasin

10:30am MDT

Logic Models: A Tool for Institutional Effectiveness Planning and Outcome Evaluation
Extensively utilized by government agencies and evaluators, logic models are a conceptual model used for program planning, implementation, and evaluation of educational and social programs. Logic models not only serve as a tool to visually depict a theory of change by showing the connections between a program's resources, activities/strategies, intended outcomes, and long term impact, but also aid in identifying appropriate progress measures. In higher education administrative and academic programs, where mission success is long-term, logic models help in identifying short-term and intermediate outcomes, as well as appropriate evaluation/assessment methods, providing indicators of progress toward long-term goals. The Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso used logic modeling to facilitate institutional effectiveness planning and aid academic and administrative units in developing appropriate assessment plans for ongoing data collection and improvement. This session will introduce participants to logic modeling by providing an overview of logic models and step-by-step instructions on how to create and utilize log models for institutional effectiveness planning and assessment of outcomes.

Speakers
avatar for Oliana Alikaj-Fierro

Oliana Alikaj-Fierro

Assistant Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Accreditation, Texas Tech Health Sciences at El Paso
avatar for Christiane Herber-Valdez

Christiane Herber-Valdez

Director, Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso



Wednesday June 6, 2018 10:30am - 11:30am MDT
Arizona

10:30am MDT

The Four C's that Strengthen Campus-Wide Collaboration for Effective IE Practices
With the growing demands for universities to increase student success and demonstrate accountability to external agencies, it can often become more of a challenge for institutional effectiveness leaders to convey the IE model's purpose and the its impact to campus constituents as it relates to continuous improvement of educational programs. We all realize that it is not enough to assess and evaluate, but we must ensure that our efforts are purposeful and intentional if we want continuous improvement of programs and services as our desired outcomes. So, how do we do this? It begins with building interconnected collaborations at our institutions. Join us in this session as we dissect the methods and steps one institution has documented as efficient and effective and has led to successfully demonstrating compliance with its regional accrediting agency and building a culture of IE on its campus. Come learn the fours C's that led to one institution enhancing campus-wide buy-in and improving collaborations with all stakeholders.

Speakers
avatar for Tanjula Petty

Tanjula Petty

Executive Director of Research Assessment & Evaluation, Alabama State University
Dr. Tanjula Petty is a highly sought after higher education administrator with 15 years of extensive experience in academic affairs and institutional effectiveness. Her leadership has transformed the function of academic affairs divisions, resulting in expanded academic program offerings... Read More →
avatar for Christine Thomas

Christine Thomas

Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness & Accreditation Liaison, Alabama State University
Dr. Christine C. Thomas is the Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness at Alabama State University and has more than 20 years of combined experience in teaching, assessment and evaluation, and accreditation. She is an innovative higher education administrator who... Read More →


Wednesday June 6, 2018 10:30am - 11:30am MDT
Tucson

10:30am MDT

Using peer review to help establish and grow your assessment culture
This session introduces a peer review process for assessment reporting that attempts to improve the quality of outcomes assessment and reporting while increasing faculty engagement with and expertise in student learning outcomes assessment. The presenters will describe their work over the past year that involved professional development, the creation and application of a rubric for reliably evaluating the presence of "best practices" in annual reports submitted by academic departments, and providing a mechanism for both formative and summative peer feedback. Participants will then have an opportunity to apply our version of the peer review rubric to a sample assessment report. Participants will share ideas for adapting a similar peer review process to fit their existing assessment practices and will discuss the potential benefits and pitfalls of our approach. This session is intended for anyone responsible for or interested in cultivating a culture of assessment that engages faculty and leads to continuous improvement in the way assessment is used to improve student learning.

Speakers
avatar for Javier Clavere

Javier Clavere

Associate Professor, Berea College
As a polymath, his research interests includes semiotics, systems theory, sacred music, popular music and semiotics, Foucault studies, semiotics and globalization, multi-modality, and the semiotics of educational processes. Javier is the Executive Director of the Semiotic Society... Read More →
avatar for Rob Smith

Rob Smith

Director of Academic Assessment, Berea College
PW

Penelope Wong

Berea College
Dr. Penelope Wong is an Associate Professor in Education Studies at Berea College, where she helps prepare secondary level teaching candidates. Her research interests include inclusive teaching practices, service-learning, experiential learning, English education, educational technology... Read More →


Wednesday June 6, 2018 10:30am - 11:30am MDT
Idaho

10:30am MDT

Campus Cooperation, First-Year Experience, and Assessment
This proposed session is relevant and timely as colleges across the United States work to provide underprepared students with the supports needed to shape them into educated college graduates who can combine content knowledge with thinking skills. Many colleges are implementing high-impact practices of all sorts to reach these goals. We all recognize that the efficacy of these practices is not always evident. This presentation discusses how one institution has developed a first-year experience program carefully and deliberately over the past eight years. How Academics and Campus Life used assessment data and worked together cooperatively and intensely. The audience will be encouraged to discuss how their campuses have advanced similar interactions. Our implementation incorporated innovation with existing campus culture. The audience will be welcome to contribute their trials and tribulations of advancing new approaches with the traditional ways. We will explore the strengths and weaknesses of the transformation, including the audience's own challenges on their campuses. Presentation and discussion of actual collected data of retention and student learning and their analysis should also engage the audience as should opportunities for dialogue and exchange of ideas on best practices and not-so-good practices.

Speakers
avatar for Margaret Boorstein

Margaret Boorstein

Professor of Geography and Co-Chair, Campus Outcomes Assessment Committee, Earth and Environmental Science Department
Margaret F. Boorstein, Ph.D., is a professor of geography and department chair of the Earth and Environmental Science Department, LIU Post. As co-chair of the Post Campus Outcomes Assessment Committee since its inception in 1997, she has led the Campus reaccreditation process through... Read More →
avatar for Lori Knapp

Lori Knapp

Deputy Vice President of Academic Affairs, LIU Post
Lori Knapp, Ph,D,, is the LIU Post Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of Nursing. As Vice President for for Academic Affairs,her primary areas of responsibility include: academic instruction, full-time and adjunct faculty, strategic management of educational programs... Read More →


Wednesday June 6, 2018 10:30am - 11:30am MDT
Sun Valley

10:30am MDT

Launching Co-Curricular Assessment
Co-curricular assessment is growing in popularity. However once you decide to take the leap to begin assessment the question becomes what next? Figuring out where to start can be tricky. While it helps to have background in academic assessment, co-curricular areas often play by different rules. Designed for those who are new to co-curricular assessment or contemplating assessment, this session will examine how best practices and the CAS standards can be used to identify co-curricular activities in the organization, what their student learning objectives are, and which of the activities that can be assessed or evaluated. Participants will have the opportunity to use a sample matrix form to examine how it could be used to start at their institution.

Speakers
avatar for Amanda Bylczynski

Amanda Bylczynski

Associate Professor, Edison State Community College
I am a doctoral student at Ferris State University specializing in Community College Leadership. My dissertation is on creating assessment protocols for student affairs including support services and co-curricular activities . While my background is primarily academics, I have been... Read More →



Wednesday June 6, 2018 10:30am - 11:30am MDT
Wyoming

10:30am MDT

There to Here to There: Assessment's Impact on a Collaborative Course Redesign Initiative
The role of assessment in Distance Education and Learning Technology Applications (DELTA) at North Carolina State University has evolved into a team effort for understanding and identifying the ways in which the institution's Course Redesign Initiative, centered on innovative technologies and teaching practices, helps solve instructional challenges and build student success. To this end, building a culture of assessment in a large university service-oriented environment requires ongoing communication, problem solving, sharing, and faculty buy-in. Highlighting specific redesign projects, this interactive presentation offers the opportunity to discuss the strategies, practices, and examples of a data-driven Course Redesign initiative, highlighting: impact on student learning and engagement, faculty commitment, teamwork, and how assessment strengthens the initiative as a whole. The presentation aims to empower attendees to recognize and encourage the myriad ways in which assessment can be a valuable tool not just for demonstrating course redesign efficacy, but for strengthening DELTA's culture of assessment, institutional initiatives, and cross-campus collaborations.

Speakers
avatar for Traci Temple

Traci Temple

Other, North Carolina State University
Traci Temple, Director for DELTA Planning and Assessment, provides leadership and strategic direction to DELTA's Senior Management in research, assessment, and evaluation for DE services, programs and courses. Traci is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the College of Design, teaching... Read More →
avatar for Chris Willis

Chris Willis

Other, North Carolina State University
Chris Willis, Assistant Director for DELTA Planning and Assessment, leads the evaluation and assessment of course redesign and educational technology projects to demonstrate ways in which technology, pedagogy, and teaching best practices support student success and engagement. He... Read More →



Wednesday June 6, 2018 10:30am - 11:30am MDT
Uintah

10:30am MDT

Using the Topic Modeling Method to Assess The Substance of Student Learning Outcome Improvement Plans
The use of results for improvement has been the topic of numerous concurrent sessions and workshops at assessment conferences. While techniques and best practices have been offered, reflections on the data do not occur and/or the use of results is undocumented or vague. One method used to address this issue is the development of rubrics to evaluate the quality of student learning outcome (SLO) reports. Model rubrics not only evaluate the quality of reports but help inform report preparers about improvements. Another recently published method is Fulcher, Smith, Sanchez, Ames, & Meixner (2017) Learning Improvement Rubric. In this article, "Return of the Pig: Standards for Learning Improvement, six standards are suggested for the assessment of reports. The intent is to better demonstrate the impact of changes on student learning. Most relevant to our study is the Learning Interventions standard, as we set out to evaluate Change and Reflection on Change sections of the University's SLO reports. A content analysis, which included the last three years of reports, was conducted using the Topic Modeling method. The intent was to conduct a quantitative analysis of the summary of improvements and the strategies used.

Speakers
ED

Elise Demeter

UNC Charlotte
Dr. Elise Demeter is the Senior Assessment Research Analyst in the Office of Assessment and Accreditation at UNC Charlotte. She provides leadership in designing and conducting in-depth, quantitative and qualitative research studies related to direct and indirect measures of student... Read More →
MQ

Mingwei Qiang

Mingwei Qiang is a Graduate Research Assistant in the Office of Assessment and Accreditation at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and current graduate student in Mathematical Finance.
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Christine Robinson

Dr. Christine Robinson is the Executive Director of the Office of Assessment and Accreditation at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. For the past five years, as the Executive Director, she had led a team that promotes continuous improvement in student learning, educational... Read More →


Wednesday June 6, 2018 10:30am - 11:30am MDT
Olympus

11:45am MDT

ETS Luncheon
By invitation only 

Speakers
JR

Javarro Russell

Sr. Assessment Strategist, ETS
Senior Research and Assessment Director in the Global Education Division at Educational Testing Service in Princeton, NJ. Javarro obtained his doctorate in Assessment & Measurement from James Madison University. He has a background in consulting on measurement and assessment design... Read More →


Wednesday June 6, 2018 11:45am - 1:15pm MDT
Sawtooth

11:45am MDT

Lunch on your own
Wednesday June 6, 2018 11:45am - 1:15pm MDT
TBA

11:45am MDT

Lunch on your own
Wednesday June 6, 2018 11:45am - 1:15pm MDT
TBA

1:15pm MDT

Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing: How to Strategically Plan and Innovate for Higher Education and Assessment in a Rapidly Changing World
The purpose of this session is to discuss current and emerging issues pertaining to higher education and assessment and provide practical methods for how to think through them and create tangible solutions. The presenters will examine the importance of leadership and organizational member knowledge of and engagement with internal and external factors affecting their institutions, as well as the stages of organizational life cycles and decline. Participants will work through a presenter-led "FutureScape" strategic thinking exercise to explore key socio-political, economical, technological, and other environmental factors affecting higher education and assessment. Presenters will then discuss practical ways to think through and implement solutions to these factors, relying heavily on principles from Organizational Theorist, Richard L. Daft, and Organizational Consultants, Elspeth J. Murray and Peter R. Richardson. The session will be highly interactive with group and pair activities and will include both conceptual and practical discussions that participants can glean from for their own contexts. Individuals from any level of an institution will benefit from this session, however, this session may be especially beneficial for those in leadership and administrative roles within higher education and assessment.

Speakers
avatar for Tim Fowler

Tim Fowler

Director of Institutional Assessment, Liberty University
Tim is the Director of Institutional Assessment at Liberty University. He specializes in facilitating academic program-level learning outcomes assessment and co-curricular departmental assessment. He has presented at both regional and national conferences on assessment related topics... Read More →
avatar for Erin Schroeder

Erin Schroeder

Assistant Director for Institutional Assessment, Liberty University
Erin Schroeder is an Assistant Director for Institutional Assessment at Liberty University. Her main passion is to encourage and equip people and organizations to be successful in healthy, effective, and fulfilling ways. Through her experiences and training in school, ministry and... Read More →


Wednesday June 6, 2018 1:15pm - 2:45pm MDT
Idaho

1:15pm MDT

Poking at What it Means to Assess Higher Learning: A Dialogue and Exploration of Emerging Practice
Post-graduate education, executive education, professional practice learning, and leader development are often focused upon competency-based learning and multiple "bottom-line" outcomes. This level of higher learning, offered through colleges, universities, institutes, and academies, is not often top of mind when we think of "assessment of learning in higher education". This calls into question: What is higher education at this level? Who determines if the learning is successful? What are the implications of both success and failure in providing this learning for higher education - and for the public and society served?
This session engages participants in applying a theory-based model for the design and assessment of self-determined learning to an authentic problem: Design assessment and curriculum for a mastery-based executive education program to develop executive leaders in federal agencies. Participants will design their own approach to the challenge through a cycle of inquiry, dialogue and skilled practice. They will also evaluate the actual assessment and curriculum designed by the presenters. Through this process, participants will use reflection and dialogue to poke at assumptions of what it means to learn through higher education, and what it means to assess that learning with the goal of improving outcomes.

Speakers
avatar for Moreen Carvan

Moreen Carvan

Director, Asssurance of Learning, Marian University of Wisconsin
Dr. Moreen Carvan is Marian University's Director of Institutional Effectiveness. She earned her Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Cincinnati, with a specialization in educational research and change. In the course of her career, Dr. Carvan has worked in two... Read More →


Wednesday June 6, 2018 1:15pm - 2:45pm MDT
Arizona

1:15pm MDT

Enhancing the Value of Assessment: Promoting Reflection on Pedagogy and Curriculum
Promoting the value of assessment as internally-driven, rather than externally-mandated or administratively-initiated, is challenging. Our institution is committed to creating a culture in which academic assessment's fundamental purpose is enhancing student learning, by focusing on development of the curriculum and instructional strategies and activities to foster desired learning. In this skill-building session, we will discuss learning organizational literature and how it influences processes used on our campus to transition views on assessment from an external reporting requirement to an internally-valued process. We will explain strategies developed to transform our institution into one in which the assessment process is valued and academic programs, as well as individual faculty members, engage in assessment to enhance student learning. Specifically, we will discuss various strategies we have introduced to foster greater value, such as adding a Teaching Strategies Section to Academic Program Assessment Plans and Reports, introducing course level Teaching Reflections to document teaching excellence, offering professional development opportunities for faculty in collaboration with the Teaching Center on campus, and designing Summer Institutes, facilitated by faculty assessment practitioners, focusing on the teaching-learning connection. During this session, we will guide participants through the process of developing plans for cultivating similar results at their own institutions.

Speakers
avatar for Teresa Flateby

Teresa Flateby

Georgia Southern University
Dr. Terri Flateby is the Associate Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness at Georgia Southern University and has over twenty years of experience leading academic assessment at Georgia Southern University and the University of South Florida. She has consulted with institutions... Read More →
avatar for Delena Bell Gatch

Delena Bell Gatch

Director of Academic Assessment, Associate Professor of Physics, Georgia Southern University
Dr. Delena Bell Gatch is the Director of Academic Assessment in the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and an Associate Professor of Physics in the College of Science and Mathematics at Georgia Southern University. She also serves as the Editor for the International Journal for... Read More →



Wednesday June 6, 2018 1:15pm - 2:45pm MDT
Olympus

1:15pm MDT

Start Me Up! An Introduction to Analyzing Assessment Data with SPSS
SPSS is a tremendously powerful tool for analyzing quantitative data: if you know how to use it! This is a crash course introduction to SPSS, including getting started, software tips and tools, importing and cleaning data, and performing basic assessment data analyses. Participants must bring a laptop computer with a current license for SPSS or download the free trial of SPSS from IBM. Participants may bring data they wish to analyze or use one of the sample data sets provided in the session. Handouts will highlight the key steps in getting started with SPSS. Intended for beginners, this session will get you started on your assessment data analysis journey!

Speakers
avatar for Jeremy Penn

Jeremy Penn

Director, Student Affairs Assessment, North Dakota State University
Jeremy Penn is the Director of Student Affairs Assessment at North Dakota State University. Prior to his current position, he was the Director of University Assessment and Testing at Oklahoma State University and was a Program Assessment Coordinator at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln... Read More →



Wednesday June 6, 2018 1:15pm - 2:45pm MDT
Sun Valley

1:15pm MDT

Tying it All Together: Alignment Exercises for Effective Assessment
Many institutions develop effective assessment components, but fail to integrate those tactics into a comprehensive assessment system that informs decisions about improvement. In this workshop we will explore the process of aligning learning outcomes, curricular/co-curricular activities, and assessments for the purpose of improving student learning. Workshop attendees will evaluate the quality of the alignment of their assessment processes and identify how that alignment impacts the inferences that can be made from assessment results. They will encounter and address practical issues when aligning the assessment process for their institution.
This session is intended for professionals with assessment duties that allow them to engage in alignment activities on their campus. The professionals are experienced in clarifying learning outcomes, evaluating assessments, and reviewing curricula. Professional charged with evaluating the quality of assessment on their campus are the target audience.
The participants will engage in short lectures followed by activities and discussion. Lectures will focus on practical issues and Think-Pair-Share activities will be used to assist participants in meeting the learning outcomes of the session.

Speakers
avatar for Ross Markle

Ross Markle

ETS
Ross Markle serves as a Senior Research and Assessment Director for the Higher Education Division at Educational Testing Service. In his role, he supports ETS' thought leadership efforts in higher education by collaborating with operational and research areas, as well as the higher... Read More →
JR

Javarro Russell

Sr. Assessment Strategist, ETS
Senior Research and Assessment Director in the Global Education Division at Educational Testing Service in Princeton, NJ. Javarro obtained his doctorate in Assessment & Measurement from James Madison University. He has a background in consulting on measurement and assessment design... Read More →


Wednesday June 6, 2018 1:15pm - 2:45pm MDT
Teton

1:15pm MDT

Assessing the (I)Generation: A Look at the Impact of Experiential Learning on Gen Z Student Engagement and Learning
Journalist Anne Kingston writes that the new wave of students entering college classrooms are "smarter than Boomers, and way more ambitious than the Millennials (2014). Known as Generation Z (Gen Z) or the iGeneration, these students are culturally diverse, have a great interest in social justice, and prefer learning environments that are customized to their specific needs. In this session, we will discuss how the implementation of hands-on problem-based learning activities in introductory courses can enhance engagement of these students while preparing them for their careers. We will examine the case of a course redesign of an introductory seminar in Aerospace Engineering (AE) and its impact on student engagement and program development. We will discuss how we responded to concerns about high attrition rates among students in the early stages of the AE program and lessons learned through the implementation process. In addition, we will reflect on how intentional course design that addresses the needs of Gen Z students can lead to programmatic changes that encourage improved student retention over time. This session will be helpful to faculty developers and professors working together to develop courses tailored to the needs of the newest generation of students.

Speakers
JC

Janelle Coleman

University of Tennessee
Janelle Coleman (M.S., Ph.D., University of Tennessee, Knoxville) is the Faculty Consultant for Assessment at UT's Teaching and Learning Innovation department (TLI) since the summer of 2016. Before her tenure at the TLI, she taught a number of years for Knox County Schools, Maryville... Read More →



Wednesday June 6, 2018 1:15pm - 2:45pm MDT
Wasatch

1:15pm MDT

Directions and Checklists and Matrices and Half-Naked Rubrics: How do we use what we need to get what we want to get?
This session will present when and how and why to use some of the most essential tools for assessment, and how to teach those concepts to those who should use them. Faculty understanding of when to stop with only directions, when to create checklists, or matrices or even when to create the revered and reviled rubric is not commonly understood across campuses. Helping faculty and directors to use what they need to use, and no more is a gift we can give through training. This session will provide rationale, frameworks, models and options for providing those we serve with information they can use. The session will summarize six forms of assessment, match each to target outcomes and identify the necessary tools to build them. The presentation will engage participants in discussion, partner dialog, practice and a pretty invigorating role play about rubrics (seriously).

Speakers
avatar for Julia Williams

Julia Williams

Professor/ Faculty on Special Assignment to Coordinate Campus Assessment, University of Minnesota Duluth
Dr. Julia Williams is an Associate Professor of Education at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Her expertise is in assessment and program evaluation. Currently, Dr. Williams is serving as Faculty on Special Assignment for Campus Assessment, where she has worked with campus assessment... Read More →



Wednesday June 6, 2018 1:15pm - 2:45pm MDT
Uintah

1:15pm MDT

Making the Case for Objective Assessments
The purpose of this session is to share best practices for objective assessment development and promote its use as a reliable, scalable measure for assessing higher levels of learning. Multiple-choice exams are considered by many to be rudimentary measures that should be limited to assessing lower levels of learning. This thinking translates to institutions spending very little time, if at all, on equipping faculty with the skills to develop effective objective assessments and/or reviewing such measures for reliability. With growing concerns around the validity of our work and the shift towards online education, we must revisit multiple-choice exams as a reliable, scalable solution for assessing learning. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in collaborative exercises related to item development and the implementation of the session's content at their own institution.

Speakers
avatar for Drew Stafford

Drew Stafford

Assessment Developer, Western Governor's University


Wednesday June 6, 2018 1:15pm - 2:45pm MDT
Snowbasin

1:15pm MDT

What to Do When They Just Don't Get It: Using Explanatory Speaking to Assess Student Learning of Difficult Concepts
What if there were a formative assessment that helped you to foresee and master explaining those areas that likely cause your students the most confusion? This session guides instructors and presenters on how to use explanatory speaking to assess their listeners' comprehension. While explanatory speaking traditionally involves teachers explaining concepts to students, new approaches to using this method assess student learning by putting ourselves in the students' position. In turn, we use student explanations of terms that involve difficult language or concepts that are hard to picture or believe, in order to identify gaps in their understanding. In recent years, communication programs have begun applying this method, based on Rowan's (1995) pedagogy for explanatory public speaking, to their textbooks and curriculum; however, this approach is not limited to the communication discipline or relevant areas. To explain the power of this method, the presenter will use an interactive demonstration involving critical and often misunderstood concepts in a communication course. Attendees will be able to apply this knowledge to various course subjects, formats, and contexts, including webinars, traditional, online, or hybrid courses, undergraduate or graduate courses, synchronous or asynchronous discussions, written or spoken assignments, course readings, and more.

Speakers

Wednesday June 6, 2018 1:15pm - 2:45pm MDT
Flagstaff

1:15pm MDT

Data Visualization: Applying Key Principles in Assessment Reports
A good table, chart, or report makes a lasting impression and can spur readers to action. But too often the tables of numbers, charts, and reports go unread, are difficult to interpret, or lead to misinterpretation because of poor design. In this skill-building session, participants will learn to create clear, meaningful tables, charts, and one-page assessment reports that enhance the message by using techniques based on Tufte (2001), Evergreen (2014, 2017) and others. I will briefly discuss the move from raw student results to a summary of students' results and then describe the move to effective tables, charts, and one-page reports. We'll critique tables and charts, examine before and after makeovers, and look at elements in a one-page report. In addition, I'll describe strategies to promote colleagues' engagement. Participants will practice creating a data visualization using key principles and they will leave with engagement strategies. No software needed because we will use paper and pen. (This is not a technical session on using software.) This session will be useful to those who want to create concise, powerful reports that capture the audience's attention and convey the right message. Level: beginner in effective data visualization principles.

Speakers
avatar for Monica Stitt-Bergh

Monica Stitt-Bergh

Associate Specialist of Assessment, University of Hawai
Monica Stitt-Bergh is an educational psychologist and works in the Assessment Office at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. In her current position, she is an internal consultant for and offers workshops on learning outcomes assessment. She also plans and conducts institutional... Read More →



Wednesday June 6, 2018 1:15pm - 2:45pm MDT
Wyoming

1:15pm MDT

The Wizards of Assessment: Peel Back the Curtain and Experience the Art and Science of the Assessor
After attending the local university carnival, you and your committee are gusted away to Munchkinland in the Land of Oz. Once you arrive, you find out that the lollipop guild is in need of a new summer camp curriculum. Word of your expertise in assessment travels fast! You accept faster than Dorothy can click her ruby red slippers together. Excited by your team's enthusiasm, the guild leader goes on to describe the program. The summer camp currently has three departments: courage, brains, and heart. They need you to develop a curriculum that will satisfy their main stakeholders: the munchkins (students), Dorothy (instructor), the Wizard (dean), and Toto (accreditor).

In this skill-building session, you will review the AACU principles and guidelines on assessment and apply them with a group of your peers to develop a program-level assessment plan to compete against others by presenting an assessment plan, founded in promising-practice, that utilizes creativity and fun, to the Provost's Witches Council. Those beginning their journey on the yellow-brick road of assessment will find this session's content most appropriate; however, it will offer something to anyone looking for a new way to engage in dialogue around assessment plans while networking with their peers.

Speakers
SD

Stephen DiPietro

Stephen DiPietro currently serves as Vice Provost of University Assessment, Accreditation & Institutional Effectiveness at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. In this position, his major responsibilities include oversight of all university assessment activities, the program alignment... Read More →
avatar for Mark Green

Mark Green

Associate Director, Assessment, Drexel University
Mark Green is the Associate Director of Assessment, College of Nursing & Health Professions at Drexel University. He earned his Masters of Science in Higher Education with a Certificate of Institutional Research at the Florida State University. Early in his career, he worked in student... Read More →
JH

Joseph Hawk

Joseph Hawk started off as an elementary/middle school teacher before he moved into recruiting. The combination of education and recruiting eventually led him to Drexel University as the Assistant Director of Operations and Program Assessment for one for of the world’s largest career... Read More →
avatar for Ray Lum

Ray Lum

Associate Professor Emeritus, Dornsife School of Public Health Drexel University
Ray Lum is an Associate Teaching Professor Emeritus and former Provost Assessment Fellow at Drexel University. He also held the position of Director of E-Learning. Prof. Lum has led an effort to integrate competency mapping and direct assessment into a master course template across... Read More →



Wednesday June 6, 2018 1:15pm - 2:45pm MDT
Tucson

2:30pm MDT

Snack
Wednesday June 6, 2018 2:30pm - 4:00pm MDT
Foyer

3:00pm MDT

AALHE Annual Member Survey: Themes and Lingering Questions
Members of the Recruitment and Retention Committee of AALHE will summarize findings from our 2018 annual survey and invite participants to discuss emergent issues and themes the Board of Directors should consider in order to meet the needs of our membership and fulfill the mission of AALHE.

Speakers
avatar for Sean Fitzpatrick

Sean Fitzpatrick

Department Chair - Allied Health, Marian University
Marian University, WI; Assistant Professor in Exercise and Sport Science; Chair - Committee for Student Learning; and graduate of WASC's Assessment Leadership Academy Class V.
avatar for Andre Foisy

Andre Foisy

Excelsior College
Andre Foisy is the Executive Director of Institutional Outcomes Assessment at Excelsior College. Foisy has taught and worked in higher education assessment for more than a decade. Prior to his role at Excelsior College, Foisy served as the Assistant Director of Assessment and Evaluation... Read More →
avatar for Curtis Jefferson

Curtis Jefferson

Director of Assessment & Accreditation, University of Washington School of Pharmacy
Curtis Jefferson is Director of Assessment & Accreditation at the University of Washington School of Pharmacy. In this role, he oversees and manages curricular and program assessment for the Doctor of Pharmacy program. Curtis has presented sessions and posters on experiential education... Read More →
avatar for Josie Welsh

Josie Welsh

Director - Institutional Effectiveness, Missouri Southern State University
Josie Welsh is a social psychologist who has worked both in faculty and administration at both large public and small private universities. Josie oversees assessment and institutional research and teaches senior thesis for the honors program at Missouri Southern. She serves on... Read More →


Wednesday June 6, 2018 3:00pm - 4:00pm MDT
Ballroom C

3:00pm MDT

AALHE Committee Meeting: Publications
Please join AALHE's Publications Committee meeting to learn about the functions of the group, future projects, and volunteer opportunities for Members.  The meeting is open to all attendees. 

The Publications Committee coordinates and develops publications on student learning assessment for professional development and the advancement of knowledge.

Speakers
avatar for David Eubanks

David Eubanks

Assistant VP for Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness, Furman University
David Eubanks holds a PhD in Mathematics from Southern Illinois University and currently serves as Assistant Vice President for Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness at Furman University. He has worked on the practical side of assessing student learning, including student writing... Read More →
avatar for Jane Marie Souza

Jane Marie Souza

Associate Provost for Academic Administration, University of Rochester
Jane Marie Souza, PhD serves as the Associate Provost for Academic Administration/Chief Assessment Officer, University of Rochester. She is a board member and president-elect of the Association for Assessment of Learning in Higher Education, past editor-in-chief for the organization's... Read More →


Wednesday June 6, 2018 3:00pm - 4:00pm MDT
Sawtooth

3:00pm MDT

Fearing to Fail: How Common Assessment Practices May Cause Stagnation
Many of the assessment reports that come in from academic and co-curricular programs indicate that "all outcomes are met:as if that were a good thing. When programs can demonstrate that they are reaching all of their learning goals, there is no reason to change. Curriculum doesn't need to change, pedagogy can remain the same, student engagement seems to be fine, and there is no need to really talk about transformation. Much of this occurs because our education system focuses on NOT failing. We are taught to succeed; to avoid failure. But what if failing at something actually teaches us more powerfully than any success can ever do? What if our fear of showing failure is actually holding us back from improvement? This session explores the fear-of-failure that is part of higher education and develop action plans to overcome this so that we find the opportunities to improve and transform.

Speakers
avatar for Catherine Wehlburg

Catherine Wehlburg

Associate Provost, Texas Christian University
Dr. Catherine M. Wehlburg is the Associate Provost for Institutional Effectiveness at Texas Christian University. She has taught psychology and educational psychology courses for more than a decade, serving as department chair for some of that time and then branched into faculty development... Read More →


Wednesday June 6, 2018 3:00pm - 4:00pm MDT
Tucson

3:00pm MDT

Improving General Education: Assessing and Improving an Outcomes-based General Education
This presentation briefly discusses the development of an outcomes-based general education at a mid-sized, master's level comprehensive public university. The specific focus of the presentation will be on the assessment of the UCA Core, use of data, data integrity, technology used, and improvement team recommendations. In particular, we plan to focus on how we used the improvement team recommendations to make and document improvement actions based on data produced from the assessment process. This will include a discussion of the barriers encountered, strategies to move forward, and the results of improvement actions.

Speakers
avatar for Brandon Combs

Brandon Combs

Director of Assessment, University of Central Arkansas
Dr. Brandon Combs is the Director of Assessment for the University of Central Arkansas. He joined UCA in 2016 after having served as the Assistant Director of University Assessment of the University of Kentucky. Prior to working with the Office of Kentucky, he served as a Law Enforcement... Read More →
JH

Jacob Held

University of Central Arkansas
I addition to being an Associate Professor of Philosophy I have been Director of the UCA Core since 2014. I began my position in a time of transition and so have been intimately involved in both curriculum development and assessment from the beginning of our transition from a menu... Read More →



Wednesday June 6, 2018 3:00pm - 4:00pm MDT
Snowbasin

3:00pm MDT

Outcome Measurement and Libraries: Adapting the Project Outcome Model
Meaningful learning happens outside the classroom and a body of robust inquiry shows positive connections between academic libraries and student learning and success. This session is for assessment professionals who are interested measuring outcomes of library programs or services. The Association of College and Research Libraries has partnered with the Public Library Association to develop a version of Project Outcome, a free online toolkit that helps libraries measure outcomes and use the resulting data to identify opportunities for change and act on them. Attend this session to learn about Project Outcome's work to shift the library field towards an outcome measurement standard and how ACRL is adapting this model to meet academic needs. ACRL appointed a Task Force to adapt Project Outcome for academic libraries in January 2018 and its work will continue for over a year. Participants in this session will interact with presenters and provide valuable feedback on the early stages of the academic library outcome model. Share and discuss with others how outcome measurement of your institution's library has or could create opportunities for growth or change in your organization.

Speakers
avatar for Emily Plagman

Emily Plagman

Project Manager, Project Outcome, Public Library Association
Emily Plagman is the Project Manager for PLA’s performance measurement initiative, Project Outcome, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, overseeing its development and implementation. Prior to joining PLA, Emily worked as a project manager, at the Chicago Metropolitan... Read More →


Wednesday June 6, 2018 3:00pm - 4:00pm MDT
Wasatch

3:00pm MDT

Promoting Faculty Engagement and Assessment Efforts: A Case Study
Getting some faculty engaged and excited about assessment can be difficult. This session intends to share straightforward and practical strategies to boost meaningful faculty ownership of program assessment activities through faculty development. We posit that promoting sincere dialogue with, and addressing faculty needs and interests related directly to aspects of teaching and student learning, will result in a culture of continuous improvement. In this session, audience members will form groups of 3-5 people and discussion questions will be used to facilitate the dialogue among the audience and presenters. Questions will include topics such as the specific challenges of getting faculty engaged, the use of workshops (or other training opportunities), incentives for faculty, and more. The intended audience includes anyone who uses or is a part of assessment at a higher learning institution. The intended audience should be interested in participating in a lively discussion about faculty development and practical strategies for increasing faculty engagement. Not only will the presenters share strategies for promotion of faculty engagement in program assessment, but audience members will be asked to share their experiences as well.

Speakers
avatar for Kelva Hunger

Kelva Hunger

Assistant Director, Assessment and Analysis, Oklahoma State University - Main Campus


Wednesday June 6, 2018 3:00pm - 4:00pm MDT
Flagstaff

3:00pm MDT

Reimagining Assessment in Universities by focusing on Programme Outcomes.
A current issue that is often highlighted by academics is a modular approach to learning. Students become concerned with passing each course within a program without maintaining a holistic view; perhaps because they never need to in order to be successful on the program. In this respect, the connection between the assessments (usually modular) and the program learning outcomes are often not explicit.

In the UK, for the last 20 years or so, Key Stage 5 (High School Final examinations) has been taught and assessed in a modular fashion, leading academics to believe that students are used to modular learning and assessment, which is then reinforced in HE. From 2018, all students will experience synoptic, final examinations at A-level. This presents a golden opportunity for universities to rethink their programme structure and assessment strategies.

My research focuses on the relationship between programme learning outcomes and assessment design. Using semi-structured interviews with Faculty, I have worked with a range of disciplines (STEM, Arts and Social Science) to reimagine assessment for a degree programme, with a focus on synoptic, summative assessment linked to programme learning outcomes.

I will propose a framework for programme assessment redesign that may be adapted for other institutions.

Speakers
avatar for Samantha Pugh

Samantha Pugh

Associate Professor in STEM Education, University of Leeds, UK
I am leading a University wide project, 'Reimagining University Education by Learning from Secondary Education (RUALSE).' As a fellow of the Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence I will be working on further raising the profile of Student Education at Leeds, and supporting colleagues... Read More →



Wednesday June 6, 2018 3:00pm - 4:00pm MDT
Teton

3:00pm MDT

Reproducible University Quality Assurance of Program Learning Outcomes
This presentation shares the three-year experience of implementing the university quality initiative- Central Quality Improvement Process (CQIP), which serves as the university quality assurance of program learning outcomes. The presentation discusses: (1) embedding the best assessment practices in the university assessment timeline (e.g.: SLOs were validated by advisory board, 75% of course SLOs aligns with program SLOs in the curriculum map); (2) multiple models of peer review (meta-assessment) during a significant budget reduction period and (3) strategies to communicate evidence of student learning (NILOA Transparency Framework and one-page assessment report) to internal and external stakeholders. The challenges and lessons learned in the process will be discussed. An alternative approach of quality assurance and continuous improvement plan will be presented to faciliate the implementation for other universities. Participants also have a chance to share their practices to the peers through interactive questions during the presentation.The information of this presentation facilitates the strategic planning of quality assurance of program learning outcomes for high-level administrators such as assessment professionals and vice provost of academic affairs/ institutional effectiveness.

Speakers
avatar for Doug Koch

Doug Koch

Vice Provost - Academic Programs & Services, University of Central Missouri
Currently Vice Provost of Academic Programs & Services. Prior to this position, was the Assoc. Dean for the College of Health, Science, and Technology for a short time and previously the Chair of the School of Technology. His degrees are in education, specifically Technology Education... Read More →
avatar for Nhung Pham

Nhung Pham

University Assessment Coordinator, University of Central Missouri
Nhung Pham, Ph.D. is University Assessment Coordinator at the University of Central Missouri.She oversees the university's institutional assessment, program assessment and a university steering member of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) accreditation committee. She is currently... Read More →



Wednesday June 6, 2018 3:00pm - 4:00pm MDT
Wyoming

3:00pm MDT

Taking Outcomes to Scale: Tools to Align, Systematize, and Use Assessment Data
Institutions need tools that integrate multiple measures of student success - especially direct evidence - to deepen insights about student learning. Assessment technologies can help contextualize learning analytics with student learning outcome evidence, but how can institutions integrate these data? To bridge student success and outcomes data, we need software that enables institutions to aggregate outcomes data by rolling up direct evidence to the institutional level. Our session explores technologies that help institutions to systematize outcomes data, since integrating direct measures with indirect measures yields deeper understanding of student performance, adds depth and nuance to predictive analytics, and offers insights that can foster equity through enhanced capabilities to to pinpoint achievement gaps. Our goal is to help faculty, staff, and other campus leaders create a culture of data-informed decision making by interacting with three tools created to help institutional leaders begin to systematize learning assessment data: a taxonomy, a process, and a rubric.

Speakers
avatar for Sherri Braxton

Sherri Braxton

Senior Director, Instructional Technology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Dr. Sherri N. Braxton is the Senior Director of Instructional Technology at UMBC where she is responsible for leading the Division of Information Technology’s (DoIT) strategy for end-user support of instructional technologies including online, hybrid, and traditional, “face-to-face... Read More →
avatar for Jennifer Harrison

Jennifer Harrison

Associate Director for Assessment, FDC, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Jennifer M. Harrison has worked in higher education for almost 30 years and is currently UMBC’s Associate Director for Assessment in the Faculty Development Center. She has expertise in accreditation, institutional effectiveness, student learning assessment, critical pedagogy, curriculum... Read More →



Wednesday June 6, 2018 3:00pm - 4:00pm MDT
Idaho

3:00pm MDT

What's Really Going On? A Practical Model for Using Perception Data for Continuous Improvement
Do you collect perception survey data on a regular basis in the name of assessment, but find it difficult to translate into actionable improvement? Do you ever wonder why participants answer the way they do? Do you wish you had stronger evidence to demonstrate how you achieve meaningful gains in institutional effectiveness? Well we did, too! In this session, participants will experience first-hand how the Ferris State University College of Pharmacy is using an easy mixed methods approach to improve the faculty experience and develop a sustainable culture of assessment. Annual perception survey data provides the starting point, coupled with a routine Town Hall series that dives deep to answer the all important question - What's really going on and how can we make it better? Participants will gain practical steps for implementing this scalable model for quality improvement in any setting. Presenters will share successes and challenges of the model and the audience will experience a live run of the model through participation in a mock perception survey and Town Hall session that is sure to be informative and entertaining. We are using the model to create meaningful change in multiple areas of our college and you can too!



Wednesday June 6, 2018 3:00pm - 4:00pm MDT
Olympus

3:00pm MDT

"Library Partnership and Assessment: Multiple Stakeholder Evaluation in an Academic Co-Teaching Environment"

The LEAP Learning Communities program at the University of Utah provides over 800 undergraduate students a two-semester, small-cohort learning community course with a peer advisor and embedded librarian. The LEAP/Library partnership provides flexible, real-time collaboration that enables students to achieve a high level of retained library skills, necessary for a major research institution. LEAP's assessment culture, Library partnership, and Peer Advisor advocacy for students, fosters multiple assessment practices for real-time course-corrections on course material coverage. Educational Benchmarking Incorporated and SKYfactor assessments conducted since 2010, demonstrate students in LEAP consistently report higher information literacy scores compared to students in similar first-year programs at peer institutions. Internal pre- and post- course surveys and student evaluations demonstrate library skills are foundational for LEAP students' success. The panel will model our assessment and learning goals that can be implemented into your library faculty course or institution, collect data and share models of library-student-faculty partnerships, and provide audience engagement on our best-practice of using Alignment Grids. The natural extension of this method is to other undergraduate programs. The panel will provide a model of improved student success through the application of assessment to learning outcomes, and examine how assessments from multiple stakeholders improves students' learning.


Speakers
avatar for Jennifer Brown

Jennifer Brown

Associate Professor/Lecturer, University of Utah
PhD, The Johns Hopkins UniversityAward for Assessment Excellence: Department of Humanities, Critical Thinking Assessment, Salt Lake Community College.Current: Assessment Committee, LEAP Program, University of Utah
avatar for Donna Harp Ziegenfuss

Donna Harp Ziegenfuss

Associate Librarian and Data Coordinator for the Network of the National Library of Medicine (MidContinental Region), University of Utah
Dr. Donna Harp Ziegenfuss, is an Associate Librarian in the Faculty Services department in the J. Willard Marriott Library at the University of Utah. She earned an Ed.D. in Academic Leadership/Higher Education and an MS degree in Applied Technology/Instructional Design. Dr. Ziegenfuss... Read More →



Wednesday June 6, 2018 3:00pm - 4:00pm MDT
Arizona

3:00pm MDT

Enhancing Student Outcomes Measures through Culturally Relevant Assessment Practices
The College of Computing and Informatics (CCI) and the Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of North Carolina Charlotte collaborated in an innovative use of the campus learning management software (LMS). By leveraging the LMS, a flexible method was created to gather and report aggregate student learning outcomes data at the program level for the CCI's undergraduate degree programs. This approach has enabled the CCI to become more efficient in its assessment process, to expand its capacity for timely formative assessment, and to employ a culturally responsive assessment model. This approach is being explored for expansion across the university to streamline and scale the assessment procedures. This symposium will present an overview of the theoretical framework of culturally responsive assessment practice, discuss the challenges and opportunities faced in adoption of an LMS system for assessment, and demonstrate key adaptations that facilitate the scalability of culturally relevant assessment practice. The presenters will guide participants through discussion with key questions to provoke thoughtful reflection of how institutions can employ equitable assessment, adopt efficient approaches that are grounded in data analytics to further develop assessment capacity that can be scaled for large institutions.

Speakers
avatar for Audrey Rorrer

Audrey Rorrer

Research Associate, UNC Charlotte
Talk to me about program assessment, project evaluation, and computer science education research.


Wednesday June 6, 2018 3:00pm - 4:00pm MDT
Sun Valley

3:00pm MDT

Strategizing Archives Metrics: Using Tableau Visualizations and Stakeholder Promotions to Close the Loop and Improve Program Next Steps
Assessing a robust primary source instruction program and archival materials usage statistics allows academic archives to evaluate student success metrics. Using Tableau to visualize comparisons and crosswalk data from the AEON software system, SAP HANA data platform, student assessment data in EXCEL, and beyond, archivists are establishing several strategies for demonstrating impact, value, and significance to various stakeholder groups. In this session, we will describe the programs, purposes, and methods used by a sample academic archive, provide sample Tableau visualizations, then complete a small team activity where the audience will create a one-page visualization promotional document from a selection of graphics that best presents the impact evident in the data to different types of stakeholders. Teams will then share their work with the larger group and discuss how to use the data and stakeholder promotional documents toward closing the loop and a program improvement plan.

Speakers
avatar for Jay-Marie Bravent

Jay-Marie Bravent

Special Collections Research Center, University of Kentucky Libraries



Wednesday June 6, 2018 3:00pm - 4:00pm MDT
Uintah

4:00pm MDT

Resource Fair
Join us for our first ever Resource Fair and book signing where you can visit with authors, purchase their books from an on-site Barnes & Noble pop-up store, and explore a range of exhibitors offering the latest tools and resources for assessment.
A portion of the sales from Barnes & Noble will be donated to Redwood Elementary in the Granite School District, a Title 1 school. 


Wednesday June 6, 2018 4:00pm - 5:30pm MDT
Ballroom A&B

5:15pm MDT

Evening View Hike and Campus Treasures
New opportunity!
Kimberly Green has very kindly offered to fill a gap in our outing offerings. Please join her for a wonderful venture out into the hills:

Bring your own picnic dinner and head to the university campus, nestled against these gorgeous mountains.

We'll take a tram and then have a 15min walk to your choice of the Red Butte Gardens ($14 entry, beautiful botanical garden and nature trails) or the Utah Natural History Museum ($13 -- or perhaps late entry available of $5 on wed evenings).  Both locations have picnic areas with city & lake views.  Access is also available to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail (free - good walking shoes recommended).

Meet in the Little America hotel lobby around 5:15; we'll leave at 5:20, for a 5:38 red tram at Courthouse ($2.50), getting off at Ft Douglas, arriving at our destination around 6:00.  Returning, we'll tram back around 8:30 ($2.50), unless you want to stay later on your own.

Questions?  Contact Kimberly Green (kimberly_green@wsu.edu)

Speakers
avatar for Kimberly Green

Kimberly Green

Director of the Office of Assessment of Teaching and Learning, Washington State University
Kimberly Green has directed the Office of Assessment of Teaching and Learning at Washington State University since 2011, supporting colleges, programs, and campuses to assess student learning and use results that can guide faculty decisions about effective curricula and instruction... Read More →


Wednesday June 6, 2018 5:15pm - 8:30pm MDT
Outing

5:30pm MDT

Networking outing: Temple Square Tour and Dinner
Wednesday, 6/6/2018 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM; $43 Register for this event at AALHE’s site

One step through the gates of Temple Square and you’ll be immersed in 35 acres of enchantment in the heart of Salt Lake City. Whether it’s the rich history, the gorgeous gardens and architecture, or the vivid art and culture that pulls you in, you’ll be sure to have an unforgettable experience.
Temple Square was founded by Mormon pioneers in 1847 when they arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. Though it started from humble and laborious beginnings - the temple itself took 40 years to build - it has grown into Utah’s number one tourist attraction with over three million visitors per year. The grounds are open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and admission is free, giving you the liberty to enjoy all that Temple Square has to offer. Find out more here: https://www.templesquare.com/visit/

Meet up: Please join Alison Witherspoon's group in the Little America lobby no later than 5:00pm.   

The Temple is a 22 minute walk: https://goo.gl/maps/S9xEYrqxG4T2
Transportation: Public transportation  to and from Temple Square.
Map: https://goo.gl/maps/edEFeHDG4NA2

An upscale buffet dinner at the Roof Restaurant will proceed the tour: https://www.templesquare.com/dining/the-roof-restaurant/
Dinner will be served at 5:30pm; tour at 7:15pm



Speakers
avatar for Alison Witherspoon

Alison Witherspoon

American College of Education
Alison is currently the Director of Assessment and Accreditation for American College of Education. She earned her M.S. in Public Service Management with a specialization in Higher Education from DePaul University and has worked in higher education assessment and institutional research... Read More →



Wednesday June 6, 2018 5:30pm - 8:00pm MDT
Outing

5:45pm MDT

Networking outing: Salt Lake Bees Baseball Game and Dinner
Wednesday, 6/6/2018 5:45 PM - 9:30 PM; $40.00
Register for this event at AALHE’s site

Meet in the Little America lobby at 5:45pm to depart by 5:50pm. We will be taking Trax so you will need to either purchase a ticket at the Trax stop (cash or card) or download the app below and purchase/load ticket.

Join us for a Minor League Baseball game with the Salt Lake Bees, the Triple A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Angels. Smith's Ballpark, where the Bees play is noted for its stunning views of the Wasatch Mountains over the left and center field walls.
The price includes admission to the game and a picnic dinner.
Click to View Flyer

Find out more here: http://www.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t561
Transportation: Public transportation to and from the field.
Map: https://goo.gl/maps/6CLhzirk9JN2

UTA GoRide
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.passportparking.mobile.transit.utagoride&hl=en
IOS:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/uta-goride/id1258173083?mt=8


Speakers
avatar for Jamie Wigand

Jamie Wigand

Executive Director, AALHE



Wednesday June 6, 2018 5:45pm - 9:30pm MDT
Outing

6:00pm MDT

Networking outing: Dented Brick Distillery Tour and Tasting
Wednesday, 6/6/2018 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM; $11
Register for this event at AALHE’s site
 Discover the Rockies' best-kept secret when you take a tour on the same land where Brigham Young bought Hugh Moon’s whiskey (for medicinal purposes of course) in the 1850’s. You can take your time touring the distillery from the artesian well to the tasting area and all the fascinating steps in the process.
Experience the intricacies of Dented Brick brands; Vodka, Gin, (light or dark) Rum, and White Whiskey too. Keep the coaster and the shot glass too.

The cost of dinner is not included in this event. Attendees will have the option of dining at Apollo Burger immediately following the distillery tour & tasting.

Find out more here: https://dentedbrick.com
Transportation: Public transportation to and from the distillery.
Map: https://goo.gl/maps/KV1yEJtSHnR2

UTA GoRide
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.passportparking.mobile.transit.utagoride&hl=en
IOS:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/uta-goride/id1258173083?mt=8

Excursion Start Time:
           Tour and tasting starts at 6 pm
           [Note: it takes about 20 minutes to get there via public transit (and the train runs
           every 10 minutes).
Please meet Shannon Milligan in the Little America lobby at 5:15 at the absolute latest 
           Dinner immediately following at Apollo Burger


Speakers


Wednesday June 6, 2018 6:00pm - 7:00pm MDT
Outing

6:00pm MDT

Networking outing: Great Salt Lake Sunset Tour
Wednesday, 6/6/2018 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM; $31.00
Register for this event at AALHE’s site

The Sunset Tour starts with a beautiful twenty-minute drive out to the Great Salt Lake with a bird habitat and wild antelope along the way. People from around the world come to see the epic sunset the Great Salt Lake creates. If the weather permits, you can walk out into the water and soak in the many rejuvenating health benefits. The full tour takes about 2 hours.
Temple Square was founded by Mormon pioneers in 1847 when they arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. Though it started from humble and laborious beginnings - the temple itself took 40 years to build - it has grown into Utah’s number one tourist attraction with over three million visitors per year. The grounds are open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and admission is free, giving you the liberty to enjoy all that Temple Square has to offer.

Dinner is not included in the tour price, but AALHE will reserve dinner seating at 6:00pm in the Little America restaurants, Lucky H Bar & Grille and seats will also be available in the second Little America eatery, the Coffee House.  Finally, a vendor will be on-site selling hotdogs, snacks, beer, etc.

The tour vans will be picking up guests from Little America at 7:00pm. Please meet with  your leadsCyndi Louden and Amanda Thomas by 6:55pm in the lobby of the hotel.

Find out more here: http://saltlakecityguidedtours.com/greatsaltlakesunset.htm
Transportation: Participants will be picked up and dropped off at the Little America hotel; transportation fee is included.



Speakers
avatar for Cyndi Louden

Cyndi Louden

Director of Assessment, Columbia College
Dr. Cyndi Louden is the Director of Assessment at Columbia College, Missouri where the student learning outcomes assessment program has been reinvented within the last few years. Peer review of assessment results has successfully enhanced use of data for improvement and a collaborative... Read More →



Wednesday June 6, 2018 6:00pm - 7:00pm MDT
Outing
 
Thursday, June 7
 

7:00am MDT

Complimentary Morning Yoga Session
Complimentary Morning Yoga Session by Salt Lake Power Yoga.  

Only 15-20 people can be accommodated, on a first-come basis.     

Thursday June 7, 2018 7:00am - 7:30am MDT
Garden Terrace

7:00am MDT

Continental Breakfast Buffet
Thursday June 7, 2018 7:00am - 9:00am MDT
Foyer

8:00am MDT

AALHE Annual Business Meeting
You are invited to attend the AALHE Annual Business Meeting. 

Speakers
avatar for Jeremy Penn

Jeremy Penn

Director, Student Affairs Assessment, North Dakota State University
Jeremy Penn is the Director of Student Affairs Assessment at North Dakota State University. Prior to his current position, he was the Director of University Assessment and Testing at Oklahoma State University and was a Program Assessment Coordinator at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln... Read More →
avatar for Jane Marie Souza

Jane Marie Souza

Associate Provost for Academic Administration, University of Rochester
Jane Marie Souza, PhD serves as the Associate Provost for Academic Administration/Chief Assessment Officer, University of Rochester. She is a board member and president-elect of the Association for Assessment of Learning in Higher Education, past editor-in-chief for the organization's... Read More →
avatar for Monica Stitt-Bergh

Monica Stitt-Bergh

Associate Specialist of Assessment, University of Hawai
Monica Stitt-Bergh is an educational psychologist and works in the Assessment Office at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. In her current position, she is an internal consultant for and offers workshops on learning outcomes assessment. She also plans and conducts institutional... Read More →


Thursday June 7, 2018 8:00am - 9:00am MDT
Ballroom A&B

8:00am MDT

Open room for work space
Thursday June 7, 2018 8:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Sinclair

8:00am MDT

Registration Desk
All pre-registered conference attendees must pick up their AALHE credentials prior to attending any conference activities. Those who did not register in advance can do so onsite if space allows.

Speakers
avatar for Jamie Wigand

Jamie Wigand

Executive Director, AALHE


Thursday June 7, 2018 8:00am - 12:00pm MDT
TBA

9:00am MDT

Degrees that Matter: Supporting Assessment in a Learning Systems Paradigm
Join us for a conversation on ensuring we foster Degrees that Matter. David and Natasha will present a paradigm to conceptualize and think about our work as part of a larger learning system, exploring implications of such a system for designing, supporting, and managing assessment of student learning. Together, we will reflect on the conference and how to reframe the narrative of assessment to better connect it with a learning systems paradigm as well as explore the job profiles or competencies needed by assessment professionals to thrive within such an environment. While we share our hopes and frustrations as a group, we will find ways to move forward that align with how to engage in the meaningful types of assessment pulling from the lessons learned throughout the conference.

Speakers
avatar for Natasha Jankowski

Natasha Jankowski

Director, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment
Dr. . Natasha Jankowski is Director of the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) and research associate professor with the department of education policy, organization and leadership at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is co-author, along with... Read More →
DM

David Marshall

National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment
David Marshall is a Senior Scholar with the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) and serves as a Professor of English and Director of the University Honors Program at California State University San Bernardino. He facilitated the Lumina Foundation-funded Tuning... Read More →


Thursday June 7, 2018 9:00am - 10:00am MDT
Ballroom A&B

9:00am MDT

Hope in the Face of Woe, Destruction, Ruin, and Decay: Musings on the Assessment Movement
This title is adapted from Shakespeare's Richard II in which leadership and change are shown to devolve into fights and betrayals over issues of power. While it may be a bit overly dramatic to equate the actions portrayed in Shakespeare's play with what is happening to the field of assessment in higher education, there are some intriguing parallels. This panel discussion will provide some perspectives on the practices of assessment from four different individuals who have been in this field for more than 100 years, combined. Coming from different types of institutions, different accrediting bodies, and different fields of study, expect to hear some honest appraisals focusing on why assessment hasn't really provided as much as we had hoped for to higher education. But, we will not only focus on aspects of ruin and decay - there are also some incredibly promising practices and opportunities in our field.

Speakers
avatar for Joan Hawthorne

Joan Hawthorne

Director of Assessment and Accreditation, University of North Dakota
Dr. Hawthorne oversees assessment and institutional accreditation at the University of North Dakota. She teaches in the graduate programs of Educational Leadership and Teaching & Learning, as well as in the undergraduate Honors program. Her previous experience was as director of the... Read More →
avatar for Jane Marie Souza

Jane Marie Souza

Associate Provost for Academic Administration, University of Rochester
Jane Marie Souza, PhD serves as the Associate Provost for Academic Administration/Chief Assessment Officer, University of Rochester. She is a board member and president-elect of the Association for Assessment of Learning in Higher Education, past editor-in-chief for the organization's... Read More →
avatar for Claudia Stanny

Claudia Stanny

Director, Center for University Teaching, Learning and Assessment, University of West Florida
The facilitator has directed a university Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) since 2006. The facilitator provides consultations and professional development workshops on effective teaching, curriculum development, grant writing, and career advancement for faculty in academia... Read More →
avatar for Catherine Wehlburg

Catherine Wehlburg

Associate Provost, Texas Christian University
Dr. Catherine M. Wehlburg is the Associate Provost for Institutional Effectiveness at Texas Christian University. She has taught psychology and educational psychology courses for more than a decade, serving as department chair for some of that time and then branched into faculty development... Read More →


Thursday June 7, 2018 9:00am - 10:00am MDT
Wyoming

9:00am MDT

Knowledge Development Task Force I: Progress in Assessing the Assessment Literature 1978-2018
The AALHE Board established the Knowledge Development Task Force (KDTF) in 2017. Its mission is "To identify and facilitate ways to advance the development of a body of knowledge devoted to assessing and improving student learning in higher education. The group created a charter with five goals:
1. Create a set of developmental rubrics for the last four decades of literature on assessment of learning in higher education (ALHE).
2. Identify advances recorded in journals within library databases in the last four decades.
3. Conduct content analyses. Include disciplinary journals and other sources with information about ALHE.
4. Identify problems that could be solved in the next decade
5. Facilitate implementation of the selected solutions
The task force completed Goal 1 by creating a 14 dimensional rubric for the development of expertise in ALHE. We have began work on 2 and 3. Task force members introduce the rationale, methods, and findings so far while offering opportunities for participants to learn, discuss, and influence the future work of the KDTF.

Speakers
avatar for Frederick Burrack

Frederick Burrack

Director of Assessment, Kansas State University
Frederick Burrack is Director of Assessment, Professor of Music Education, Graduate Chair for Music, Distinguished Graduate Faculty. He joined the Kansas State music faculty as a music education specialist in Fall 2005. Dr. Burrack taught instrumental music education at Ball State... Read More →
avatar for Moreen Carvan

Moreen Carvan

Director, Asssurance of Learning, Marian University of Wisconsin
Dr. Moreen Carvan is Marian University's Director of Institutional Effectiveness. She earned her Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Cincinnati, with a specialization in educational research and change. In the course of her career, Dr. Carvan has worked in two... Read More →
avatar for George Smeaton

George Smeaton

Director of Institutional Research and Assessment, Keene State College
I am very interested in creative discipline assessment, and general education assessment, particularly the "murkier" general education outcomes such as critical thinking, civic engagement, diversity, and wellness. I am also interested in the application of statistical procedures... Read More →
avatar for Yuerong Sweetland

Yuerong Sweetland

Franklin University, Franklin University
Dr. Yuerong Sweetland is the Director of Assessment and faculty at Franklin University. In addition to teaching graduate-level evaluation and research methods courses, she oversees the design, collection, evaluation, and reporting for program and university assessment. She has been... Read More →



Thursday June 7, 2018 9:00am - 10:00am MDT
Idaho

9:00am MDT

Topical Interest Group: Feedback from continued conversations regarding AALHE member collaboration, professional development, and advancement
Please join the Topical Interest Groups (TIGs) subcommittee as they lead a follow-up conversation about three major interest groups (Research, Leadership Formation, and Hot Topics/Emerging Trends) which have emerged from discussions on the ASSESS Listserv and the AALHE Member Survey. This session is open to all conference attendees.

Earlier in the week, the TIG committee asked attendees to begin the task of defining the goals and purpose of the three currently-established TIGs. This session’s participants will have the opportunity to learn which themes emerged from those conversations and provide additional feedback about how they want the new TIGs to develop.

This session will share the feedback and results of continued discussion by AALHE conference attendees regarding the formation of new TIGs designed to increase member collaboration, professional development, and advancements in assessment of student learning. During the session, attendees will have the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded colleagues around topics related to their specific interest. They will be tasked with furthering the mission of the TIG sub-committee by spending time advancing their chosen TIG’s five-month plan to develop engaging and stimulating projects related to assessment.

Through active participation in this session, AALHE members will have the opportunity to expand and engage with an ongoing community of practice within the organization and profession.