A Systemic View of the Quality Assurance Systems for Higher Education in Latin America
This study offers a systemic examination of the quality assurance systems for higher education in Latin America, emphasizing the intricate interplay among key components such as quality assurance agencies, authorities (such as ministries), and the related processes. In contrast to prior research, which often provides only a cursory overview of these agencies and their procedures, this study delves deeper into the dynamic interactions that unfold among them. Central to our systemic approach is the exploration of articulations within the systems. Through case studies of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Peru, we present a nuanced analysis of these relationships.
Ivan F. Pacheco, Qualipliance
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Accreditation 

Accreditation Monitoring Report: How an R1 Institution Is Working Its Way Back to Compliance with Student Learning Outcomes
This session will cover how one R1 institution fell into non-compliance with SACSCOC on standard 8.2a student learning outcomes and how the institution worked to move toward compliance. The session will cover step by step how the office communicated and worked through issues across  campus colleges and departments to review, address, and revise student learning outcomes to reach a state of compliance.
Melanie S. Jenkins-Simpson and Misty McFadden, The University of Alabama in Huntsville
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Accreditation 

An Assessment Practitioner’s Guide to Surviving Accreditation
Accreditation is one of those things we love to hate. We complain, ruminate, catastrophize, maybe even procrastinate when it comes to accreditation preparation. Inevitably, however, the accreditation visit - and the requisite evidence preparation - is a critical exercise that we can successfully tackle. As assessment practitioners, we play an important role in implementing best practices in organization, communication, technology, and resources that can help make the accreditation process as painless as possible. Whether preparing for departmental, regional, or institutional level accreditation, these tools and strategies can reduce anxiety in advance of your next accreditation encounter.
Kerry L. Jones, Tiffin University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Accreditation 

Assessing the Role of Accreditation in Ensuring Quality in Higher Education: A Global Perspective
Accreditation serves as a quality assurance mechanism for post-secondary education, ensuring institutions meet specific standards, which are influenced by the educational and cultural context, and the regulatory environment of each country or local jurisdiction. In this poster presentation, we examine the role of outcomes assessment in the accreditation process for top ranked institutions across 12 countries. Further, we will explore potential relationships between the criteria used to determine international rankings, such as QS World University Rankings and Times Higher Education Rankings, and the criteria the top ranked institutions met to achieve accreditation.
Fashaad Crawford, Kaitlyn Mittan, and Aisha Kanwal, North Carolina State University
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Accreditation

Assessment and Program Review at the Heart of a Successful Institutional Accreditation
In preparation for comprehensive accreditation and a subsequent four-year review, a mid-sized private university optimized assessment and program review processes to emphasize continuous improvement. Initiatives included collaborative leadership in assessment, formalized plans, and enhanced communication alongside a refined, cyclical program review integrating institutional data. Complemented by regular professional development, these efforts fostered deeper engagement with assessment and analytics. Attendees will gain insight into initiatives at the heart of robust accreditation reports resulting in successful reviews. Presenters will demonstrate how they leveraged enhanced processes to address accreditation prompts to demonstrate institutional effectiveness and the integration of strategic goals.
Ute S. Lahaie and Amy J. Heston, Walsh University
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Accreditation 

Case Study: A Road Map for Building an Evidence-Based Assessment Model for a Multi-Campus AACSB-Accredited Degree Program in Business
Connecticut’s decision to consolidate its 12 separate community colleges into one institution in 2023 created significant challenges for continuing AACSB accreditation for its associate degree programs in Business. The self-study team was tasked with creating a holistic Student Learning Outcome (SLO) assessment model that validly and reliably captured student attainment, incorporated evidence-based practices, supported continuous quality improvement, applied a DEI lens, and attracted buy-in from faculty with a range of perspectives on SLO assessment. To accomplish its task, the team researched best practices, engaged student voices, and methodically grew faculty engagement. This session describes the results of these efforts.
Anne Williams, CT State Community College
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Accreditation 

Empowering Accreditation: Exploring Innovative Strategies and Dynamic Tools for Continuous Improvement
Engage in exploring an innovative strategy to enhance accreditation practices broadly applicable across diverse accrediting bodies. Delve into the transformative potential of a Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) Heat Map, utilizing embedded hyperlinks that provide comprehensive insights. As a centralized hub, this tool empowers stakeholders to anticipate and address compliance challenges, fostering a proactive approach to decision-making based on robust data analysis. Gain insights into how these tools drive continuous improvement in accreditation processes, engaging stakeholders and yielding actionable outcomes. Participate in an immersive session to optimize accreditation procedures for various accrediting bodies, facilitating transformative change.
Melisa H. Pierce, Whiddon College of Medicine
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Accreditation 

Facilitating a Self-Study Process that Fosters Community and Creativity
Preparing for the accreditation or reaffirmation process can be a challenging and daunting experience for stakeholders across institutions of higher education. Therefore, how institutional leaders approach these processes is important for ensuring the effectiveness, efficiency, and even the enjoyment of the overall experience. This presentation will discuss how an institution navigated the two-year self-study process in preparation for its upcoming reaffirmation visit with its primary accrediting body. The presenters will detail how they served as co-directors during the self-study process which was designed to foster both community and creativity, and to counter common myths and misconceptions associated with accreditation.
Paula Blue and Jacqueline Nelson, Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Accreditation 

Finding Ourselves in Community: A Quality Enhancement Plan with DEI Foundations
As a part of Texas Christian University’s (TCU) 10-year reaffirmation and reaccreditation by SACSCOC, a five-year Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) was developed. The project, titled "Finding Ourselves in Community," aims to impact the larger campus community by fostering an equitable learning environment where all undergraduate students experience pedagogy and course content that resonates with their identities. The intervention is designed to embed self-awareness into key courses as a foundation to a more inclusive environment. This presentation focuses on the QEP's development, assessment, and continuous improvement of the project.
Nishala Silva and David E. Allen, Texas Christian University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Accreditation 

Identifying and Working Across Perspectives on Accreditation
Accreditation is a high-stakes activity requiring contributions from constituents across a college or university, but it can be hard to get everyone involved in the process. This is, in part, because constituents hold differing perspectives on the purpose, role, and value of accreditation. In this session, the presenters will present points of view on accreditation developed using Q-Methodology, a mixed-methods research approach. Through developing an understanding of perspectives faculty, staff, and university leaders hold on accreditation, we will propose strategies for reaching people who are hesitant to engage in assessment and accreditation work.
Erica Eckert, Kent State University; and Andy Sokolich, Cuyahoga Community College - Metropolitan Campus
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Advanced
Primary Topic: Accreditation 

Lessons Learned During the Preparation of an HLC Assurance Argument
This presentation distills valuable lessons gained from preparing for the HLC Assurance Argument at a small, private, not-for-profit university. It offers a comprehensive overview of effective strategies, pitfalls to avoid, lessons learned, and best practices to ensure a successful accreditation preparation process. Attendees will gain practical insights to streamline their preparation efforts and enhance institutional project management performance.
Michelle C. Maus and Diego Hernandez, Tiffin University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Accreditation 

Maintaining Academic Quality Amid Political Shifts: The Future of Higher Education Accreditation
Amid significant political unrest, this presentation scrutinizes the role of accreditation in higher education, highlighting the need for evolving quality standards without compromising excellence. It delves into the challenges institutions face in maintaining credibility and aligning accreditation with changing societal values. Through an analysis of current practices and case studies, it proposes strategies for adapting accreditation criteria to contemporary needs. Emphasizing transparency, stakeholder engagement, and accountability, the presentation aims to equip stakeholders with tools to navigate the accreditation landscape, ensuring it remains a reliable indicator of educational quality in a rapidly changing world.
Will Miller, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Accreditation 

Mapping CAS Standards to Accreditation Criteria to Collect and Organize Evidence
In the lengthy, intensive process of institutional accreditation, organizations frequently cite their methods of collecting and organizing evidence as an opportunity for growth. Additionally, student affairs and co-curricular units are often faulted as short in their demonstration of student learning and program outcomes, sometimes also from a lack of well-organized evidence. To remedy these challenges, this session will demonstrate how the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) standards map to accreditation criteria frameworks. By mapping the CAS standards to accreditation criteria, participants can more efficiently and effectively collect, organize, and present evidence for assessment and accreditation.
Léna Crain, Baldwin Wallace University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Advanced
Primary Topic: Accreditation

An Analysis of Student Outcomes and Institutional Characteristics Using Curricular Complexity Metrics
Curricular analytics is an emerging analytical technique used to quantify the level of complexity of a curriculum. The applications of curricular analytics in higher education are wide ranging, from simulating student progress under various degree plan options, to creating degree plans that maximize on-time degree completion. This session will discuss the results from a research study using curricular complexity metrics as they relate to student outcomes and institutional characteristics. The purpose of this study was to further explore the relationships between curricular complexity metrics and IPEDS data to expand curricular-related insights in order to make informed decisions.
Shane Schellpfeffer, University of North Dakota
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Analytics and Metrics 

Beyond the Swipe: The Evolution of Direct Evidence of Card Swipe Engagement
Delve into the historical narrative of our assessment system's growth, from its inception to its current state integrating outcome tracking, wellness initiatives, and marketable skills assessment. Discover how individual student swipe data from 100+ programs, events, and services annually combine to provide rich insights. Gain insights into the technical requirements and managerial decisions crucial for initiating this transformative effort. Discover the vital role of dynamic assessment and direct evidence in shaping the modern college landscape.
Sheila Bustillos, Jason Simon, and Samuel Williamson, University of North Texas
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Analytics and Metrics 

From Chaos to Clarity: Leveraging Power BI for Effective Reporting
Data visualizations and dashboards help stakeholders recognize trends, identify relationships, and derive meaning so they can make efficient and informed programmatic decisions. In this session, medical education staff will share their evolutionary journey, moving from Excel to Power BI to enhance and improve reporting efforts. Topics covered will include project planning, best practices for presenting data, lessons learned, and examples of dashboards in the areas of faculty performance, curricular improvement, national survey initiatives, advising, and others. While this session will focus on the medical education context, the information presented will be applicable to a variety of institutional settings.
Kelly McCarthy, Ashley Metelus, and Sarah Tanner, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Analytics and Metrics 

Methodology Part 1 of 2: Flexible R code for Assessment Practitioners
Assessment professionals may support data analysis conceptually or through more hands-on approaches. Many tools aid data analysis, with Excel rising to the top. However, syntax-based options provide greater efficiency, documentation, and reproducibility. In this session, participants will receive an introductory tutorial to a commonly used statistical software package - R. Additionally, participants will explore online resources (i.e., ready-made code, instructional videos) to aid them in their own analyses. Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop to work with materials in real time. To build on these skills, consider attending our second session using the package ggplot2: Data visualization in R.
Laura Lambert, James Madison University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Analytics and Metrics 

Methodology Part 2 of 2: Data visualization in R
Assessment professionals are often involved in presenting assessment data to other stakeholders. In doing so, data visualizations are an effective way to tell a data story. With a number of different ways to visualize data, the package ggplot2 in the R environment will specifically be examined during this session. Participants will be introduced to the variety of graph options, learn how to customize the look of their graphs, and discuss data visualization best practices. This session is a continuation of part 1, Flexible R code for Assessment Practitioners. We encourage attendees to attend both sessions to build on their skills.
Laura Lambert, James Madison University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Analytics and Metrics 

Not All Flaws are Created Equally: Examining the Prevalence and Impact of Item Writing Flaws
Multiple-choice exams are prevalent in health sciences education, yet often contain flaws that undermine assessment validity. This study examined 928 exam items, revealing 80% contained at least one flaw. The most common flaws were implausible distractors and unfocused stems. Flawed items were significantly easier, particularly for lower-performing students. Items with answer choice flaws were notably easier than those with stem flaws. This study highlights the need for focused improvement efforts in multiple-choice item development, emphasizing the construction of plausible distractors and clear question stems to enhance assessment accuracy.
Benjamin Shultz, University of Illinois Chicago
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Analytics and Metrics 

The Grammar of Graphics
Learn how the powerful graphics features of R’s ggplot package can make reporting easier, clearer, and more efficient with simple, reusable scripts. Part of the magic is a novel philosophy of constructing graphical displays, with the architecture being independent of the presentation. This design facilitates quickly iterating types of plots with varying elements to create just the right presentation. Experience with R is helpful but not necessary. This session will focus on questions related to the whys of using this technological approach rather than the hows.
Scott A. Moore, Palmetto Insights
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Analytics and Metrics 

Understanding Rater Agreement
The meaningfulness of learning measures depends on how well we can differentiate between cases, which is measured by reliability statistics. This session shows how to assess the quality of data using two kinds of reliability statistics, with a focus on rater agreement statistics. Original research links traditional approaches like Cohen’s kappa and shows how methods borrowed from machine learning can explicate how the kappas work and how to improve them. Applications to rubric ratings, survey data, and grades illustrate use in practice. No prior knowledge of the material is assumed.
David A. Eubanks, Furman University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Advanced
Primary Topic: Analytics and Metrics 

Using Data Visualization to Answer Questions About Equity
This presentation will share specific examples of the ways 3 different institutions are using data visualization to answer questions about equity on their campuses. The presenters will also share details about how they disseminate this data as well as how they use it to facilitate data-driven improvements. The structure of this presentation will allow for questions from the audience about data visualizations and how to harness that information to develop action plans and make improvements on different types of campuses.
Kris Byrd, Elisa Alvarado, and Jori Sequist, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Analytics and Metrics 

Using Heat Maps in Assessment Data Visualization: Performance Information at a Glance
This session examines the use of heat mapping as an important visualization and communication tool in assessment. Case studies of where heat maps are currently being used at the University of North Florida demonstrate where heat maps have been most valuable for interdepartmental communications and intervention designs. The session presents how different heat map varieties can be used to locate student success patterns in practical application, such as through examining students’ pre-entry characteristics and their relation to sense of belonging. Attendees will be encouraged to explore how the presented visuals may be applicable with existing data at their own campuses.
Ziena T. Baker, University of North Florida
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Analytics and Metrics 

Using Logic Models to Organize and Track Student Learning
Logic models are the gold standard in program evaluation for many disciplines, especially for public health, child welfare, and education. Backward mapping from a learning outcome to then decide on the best course of action or activity to ensure the outcome is met is the basic operation of a logic model. We invite assessment professionals to commit to the logic model as a valid and reliable tool for organizing and driving data efforts. In this session, participants will learn about logic models, understand how to use logic models for strategic planning, and leave with the tools to track student learning.
Sheila Bustillos, Shafayat Islam, and Samuel Williamson, University of North Texas
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Analytics and Metrics 

Yes, But Did It Work? Assessing Impact Practically through Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Methods Research
When we assess the efficacy of our institutional initiatives, our research methods are typically quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods. In this session we will explore a case study for each approach that began with ambiguous goals for outcomes and finished with an assessment of the efficacy of the initiative. Examples include the enrollment impact of a teach-out program for a university that closed (quantitative), the efficacy of a more generalized recruitment approach (qualitative), and the result of a major institutional realignment on both enrollment and perception at a large university that divested a significant portion of its student population (mixed methods).
PJ Woolston, Indiana University Indianapolis
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Analytics and Metrics

Establishing ePortfolios as a Tool for Success in the Department of Labor Studies
This research chronicles the establishment of ePortfolios as a digital hub for showcasing student's self-selected work as an electronic resume or curriculum vitae (cv) and an assessment tool for documenting a course’s student learning outcomes (SLOs) and explores the formative and summative assessment of ePortfolios through qualitative analysis in an ePortfolio Development Workshop in the Department of Labor Studies (DLS) at Indiana University. Results reflect student submissions needed technological help as well as understanding how the products they uploaded to their ePortfolio were beneficial/not beneficial to their future job/academic searches.
Marquita R. Walker, Indiana University Indianapolis
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Assessment in Online Courses and Programs 

Faculty-Centered Rubric Design: An Effective Approach for Large-Scale Online Program Assessment
Faculty are often skeptical of program assessment, yet faculty buy-in is essential for its success. In this session, participants will gain hands-on familiarity with an innovative process that has been shown to be effective for implementing meaningful, iterative program assessment and in building faculty buy-in. Especially notable is our participatory, consensus-based model for rubric development. Using evidence from end-of-semester faculty reflections and other reports, we show how our program assessment approach has also reduced workload on faculty assisting with assessment data collection and led to improved student experiences.
Allison K. Chatterjee and Kristoffer Rees, Indiana University Bloomington
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Assessment in Online Courses and Programs 

Prior Learning Assessment for College-Level Credit
This research explores Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) which involves credit earned for equivalent college-level knowledge gained from previous work experience, military training, or community engagement and showcased in a comprehensive ePortfolio through written or digital reflections documenting competencies gained through prior learning experiences. The ePortfolio is a way for students to document, organize, and present their best work and serves as a tool they can use when they leave the academic setting for future career opportunities or advancement into higher education levels within the academy.
Marquita R. Walker, Indiana University Indianapolis
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Assessment in Online Courses and Programs 

Self-Developed Tool for Evaluation of An Online Program: Learning from Master of Education Students’ Experience
The purpose of the study is to report the 4-year data of the program evaluation results for an online master’s program. Data were collected from exit surveys from 2019 to 2023. Sample size n = 256. Participants’ knowledge gains, program likes and dislikes, program communication efforts, program satisfaction extent, and program/learning experience were explored. Exploratory data analysis was conducted. Results show that participants: (1) enjoyed the accelerated online program overall, (2) gained knowledge in curriculum, instruction, students, pedagogical content knowledge, research, assessment, technology integration, and professional practice. Implications, feedback from participants, lessons learned are discussed.
Pierre Lu, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley; and Taghreed Masri, Canadian University Dubai
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Assessment in Online Courses and Programs 

Strategically Planning Assignments In an AI Era: Using Assessment Objectives to Mitigate or Encourage AI Use
Students can use AI to easily complete many types of written assignments in online courses. It may be beneficial to allow students to use AI for some assignments; alternatively, AI-generated artifacts may not permit accurate assessment of a student’s knowledge. This presentation focuses on using a decision tree based on an assessment objective to determine if AI is suitable for that assignment. Participants will discuss how to use assessment objectives to 1) identify online assignment strategies that mitigate the use of AI when needed and 2) create assignments to be completed with AI when appropriate.
Cara J. Gomez, Delaware State University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Advanced
Primary Topic: Assessment in Online Courses and Programs 

Using Learning Outcome Assessment Strategies to Continuously Improve Course Design and Instruction
As online education continues to grow, the need for effective assessment strategies in online courses and programs becomes increasingly important. This presentation explores various assessment methods and tools that can be used to measure student learning outcomes in online settings. Participants will learn about different types of assessments and gain practical strategies for implementing assessments that align with learning objectives, engage students, and provide meaningful feedback. The presentation will also discuss best practices for implementing assessments in online courses to enhance student learning, improve retention rates, and close the loop by using assessment results to improve course design and instruction.
Cynthia Solari, Amir Al-Nizami, and Keya Simon, Colorado Technical University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Assessment in Online Courses and Programs

A Comparison of Pre- and Post-Pandemic Assessment Methods in Prelicensure Nursing Programs
Faculty use various assessment tools to measure student achievement of program learning outcomes (Oermann & Gaberson, 2019). State/territory mandated “shut-downs” which resulted from the pandemic forced faculty to change instructional delivery from face-to-face instruction to online, hybrid, and/or Hy-flex delivery methods (Ard, et al., 2021). The change in instructional delivery may have influenced faculty’s selection of assessment methods. Therefore, this study addressed three foci: comparison of formative and summative assessment methods faculty used prior to and after the pandemic, a correlation between selection of assessment tools and selection of instructional delivery, and current assessment methods in prelicensure nursing programs.
Sharon F. Beasley, University of the District of Columbia; and Kathie Williamson, Indiana University Fort Wayne
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods 

Advancing Assessment: Creating Institution-Specific Tools and Strategies
Institutional assessment is vital for measuring student learning outcomes effectively. Our presentation focuses on the development and implementation of institution-specific tools to enhance both curricular and cocurricular assessment practices. Led by a diverse team, we adapted AAC&U rubrics, refined through collaboration with faculty and staff. Introducing a single-point rubric and our "assessment FUNnel" tool, we simplified planning based on successful initiatives. We'll discuss insights, challenges, and successes, offering strategies for customizing assessment tools. Attendees will gain valuable insights into advancing assessment practices within their institutional contexts, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and student success.
Tara L. Webb, Brian Dietz, Jessica Fowle, and Sally Read, Kalamazoo College
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods 

Assessment 101
Assessment. Where to start? It’s here in Assessment 101. Participants will interact with each other and engage in hands-on activities throughout this full-day workshop. You will grapple with questions fundamental to higher education such as: What should students know, think, and be able to do when they graduate? And how would someone know if students succeeded? Fortunately, assessment can help us address these questions. Specifically, by the end of this workshop, you will be able to do the following: (1) explain the basic steps in the assessment process, (2) distinguish among beginning, developing, good, and advanced assessment reporting, (3) develop an assessment plan for one student learning outcome (SLO), and (4) discuss the fundamentals of applying interventions [e.g., pedagogy and curriculum] at the program level to improve student learning.
Keston H. Fulcher and Laura Lambert, James Madison University
Presentation Type: Pre-Institute Workshop
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods 

Bottoms Up – Making Assessment Fun and Engaging
Yes, you read that correctly. Assessment can be fun and engaging when approached with the proper mindset. Do you want faculty buy-in to your assessment program? Then it needs to be led by faculty. We will share our strategic framework to get faculty buy-in, which allowed us to shift the culture of assessment on our campus. Learn how we adopted a faculty-led approach featuring Assessment Champions, common rubrics, simplified streamlined reporting, and silly contests to encourage faculty across campus to share data and collaborate across disciplines.
Amy Nicely, Wendy Brown, Stephanie Loveless, Jen Slavik, and Ryan Wyckoff, Danville Area Community College
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods 

Cambridge Assessment: Accessing Learner Opportunities Across the World
Modern undergraduate students present new challenges for higher education at a time when colleges and universities—driven by an appetite to integrate high-impact practices and accountability measures—are seeking to transform approaches to assessment. Successful colleges and universities are implementing comprehensive strategies that focus on assessing academic and non-academic learning using all tools available—including learning from the depth of international education experts who help learners around the world. These innovative approaches help to remove the barriers that slow or halt student progression and enrich the student experience, leading to student success—graduation and career achievement.
Pamela Kerouac and Adina Chapman, Cambridge International
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods 

Character Skills Assessment and Predicting Student Outcomes with Machine Learning
Students navigate unfamiliar academic and social landscapes when they transition to college. This is a high-stress time when students' outcomes are most impacted. We measure students’ internal character skills and apply machine learning to correlate skills with student outcomes. Using machine learning we determine which skills impact student outcomes and the implications for one institution, providing a roadmap for others to follow.
Anthony Kapolka, Wilkes University; and Shalin Shah, Character Arc
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Advanced
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods 

Collaborative Rubric Development and Validation through Partnerships with Key Stakeholders for Preservice Teachers
Effective rubrics are essential in determining preservice teachers’ effectiveness in the classroom. Therefore, validating rubrics is critical in assuring that students are meeting expected outcomes. This presentation details the collaborative process of developing and validating program-created assessments and rubrics to ensure clarity, fairness, and relevancy. We will walk through the steps of identifying key partners in area schools, facilitating workshops to create rubrics, and assessing the quality of rubrics by examining validity. Through this collaborative process, we can bridge the gap between educational theory and practice, leading to more meaningful and impactful learning experiences for students.
Alyssa Rodriguez and Adrienne Cataldo, Calumet College of St. Joseph; and Niki Avina, Bloomberg Center
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods 

Course Learning Outcomes Tool
The institution assessment processes for collecting and analyzing indicators of student achievement are systematic, regular, and transparent. Analysis methods for assessment of student achievement, interpretation of the assessment results, and actions planned and taken to improve achievement of learning student outcomes are performed by faculty, documented in course learning outcome worksheets, and summarized in the academic programs’ annual assessment reports. The course learning outcomes worksheet is a tool designed to help faculty collect student achievement data on course learning outcomes and, within the same class, DFWI rates and student disaggregated data to determine if there are achievement equity gaps.
Janette Isaacson, Oregon Institute of Technology
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods 

Developing Degree Program Assessment Plans: A Toolkit for a Scalable Campus-wide Faculty Cohort Model
A growing focus across regional and professional accreditors is the ability to show assessment of learning outcomes. Further this process of closing the loop between outcomes and assessment is widely recognized as best practice for college and universities. As part of our larger Curriculum Alignment Process we implemented systematically across the entire university, a faculty liaison cohort model which includes group meetings, individual consultations, and deans review meetings. This allowed us to confront assessment myths, increase faculty and administrator buy-in, and scale our model to support degree program assessment plan development for 112 degrees over a two-year period. In this session we will provide a brief overview of our process as well as access to our toolkit of handouts, templates, slides and resources utilized to support each liaison cohort through their plan development. We will also share lessons learned along the way.
Jennifer McKanry and Keeta Holmes, University of Missouri-St. Louis
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods 

Developing Implementation Plans for Meaningful Assessment: Connecting Theory to Practice
This workshop is intended for those starting an assessment process or practice, wanting to review or revise existing assessment processes or practices, or those interested in examining the efficacy or embeddedness of assessment at the course, program, general education, student affairs, or institution-level. Workshop participants will explore a contextualized history of assessment, consider the theory connections behind design of assessment processes and data collection and use, and develop an action plan to inform local implementation of meaningful assessment. Whether faculty, staff, or administrators, this workshop provides guidance and resources pulling from a forthcoming textbook on the theory and implementation of assessment in higher education.
Joseph D. Levy, Excelsior University; and Natasha Jankowski, New England College
Presentation Type: Pre-Institute Workshop
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods 

Faculty-Led Assessment: Authentically Driving Practices to Accelerate Student Success
Data collection, analysis, and literacy of assessment and continuous improvement of student learning is an ongoing challenge. There’s more data than ever, but using it to its full potential is difficult. Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC), one of 10 community colleges in Maricopa County, AZ, collected thousands of data points through a self-built manual process, which over time, became unmanageable. Faculty sought a better way, and CGCC designed a modern approach to data collection from courses, making it meaningful for reporting and analysis. Learn from faculty at CGCC who are traversing new pathways for assessment.
Maryellen Ohrnberger, Chandler-Gilbert Community College; Suzanne Carbonaro, 1EdTech; and Jeremy Tutty, Chandler-Gilbert Community College
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods 

How Assessment is Changing DEI Work – A Longitudinal Cohort Study
Dartmouth launched a 3-year, randomized, stratified longitudinal cohort study to better understand and assess the effects of marginalization within its populations. While surveys have their place within assessment and evaluation, surveys can be ripe with biases. A randomly selected and stratified sample, that agreed to participate in a 7-question survey, biennially, helped eliminate some known survey bias. Survey results were then assessed using both inferential and descriptive statistical testing to get a better understanding of the severity and relative risk historical marginalization has on feelings of trust, inclusion, and belonging.
Alexandria Najduch, Dartmouth College
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods 

It’s All in the HIPs: Positioning High-Impact Practices in Core Classes to Revitalize and Re-envision the Freshman Experience
High-Impact Practices are often deferred until students’ later years in college, but why? By restructuring an English 1102 curriculum around researching, creating, and publishing a children’s book, Froehlich and Hodges expose students to many HIPs as freshmen, leading to more authentic learning experiences that bridge disciplines. Learn how to move the HIPs to core level classes in all disciplines to increase student engagement, retention, and success early on. Participants will be challenged to identify a specific HIP to implement and more effectively engage students earlier in their college experience.
Lyn Froehlich and Haley Hodges, University of North Georgia
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods

Leveling Up Your Assessment Skills
If you are interested in advancing your assessment skills, come to our session and learn about James Madison University’s weeklong Assessment 101 workshop. Through this award-winning professional development, you can engage with every step of the assessment process from articulating student learning outcomes to using results for improvement. The experience is led by assessment experts in the Center for Assessment and Research Studies.
Keston H. Fulcher and John Hathcoat, James Madison University
Presentation Type: 60-Minute Sponsor Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods

Leveraging MSCHE Standards for a Culture of Assessment: The Guide to Curriculum Maps
In today's landscape of higher education, institutions face increasing pressure to demonstrate accountability and effectiveness in delivering quality education. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) provides comprehensive standards for accreditation, emphasizing the importance of assessment practices to ensure student learning outcomes. This session focuses on leveraging MSCHE standards to cultivate a culture of assessment through the strategic use of curriculum maps.
Amber Ward and Christine McDermott, Delaware State University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods 

Mapping Matters - Program Assessment, Faculty Engagement, and Student Outcomes
Workshop facilitators will present literature on program level assessment, the importance of common language, and how curricular mapping can be beneficial in the development and alignment of student learning outcomes (SLO) within individual level courses in a shared major.
Kristyn MacInnis, Indiana University South Bend
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods 

Practical Application of Program Theory and Implementation Fidelity in Academic Programs and Student Affairs Units
Evolving away from an emphasis on measuring student learning outcomes and reporting, assessment practitioners frequently advocate for curriculum and instructional planning to effectively foster student learning outcomes; however, assessment practices often remain more reactive than proactive. Becoming proactive, we will modify program theory and implementation fidelity processes, although typically described in assessment literature as resource intensive. Enhanced with AI, specifically ChatGPT, modified program theory and implementation fidelity will be explored for enabling academic programs and Student Affairs units to proactively foster a targeted student learning outcome of concern for all students within their programs or units.
Teresa Flateby, Consultant, T.L. Flateby & Consultants
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods 

Reinvigorating Your Assessment Processes
An exhausting and overcomplicated assessment process creates resentment and burnout. To have quality assessments for your programs, we need to be smart in our evaluations. A simple, sustainable, and systematic model for assessment will free up your faculty to focus on improvement in the classroom. In this presentation, we will identify how to reinvigorate your assessment processes by simplifying the components of an assessment process without sacrificing integrity or quality. By doing so, you can take the perception of your assessment from being a checkbox for accreditation to an opportunity to improve.
Michael Wang, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods 

Shared Values, Diverse Expressions: Assessing Student Appropriation of Institutional Mission
As part of their missions, institutions claim to hold certain values. These values are typically integrated into institutional branding, statements of mission and values, employee and student behavior expectations, and student curricula, especially general education curricula. Nevertheless, despite this claim to values, tools for assessing institutionally valued character remain in their infancy. This presentation addresses how to operationalize and measure missional value acquisition by student stakeholders. Of particular focus will be the importance of diversity in mission acquisition, expression, and assessment and how such mission acquisition assessment can be used to operationalize and assess diversity, equity, and inclusion institutional outcomes.
Michelle N. Blohm, Saint Francis University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Advanced
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods 

Societal Impact and Assessment: How to Gauge Impact and Success
Once embedded only in classic instructional methods of the classroom, higher education assessment can now be found in co-curricular activities, alumni panels, and career based educational practices. As higher education changes and evolves, its impact on society grows. The emphasis on societal impact and how curriculum positively impacts an ever-changing society have driven the University of Texas at Dallas’ Jindal School of Management (JSOM) to create a template to capture and measure what is being done at the program level to better the society it effects.
Kent Seaver, University of Texas at Dallas-Naveen Jindal School of Management
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods  

Survey Recruitment and Incentive Strategies to Boost Response Rates
Online surveys have become an integral part of the research toolkit for assessment professionals. However, it can be a challenge to get adequate student engagement in surveys to ensure an appropriate sample size for robust statistical analyses, particularly as response rates decline nationally. This presentation will review a series of recruitment and incentive experiments designed to boost response rates as part of an integrated departmental strategy to minimize survey fatigue. Participants will leave the discussion with concrete ideas for how to improve student survey engagement in their own assessment context.
Victoria Rehr, The Ohio State University
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods 

Three Tools for Institutional Assessment and Program-Health Planning
More assessment information is available due to the increase in the importance of assessment and the impact to higher education. One of the responsibilities for Colorado Technical University’s Assessment Department is to teach others how to organize program information to be able to identify the gaps, plan improvements, and articulate the curriculum. In this presentation, we will review how CTU’s Competency Maps, Course Design Plan, and Annual Health Checks have helped the University understand what students are learning and create meaningful discussion about how to improve our programs. We will also discuss how it has helped the University cultivate the culture of assessment and partner with our faculty.
Lizbeth Nunez, Jeffrey Pizek, and Ada Uche, Colorado Technical University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods 

Tracking Departmental “Meta-Data” to Demonstrate Assessment Progress
In order to demonstrate progress by departments and programs in developing their curricular assessment capacity over time, we developed a technique to track twenty “best practice” indicators on an annual, ongoing basis. In this session, Augsburg University’s Director of Assessment will present their method of tracking these indicators and will reflect on how this departmental “metadata” helps triage support based on the unique needs of individual programs to advance their assessment efforts. We will also discuss how this aggregated data can be used to demonstrate improvements in assessment culture and practice to accrediting organizations.
Ben Denkinger, Augsburg University
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods 

Using Experiments in Higher Education Assessment: A Postmortem Analysis of Classroom Intervention Project
In this session, participants will consider the successes and shortcomings of an experiment conducted in higher education. It is true that experiments can seem daunting in practical settings, but this case study will describe how an alternative-treatments pre-post experimental design isolated the impacts of a learning intervention that took place in three different post-secondary courses. What design choices were critical? What practical constraints challenged a rigorous design? Was the experiment successful at revealing the effectiveness of the learning activity? We will discuss these questions from the administrator's perspective, especially related to program evaluation goals. In this case, an experiment was part of a mixed methods program evaluation to understand whether a campuswide initiative was improving the student experience. A collaborative team designed and implemented video projects where students practiced teaching a concept to improve their learning and confidence. Choosing an experimental design that would suit the setting was the first step. Then, choosing and designing tools to use for pre and post-testing was a more challenging task, especially because each version of the treatment required a customized assessment to enable comparison between the treatment groups. For example, in this experiment, each student was randomly assigned one of two assignment topics to explain in the video they created. Students were assessed about both topics before and after the intervention, so it was possible to examine the pre-post change on the topic they studied compared to the topic they did not study. There were successes and shortcomings related to assessment, statistical testing, and data visualizations that provide guidance for the future.
Amy Cardace, Fairleigh Dickinson University
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods 

Utilizing Media to Facilitate Student Learning and Engagement
Employees spend a large portion of their career as followers, yet little time is spent teaching how to become an engaged follower, which is associated with success in today’s workforce. To assess knowledge and perceptions of followership, students were surveyed prior to an organizational leadership class. Students were shown video clips demonstrating examples of leadership and followership, the fluidity of the leader-follower role, and implications of those actions and behaviors. Students became active participants when asked to identify the theories and typologies portrayed. Post-class survey results indicated students gained more courage to be engaged and exemplary followers.
Carol Rownd, Indiana University Indianapolis
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods 

Using Program Reviews to Ensure Student Success
Program reviews play a crucial role in ensuring student success in higher education. They are systematic evaluations of academic programs, departments, or institutions to assess their effectiveness, quality, and alignment with educational goals and standards. The importance and relevance of program reviews for student success can be understood in several ways. Program reviews are a means of ensuring that academic programs maintain high standards of quality. When programs are regularly reviewed, it helps identify areas that need improvement, ensuring that students receive a quality education.
Gee Sigman, Ailsa Addams, and Domingo Jean, University of Arizona Global Campus
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods 

Using Propensity Score Matching to Counter Selection Bias in Assessment of Academic Programs
When assessing student outcomes for niche academic programs against the general population of students, selection bias often leads to comparing two unlike groups. This is especially true for programs such as honors, where students have a very different incoming profile than their peers. I propose the use of propensity score matching for more efficient, theoretically-sound program assessment and provide a case study from the John Martinson Honors College at Purdue University that highlights the practical utility of the method.
Jordan A. Meyer, Purdue University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods

Writing the Playbook: Tackling the Assessment of Administrative Units Using Watermark’s Planning and Self-Study
This presentation will explore the use of Watermark’s Planning and Self-Study across different campuses for the assessment of administrative units. Client presenters will discuss their experiences using Watermark to streamline assessment processes, enhance data collection, and support data-driven decision-making. Presenters will provide practical insights into how Watermark's features have been utilized to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of administrative unit assessments. The session will cover implementation strategies, common challenges, and solutions, offering a comprehensive view of how these tools contribute to continuous improvement and accountability within higher education institutions.
Glenn Phillips, Watermark Insights; Emily Prevost, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor; and Constance Garnes, Morehouse School of Medicine
Presentation Type: 60-Minute Concurrent Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods

Xitracs: Flexible and Focused on YOUR Data-Driven Future
Xitracs™ is a user-friendly, online platform that allows assessment leaders, IR/E staff, student affairs professionals, and instructors to perform planning, accreditation, and assessment activities in a more streamlined and cost-effective manner. This presentation will give an overview of how Xitracs™ can help institutions more effectively manage processes that promote continuous improvement, collaboration, and—ultimately—student success.
Stephanie Allen, Xitracs by Concord USA
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Sponsor Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Assessment Methods

Strategic Applications and Directions for Financial Technology (FinTech) in Institutional Data Collection and Compliance
This presentation overviews the role of financial technology (FinTech) in campus business operations and services with particular emphasis on accreditation, compliance, and strategic planning. On many campuses, and even within business and finance units, FinTech is little known or not widely deployed. There is limited centralized understanding within accrediting bodies or on campuses of the potential benefits of FinTech in preparing compliance reports, in strategic planning and in compliance efforts. Presenters will provide a roadmap of the variety of FinTech tools, how they can be used in institutional data collection and how to promote adoption for accreditation and planning efforts.
Douglas R. Allen II, Tennessee State University; and Beverly Schneller, Governors State University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Campus Business Operations and Services

Everything Goes Up, But Nothing Comes Down”: Building Bridges Between Faculty and Institutional Assessment at Community College of Philadelphia
Community College of Philadelphia’s assessment story includes challenges in establishing processes, a warning with a regional accreditor, union pushback, technological difficulties, and high turnover in the Office of Assessment and Evaluation (OAE). By 2020, “Assessment” became synonymous with “top-down demands for pointless busy work,” and most academic assessment happened at a distance. To bridge this gap, the OAE collaborated with faculty, created a task force, and conducted a needs assessment that revealed a desire for transparency and purpose. Attendees will hear practical strategies for building a culture of assessment, including applications to take home to their own institutions.
Amy A. Birge-Caracappa and Elizabeth Gordon, Community College of Philadelphia
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Community Colleges 

Connecting the Dots: Assessment, Curriculum, and Program Review's Interconnectivity
This session will delve into Oakton College's holistic approach to programmatic assessment, curriculum planning, and program review processes, highlighting the interconnectedness of these elements within the institution's Program for Assessment of Learning (OPAL). Through illustrative examples, attendees will gain insights into how these processes drive continuous improvement. The session will emphasize the roles of various stakeholders, including faculty-led committees and industry partners, in curriculum development, assessment activities, and program review. Participants will also learn about the significance of course learning objectives and program learning outcomes in these processes.
Marc J. Battista, Oakton College
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Community Colleges 

Faculty Agency: Assessment Knowledge and Institutional Authority
Much assessment scholarship around student learning outcomes addresses the need to create a “culture of assessment” and how essential “faculty buy-in” is to this culture, yet how difficult it can be to accomplish. In this presentation, we argue that the cultivation of faculty agency and the combination of faculty authority over assessment policies and processes and the knowledge to make informed decisions about assessment is essential to creating this culture. We outline how we, as a Learning Outcomes Assessment office, have taken steps to restore and reinforce faculty agency in assessment practices at our community college.
Chris Blankenship and Aarti Nakra, Salt Lake Community College
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Community Colleges 

Faculty Take the Lead: Shared Governance for Effective Outcomes Assessment
After unsuccessful attempts to lead institution-wide outcomes assessment, a small team of administrators at Chemeketa Community College determined the best path forward would be to ask faculty engaged in assessment projects within their own units to take on designing collegewide assessment guidelines. The Learning Outcomes Assessment Committee now sets direction for outcomes assessment for the college in partnership with the college’s departments in charge of general education, accreditation, institutional research, and faculty professional development. LOAC has recently developed general education outcomes for the college, and is designing pilot assessments for the new outcomes.
Mary Ellen M. Scofield, Chemeketa Community College
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Community Colleges 

Increasing Engagement in Student Learning Assessment at a Multi-Campus Community College
In higher education institutions, assessment is increasingly viewed as the responsibility of all employees. Yet engaging all faculty and administrators in the work of assessing student learning outcomes is a persistent challenge for many institutions. This session presents a review of the engagement literature and the efforts, challenges, and successes of a large multi-campus community college to increase engagement in assessment through changes in roles, structure, and software.
Jim Pippin, Oakland Community College
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Community Colleges 

Institutional Learning Outcomes: Zero to Sixty: How Northeastern Completed Five Rubrics in Five Months
In Spring 2023, Northeastern's HLC 4-year Assurance Review resulted in a "Met with Concerns" for Criterion 4B. HLC commended significant improvements made the year prior, most notably the faculty-led creation of five new Institutional Student Learning Outcomes (ISLOs) and a Communication ISLO rubric.  In Spring 2023, the Assessment Leadership Team created a Diversity rubric, and during its Fall 2023 In-Service week, faculty utilized new Communication and Diversity and AAC&U VALUE rubrics to create rubrics for the remaining 3 ISLOs, further enhancing faculty engagement and buy-in. Our presentation will outline this process, lessons learned, and future directions in enhancing institutional assessment.
Veronica L. Koehn, Sam Soliman, Leslie Weinsheim, and Stephanie Weatherill, Northeastern Junior College
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Community Colleges

A Well Written Recipe for Assessment Success
This presentation will examine, through interactive audience participation, a culinary-focused demonstration of how the Culinary Institute of America deploys a competency-based assessment in kitchen laboratory courses using an innovative standardized rubric that is flexible and broadly applicable to all levels of our undergraduate culinary education.
Matthew Ruane, Culinary Institute of America
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Competency-Based Education and Assessment 

AI-Assisted Assessment of Expected Competency Outcomes in Education Programs
This study explores the utilization of AI in predicting competency outcomes within Outcome-Based Education programs and categorizing essential competencies within such programs. The research addresses one core question: can AI accurately forecast competency outcomes within OBE programs? Recognizing that AI augments rather than replaces human decision-making in education, this study evaluates the strengths and limitations of AI, aiming to enhance the assessment of education quality by facilitating the delivery of necessary competencies. Moreover, the proposed AI-assisted methodology emerges as a potential tool for aiding in multidisciplinary program review. Findings from specific case studies highlight opportunities for refining this approach. (Semi-Finalist for the Research & Practice in Assessment (RPA)’s Best Scholarly Presentation Award)
Miriam Celia Bergue Alves, Naval Postgraduate School
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Competency-Based Education and Assessment 

Competency-Based Assessment: Aligning Assessment Types to Valid Claims of Learning
This session discusses the increasing challenge confronting colleges and universities to modify curriculum models and offerings in response to pressures to remain valuable in a skills-based economy. To remain relevant, it is necessary that we align higher education competencies with employer needs, making a credential a common and useful currency for both sectors. Well-aligned assessment type is the key to unlocking the ability to make credible and defensible claims of performance that are meaningful to the workforce.
Tiffany Freeze, Higher Education Consultant; and Johnna Darragh Ernst, Heartland Community College
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Competency-Based Education and Assessment 

Competency-Based Education & The Hallmark Practices of Assessment
Competency-Based Education (CBE) has grown substantially nationally and internationally in the past decade. Colleges and universities cite the top three reasons for building competency-based education programs are to expand access for non-traditional learners, respond to workforce needs, and improve learning outcomes. Through a backward design approach, CBE programs are built centering first on observable competencies, which use authentic assessments to ensure measurable and work-relevant learning outcomes. In this engaging workshop, presenters will share the architecture of CBE, its quality framework, Assessment hallmark practices, and strategies for building quality relevant programs. Join the Competency-Based Education Network experts to learn how CBE programs can advance effective assessment approaches in a skills-based society.
Laurie G. Dodge and Ryan Specht-Boardman, Competency-Based Education Network
Presentation Type: Pre-Institute Workshop
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Competency-Based Education and Assessment 

Development of an Interdisciplinary Research and Collaboration Competency Framework to Support and Evaluate Education and Training
Interdisciplinary (ID) research and education demands a deep understanding of diverse disciplines, critical thinking, and metacognitive abilities. Although the National Science Foundation's Biology Integration Institutes (BIIs) can support ID competencies development among members, monitoring their progress is challenging without assessment tools to evaluate members' growth and identify areas for improvement. We aimed to identify competencies essential for ID work within a single BII context. Inductive and deductive thematic coding of evaluation interviews (n=42) and analysis of subsequent surveys for Institute members provided initial insight into ID skills. Institute leaders led collaborative brainstorming and iterative feedback to develop the ID competency framework. The framework comprises professional, research, technical, and disciplinary areas, with an overarching ID section derived from theory and evaluation insights. Our findings and frameworks will not only allow us to design training, an ID badge system, and evaluate impact but can be a starting point for similar programs and Institutes.
Soumi Mukherjee and Emily Georgopoulos, Purdue University
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Competency-Based Education and Assessment 

Digital Credential and Outcomes Assessment: Sustaining Practices and Infrastructure
Translating academic skills to workforce consumable competencies is both a social and technical challenge for institutions. At Chaffey College, we’ve developed viable solutions for both. Join a panel of assessment leaders, instructional technologists, and faculty from Chaffey to hear about the possible, probable, and sustainable. Our conversation will point to technology and workforce, but very importantly, to an assessment tool that allows faculty to evaluate learning dynamically and at scale with digital threads of evidence of student learning.
Matthew Morin, Trelisa Glazatov, Laura Picklesimer, and Angela Burk-Herrick, Chaffey College; and Bill Heinrich, Symplicity
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Competency-Based Education and Assessment 

Performance-Based Assessment as a Tool Facilitating Prior Learning Assessment within Apprenticeship Pathways
This session explores the design and implementation of innovative performance-based assessment strategies utilizing GoPro cameras that promote the attainment of credentials and degrees within competency-based apprenticeship college learning pathways. The design and implementation of this robust and authentic performance-based assessment strategy, including video examples from use within education environments, will be shared.
Johnna Darragh Ernst, Heartland Community College
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Competency-Based Education and Assessment 

Skills at Your Scale: How to Integrate and Assesses Workforce Skills in Curriculum
How can you integrate relevant workforce skills into curriculum and assessment TODAY? In this session, participants will learn about strategies to scale the skills approach up to address entire programs, or down to individual lessons/courses, based on need and context for their own institution. Participants will learn how to leverage open tools and resources for workforce intelligence data, integrate skills into competencies and curriculum, and create a skills-denominated competency-based assessment plan. Participants will walk away from this session with practical knowledge and strategies to integrate workforce relevant skills into competencies, curriculum, and assessment.
Laura M. Williams and Samantha Coen, Western Governors University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Competency-Based Education and Assessment

Adapting to a ChatGPT World in Ways that Support Equity and Accuracy in Measures of Student Learning
ChatGPT has disrupted the educational landscape and created both challenges and opportunities for the equitable assessment of student learning. Student work on assignments influence their learning. The grades they receive influences their success and feelings about belonging. In this workshop, the Grand Challenges in Assessment Project directors will share a model that identifies equity traps (features of assignments associated with inequities in learning or the measurement of learning) and provides on-ramps (simple changes that increase equity and improve measurement). We will help you increase equity in higher education by preparing you to identify and remedy features of assignments that can interfere with students' ability to demonstrate proficiency or create errors in measurement that discredit the learning of minoritized students. We will highlight ways in which traditional assignments are vulnerable to completion using artificial intelligence and ways in which artificial intelligence can support or interfere with equity.
Karen Singer-Freeman, Wake Forest University; and Christine Robinson, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Presentation Type: Pre-Institute Workshop
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

Assessing and Improving a Post-Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program (IPREP) for Underrepresented Populations
The mission of IPREP is to increase the number of Ph.D. graduates who are underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral sciences. The program was designed to help underserved students obtain the research experience and professional skills needed to gain admission to and be successful in competitive biomedical and behavioral science Ph.D. programs. This presentation is focused on the methods we used to assess students’ learning outcomes, resilience, confidence levels, and success in their graduate programs. We will also share how assessment data were used to monitor outcomes and make continuous improvements. Supported by National Institutes of Health (NIH), 2R25GM109432.
Rafael Bahamonde, Ann Kimble-Hill, A. Sonia Ninon, and Randall Roper, Indiana University Indianapolis
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

Assessment of an Undergraduate Social Work Program with a Focus on Anti-Black Racism Education and Metacognition
Curricular adjustments to include Anti-Black racism and metacognition course content resulted in the pilot of a program evaluation at a BSW program at a large State University. Students completed evaluations at the fall orientation marking their beginning of the social work program, in January after their first semester and before their second semester, and at the end of the spring semester, which provided a post first year of the program snapshot. This presentation will discuss the development of the survey tool and participant recruitment as well as review some of the findings, identify challenges, and highlight changes made based on assessment data.
DuWayne Battle and Kerry Hennessy, Rutgers School of Social Work
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

Becoming an Antiracist Campus: The Case of IUI Antiracist Reading Groups
In response to the death of George Floyd and the subsequent protests against police brutality, coupled with the disproportionate number of deaths of Black people at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the IUI campus leadership implemented a set of antiracist initiatives. Among them, the antiracist reading group professional development program for faculty and staff. During this session, the presenters will provide a roadmap to establish an effective antiracist reading group program and develop an assessment plan to evaluate this program.
Sonia Ninon and Jamie Royce, Indiana University Indianapolis
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

Data Equity Scorecard
The strategic plan equity scorecard consists of leading and lagging indicators in five primary areas, which include: 1) Student Recruitment, 2) Academic KPIs, 3) Social and Culture KPIs, 4) Faculty and Staff KPIs, and 5) Institutional efforts. Measures from each section will be presented to give the audience an overall idea of how to use the scorecard. Each section measures overall progress toward strategic goals, or lagging indicators, set out in the institution’s Strategic Plan by identifying key performance indicators (KPI’s) that are supported with data and literature to close institutional equity gaps. DEI data is collected in all 5 areas and scored.
Jennifer Wilson and Janette Isaacson, Oregon Institute of Technology
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

“Different” Conversations: The Pilot Implementation of the Citizens and Scholars Initiative at Benedict College
The broad diversity of student identities, overt opinions, and modes of campus expression necessitate the corresponding ability to engage across differences that students, in many cases, may not have (Niehaus, 2021). The gap between this goal and reality is especially pronounced on HBCU campuses. As a response to this challenge, educational institutions working with the Institute for Citizens & Scholars (C&S) have created a professional development initiative to help faculty prepare students and create new approaches for their campuses and colleagues. The presentation shares the emergent best practices of facilitating civic discourse during the pilot implementation of the Citizens and Scholars agenda at the Benedict College campus.
Alex Gorelik, Benedict College
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HBCU Collaborative for Excellence in Educational Quality Assurance (HBCU‑CEEQA) / Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Embracing Our Strengths: Unveiling an Asset Based Approach to Assessment at Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Assessment can unintentionally reinforce practices that uphold whiteness, such as key performance indicators, metrics, reporting, and accreditation, or carceral-logic, like compliance-based assessment plan completion. These approaches prove to be especially problematic for HBCUs like Howard University, which have a historical legacy of educating Black students and those from underrepresented backgrounds. Despite these challenges, HBCUs should engage in a rigorous assessment process to demonstrate the effectiveness of our efforts and our dedication to continuous improvement. Both are needed to position our institutions to deliver on the promise of Black higher education. Recognizing this, the Assessment Team at Howard University developed an HBCU assets-based framework for institutional assessment practices to guide assessment strategies, techniques, and buy-in for those within the HBCU landscape. As such, this presentation will reveal the core tenets of assessment used at Howard University to transform its culture of assessment while also providing insight into tangible high-impact practices that have aided in our successful transformation.
Alexus Laster, Pavithra Suresh, and Taneika Thompson, Howard University
Presentation Type: 60-Minute Concurrent Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HBCU Collaborative for Excellence in Educational Quality Assurance (HBCU‑CEEQA) / Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Equity in Demographic Data: Why It Matters How We Ask
Demographic questions are a necessary tool for the assessment professional, and often reflect the norms of the institution and the dominant culture. This session will provide participants with answers to why we ask, who we are, and why it matters by exploring bias toward a more socially just approach to demographic questions, and how they can foster greater understanding and student success.
Joanna Z. Boeing, Bridgewater State University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

From Training to Transformation: A Longitudinal Analysis of the Impact of the Equity Champions Program at Washington University in Saint Louis Utilizing Self-Efficacy Assessment
Washington University School of Medicine's Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion introduced the Equity Champions (EC) program in 2021, a pioneering initiative designed to embed systemic change through a shared equity leadership model. We created an assessment of the ECs' proficiency in equity-focused competencies before, immediately after, and one year following the completion of a rigorous 40-hour Understanding Systemic Racism training. The evaluation, encompassing feedback from ECs, reveals changes in their equity-focused attitudes and abilities. This study not only highlights the program's effectiveness in enhancing participants' engagement with equity-focused topics but also exemplifies a robust methodology for assessing DEI initiatives.
Joel T. Dalton and Chayla Vazquez, Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

Gathering and Acting on Student Basic Needs Data to Center Equity and Student Success
Basic needs security (food, housing, transportation, mental health, safety, digital access, childcare, and more) is central to learning and is critical for student success and advancing equity. The presenter will review summary findings from The Hope Center's Survey of Student Basic Needs Security and share examples of how colleges are taking action with their data to transform campus policies and programs. The presenter will also profile The Hope Center's Basic Needs Inventory that aligns with the newly released (March 2024) Basic Needs CAS Standards.
Anne E. Lundquist, The Hope Center at Temple University
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

Looking in the Mirror: The Impact of Paradigms and Positionality on Assessment Practice
We often begin the assessment process with the assessment cycle. But another step precedes that: consideration of how paradigms and positionality influence assessment practice and continuous self-reflection on how our own privilege, power, and positionality can influence our assessment practice. In this session, we will discuss various research and assessment paradigms and how they influence assessment practice as well as provide insight into how assessors can reflect on how their positionality impacts their assessment practice.
Gavin Henning, New England College; and Anne Lundquist, The Hope Center at Temple University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

Operationalizing Qualitative Data Analysis to Understand DEI Efforts
How can higher education administrators ensure that diverse voices inform DEI program planning? With this question in mind, we conducted a mixed-methods evaluation of a faculty development program to promote inclusive teaching at a large research university. We present this multi-year project as a valuable case study about using qualitative methods to improve programming. We describe the unique insights gained by analyzing interviews, focus groups, and learning artifacts during different stages of the evaluation process. This presentation includes opportunities to practice designing tools and coding data to empower practitioners to use qualitative data sources to inform program improvement.
Amy Cardace, Fairleigh Dickinson University; and Melina Ivanchikova, Cornell University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

The Ethics of Learning Outcomes Assessment: Persons, Obligations, and Consequences
A framework derived from contemporary ethical analysis is introduced and applied to current practice in learning outcomes assessment. Utilizing this ethical framework, we can focus on one of three “variables”: (1) the persons involved in or affected by assessment; (2) the ethical obligations that those involved in assessment may or may not have; (3) and/or the consequences arising from different practices and processes of assessment. The concepts and concerns raised herein should prove useful to assessment professionals, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders who wish to facilitate an assessment process and practice that is sensitive and responsive to important ethical concerns.
Stephen Brown, Wayne State College
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

The Role of Assessment and IE/IR Professionals in Building Equity-Minded Decision Cultures
Data-informed decision cultures committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) require commitment and collaboration across the institution. Each administrative and academic unit provides unique expertise essential to the pursuit of environments supportive of student success. In this workshop we will explore the intersection of DEI and the institution’s data function, including assessment, institutional effectiveness, and institutional research; develop a common understanding of relevant concepts and terms; explore what it means to frame our work with an equity lens; and identify the ways in which we can contribute to efforts to diversify our field. Join us for a safe space to learn together.
Michele J. Hansen, The Ohio State University; and Bethany Miller, Macalester College
Presentation Type: Pre-Institute Workshop
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

AI: Your Assessment Assistant
Generative AI promises to be a significant disruptor in higher education. While much of the focus has been on the negative uses of AI, such as cheating, there are numerous promising applications, including creating personal tutors for individual student support. Another positive application of AI is to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of assessment practice. In this session, presenters will outline the many ways AI can be integrated into assessment practice and discuss ethical and practical considerations in doing so. Participants will leave with 2-3 ways to integrate AI into campus assessment.
Gavin Henning and Natasha Jankowski, New England College
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Emerging Trends in Assessment 

Beyond Numbers: Utilizing Qualitative Methods in Professional Education Degree Programs
Qualitative research has become prominent in professional education degree programs, such as medical education, to gain a better understanding of the field since it is comprised of multiple disciplines (Sawatsky, et. al, 2019). Professional education degree administrators may not be familiar with this type of research and how they can utilize its different methodologies. This poster will share what qualitative research is; its importance in professional education degree programs to improve programmatic efforts for faculty and students; and different qualitative methodologies, such as phenomenology, ethnography, and visual research and how these methodologies can be utilized by providing example project ideas.
Ashley B. Metelus, University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Emerging Trends in Assessment 

Ensuring Learning in the AI Age through Meaningful and Engaging Assessments
We now live in the age of Generative AI in all learning environments. This relationship between Generative AI and student learning at all levels is an important relationship now and moving forward. As a result of participation in this session, attendees will a) develop an overall perspective for the current and potential relationship of Generative AI in the teaching and learning cycle, b) develop at least two strategies for incorporating Generative AI into their own personal knowledge-base of teaching and learning, and c) articulate an understanding of several promises and pitfalls of Generative AI in the teaching and learning process.
Ray W. Francis, Central Michigan University; and Mark Deschaine, The University of Mississippi
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Emerging Trends in Assessment 

Institution-Wide Community Engagement Assessment: Best Practices from Carnegie Classified Campuses
For close to two decades, the Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement has helped establish common standards for institutionalizing community engagement in American higher education as well as help institutions gather and present accurate data about their engagement efforts (Gelmon, et al., 2018). This study of recently classified campuses yields insights into sustained trends in the assessment of community engagement across multiple institutional types, especially minority serving institutions, community colleges, and third-time community engaged classified campuses. Lessons learned from best practices can guide assessment design at campuses that want to know if their community engagement is making a difference.
Elaine Ward, American Council on Education; and Marisol Morales, American Council on Aging
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Advanced
Primary Topic: Emerging Trends in Assessment 

Mental Health and the Profession: Assessing What You Give
Assessment and institutional effectiveness professionals are unique in higher education. Many times they are a one-person shop or even one hat that an administrator or a faculty wears. They are called to create data and change with little resource support and cyclical administrative support (usually within 18 months of an accreditation cycle). This presentation explores some of the stress this can have on one's mental health and suggests ways that assessment professionals can recognize, reduce, and repurpose this stress.
Ciji Heiser, Co-Creating Action; and Glenn Allen Phillips, Watermark
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Emerging Trends in Assessment 

Revisiting our Assessment Review Process: A Meta-Assessment Approach
The past 4 years have issued an abundance of change at the Office of Institutional Assessment (OIA) at the University of Florida (UF). Recent changes in legislation and leadership have prompted us to take a step back and examine our past assessment practices to revisit our current practices and shape future endeavors. We are embracing a meta-assessment approach that utilizes two strategies to evaluate, analyze, and improve our assessment practices and foster continuous improvement. In this study, we will share our results as we aim to guide practices that can improve our assessment culture. (Semi-Finalist for the Research & Practice in Assessment (RPA)’s Best Scholarly Presentation Award)
Lissette A. Tolentino and Maria Leite, University of Florida
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Emerging Trends in Assessment 

Tips and Tricks for Using AAC&U’s VALUE Rubrics: “Hacking” the Rubrics to Advance Teaching, Learning, and Assessment
Rubrics have been heralded as a solution to any number of assessment and accountability questions facing higher education. This workshop will empower participants to fully utilize rubrics on their campuses, with AAC&U’s VALUE (Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education) approach to assessment as the starting point. Participants will be exposed to rubric best practices and resources, develop customized rubrics by “hacking” VALUE rubrics, and return to their campuses primed to implement context-specific rubric strategies.
Jessica Chittum, American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U)
Presentation Type: Pre-Institute Workshop
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Emerging Trends in Assessment 

Transforming Assessment for Student Success: Beyond Compliance to Holistic Engagement
Dive deeper into educational evaluation with "Transforming Assessment for Student Success: Beyond Compliance to Holistic Engagement." This session invites you to venture beyond the confines of traditional accreditation standards, focusing instead on essential practices that bolster student success both academically and in future endeavors. Participants will be introduced to advanced holistic assessment techniques that go beyond simple compliance, aiming for substantial improvement and innovation in educational practices. Explore how assessment can be reimagined as a strategic tool, effectively guiding students on their journey toward success. Through this session, educators and administrators will uncover the potential of assessment as a catalyst for fostering a nurturing and productive learning environment.
Will Miller, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Emerging Trends in Assessment 

Where Are We Now? A Post-Pandemic Comparative Analysis of Undergraduate Student-Athlete Mental Wellness and Well-Being to Non-Athlete Peers
Expanding on research awarded the 2023 RPA Best Scholarly Presentation Award, this study investigates whether student-athletes report significantly different levels of mental health concerns as compared to non-athletes using data from the 2023 National Survey of Student Engagement Mental Health & Well-Being Module. In a sample of over 10,600 first-year students and 13,600 seniors, means comparisons suggest that athletes are experiencing significantly less difficulty with issues of peer relationships, loneliness, mental health, and mental/emotional exhaustion; and athletes are more likely to feel adequate institutional support for their well-being. These findings mirror prior research using a sense of community theoretical framework.
Angela L. Miller and Chandler Hawkins, Indiana University Bloomington
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Emerging Trends in Assessment

Assessing Learning At Work: Enabling Students to Articulate Skills through Immersive Experiences
Imagine an opportunity where students can practice in-demand skills through outcomes-based learning at their higher ed institution—and then create a personal learning portfolio that goes beyond traditional transcripts. The Digital Corps at Ball State University comprises student employees, working with nine full-time staff. The Corps takes on projects from across the university, serving both academic and administrative units. This session captures the collaborative approach to assessing student learning in different contexts--ensuring they can practice skills in different environments, including through campus jobs linked to the University’s strategic plan.
Loren Malm, Ball State University; Suzanne Carbonaro, 1EdTech; and Brandon Smith, Digital Corps
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Experiential Learning 

Assessing the Impact of a Campus-Community Partnership Focusing on an After-School Intramural Sports League From a Parental Perspective
This proposal outlines an assessment of experiential learning framed in a campus-community partnership. An after-school intramural sports league was created by university students for local 3rd and 4th grade elementary students. The program not only aimed to develop sport skills but also foster social skills of the participants. We surveyed parents as primary stakeholders to gauge their perspectives on the program's impact, aligning with a conference theme of engaging stakeholders throughout the learning enterprise, including in community and experiential settings. Our study achieved a 35.5% response rate from parents, offering valuable insights into their perceptions and experiences.
Mark Urtel, Indiana University Indianapolis
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Experiential Learning

Behind the Scenes at ELTHE
ELTHE is Experiential Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, the open access, peer-reviewed quarterly published by the California State University and the Society for Experiential Education. The journal gathers and shares cutting-edge practices and research into the ways educators are making college learning more engaging, effective, and equitable, by making intentional and explicit use of pedagogies like high-impact practices. Join the journal’s podcast producer and two members of the editorial board for an up-close look at the journal’s goals, focus areas, and submission guidelines.
John Zilvinskis, Binghamton University, State University of New York; Amy M. Johnson, Old Dominion University; and Bill Heinrich, Symplicity
Presentation Type: 60-Minute Concurrent Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Experiential Learning

Countering Structural Violence, Fostering Well-being: A Critical Environmental Justice Approach to Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL)
This study examines how COIL, informed by critical environmental justice and critical pedagogy, addresses environmental injustices, structural violence, and health inequalities among college students. The Collaborative Action on Transmedia Human Rights (CATHR) program, designed with a Challenge-Based Learning framework, fosters student well-being, civic engagement, and environmental awareness. Through ethnographic methods, this research demonstrates the program's effectiveness in reducing stress, anxiety, and hopelessness while empowering learners to engage with environmental justice issues and advocate for human rights and democracy. This study highlights COIL's potential to promote individual and community well-being amidst violence and contribute to a more just and sustainable world. (Semi-Finalist for the Research & Practice in Assessment (RPA)’s Best Scholarly Presentation Award)
José-Luis Jiménez-Figarotti, Florida Atlantic University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Experiential Learning

Beyond the DFW Dashboard: Empowering Faculty as Agents of Change Via Data
Despite being crucial to student success, faculty are often excluded from the design and implementation of data-driven improvement efforts. More often, institutions weaponize unreliable metrics or shame instructors with DFW data. This session introduces an innovative faculty development model that empowers faculty to leverage data effectively in pursuit of equitable student outcomes. The Equity Champions program prioritizes faculty agency, student voice, and broader engagement with data, fostering a supportive community for systemic change. We will explore how Equity Champions and other efforts at participants' institutions are reframing how we engage faculty with data-driven teaching efforts for institutional change.
Caroline Boswell, University of Louisville; and Denise Bartell, Kent State University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Faculty/Professional Development 

Bite-Sized Boost: Quarterly Workshops Fueling Assessment Practice
Enhancing educational assessment practices is vital for ensuring student success. This poster presents a comprehensive overview of quarterly professional development assessment brunch workshops tailored for faculty and staff. Covering both curricular and co-curricular assessment, these workshops offer targeted training in assessment planning, design, and rubric development. Through interactive sessions, participants gain skills and tools to enhance their assessment practices. Join us to explore how these workshops foster a culture of assessment at a small liberal arts college.
Sally Read, Brian Dietz, Jessica Fowle, and Tara Webb, Kalamazoo College
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Faculty/Professional Development 

Case Study in Formative Professional Development: Helping Academic Advisors Reflect On Their Own Inclusion Competence
Once upon a time, Purdue’s Inclusive Advising team wanted to use an assessment instrument to create “a-ha” moments and personal growth for academic advisors. With audience members simulating a project team, we’ll recreate the process of consensually choosing an instrument-–looking at 3 proprietary survey instruments and matching them to the desired outcomes of this staff professional development project. Then, two intercultural learning curriculum specialists will discuss how they used group and individualized results to facilitate reflection with two different groups of academic advisors – and they will themselves reflect on what worked and what didn’t when facilitating professional learning!
Katherine N. Yngve, Alankrita Chhikara, and Aletha Stahl, Purdue University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Faculty/Professional Development 

Continuous Improvement: Improving Communication and Expanding Professional Development for Program Assessment
Northern Illinois University is in the midst of working to make program assessment more meaningful. Accreditation, Assessment and Evaluation staff have noted that many programs submitting the required reports do not appear to be using assessment data to inform continuous improvement. A task force identified concerns with the reporting process, communication about assessment, and a lack of sufficient support for this work. Last year, we shared our initial efforts to reform the reporting process. This year, we invite you to a conversation (including initial feedback and impacts) about our strategies for improving communication and professional development opportunities.
Carrie Zack, Northern Illinois University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Faculty/Professional Development 

Data Literacy in Student Affairs: Defining, Measuring, and Enhancing Divisional Competencies
Although competencies related to assessment and evaluation are priority skill sets for Student Affairs educators, learning opportunities to develop and hone these skills are not uniformly accessible across graduate preparation programs, potentially leaving critical skill needs unaddressed for new and experienced professionals. At Carnegie Mellon University, the Division of Student Affairs is addressing this challenge using an appreciative inquiry approach grounded in the Data Identity Framework (Parnell, 2021) to further strategic priorities for the institution and the division, enhance the data literacy skills of educators across the division, and develop a systematic approach to assessing and monitoring progress over time.
Joanna Dickert, Carnegie Mellon University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Faculty/Professional Development 

Development of Medical Faculty Workload Model to Improve Productivity and Prevent Burnout
Faculty productivity and effectiveness are evaluated on teaching effectiveness, service, clinical practice, and research productivity. Faculty workload models ensure equitable distribution of workload and prevent burnout. Developing a workload model is challenging because faculty engage in a variety of projects and activities that are difficult to objectively list and quantify. Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine developed a comprehensive workload model to measure and improve faculty productivity. Our presentation will provide a framework to evaluate faculty workload for self-assessment and meeting institutional expectations and vision. We will also describe strategies to engage faculty in the development and adoption of a workload model. (Semi-Finalist for the Research & Practice in Assessment (RPA)’s Best Scholarly Presentation Award)
Rahul Garg and Lawrence LeClaire, Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Faculty/Professional Development 

Do You Have a Collaboration Playbook? The RARE Model Can Help with That!
Assessment professionals agree that interpersonal skills are the most essential to our success (Morrow et al., 2022), but how do you nurture relationships in assessment? Do you have a playbook? In this pre-institute workshop, the co-presenters will provide demonstrations, active learning exercises, and tools from their forthcoming (2025) book. The RARE Model is a framework that you can intentionally incorporate into your assessment toolkit (Clucas Leaderman and Polychronopoulos, 2019). In this session, you will observe, reflect upon, and practice using interpersonal strategies to strengthen collaborative relationships, problem-solving, and meaning-making in assessment work, while tailoring your approach to specific audiences and cultures within your institution.
Emilie Clucas Leaderman, Springfield Technical Community College, and Gina B. Polychronopoulos, George Mason University
Presentation Type: Pre-Institute Workshop
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Faculty/Professional Development 

Faculty Leadership in Assessment through Leadership Positions and Shared Governance
To develop a culture of assessment, a university-wide academic program assessment initiative and a general education assessment priority were implemented focused on faculty leadership opportunities and shared governance. Infrastructure was created to establish faculty fellowships in program-level and general education assessment, along with general education faculty navigators. These faculty provide support and training to academic programs and individual faculty through a systematic process of faculty development offerings at the department, program, course, and individual levels, including but not limited to full-day assessment institutes, workshops, consultations, resource development, and group book clubs. Additionally, standing committees to guide assessment were established.
Lauren S. Schlesselman and Jamie Kleinman, University of Connecticut
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Faculty/Professional Development 

Fostering a Dynamic Culture of Assessment: Engaging Faculty for Institutional Success
This session advocates for higher education to foster an assessment culture, emphasizing the link between faculty engagement and effective data utilization. Amidst challenges like declining graduates and post-pandemic retention, institutions are urged to adopt transparent, data-reliant approaches in student learning assessment. Beyond meeting accreditation requirements, strong assessment practices, guided by adept assessment leaders, not only strengthen the curriculum but also enhance faculty-student connections. We emphasize a transformative partnership, promoting regular check-ins, data-driven opportunities, and co-sponsored events to bridge the gap between faculty and assessment staff. Such assessment practices underscore the importance of continual institutional learning and growth.
Jayme Kerr, SPOL; and Chris Tombari, The Community College of Aurora
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Faculty/Professional Development 

From Soup to Nuts: Designing University-Wide Events to Kickstart Improvement Efforts
University-wide events and conferences support higher education improvement because they bring together educators to engage in conversations about key challenges and institutional initiatives. Join us for a dynamic workshop designed to provide you with the tools you need to launch a successful event on your home campus. Identify essential steps, from goal setting to pre- and post-event evaluation, for ensuring an impactful event. Whether you're new to event planning or seeking to enhance existing campus initiatives, this session will equip you with knowledge and tools to advance institutional improvement efforts.
Marie E. Brown, Indiana University Indianapolis
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Faculty/Professional Development 

Mentoring Faculty to Improve Scholarship Participation, Job Satisfaction, and Retention in Academia
Academia is very different than industry, especially in the health sciences. Learning the ins-and-outs of teaching, research, and service that are requirements in an academic setting can be difficult for persons coming from a clinical setting working with patients. Often times, faculty members have sought academic positions due to their love of teaching and interest in research. Using a one-on-one mentoring strategy may improve scholarship activities, job satisfaction, and retention which could decrease turnover and understaffing in an academic setting. This session will discuss the implementation of specific strategies at a university satellite campus.
Jamie Rausch, Indiana University Fort Wayne
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Faculty/Professional Development 

Program Assessment and Institutional Performance: Is There an Empirical Connection?
Implementing assessment best practices is important to program quality and student satisfaction, both of which are important to student retention. Or is it? In this workshop, participants will explore the connections among faculty motivation and assessment best practices that impact student satisfaction. Through discussion of recent research to empirically identify these relationships, participants will explore opportunities to increase faculty involvement in program assessment practices.
Nicholas T. Christian, Wright State University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Faculty/Professional Development 

Strategic Framework: Crafting a Comprehensive Faculty Development Program Aligned with Assessment and Accreditation Standards
Faculty development that is timely and responds to accreditation changes and feedback is critically important. This workshop aims to help participants develop a comprehensive faculty professional development program including a robust orientation. Recognizing the substantial investment of time, attention, effort, and financial resources in faculty development, this process is strategically crucial. It serves as a pivotal process in acquainting faculty with the institution, establishing institutional and faculty connections, communicating expectations clearly, and assuring accreditation needs become part of faculty development. During the workshop, participants will engage in interactive, hands-on activities to: 1) identify the essential components of faculty professional development including initial orientation, establish a comprehensive understanding of “must-have” elements, 2) develop a “just-in-time” model for faculty professional development, ensuring relevance and timeliness and considering feedback from accreditors, 3) evaluate the effectiveness of their institution’s faculty professional development program through practical assessment strategies, and 3) provide evidence demonstrating that the institution meets and responds to accreditation requirements, both institutional and programmatic, pertaining to faculty training.
Nehad El-Sawi and Amy N. Morris, Des Moines University
Presentation Type: Pre-Institute Workshop
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Faculty/Professional Development 

The Career and Curriculum Combo: Supercharging Learner Experiences and Outcomes (Inside and Outside the Classroom)
Faculty are a key component of students’ learning and career journey, and this session supports that work. During this session, faculty gather information, techniques, and best practices to intentionally infuse and integrate competencies into curriculum to enhance the learner experience—making an explicit connection between the academic discipline and the student learning journey. National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) provides an interactive workshop for faculty to integrate career competencies into the curriculum. The hands-on workshop facilitates opportunities to: align and strengthen the link between curriculum and career competencies; embed career competencies in existing courses in ways that are academically rigorous; and expand and develop work-based experiential learning opportunities for diverse students.
Krys Ardayfio, National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)
Presentation Type: Pre-Institute Workshop
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Faculty/Professional Development 

Ungrading Unleashed: Encouraging Alternative Assessment through Faculty Development
This session describes a series of faculty development initiatives focused on ungrading at a teaching-focused liberal arts school. After a semester-long book club on Ungrading: Why Rating Students Underminds Learning (and What to Do Instead), faculty formed a community of practice to implement and share diverse ungrading strategies. In this session, participants will hear from the faculty development coordinator as well as faculty who will share their firsthand experiences and challenges redefining assessment to support inclusive teaching and student success.
Sarah Summers, Dan Alsop, Emily Banks, Anna James, and Andrea Mescall, Franklin College
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Faculty/Professional Development 

Using a Cooperative Learning Approach for Piloting TILT
Learners in courses with more transparent assessment designs show gains along the following three dimensions: a) sense of belonging; b) academic confidence; and c) awareness of skills development. Recruited faculty participated in the pilot project focused on adding transparency and multicultural elements to at least one major assignment in a course of study. The cooperative learning approach paired participants for peer reviewing and feedback opportunities and used whole group guided sessions. Data reveal, 1) improved course review scores using the OSCQR review scores; 2) improved student feedback; and 3) reductions in student logistics related questions.
Matt Spindler, The Pennsylvania State University
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Faculty/Professional Development 

Using the 2023 Assessment Institute to Initiate Department Culture Change
Four faculty members from different departments at Wayne State University engaged in an intensive culture change effort in 2023-2024. Efforts began with attending the 2023 Assessment Institute to learn about assessment practices, processes, and leadership. In this session, we will discuss the context for our efforts, our motivation for agreeing to lead culture change in our respective units, the factors that played a role in our efforts, the value of having a cohort going through the process together, and our individual and group successes and challenges in changing our departments’ assessment cultures over the last year.
Christine Knapp, Wayne State University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Faculty/Professional Development

Assessment Insights and Implications from a Longitudinal Retention Study of NPC Sorority Members
Retention and persistence serve as crucial indicators of student engagement and success. Sororities play a significant role in facilitating these outcomes by fostering a sense of belonging and satisfaction among members. However, there is limited understanding of the factors that initially attract students to join sororities and their subsequent decisions to remain in the organization. This presentation outlines findings from a current national longitudinal study involving two cohorts of NPC sorority women. The study employs a combination of survey research methods and interviews to gain insights into student motivations for staying or leaving their organization. Additionally, the session includes insights and lessons learned from data collection methods, bearing implications for broader assessment strategies.
Meghan Grace, Plaid LLC; J. Patrick Biddix, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Meghan Parker, Zeta Tau Alpha International Office; Aja Pirtle, National Panhellenic Conference
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Fraternity and Sorority Life 

Bigger is… Better? Let’s Talk About Assessing Learning at Large Institutions!
Do you work at a large institution? Join us for a dialogue session focused on exploring challenges, sharing solutions, and celebrating innovation for successful assessment practice in a large university setting. Attendees will be prompted to share how they engage assessment colleagues across their campus(es), such as fraternity and sorority life, student leadership, etc. to effectively partner with faculty, staff, and students; develop and implement new initiatives; and promote a culture of assessment focused on curricular alignment and learning improvement with the co-curricular. This session will be highly interactive.
Annie Carlson Welch, Katie H. Burr, and Deenene Brewer, University of Georgia
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Fraternity and Sorority Life 

Curriculum Mapping for Fraternities and Sororities
What do we want students to learn? Are we offering the right opportunities for that learning to occur? Is what we’re doing worth our effort? In this session, we’ll discuss the concept of a curriculum map, which aligns student outcomes (knowledge, skills, and abilities) with educational interventions (programs and experiences). Mapping co-curricular experiences allows us to better see programmatic concentrations and gaps, and foster coherent, integrated learning for student success (NILOA, 2018). Join us wherever you are on your assessment journey, whether you’re a campus-based professional or work for a headquarters. Together, we’ll help create a curriculum map that you’ll be able to put into immediate action.
Annie Carlson Welch and Katie H. Burr, University of Georgia
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Fraternity and Sorority Life 

Earning College Credit for Your Fraternity Experience
It has never been more important for universities, fraternities, and sororities to partner innovatively to meet student needs. The academic partnership between Phi Delta Theta and Sonoma State University offers a powerful opportunity for students to develop and practice crucial leadership skills through a curriculum that blends academic knowledge with real-world experiences. Each of the two courses offered through this partnership is associated with Phi Delta Theta’s Kleberg Emerging Leaders Institute and the McKenzie Family Presidents Leadership Conference, allowing fraternity leaders to expand and apply knowledge learned at in-person conferences. Sonoma State runs this course through its Professional and Continuing Education program, demonstrating a model where academic credit can be associated with Phi Delta Theta’s leadership programming while maintaining open access at an affordable price for all students in Phi Delta Theta.
Mike Ogg, Sonoma State University and Phi Delta Theta; and Jesse Moyer, Phi Delta Theta
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Fraternity and Sorority Life 

Exploring the Impact of Fraternities on Student Learning in Higher Education
Recent studies highlight the educational benefits of fraternity programs, particularly for student leaders. Integrative learning extends beyond formal programs, impacting daily student activities. Documenting diverse fraternity members' learning experiences underscores the role of fraternities in enhancing student learning, career readiness, and retention. Utilizing mixed methods, including University Learning Outcomes Assessment (UniLOA) surveys and reflective prompts, learn how researchers are assessing student learning. Researchers will share data from the Learning in Fraternity project. The project seeks to enhance the partnership between fraternities and academic institutions. Join us to delve into the impact of fraternities on the educational mission of higher education!
Cindy Cogswell, New York University; and Gary Pike, Emeritus Professor, Indiana University Indianapolis
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Fraternity and Sorority Life 

Implementing the Learner-Centered Approach to the Co-Curriculum Model to Fraternity and Sorority Environments
The Learner-Centered Approach to the Co-Curriculum Model empowers co-curricular educators—including those in fraternity and sorority life (FSL) contexts on campuses and at organization headquarters—to center learning in their work. By aligning learning objectives, interventions, and assessment techniques, this holistic model integrates teaching and learning scholarship with co-curricular activities, fostering enhanced and quantifiable learning outcomes for postsecondary students. This session will provide a brief overview of the model and then devote time to focus on practical applications and considerations—including constituents and various loci of control—for FSL practitioners and leaders.
Hannah C. Keith, Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity; and Caleb J. Keith, Indiana University Indianapolis
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Fraternity and Sorority Life 

Assessment of General Education Learning Outcomes at a Community College
Delta College has developed an integrated general education model which is incorporated in all degrees. We will share details of our assessment committee structure and methods for collecting scores and analyzing results. Each of our General Education Learning Outcomes (GELOs) is accompanied by a resource group consisting of faculty with interest in that area. We will focus our presentation on the work done by these resource groups. We will also discuss some problems that we have faced along with solutions to those problems. There will be an opportunity for attendees to discuss challenges they have experienced and provide feedback.
Eric Wiesenauer and Casey Armour, Delta College
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: General Education 

Fidelity of Implementation in General Education Assessment: Early Steps to Achieving Meaningful Improvement
Mercer University, a regional comprehensive university consisting of 12 schools and colleges, has recently updated the general education competencies required for all undergraduate students. We are also in the process of improving our assessment practices for these competencies by applying Fidelity of Implementation (FOI), a critical but often overlooked framework of educational improvement. Our goal is to use FOI to ensure consistency in implementing and assessing efforts to improve student learning with respect to our general education competencies. We also hope that using FOI will provide an opportunity for increased collaboration amongst all the colleges that contribute to the university’s general education program. In our poster, we will describe the general education program at Mercer and our process for assessing the general education competencies. We will present our proposed framework for FOI, including procedural, educative, engagement, and pedagogical aspects that are critical components of the framework. We will also solicit feedback from poster session attendees in order to crowd-source additional ideas for critical components of FOI and any lessons learned from previous attempts at applying FOI to general education.
Troy Nash, Kelly Reffitt, Kevin Gwaltney, Achim Kopp, and Colleen Stapleton, Mercer University
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: General Education 

Jumpstarting General Education Program Review: A Systems Thinking Approach to the Self-Study
Often overlooked in the discussion of a general education program development and assessment is the issue of program review. The Association for General and Liberal Studies (AGLS) offers two resources, “The Gen Ed Leader’s Playbook” and a “Guide to Assessment and Program Review,” to stimulate a collaborative discussion for improving a general education program. The Playbook provides leaders with various tools to help address the tough questions, such as “Why do we need Gen Ed Programs?” At the heart of the “Guide” is a set of twenty systems analysis questions to improve program quality. This workshop focuses on the initial stage of the self-study and allows attendees to “test-drive” the tools and practice some basic general education program evaluation steps.
Jody DeKorte, Purdue Global; Christine Robinson, University of North Carolina at Charlotte; and Stephen Biscotte, Virginia Tech
Presentation Type: Pre-Institute Workshop
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: General Education 

Mind the Gap: Taking an Assessment “Gap Year” to Rethink, Rewrite, and Reinvest in our General Education Learning Outcomes
What are your institution’s General Education outcomes? Do they reflect what your students really need to know and do by the time they graduate? At Colorado Technical University, we pressed the pause button on our General Education outcome assessment and took a “gap year” to ask that important question. Using a Grounded Theory approach, we then developed new outcomes that faculty, administrators, and staff can not only support but also champion. In this presentation, we will share our process of soliciting, translating, and using feedback from across the university to develop outcomes that meet the needs of our students.
Jennifer Daines, Maggy Carmack, Max Fassnacht, and Jennifer Palmer, Colorado Technical University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: General Education 

Moving from Assessment to Action: Five Years of General Education Assessment
We discuss the five-year development, implementation, and management of an institutional general education assessment plan at an urban two-year college utilizing multiple measures to assess a broad set of general education competencies based upon the American Association of Colleges and Universities’ (AAC&U) Value Rubrics.  The session will reflect on lessons learned with respect to assessment design and innovation, data collection, strategies for faculty participation, staff-faculty collaboration management, and transformation of assessment results into tangible action items directly related to student success, continuous improvement, and integration into broader issues currently facing higher education.
David A. Campbell
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: General Education 

Redesigning the Assessment of a FYE Course to be more Learner-Centered
This presentation shares the assessment methods, results, and lessons learned from a first-year experience (FYE) course at a comprehensive university in Japan. Direct and indirect assessments have been continuously conducted to improve the course. For the 2024 course, the assessment method was redesigned to be more learner-centered. We have developed rubrics for each of the four basic academic skills covered in this course and ask students to assess themselves before and after the course. We analyzed how the redesigned assessment impacts student achievement and satisfaction.
Satoko Imaizumi, Takahiro Abe, Douglas Gloag, Naoto Kikuta, Katsumi Senyo, Tetsuya Shiroishi, and Kei Masunaga, Yamagata University
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: General Education 

Results and Lessons from the “Hard Knocks” Assessment of General Education
This presentation shares General Education assessment results and “hard knock” lessons from implementing Steps 4-6 of the assessment cycle. The assessment results cover the Written Communication, Oral Communication, Quantitative Literacy, and Critical Thinking outcomes at the presenter’s institution. The “hard knock” lessons include analyzing “noisy” data, communicating results, dealing with resistant faculty, and overcoming limitations on time and resources. Attendees will build on these topics by identifying assessment challenges and solutions at their institutions.
Eric Sentell, Southeast Missouri State University
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: General Education 

Telling Your Core or General Education Story in an Academic Program Review
Academic program review (APR) of a general education or core curriculum are rarely reported in the research literature possibly because few have considered the utility and feasibility of such an undertaking. At our institution, our Core Curriculum APR was highly effective in yielding essential guiding research questions, a unique template, and multiple analyses with complex data sets, and fostering collaborations with the director of Institutional Research and Planning (IRP). Participants will have opportunities to reflect on their GE curricula in considering how presenters’ unique processes and new resources might be adapted to their own institutions.
Debbie Finocchio, Carole Huston, and Margaret Leary, University of San Diego
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: General Education 

The Hand-Off: Transitioning to a New (Gen Ed) Assessment Coordinator
Assessment responsibilities change hands frequently: committee assignments rotate, faculty go on sabbatical, staff change jobs, program directors’ compensation becomes (un)available, etc. Preparing for a smooth transition from one assessment leader to another is important for continuity of assessment practices, yet is often overlooked. This session provides a guide for facilitating the transition to new assessment leaders, describing information to prepare for them and outlining ways to provide timely support through the first assessment cycle. A General Education program transition serves to demonstrate the importance of these elements, but the elements can be applied across programs of all kinds.
Cathy Barrette, Wayne State University
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: General Education 

Using Project Management Methodologies to Align General Education Assessment, Program Review, and Accreditation Simultaneously
New technologies and instruments are often sought out when engaging in urgent programmatic accreditation and evaluation of General Education curricula. This may result in duplicative tools and organizational confusion. Instead of improving learning and program quality, data and reports are generated without assessing their value. By applying an organizational systems approach and project management methodologies, including Scrum, assessment professionals can generate efficiency. Workshop participants will develop approaches for aligning accreditation standards with general education and program learning outcomes, while also distilling and optimizing instruments necessary to demonstrate student and organizational learning.
Jeremy Hughes and Sterling Richards, Chicago State University; and David Fuentes, University of Portland
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: General Education

A Multi-Modal Approach to Assessing Individual Student Professional Development Across the Curriculum
The University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy uses a multi-modal approach to assessing professional development of students across the entire curriculum. The process combines qualitative documentation of achievement of curricular outcomes with quantitative documentation of engagement in co-curricular activities that develop specific skills essential to becoming a pharmacist. Assessment of individual student professional development involves student self-reflection, regular feedback from faculty advisors, and ongoing monitoring by administrators on both individual and aggregate levels. The entire process is documented in an all-inclusive platform that will be showcased during the presentation.
Kristine S. Schonder, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Graduate/Professional Education 

Advising Alchemy: Transmuting Graduate Success through Stakeholder-Centered Assessment
Graduate advising can be likened to the Philosopher’s stone, hypothesized to turn base metals into precious ones. Positive advising relationships are transformative for students, while inadequate advising contributes to graduate student attrition. Despite its significance, factors contributing to effective graduate advising are under-researched and seldom integrated into institutional practices. Discover our Magnum Opus – using stakeholder-centered assessment as a catalyst to transform graduate advising experiences at The Ohio State University. We will outline our survey instrument, highlight institutional partnerships, and lead the audience through an engaging discussion about how you can develop processes to improve graduate advising at your institution.
Kayla Arnold and Mitsu Narui, The Ohio State University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Graduate/Professional Education 

An Immersive Interprofessional Education Curriculum among First Year Physical and Occupational Therapy Students
Presenters implemented 6 IPE learning experiences throughout the first semester in the PT and OT biomechanics courses. The experiences were: 1) combined lectures; 2) combined labs; 3) cross-profession lectures; 4) lab practical competency exam; 5) combined Teaching Assistants (TA); and 6) clinical projects. Results: 74 students completed the IPE curriculum, which required approximately 30 hours of in-class IPE time. At pre-semester, 65 students (88%) reported no prior IPE experience. At post-semester, 53 students (73%) reported they spent 10-30 hours on IPE outside-of-class time. Therefore, most students spent upward of 40-60 hours on IPE throughout the semester. On the self-assessment Interprofessional Collaborative Competency Attainment Scale (ICCAS) from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent), all 17 questions significantly improved, ranging from 0.3-0.5 (NA to poor) at pre-semester and 3.7-4.2 (good to very good) at post-semester, thus students believed they had developed “good” or better IPE skills. Conclusions: We successfully implemented an immersive IPE curriculum associated with didactic and laboratory-based activities, practical competency examination, TA guidance, and clinical team projects.
Tracy Dierks, Indiana University Department of Physical Therapy; and Megan Albright, Indiana University Department of Occupational Therapy
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Graduate/Professional Education 

Early Identification of Students at Risk for Borderline Performance in Summative, Clinical, and Certification Exams in Physician Assistant Programs Using a Running Summary Score
The IU Physician Assistant program is currently developing a running, summary score for identifying physician assistant students at risk of borderline performance on key assessments, such as end-of-didactic year, end-of-rotation exams, PACKRAT, and PANCE. This score compiles ongoing assessment data, flagging students who may struggle despite passing exams. This metric facilitates early, tailored interventions to bolster student achievement and mitigate potential academic deficiencies, aligning with proactive educational strategies.
Raymond Contreras, Kelly Fisher, Lauren Gilliam, and Nathan Lechien, Indiana University Indianapolis; and Jasmina Cheeseman, Franklin College
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Graduate/Professional Education 

Enhancing the Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology Curriculum by Integrating Technology Facilitated Learning to Improve Student Experience and Practice Readiness
Graduating dentists are well prepared in the diagnosis and management of dental related issues but are less prepared in managing oral mucosal conditions. The Internet has become an established learning tool in dental education where students can access online images and videos on a range of dental subjects. However, finding reliable peer-reviewed content is not straightforward. To reinforce understanding of diagnosing oral mucosal lesions, we propose to build technology facilitated diagnostic content that strengthens fundamental and necessary knowledge. Improving student access to oral lesions through digital content will help our students improve patient care.
Angela Ritchie, Indiana University School of Dentistry
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Advanced
Primary Topic: Graduate/Professional Education 

Generative AI Assisted Qualitative Analysis of Focus Group Feedback Data
Analysis of qualitative data is a time-consuming process making the timely review and analysis of stakeholder feedback difficult to perform efficiently.  Various artificial intelligence (AI) tools have been used to process qualitative data, but those past tools (Natural Language Processors) have required extensive human input to review, label, and categorize the data and provide mostly statistical analysis.  To address this, we propose using consumer-level, Large Language Model (LLM) based, generative AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, CoPilot, and Claude.  Given the time-commitment involved in reviewing qualitative data, using an AI tool to complete even an initial review would save countless hours.
Laura Romito, Jeremy Fry, and David Zahl, Indiana University School of Dentistry
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Graduate/Professional Education 

Integrate Case-Based Pathology in the Curriculum to Meet the Needs of the Present Day and Future Professional Dental Hygienists
The dental hygiene educational guidelines recommended by the Commission on Dental Accreditation specify standards for general and oral pathology courses to provide knowledge base for critical thinking to construct informed and justifiable conclusions. Traditionally, the pathology education in the Dental Hygiene program at School of Dentistry has relied on teacher-delivered lectures that largely promotes surface learning/memorization. The objectives of our proposal were to revise the existing curriculum to a new blended-learning course that combines traditional and nontraditional methodologies, whereby students will engage in both face-to-face classroom sessions and web-based learning modules. We introduced the flipped classroom (FC) method for the introductory Oral pathology course taught in the spring semester of 2023. The student experience was evaluated by surveys conducted at the beginning, midway and the final week of the course. Data showed a trend towards increasing acceptance and decreasing disapproval for questions on learning experiences offered by the FC method. However, majority strongly agreed that the FC method increased their time commitment and disagreed on its value in motivating to learn. This introductory course is followed by an advanced Oral Pathology course in the fall semester for the same set of students. To enhance learning of clinical concepts, we revised the second course as Clinicopathological Conference-Interactive Case Discussions (CPC-ICD). While the students appreciated the case-based presentations, only 18% agreed that the FC method in the pre-requisite course helped. In conclusion, while the FC method was less well received, the CPC-ICD was better appreciated by this cohort of dental hygiene students.
Mythily Srinivasan, Twyla Rader, and Madison Roberts, Indiana University School of Dentistry
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Graduate/Professional Education 

Integrating Kahoot! Games in Teaching and Learning in a Pharmacy Curriculum
Millennials and GenZs in particular approach things differently compared to earlier generations, and this applies to the way they learn. Limitation in the best practices suited for teaching this generation can hamper their learning process. The attention span of this group of students is short and it worsens their ability to engage in more challenging professional programs such as the PharmD where students are expected to display mastery of content. The Kahoot! game has emerged as a platform to engage such students. In this study, we assessed PharmD students’ perception of the Kahoot! game and its influence on learning outcomes.
Edward Ofori, Ohio Northern University
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Graduate/Professional Education 

You Don’t Need to be a Statistician to Conduct Assessment: From Data to Decision-Making
Structural Equation Modeling? Bonferroni correction? ANOVA? While it may seem that you need to know these techniques, in reality you do not need to be a statistics expert to conduct meaningful assessment. In this session, the presenters will explain how they built a meaningful assessment of graduate student advising, using a model built on engagement and consensus with key stakeholders. Without using complicated statistics, the data were used to address the quality of advising within the unit and improve the graduate student experience.
Mitsu Narui and Kayla Arnold, The Ohio State University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Graduate/Professional Education

A Deep Dive into the Opportunities Landscape of Using Blackboard/EAC-Visual in Program Assessment
Programs have access to various students' performance data, such as the Course-Level Assessment, Student Exit Survey, and Internship Supervisor Survey. However, programs may not effectively use these data to demonstrate the program’s rigor to the employer or meet their accreditation body requirements. Streamlining the data integration process is essential for the program’s continuous improvement. Our presentation aims to demonstrate findings from using Blackboard/EAC-Visual to incorporate the Internship-Supervisor Survey results into our assessment framework. This process predicts the program’s compliance with our ABET accreditation requirements and ensures students’ success. The new process replaced our current practices of manually collecting the Internship Supervisor Survey data and supports our efforts in making data-informed decisions.
Mostafa El-Said and Samah Mansour, Grand Valley State University
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Grand Challenges in Assessment / Accreditation 

Benchmarking Assessment Course Syllabi in Graduate Higher Education and Student Affairs Programs: Implications for Practitioners
The ability to use and understand assessment is an expected competency for higher education staff and administration, yet assessment practices and education vary widely between institutions. This presentation will review the findings from a collaborative project across higher education professional associations analyzing assessment syllabi from Higher Education and Student Affairs graduate programs. We will discuss major findings and implications for the field of higher education assessment, focusing on connections to the Grand Challenges in Assessment Project and the role of graduate education in preparing higher education administrators.
Tori Rehr, The Ohio State University; Paul Holliday-Millard, University of North Carolina Charlotte; Shaun Boren, University of Florida; Natasha Jankowski, New England College; and Joseph D. Levy, Excelsior University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Grand Challenges in Assessment / Student Affairs and Co-Curricular Programs and Services

Equity Action Makers’ Assessment Projects: What Have We Learned Thus Far?
The Grand Challenges Project supports global collaborations informing equitable and evidence-informed practices for higher education assessment practitioners. The Grand Challenge’s Equity Action Makers Team conducted twenty interviews in 2023/2024 with assessment professionals across higher education disciplines and units to learn how they use assessment data to further equity. Initially using Bourdieu’s (1980) grounded theory, then considering Gee’s (2014) discourse analysis and Wenger’s (1998) communities of practice models, we examined the interviewee’s equity-based assessment practices in terms of how and which stakeholders are invited to the table, what equity-based assessment looks like in action, and how we know it is working.
Julene L. Jones and Mary K. Thompson, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Grand Challenges in Assessment / Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

Grand Challenges in Assessment - Findings From a Survey of the Measurement of Student Learning
The researchers seek to use this presentation to share findings from the survey results with Assessment Institute participants on the current trends in the measurement of student learning in the context of formative assessment, co-curricular learning, experiential learning, and multiple choice exams. The purpose of this study was to explore how faculty and staff at higher education institutions measure student learning using various assessment strategies. We were interested in understanding how the assessment of student learning happens at the institutional, programmatic, and course level. This research is exploratory, so we hoped to gain an understanding of student learning assessment.
Jessica N. Taylor, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; Chadia Abras, Johns Hopkins University; Suzanne Carbonaro, 1EdTech; and Rene' Schmauder, Clemson University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Grand Challenges in Assessment / Emerging Trends in Assessment 

Grand Challenges in Assessment: Visible and Actionable Findings to Drive Innovation
Institutions across the higher education landscape use assessment and other outcomes information to inform institutional planning. Institutions are often data-rich, but struggle to leverage data holistically to facilitate data-informed, innovative decisions. As part of the Grand Challenge of driving innovation by making findings visible and actionable, we seek to advance new or creative approaches to assessment and planning that support institutional excellence. This presentation will explore new or different frameworks for supporting innovation, and highlight several institutions that are exemplars for their planning and/or resource allocation. Ample time for discussion about other approaches and/or exemplar institutions will be included.
Joel Farrell, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Grand Challenges in Assessment / Institution-Wide Data Collection/Use 

Making a Grand Contribution - How to Address Grand Challenges in Assessment on Your Campus
The Grand Challenges in Assessment in Higher Education project is implementing strategic plans to address key challenges: 1) Using assessment findings to direct immediate pedagogical improvements; 2) Using assessment findings to increase equity; and 3) Producing visible and actionable assessment findings that drive innovation and improvement. In this session, we share highlights from our Assessment Update columns that provide easy ways to speed pedagogical improvements, increase equity and improve the actionability and visibility of assessment findings. We will also provide an overview of other conference sessions that take deeper dives into each of the three challenges.
Karen Singer-Freeman, Wake Forest University; Ken Gilson, Higher Education Consultant; Glenn Allen Phillips, Watermark; Christine Robinson, University of North Carolina at Charlotte; and Jessica N. Taylor, University of Tennessee at Chatanooga
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Grand Challenges in Assessment / Emerging Trends in Assessment 

Storytelling as Assessment and Assessment as Storytelling: Reading and Writing Equity
Wrestling with both the language of storytelling and the language of narrative, this presentation repositions assessment work as creative and historical, giving a double responsibility to its authors. How we speak of education and how we use this information to improve it begs the questions of character and audience. In these questions is the larger consideration of equity. This presentation explores what storytelling as an art can teach us about the institutional stories we are telling.
Glenn Allen Phillips, Watermark; Ciji Heiser, Co-Creating Action; Mary K. Thompson, University of Wisconsin-Madison; and University of Kentucky
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Grand Challenges in Assessment / Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Creating Organizational Knowledge: Institutional Effectiveness in Practice at Historically Black Colleges and Universities
In academia, the concept of Institutional Effectiveness (IE), a cyclical, closed-loop process of assessing academic programs and student services for continuous improvement, was introduced by a regional accrediting body, resulting in it being perceived as a compliance initiative. However, IE work centered on continuous improvement inherently achieves compliance with the added benefits of bolstering student outcomes, informing strategic planning, and promoting innovation. This study examines the characteristics of the work of IE professionals and those in related functions at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Through semi-structured interviews, the research identifies the IE activities and practices at HBCUs that not only fulfill compliance mandates but also create organizational knowledge. The implications of this study can advance organizational knowledge-creating practices among IE professionals at HBCUs and beyond for innovation in programs and services and for institutional sustainability.
Taneika Thompson, Howard University
Presentation Type: 60-Minute Concurrent Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HBCU Collaborative for Excellence in Educational Quality Assurance (HBCU‑CEEQA) / Leadership for Assessment

“Different” Conversations: The Pilot Implementation of the Citizens and Scholars Initiative at Benedict College
The broad diversity of student identities, overt opinions, and modes of campus expression necessitate the corresponding ability to engage across differences that students, in many cases, may not have (Niehaus, 2021). The gap between this goal and reality is especially pronounced on HBCU campuses. As a response to this challenge, educational institutions working with the Institute for Citizens & Scholars (C&S) have created a professional development initiative to help faculty prepare students and create new approaches for their campuses and colleagues. The presentation shares the emergent best practices of facilitating civic discourse during the pilot implementation of the Citizens and Scholars agenda at the Benedict College campus.
Alex Gorelik, Benedict College
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HBCU Collaborative for Excellence in Educational Quality Assurance (HBCU‑CEEQA) / Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Embracing Our Strengths: Unveiling an Asset Based Approach to Assessment at Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Assessment can unintentionally reinforce practices that uphold whiteness, such as key performance indicators, metrics, reporting, and accreditation, or carceral-logic, like compliance-based assessment plan completion. These approaches prove to be especially problematic for HBCUs like Howard University, which have a historical legacy of educating Black students and those from underrepresented backgrounds. Despite these challenges, HBCUs should engage in a rigorous assessment process to demonstrate the effectiveness of our efforts and our dedication to continuous improvement. Both are needed to position our institutions to deliver on the promise of Black higher education. Recognizing this, the Assessment Team at Howard University developed an HBCU assets-based framework for institutional assessment practices to guide assessment strategies, techniques, and buy-in for those within the HBCU landscape. As such, this presentation will reveal the core tenets of assessment used at Howard University to transform its culture of assessment while also providing insight into tangible high-impact practices that have aided in our successful transformation.
Alexus Laster, Pavithra Suresh, and Taneika Thompson, Howard University
Presentation Type: 60-Minute Concurrent Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HBCU Collaborative for Excellence in Educational Quality Assurance (HBCU‑CEEQA) / Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Celebrating What Works: High Impact Practices in the HBCU Community
This poster presentation will highlight the high-impact practices implemented in the HBCU community to increase student success and engagement. This presentation will reveal the findings from a study conducted by the Assessment Office in Spring 2024, where faculty and staff identified practices that are specific to HBCUs that aid in retention and student success. This poster is necessary as it will highlight the amazing work and efforts implemented by HBCUs with supporting their predominantly Black student population. This presentation will also provide a blueprint on how other institutions can better serve their Black students on their campuses.
Alexus Laster, Howard University
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: HIPs in the State/High-Impact Practices 

HIPs Research Speed Dating
Are you interested in collaborative research on High-Impact Practices (HIPs) but not sure where to start? Have you always wanted to work on a research team but had trouble finding the right people? The HIPs Research Speed Dating workshop will provide the opportunity to look for your perfect “HIPs research match”. This workshop will include a short overview of collaborative research, important factors to consider when forming a research team, and short conversations with a variety of faculty across different institutions who are interested in forming interdisciplinary research teams related to HIPs. The majority of the workshop will be spent in quick and painless “speed dating”-style rounds to provide ample opportunity to talk with other conference attendees who are interested in HIPs research collaborators. Each round will be guided by a few questions that will help to assess compatibility. The workshop will include time to reconnect with promising “matches” and to begin outlining your collaborative research plans.
Sara Evans, Kennesaw State University; and Jocelyn Evans, University of West Florida
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HIPs in the State/High-Impact Practices 

Assessment in Practice: Using an Escape Room to Raise Campus Awareness of Institutional Student Learning Outcomes
Join us as we unravel the journey behind the creation of Chattanooga State Community College's groundbreaking educational innovation, "The ISLO Challenge." This immersive escape room experience has been designed to not only foster awareness of our Institutional Student Learning Outcomes (ISLOs) but also to catalyze increased mobility and success for our cherished student community. We'll present empirical data and tangible results, revealing the profound impact the room has had on our student population. From heightened ISLO awareness to improved academic outcomes, the numbers tell a compelling story.
Angie E. Wood and Rebecca Aslinger, Chattanooga State Community College
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

But What Do They Call It?: Communicating the Value of Engaged Learning to Students
Campus faculty and staff clearly see the benefits of experiential learning, but how can they communicate the positive impacts in a way that truly resonates with today’s students? IU Indianapolis (IUI) staff underwent a comprehensive process to develop a student-centered brand strategy that clearly articulates the value of engaged learning, what distinguishes it from other ways that students use their time, and how it differentiates IUI from other institutions. The presenters will share details of the crafting of the strategy, an overview of the results, and future implications. Participants will have an opportunity to consider how a similar strategy might work on their campuses.
Lorrie A. Brown, Indiana University Indianapolis
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

Capstone Courses: Assessing College Writing
Presentation of a college capstone course requirement which targets the assessment of undergraduate student writing application during their senior year. Discussion will include the capstone course requirement and options for students, the methodology utilized to frame the course writing assignment, the design of the capstone rubric for writing and speaking assessment, and the process for assessing submitted writing and speaking projects.
Penny Quinn, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

Creating Authenticity in Online Practice Education: Using e-Simulations for HIPs
Criticisms of traditional assessment methods' subjectivity have led schools to use design-based practices (DBT) to explore online simulations as a high-impact practice (HIP) to create more authenticity in the learning process while assessing students’ skills. The online Objective Structured Clinical Examination (e-OSCE) represents one such simulation-based HIP, offering a humanistic, competency-based approach to practice skills development. This presentation will explore the strengths and limitations in using the e-OSCE as a HIP in an online Master of Social Work graduate program. Student assessments, learning outcomes, and feedback on the e-simulation experience will be presented.
Samantha N. Wolfe-Taylor, Christian Deck, and Kyle Walke, Indiana University School of Social Work
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

Developing a Small-Scale Study of Student Perspectives on ePortfolio Development
A multi-disciplinary faculty group from a Michigan urban regional comprehensive will share how they devised an IRB-exempt study of student perspectives about the process of creating a learning ePortfolio. Study participants are volunteers among the inaugural cohort completing a microcredential in Humanistic Inquiry as part of a themed pathway through General Education. Presenters will discuss groundwork leading to the study, the ePortfolio assignment the study investigates, and the values and interests of the study components. Any early findings available will be shared. Reflection and discussion will focus on impacts of reflective pedagogy and implications for studying HIPs in local contexts.
Stephanie Roach, Jennifer Alvey, and Kazuko Hiramatsu, University of Michigan-Flint
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

Embedding Feedback into Student Employment Programs
Campus student employment offers a rich, often overlooked avenue for meeting students' multifaceted needs. Beyond finances, it catalyzes academic enrichment, holistic development, and campus engagement akin to High-Impact Practices (HIPs). Though not officially recognized as an HIP, campus employment fosters university connection and self-esteem. This poster presents a feedback model at a large research institution highlighting four key practices: one-on-one meetings, hiring processes, performance evaluations, and skill application. Feedback and reflection, central to HIPs, are vital in fostering student growth, mentorship, and cross-curricular connections. The poster showcases on-campus employment's potential for student self-reflection, employer feedback, and mentoring.
Kathryn L. Lammers, University of Arkansas
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

ePortfolios on the Fives: Simplifying and Streamlining ePortfolio Building for Students and Faculty
Your students can build ePortfolios in most digital platforms using five basic tools, and they can create engaging ePortfolio pages using our three-by-five design strategies. Learn ePortfolio basics that take the mystery out of website building and help students get the most out of their ePortfolio experiences.
Debbie Oesch-Minor, Olivia Bradford, Sophie Carrison, and Michael Peck, Indiana University Indianapolis
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

Equity in Experiential Learning: Meeting Students’ Needs through Work-Based Learning
While internships are strongly promoted as a high-impact practice in higher education, college students who work while attending school are often unable to balance the demands of an internship in addition to their coursework and job. This session will highlight the development, implementation, and ongoing assessment of work-based learning through a new experiential learning course that fulfills general education requirements. Participants will discuss potential impact on students’ academic success and overall career readiness through work-based learning, as well as how to use work-based learning as a strategy to improve academic success of disadvantaged and marginalized student groups.
Kaila Bingen and Madhumita (Mita) Banerjee, University of Wisconsin-Parkside
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

Faculty Support for High-Impact Study Abroad Experiences: A Community of Practice Model
This presentation shares data collected from a year-long community of practice collaboratively developed by the Office of Global Engagement and Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence to support the intentional alignment of study abroad curriculum with the ten elements of high-impact practices and global competency frameworks. In addition to reviewing assessment artifacts and interview data from faculty and staff participants, we will explain how this replicable model for educational development distributes the labor across cross-campus partners to support faculty and staff in designing and delivering high-impact practices, like study abroad.
Amy Cicchino, Aaron Clevenger, and Sue Macchiarella, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Florida
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

High-Impact Practices and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)
Assessment is an integral element of High-Impact Practices (HIPs), serving as the cornerstone for validating their effectiveness in enhancing student learning and success. These dynamic, applied learning experiences are deemed "high-impact" only when supported by empirical evidence of their positive outcomes. While data collection is commonly conducted for internal institutional reporting, there exists a pressing need for broader communication of these findings. This dissemination is crucial for showcasing the significance and effectiveness of HIPs within the realm of higher education. We cordially invite you to participate in a panel discussion featuring esteemed scholar-practitioners and journal editors specializing in HIPs. This session offers a unique opportunity to delve into the scholarship surrounding HIPs and to advance your own research and program initiatives. The discussion will encompass a range of topics, including: (1) areas within HIPs that require additional research and scrutiny; (2) inquiries related to HIP pedagogy and its impact on student learning; (3) subjects that participants wish to see addressed in scholarly publications; and (4) effective strategies for publishing your research and insights in Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) journals. Join us for an enlightening exchange of ideas and insights that will enrich your understanding and scholarly dissemination of High-Impact Practices.
Jerry Daday, Indiana University Indianapolis; Jillian Kinzie, National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and Center for Postsecondary Research, Indiana University Bloomington; Sara Evans, Kennesaw State University; and Jocelyn Evans, University of West Florida
Presentation Type: 60-Minute Concurrent Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices

High-Impact Practices: Evaluating Impact on First-Generation Retention
High-impact practices (HIPs) are expected to engage traditional and nontraditional student populations at different levels and types. As a result, student retention is expected to increase. At Utah Valley University (UVU), we developed a visualization dashboard to measure the impact of individual and collective HIPs on students' persistence and retention using propensity score matching (PSM). This study's findings describe HIPs' effectiveness as a tool for supporting First-Generation students' retention and persistence. Compared to peers who did not participate in HIPs, First-Generation students involved in HIPs were retained at higher rates. (Semi-Finalist for the Research & Practice in Assessment (RPA)’s Best Scholarly Presentation Award)
Alaa Alsarhan, Utah Valley University
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

HIP Catalysts: Empowering High-Impact Practice Innovation through the Use of College HIP Liaisons
This session showcases ways to successfully increase faculty participation in HIPs through the use of a university-wide HIP liaison program. Despite differences in their college subject matter, these HIP liaisons were able to work together to increase HIP participation throughout the university and assist the university with their assessment and metric requirements. The presenters share with session participants the history of their HIP Liaison program along with the many successes that have come from it. This session provides practical methods that can assist an institution, no matter the size, with starting their own HIP Liaison program.
Andi Nelson, Holley Handley, Kristin Menson, and Lindsey Walk, University of West Florida
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

HIP Digital Badges: Building a Student Facing HIPs Structure
In this session, we will discuss how High-Impact Practices (HIPs) badging can be utilized by students and faculty to map the academic journey of scholars. We will also discuss how students can utilize these credentials to effectively communicate and share the skillsets they acquire in HIPs courses. This session is appropriate for those who have already implemented HIPs or those interested in helping students communicate the competencies gained in HIPs courses more effectively.
Raquel Adams, Southwest Tennessee Community College
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

HIPs Faculty Development Tracks: Scaling HIPs with Professional Development
In this session, we will discuss what Southwest Tennessee Community College has done to help scale High-Impact Practices (HIPs) across the curriculum. Developing a Community of Practice is an engaging way to inspire Faculty to develop and implement HIPs courses or assignments. Attendees can expect an overview of the STCC HIPs Faculty Development model and learn about additional ways to validate and support faculty engagement. This session is appropriate for CTL Directors, professional development facilitators, and faculty/staff who are interested in scaling HIPs at their institution.
Raquel Adams, Southwest Tennessee Community College
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

HIPs for All: Embedding HIPs in the Curriculum to Achieve More Equitable Participation
As the scholarship on high-impact practices evolves, discussion has shifted toward both ensuring equitable participation in these experiences and facilitating the integration and synthesis of said experiences into a student’s overall narrative of their undergraduate career. The purpose of this session is to facilitate a discussion about the role of multi-HIP programming at institutions of higher education and discuss the strategies taken by one institution to successfully implement such a program. Through the use of example resources, small group discussions, and guided activities, participants will reflect on how these strategies might be applied at their home institutions.
Josie Momberger, Old Dominion University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

HIPs Spectrum: Course Classification to College-Wide Congruency
Join us to learn the steps for applying the HIPs Spectrum and assessment process to your college or institution. We will build on the concept of the HIPs Spectrum (Marten et al., in press) introduced at the Assessment Institute in 2023. The HIPs Spectrum expands on the foundation established by Kuh (2008), introduces High Engagement Experiences (HEEs), and offers a nuanced understanding of impactful pedagogical practices along a continuum rather than a dichotomous categorization. This session covers the practical steps to go from individual course classification to systematic, consistent identification in a Student Information System.
Heather L. Kaminski and Kathryn Marten, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay; and Dianne Murphy, Marquette University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

In-Class Engagement Survey: Designate Courses by Level and Type of Engagement
Engaged activities incorporated in the course design are important factors in student success and retention. Students engaged in these activities are more likely to be motivated, invested in their learning, and successful in achieving their academic goals. At Utah Valley University (UVU), we developed a survey to measure student perceptions of engagement at the course level. Specifically, it focuses on curriculum engagement and community engagement, which are composed of the following measured values: Active and Collaborative Learning, Tools, Context, Theory and Knowledge, Application and Skills, Content, Client Interaction, and Community Involvement.
Alaa Alsarhan, Utah Valley University
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

Integrated Assessment of a Cross-Divisional First-Year Experience: Institutional Commitment, a Culture of Assessment, and Scaling HIPs at California State University, Dominguez Hills
Developing, scaling, and assessing HIPs is often challenging. California State University, Dominguez Hills is tackling this challenge through a redesigned First-Year Experience developed and assessed cross-divisionally and through organizational structures that support and reflect institutional commitment to expanding HIPs throughout all undergraduate majors. Three assessment directors will provide an overview of these structures, each discussing how their area fosters a culture of assessment that supports HIPs across campus and specifically the new FYE. They will also share the FYE assessment plan, methods, and preliminary data from the pilot year. Audience engagement will focus on HIPs and assessment at their institutions.
Michele Dunbar, Marisol Cardenas, and Rui Sun, California State University, Dominguez Hills
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

Introduction to High-Impact Practice
The purpose of this workshop is to familiarize attendees with the fundamentals of High-Impact Practices (e.g., internships, service-learning, and undergraduate research). As a result of the session, educators will be able to list specific learning opportunities, describe aspects of quality, and relate these experiences to important outcomes.
Jillian Kinzie, National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and Indiana University Bloomington; and John Zilvinskis, Binghamton University, State University of New York
Presentation Type: Pre-Institute Workshop
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

Level Up: Steps to Building and Assessing a University HIP Program
Learn how one University encouraged student success through a campus wide integration of High-Impact Practices (HIP) and Career competencies of critical thinking, teamwork, professionalism, oral communication, and written communication. As a result, the Morehead State University Leveled Up students’ career readiness. Supported by assessment, the HIP experiences in research, service learning, education abroad, and internships promote a continuous improvement cycle that allows students to earn a Level UP distinction.
Kimberely Nettleton, Morehead State University
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

LevelUP Student Learning and Success with ePortfolios: Making the Most of What You Have
Through the AACU’s Institute on ePortfolios, a team of interdisciplinary faculty and administrators developed a plan for institution-wide integration of ePortfolios. Recognizing ePortfolios as a meta high-impact practice, our team leveraged institutional enthusiasm associated with our Quality Enhancement Plan to advance ePortfolios use across academic and co-curricular programs. We’ll share how we applied existing technology tools to support ePortfolio implementation and assessment. Through this interactive workshop, participants will identify decision-making processes that support sustainable implementation and assessment of a high-impact practice initiative and examine the people, tools, and processes needed for integrating ePortfolio in their own program or institutional context.
Julie M. Estis and David Williams
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices

Mapping Academic Excellence: Understanding the Quality of Undergraduate Research Across Majors Using Biglan Classification
Despite ample insights into undergraduate research, it's unclear if positive outcomes apply universally. Each student's undergraduate research journey, shaped by backgrounds, majors, and institutional contexts, prompts questions about generalizability across diverse populations. This session assesses students’ undergraduate research quality across majors, using Biglan's categories—a framework for classifying disciplines. Through a detailed analysis of undergraduate research experiences, we aim to reveal nuanced variations among majors, identifying areas for improvement, contributing to a deeper understanding of the undergraduate research landscape.
Tien-Ling Hu and Allison BrckaLorenz, Indiana University Bloomington
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

Measuring Impact Along the HIPs Spectrum: A Case Study on Mentoring
Mentorship is not considered a High-Impact Practice, but should it be? What if we didn’t have to consider HIPs in such black-and-white definitions, but rather recognized elements of HIPs along a continuum? We’ll review the HIPs Spectrum (Murphy et al., 2023; Marten et al., in press) and the concept of a High Engagement Experience (HEE). Mentoring is a learning opportunity that contains many, but not all, elements of a HIP, so it’s a HEE. HEEs have quantifiable benefits to students in curriculum, so this session analyzes HEE’s impact on students through the case study of a student-to-professional mentoring program.
Kathryn Marten, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay; and Emily Barrett, Mentor Collective
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

Mentorship Matters: Boosting Student Success through Campus Employment
By examining how campus employment initiatives--akin to established High-Impact Practices--foster academic enrichment, holistic student development, and campus engagement, this presentation will highlight the transformative potential of campus employment beyond mere remuneration. Spotlighting a program at a large research institution, the presentation demonstrates how mentorship aids low-income and first-generation students. Preliminary findings indicate a correlation between job-related mentoring and higher retention rates, underscoring the significance of mentorship in student employment. Attendees will glean insights into this mentoring framework, uncovering key components for success and actionable strategies to bolster student support and academic persistence.
Kathryn L. Lammers, University of Arkansas
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

Prioritizing Student Safety in Experiential Learning: A Proactive Approach
Thousands of students engage in experiential learning every year, yet efforts to prepare students for these experiences vary. Through this workshop, you will reflect on how your institution prepares students for opportunities such as internships or community-based learning. You will also identify resources for faculty and students related to harassment that may occur during off-campus experiences. The presenters will share how they created a virtual training - “Safety and Empowerment for Experiential Learning: Professional Behavior and Appropriate Boundaries” - in response to students’ real experiences. This training is available to other campuses looking for ways to prepare students and mitigate liability.
Amy Garrigan and Kaila Bingen, University of Wisconsin-Parkside
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

Research Intensive Student Experience (RISE): Raising Student and Faculty Engagement in Undergraduate Research
This session covers the development process and first-year metrics of a co-curricular High-Impact Practice undergraduate research program within a college at a public university. The Research Intensive Student Experience (RISE) program provides funding for faculty to hire paid research assistants, resources to educate both the faculty and students about the collaborative research process, and a cohort-style support network of fellow researchers. Session attendees will leave with a framework to begin developing a similar program at their own institution. Quite literally, RISE empowers both faculty and students to rise to the challenge and pursue research together.
Kathryn Marten, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

Scaling HIPs: Broadening Access While Preserving Quality
The benefits of High Impact Practices (HIPs) to promote student learning and success are well documented. Many campuses desire scaling HIPs to offer opportunities for more students to avail themselves of these benefits, yet these interventions are often reliant on the passions, interests, and investments of energy and effort by individual educators, departments, or programs involved in their design and implementation. This workshop discusses ways to broaden access to HIPs while preserving elements of these experiences that make them so impactful. Strategies related to stakeholder engagement, faculty development, change management, resource allocation, and quality assurance—in the context of scaling HIPs—will be addressed. Participants will leave with a plan for scaling HIPs in their respective contexts.
Jerry Daday, Indiana University Indianapolis; and Lauren Loeffler, University of West Florida
Presentation Type: Pre-Institute Workshop
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

Student Success and Graduation Rates Associated With Enrollment in Multiple Experiential Learning High-Impact Courses
Presenters in this session will share examples of high-impact teaching practices utilized in the EXL Scholars Program at Middle Tennessee State University followed by a discussion of research findings from an extensive study regarding graduation rates of those enrolled in EXL courses. This longitudinal investigation explores the question, “Does graduation frequency improve incrementally with each experiential learning course completed and does student race or sex influence the results?”
Carol Swayze, Odie Blackmon, Janet McCormick, and Jim Rost, Middle Tennessee State University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

The Scholar’s Academy: A Framework for Designing, Implementing, and Publishing High-Impact Practices
High-Impact Practices (HIPs) are transformative teaching strategies that have been widely recognized for their effectiveness in enhancing student learning, engagement, retention, and success across various educational settings. The HIPs in the States track invites educators, researchers, and practitioners to explore the multifaceted dimensions of HIPs, emphasizing evidence-based assessment, program quality, equitable access, and the impact on student success. This workshop is a comprehensive half-day session aimed at equipping participants with the skills and resources necessary to implement a HIP project and produce scholarship from it. Through discussion and facilitated application related to designing, implementing, assessing, and publishing on a high-impact practice, this workshop culminates in a ready-to-use "project in a box" for participants to take home from the conference. This experience is aimed at those who have some foundational knowledge of HIPs and their design and implementation. Note: There is also a morning Scholar’s Academy workshop, facilitated by Organizers of the Assessment Institute and Editors from such publications as Assessment Update, Research & Practice in Assessment, the Journal of Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness, and the Journal of Student Affairs Inquiry, Improvement, and Impact.
Sara Evans, Kennesaw State University; and Jocelyn Evans, University of West Florida
Presentation Type: Pre-Institute Workshop
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

Transformative Change with Service Learning, Career Competencies, and Sustainability
Career readiness is the focus of USC Upstate’s Quality Enhancement Plan and is sprouting up across programs and opportunities are blossoming. The Engage Green service-learning and community engagement program began with an instructor-focused boot camp that encouraged instructors across the general education curriculum and UNIV U101 sections to work toward a shared project in collaboration with the Spartanburg Area Conservancy. Removing invasive plant species on the greenway across from campus transformed how we integrate NACE competencies in the curriculum. It also provided the opportunity to explore the concepts of sustainability in transdisciplinary settings.
Amanda Karls and Nick Karls, University of South Carolina Upstate
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

Transforming Curriculum through Faculty Development: High-Impact Pedagogy in Action
This workshop will invite participants to explore the benefits and challenges of integrating High-Impact Practices (HIPs) elements across the curriculum on their campuses. Workshop leaders will share successes and challenges encountered in the implementation of a campus-wide HIPs integration program at their home institution that focuses on improving faculty support for and implementation of HIPs into courses of all levels across the curriculum. The participants will engage in identifying the key elements of professional development around HIPs pedagogy at their institution and the approaches to evaluate the impact of this work on faculty and student success.
Irina Makarevitch, Sarah Greenman, Marcela Kostihova, and Alina Oxendine, Hamline University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

Undergraduate Professional Development Beyond the Classroom: Assessing the Impact of a Global Consulting Program on Undergraduate Students in International Studies
The Global Development Consulting (GDC) program responds to the growing demand for experiential learning in higher education by providing undergraduate students with co-curricular opportunities to complete client-based projects in international development. By collaborating with global partners, students tackle real-world challenges, enhancing their professional and leadership skills for international careers. In this presentation, we will discuss how a co-curricular client-based program can integrate global learning and professional development in the area of international development and explain how the Context-Input-Process-Product (CIPP) model applies to a co-curricular, experiential learning program. Finally, we will highlight the benefits and challenges of co-creating an evaluation with students.
Elisheva L. Cohen and Xiaoxia Zhang, Indiana University Bloomington
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices 

Value-Added High-Impact Practices (HIPs): Exploring the Impact of HIPs on Students' Personal and Professional Development
How valuable or meaningful are high-impact practices (HIPs) to students’ personal or professional development? What HIPs do students find most valuable and why? Does the perceived value of HIPs differ based on gender and underrepresented minority (URM) status? These questions and more will be addressed based on qualitative data from an institution-wide senior survey that prompts students to reflect on their undergraduate experience. Themes, subthemes, and exemplary quotes will be used to communicate the value students place on their participation in HIPs. Limitations and implications will also be addressed.
Linell D. Edwards and Kaitlyn Mullings, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices

A Coherent Data Model for Learning Outcomes Assessment
Insufficient evidence of assessment and continuous improvement remains the most frequent problem in reaffirmation. Despite over twenty years of focusing on outcomes assessment, many colleges and universities still struggle to scale and sustain a meaningful assessment system. A radically new data model for learning outcomes assessment will be described that overcomes many of the obstacles that cause other systems to fail. The new model uses individually identifiable student performance data, so data can be aggregated by degree program, and it collects data on every student in every class every semester.
Douglas Walcerz, Lee College
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Institution-Wide Data Collection/Use 

A Data Framework for Outcomes Assessment and Reporting
This session will provide an overview of Morehouse School of Medicine’s framework for the use of outcomes data in the advancement of its educational mission. Facilitators will describe the domains of data and how those domains align to assessment efforts. Participants will learn how the MSM Master Assessment Data Plan is structured and used to promote academic excellence. Participants will hear about how MSM’s enhanced data culture makes use of very resolute data to provide deep insights about the nature and performance of students, degree programs, academic and student support units, and other institutional data.
Mark Howse and Brandi Newkirk, Morehouse School of Medicine
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Institution-Wide Data Collection/Use 

Assessment Methodology, Alignment, Iterative Change(s), and Outcomes of an Institution-Wide Inclusive Advising Initiative
Academic advising is not often thought of as a place for inclusion initiatives. Yet at Purdue, meeting with one’s academic advisor every semester is one of the few requirements shared across all undergraduate programs. This session describes collaborating across institutional silos (academic advising, diversity and inclusion, institutional research & provost’s office) to understand how students define inclusive advising and to help advisors enact it. Topics include: selection and design of assessment instruments, formative use of qualitative data, transparency & communication for advisor buy-in and what our findings indicate, to date, about culture shift among advisors and impact on minority students.
Katherine N. Yngve, Purdue University
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Institution-Wide Data Collection/Use 

Creating and Implementing a Data Ecosystem for Assessing Sexual Violence Campus Climate
Creating a data ecosystem for campus climate is better for addressing campus sexual assault than relying only on large-scale, quantitative climate surveys. In this session, we discuss our case study examining the implementation of a data ecosystem as defined by Driver-Linn and Svensen (2017). We share our template for adopting a university-wide climate data ecosystem as informed by our findings. We discuss how campus relationships and perceptions are just as important to a climate ecosystem as the collection and use of the data. Attendees will leave with a strategy to create or improve a climate data ecosystem at their institution. (Semi-Finalist for the Research & Practice in Assessment (RPA)’s Best Scholarly Presentation Award)
Sarah Socorro Hurtado and Caitlyn Glaser, University of Denver
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Institution-Wide Data Collection/Use 

Dashing through the Know: Taking the Reins Over Your Data
Have you ever wondered how to track the assorted bits of data you collect about student outcomes? Do you get overwhelmed when trying to use outcomes data for research? Come learn how Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine uses Excel dashboards to track student progress across the curriculum and find connections and trends in the various pieces of outcomes data.
Katrina Jolley and Stacy Anderson, Lincoln Memorial University - College of Veterinary Medicine
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Institution-Wide Data Collection/Use 

From Application to Graduation: Cross-Campus Collaboration to Define, Identify, and Serve First-Generation College Students
One of the persistent challenges institutions of higher education face in supporting first-generation college students is accurate data collection and usage. Differences in how first-generation college students are defined or identified and where information is collected from contribute to ambiguity and inconsistent data. During this session, we will address the question of how institutions can develop the infrastructure and culture to overcome challenges related to data collection, and subsequent support, of first-generation college students. Audience members will be able to brainstorm ideas for application at their home institutions and will engage in discussion over challenges and opportunities.
Katie Busby, Lauren Jones, and Ashleen Williams, The University of Mississippi
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Institution-Wide Data Collection/Use 

How to Build an Assessment Culture and Normalize Cross-Campus Collaboration
Like many higher education institutions, the University of Michigan-Flint (UM-Flint) consists of two core divisions: Academic Affairs and Student Affairs. Our university began a major strategic transformation initiative in 2022 that encourages data-driven methods to assess programs across the university. This session will examine a case study focused on students who face economic and academic barriers. We provide examples of measurable outcomes, accessible data, potential partners across the university, and a blueprint for building a collaborative assessment culture at a midsized urban regional public university.
John Girdwood, Beth Green, and Stephanie Hare, University of Michigan-Flint
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Institution-Wide Data Collection/Use 

Institutionalized Program Evaluation Change: An Annual Process
The presenters will tell a success story of the recent transformation of the institutional program evaluation at Capella University. The presenters will walk the participants through the detailed process of revamping the program evaluation, including the challenges before the change, the journey to standardize program data and the evaluation process, the new design of the program evaluation template, and change implementation strategies. The presenters will also share the change outcomes and future considerations.
Jie He and Laura Sankovich, Capella University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Institution-Wide Data Collection/Use 

Missing the Mark: HBCU Students Perception Toward Course Evaluations
The Assessment Team at Howard University is committed to increasing student engagement and completion rates with its course evaluations, and one of our initiatives was to explore the attitudes and perceptions of HBCU students with completing course evaluations. We created a survey, which was sent to 3,000 students across all fields, disciplines, and academic levels. In this presentation, we will present the findings from this exploratory case study and engage in a discussion of tangible ways that HBCUs can build trust with their students and confidence in course evaluations.
Alexus Laster, Pavithra Suresh, and Taneika Thompson, Howard University
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Institution-Wide Data Collection/Use 

Student Achievement of Institutional Learning Outcomes: Case Study of a Regional University in Western Canada
Many argue that students need literacy, numeracy, problem-solving, critical thinking, and (intercultural) communication skills, yet assessing these skills remains challenging. This session presents a case study of a Canadian university engaged in multiple action research cycles to evaluate students’ critical thinking and communication skills in science and professional programs. Graduates demonstrated proficiency in technical communication and articulating research topics with few grammatical errors. However, they lacked in applying theories and research methodologies, and using quality scholarly evidence. Further development is needed in defending multiple perspectives. The study provides insights into institutional learning outcomes assessment in North America.
Alana Hoare and Lorry-Ann Austin, Thompson Rivers University
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Institution-Wide Data Collection/Use 

The Art or Skill of Doing More with Less
Is it an Art or a Skill? Improving retention rates through assessment does not always have to be a sacrifice to your budget. This session is designed to explore ways institutions can leverage smaller budgets by taking a low-cost approach to assessing student experiences while increasing retention rates of student bodies.
Isaac Barber, Greenville University; and Erica Marshall, Huntington University
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Institution-Wide Data Collection/Use 

Toward a Common Assessment Language at a University Campus
Formal assessment reporting for data-driven decision making is a relatively new practice at educational institutions, dating back to the 1990s. Our faculty and staff colleagues are willing participants in our institution-wide assessment efforts and are engaged in conversations focused on improving student learning. Over the years, we have noticed that utilization of a common assessment language remains an opportunity for growth. We have therefore generated a survey to explore their existing foundational assessment knowledge and use the results as a basis to create a common glossary to share on our website and utilize when we gather to support one another’s efforts.
Monica Desir, Laura Carroll, and Anneris Coria-Navia, Andrews University
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Institution-Wide Data Collection/Use 

Transformative Approaches to Data-Informed Academic Program Review: Strategies for Transparency, Accountability, and Collaboration
This presentation describes a data-driven approach to Academic Program Review, emphasizing transparency, accountability, communication, and collaboration. A case study from a regional comprehensive university illustrates collaborative efforts among Academic Affairs, Institutional Effectiveness and Research, and Student Success. Key themes include gathering authentic stakeholder input, integrating Academic Program Review with institutional processes, aligning with student success metrics, and fostering cross-institutional collaborations. Strategies for garnering support, enhancing decision-making, and promoting improvement are discussed. Attendees will gain insights into navigating challenges, leveraging data, and fostering a culture of collaboration to ensure Academic Program Review contributes effectively to institutional effectiveness and student success.
Jennifer Wies and Bethany Miller, Eastern Kentucky University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Institution-Wide Data Collection/Use 

Turning Data and Assessment into Action
Emphasis has been placed on the need for higher education leaders to make data-informed decisions that lead to increased student success metrics and better ROI. In student affairs, we’re often left wondering how to “prove” the significance of the work we do. Student affairs data tends to be decentralized and disparate, ranging from surveys to card swipes. In this session, we'll go on a journey to explore a nearly decade-long evolution at the University of Georgia to centralize student affairs data and turn it into actionable information.
Annie Carlson Welch and Sarah Strickland, University of Georgia
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Institution-Wide Data Collection/Use 

Using the Four Frames Model to Improve Student Learning Assessment Processes and Products
We describe a collaboration between administration and a teaching center to improve academic program assessment processes and products by targeting change, based upon the Four Frames Model, to structures (timelines, rubrics, collection, and dashboard), symbols (linking dedication to quality teaching with assessment), people (cultivating champions), and power (leadership, trust in faculty development professionals, and faculty ownership). Results have demonstrated increased participation and improved quality. We conclude by identifying future areas for improvement involving institutional support, governance and leadership, program resources, and assessment thinking. Attendees will leave with ideas for tangible improvements organized around an effective model for institutional change.
Anita K. McCauley, Amanda Griffith, Anne Hardcastle, and Karen E. Singer-Freeman, Wake Forest University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Institution-Wide Data Collection/Use

"What Does it Mean to Me?” Mastering Data Storytelling to Increase the Tangibility and Visibility of Assessment
Resistance to formal assessment processes is often accompanied by faculty and staff observations that assessment findings do not appear to be impactful or understandable. Assessment leaders may positively frame their assessment reports to ease resistance, but this still does not necessarily address the audience’s intrinsic motivations. This session will provide an overview of best practices in data storytelling and its potential for empowering assessment reports to fulfill intrinsic desires. Participants will then complete an exercise in creating a rich, compelling narrative out of hypothetical assessment data.
Terrance Cao, Pepperdine University
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Institution-Wide Data Collection/Use

A Change Model for Equity-Centered Assessment
Books, journal articles, and case studies regarding equity-centered assessment have been published in the past few years. While these resources provide helpful examples and useful strategies, what has been missing is a change model for building a culture of equity-centered assessment in colleges and universities. In this session, presenters will outline a model of change to promote equity-centered assessment and provide tips for implementing and using this model on participants’ home campuses.
Gavin Henning, New England College; Ciji Heiser, Developing Capacity Coaching, LLC; and Anne Lundquist, The Hope Center at Temple University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Leadership for Assessment 

Assessment Components Revision: A Collaborative Procedure for Re-Articulating and Aligning Program Curricula to Inform Effective and Efficient Assessment
In 2021, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) launched a substantial revision of assessment processes in order to revitalize its culture of assessment. A major component of this effort was the development of a procedure for facilitating collaborative curricular re-articulation and alignment in order to inform more effective and efficient assessment for continuous improvement. This “components revision” process was launched in the Fall 2022 semester and is ongoing. Attendees will learn about this procedure in the context of its implementation at NJIT and leave with numerous resources for adapting and facilitating it at their own institutions.
Jeremy P. Reich, New Jersey Institute of Technology
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Leadership for Assessment 

Creating and Implementing a Sustainable Assessment Process: Practical Approaches for Harmonizing Accountability and Improvement
The fundamental purpose of assessment is to continually enhance student learning. However, in most educational institutions, the design and execution of assessments are predominantly tied to meeting external demands, such as accreditation and state mandates. Unfortunately, this approach often relegates systematic improvements in student learning and program effectiveness to mere byproducts of the assessment process. In this presentation, we offer practical strategies for creating, implementing, and sustaining a systematic institutional assessment process. These strategies are geared toward fostering a culture of continuous improvement, particularly in light of the ongoing challenges posed by the pandemic and the advancements in artificial intelligence, while also addressing compliance requirements.
Felix Wao, University of Oklahoma
Presentation Type: Pre-Institute Workshop
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Leadership for Assessment 

Creating Organizational Knowledge: Institutional Effectiveness in Practice at Historically Black Colleges and Universities
In academia, the concept of Institutional Effectiveness (IE), a cyclical, closed-loop process of assessing academic programs and student services for continuous improvement, was introduced by a regional accrediting body, resulting in it being perceived as a compliance initiative. However, IE work centered on continuous improvement inherently achieves compliance with the added benefits of bolstering student outcomes, informing strategic planning, and promoting innovation. This study examines the characteristics of the work of IE professionals and those in related functions at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Through semi-structured interviews, the research identifies the IE activities and practices at HBCUs that not only fulfill compliance mandates but also create organizational knowledge. The implications of this study can advance organizational knowledge-creating practices among IE professionals at HBCUs and beyond for innovation in programs and services and for institutional sustainability.
Taneika Thompson, Howard University
Presentation Type: 60-Minute Concurrent Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HBCU Collaborative for Excellence in Educational Quality Assurance (HBCU‑CEEQA) / Leadership for Assessment

Designing a Comprehensive Assessment Plan for Student Success
Student success is typically defined by GPA, retention, persistence, and career outcomes. To foster these outcomes, colleges and universities provide academic and other support services. However, missing from this success equation are critical considerations such as basic needs, belonging, and self-efficacy. In this session, presenters will share a framework conceptualizing the connection between needs and outcomes that will be used to guide participants through a process to develop a comprehensive assessment plan for student success. Participants will leave with actionable strategies for assessing student success and its antecedents.
Gavin Henning, New England College; and Anne Lundquist, Temple University
Presentation Type: Pre-Institute Workshop
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Leadership for Assessment 

Fostering Educational Excellence: The Role Stakeholders Play in Assessment Planning
Stakeholder engagement is pivotal for comprehensive and planned assessment to inform program decisions. By involving stakeholders, assessments gain depth, accuracy, and increased validity, leading to informed and balanced outcomes that better serve the needs of the organization and the community. Presenters will explore the multifaceted role of stakeholders in assessment, their contribution to gathering diverse perspectives, aligning goals, ensuring relevance, and fostering inclusivity. The essential role leaders have in guiding assessment practices, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, and facilitating collaboration among stakeholders will be emphasized.
Kathleen M. Williamson, Indiana University Fort Wayne; and Sharon F. Beasley, University of the District of Columbia
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Leadership for Assessment 

he Scholar’s Academy: From Evidence-Informed Inquiry to Knowledge Dissemination
The purpose of the Scholar’s Academy is to: (1) promote the use of evidence-informed perspectives in teaching, learning, assessment, and improvement, (2) equip participants with the frameworks, resources, and networks to support their growth as evidence-informed professionals, and (3) encourage the dissemination of promising practices, lessons learned, and ideas for consideration, replication, or adaptation through conference presentations and articles in publication outlets. Participants will leave the workshop with a plan to conduct evidence-informed scholarly inquiry in their context—including Zoom-based follow-up support—with the goal leading to eventual knowledge dissemination. Note: There is also an afternoon Scholar’s Academy workshop, organized by the HIPs in the States Community of Practice, with an emphasis on High Impact Practices (HIPs) scholarship.
Organizers of the Assessment Institute and Editors from such publications as Assessment Update, Research & Practice in Assessment, the Journal of Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness, and the Journal of Student Affairs Inquiry, Improvement, and Impact
Presentation Type: Pre-Institute Workshop
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Leadership for Assessment 

Humanizing Change Management in Higher Education
Change is exciting when it's happening *with* you, but scary when it's happening *to* you. Implementing a new program review process, adjusting to revised standards, improving data collection, overhauling a general education curriculum—these are all examples of change. In this session, the presenters will propose approaches for navigating the interpersonal aspects of change in higher education using six lenses for change management. These approaches were developed using Q-Methodology, a mixed-methods approach, to create perspectives on what makes change more (or less) palatable to those affected by and crucial to the effective implementation of change.
Erica Eckert, Kent State University; and Andy Sokolich, Cuyahoga Community College - Metropolitan Campus
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Advanced
Primary Topic: Leadership for Assessment 

Life After Meta-Assessment: James Madison University’s Assessment Evolution
James Madison University has been practicing program assessment since the 1980s. Naturally, our practice has evolved. Over the past year we abandoned our practice of ‘meta-assessment’ (a system that successfully helped us summarize institutional assessment for accreditation purposes and provide consistent feedback to faculty). Though risky, we believe our new approach will enable us to expand our definition of assessment and build more meaningful partnerships with programs across campus. In this interactive session, we invite participants to consider their own institutional history of assessment, analyze their situational factors that enable or prohibit change, and evaluate opportunities with new hypothetical assessment structures.
Megan Good, Josiah Hunsberger, and Stephanie LeRoy, James Madison University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Leadership for Assessment 

Making Meaningful Differenc es: The Application of Organizational Change Models to Cultures of Assessment
Assessment leaders are commonly encouraged to help their institutions build a culture of student learning. However, this can be a complex process, and framing the effort with positivity does not prevent challenges from occurring. Despite this, there is potential for organizational change models to facilitate best practices while mitigating potential challenges This session will provide an overview of organizational change models and their potential applications in building positive cultures of assessment. Audience members will then collaborate in following an established organizational change model to develop a plan for building a culture of student learning.
Terrance Cao, Sohee Lee, Jennifer Miyake-Trapp, and Elias Saade
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Leadership for Assessment 

Revitalizing Assessment: Stories from James Madison University, Auburn, and Furman
In the pursuit of accountability and improvement, assessment offices are often pulled between accreditation reporting, research on student learning, and faculty development. The logistical challenges of reporting can push out the other two goals. This session invites participants to think creatively about how to stay accredited while expanding research and/or faculty development activities. Examples from three institutions illustrate different approaches.
Megan R. Good, James Madison University; Katie Boyd, Auburn University; and David Eubanks, Furman University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Leadership for Assessment 

Systems-Thinking and Relationship Building to Address Accreditation and Institutional Efficiency
Attendees will navigate complex assessment challenges to meet program review/accreditation requirements through collaboration, essentialism, and systems-thinking. Attendees will engage with networking and relationship-building strategies to practice engaging different units across campus and leverage this content toward change leadership. Using essentialism and systems-thinking, facilitators will highlight strategies to help assessment leaders at all levels garner greater support from their teams and prioritize assessment practices campus-wide. Participants will develop strategies to leverage at their institutions and embrace greater diversity in assessment, develop and strengthen their assessment leaders, and establish useful toolkits, workflows, and systems to ensure effectiveness and efficiency.
David Fuentes, University of Portland; Jeremy Hughes and Sterling Richards, Chicago State University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Leadership for Assessment

Adaptable Analytics: Improving Technical Literacy For All
Adaptable Analytics seeks to reverse the traditional technical literacy equation. Normally, technical education seeks to “tech up” non-technical individuals by focusing on the technology (e.g. coding, machine learning). The approach contradicts adult learning theory (Knowles, 1984) and the basic motivation model (Urhahne & Wijnia, 2023). Adaptable Analytics presents computational infrastructure to allow adult learners to leverage data science tools in their area of learning interest. It then allows them to explore and alter the technology at their level of comfort, while working at their own pace to increase their technical expertise. This is hands on, so please bring your laptop.
Thomas Pike and Melissa LaDuke, National Intelligence University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Learning Improvement

Analyzing Actions for Improvement in Program Assessment
A key part of closing the loop involves using assessment results to propose interventions that can be made to seek improvement in student learning. Texas Woman’s University uses a set of codes to track “actions for improvement” recommended by faculty in their annual assessment reports. Understanding the types of interventions faculty are proposing may assist assessment professionals in promoting learning improvement efforts more effectively. In this session, presenters will share an overview of the actions for improvement codes, discuss preliminary findings of their analysis, and engage attendees in a discussion of potential uses of this information for assessment.
Mary Rosene, Texas Woman's University
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Learning Improvement 

Assessment and Best Practices in Inclusive Post Secondary Education
Across the United States, 328 inclusive post-secondary education (IPSE) programs are focused on providing college experience to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This presentation will discuss the admission requirements, assessment tools, and learned best practices for selecting the best candidates. Additionally, data from previous years will be used to demonstrate areas of growth related to academics, social interaction, and career development. Finally, recommendations for continued and enhanced assessments will be presented.
Neil E. Duchac, Kennesaw State University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Learning Improvement 

Enhancing Learning Improvement through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
The genre of research in which educators investigate the effectiveness of their curriculum and pedagogy is often referred to as the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). This presentation will argue that SoTL has natural connections to program assessment and learning improvement efforts. In this presentation, a number of different SoTL methodological approaches will be described, including student interviews, classroom observations, think-alouds, close readings, and portfolios. Participants will be invited to share their own experiences participating in and/or facilitating SoTL inquiry projects, and recommendations will be offered regarding how to bridge SoTL and assessment efforts.
Aaron S. Zimmerman, University of Colorado Boulder
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Learning Improvement 

Ideas, Research, and Writing: Understanding Composition on a Human Level
Throughout online composition courses, students learn grammar, research, and written reflection, but these skills present challenges. From the outset, students realize expectations, so they adapt to a learning experience. Thus, discussion boards and classes are valuable forums where instructors encourage ideas, building dialogues involving annotation and credible evidence. Then students personalize learning, develop confidence and abilities, and transform, even from areas of discomfort. Employing a vital base of knowledge, students better comprehend the uses of grammar and research, and they become the tried-and-true writers that they envision. With conviction and understanding, instructors witness students' transformations and careful development.
Sara E. Wink and Robert Musante, Purdue Global
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Advanced
Primary Topic: Learning Improvement 

Intervention and Improvement: Leveraging Feedback-Driven Assessment through Technological Innovations and Other Best Practices
This presentation is built upon the premise that improvement of student learning is a methodical process that requires intervention to succeed. This moves beyond simple assessment, which is less the subject, and more the process. Using processes created through Qualtrics and Tableau functionality, the presenters have built a foundational piece that it is hoped will aid in improving fundamental assessment practices and understanding. Ultimately, provided reporting feedback will seek to aid faculty in the development of stronger learning strategies. These tools are merely the beginning, but without a solid foundation, true improvement is hard to attain.
Dan Stroud, West Texas A & M University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Learning Improvement 

It is Time to Twist the Assessment Loop!
This presentation challenges the conventional loop structure of academic assessment in higher education, where feedback is typically delivered post-learning cycle, limiting its impact on students' learning improvement. By proposing a paradigm shift, this research introduces a groundbreaking assessment technique that transforms the traditional loop into a Möbius strip—a one-sided surface without boundaries. The Möbius strip creates a continuous and seamless feedback loop, fostering collaborative and formative assessment practices throughout the learning process.
Adam Watkins and Matthew Shaver, Lincoln Land Community College
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Learning Improvement 

Learning to Write or Writing to Learn? Actionable Data for the Assessment of Student Writing
How do your faculty shape their course writing assignments? We examine data related to writing assignments that involve interactivity, meaning-making, and clear expectations. We also consider emerging practices related to expectations around the use of generative AI tools, openness to diverse ways of expression from students’ homes or cultural communities, and the use of writing portfolios. Findings from a NSSE pilot of a new set of writing questions will be presented and discussed.
Robert M. Gonyea and Kevin Wenger, Indiana University Bloomington
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Learning Improvement 

Lost in Learning Assessment Lingo? Let’s Talk Strategies for Promoting Learning Improvement through Shared Understanding
Even though assessment of student learning has been a part of the higher education landscape for decades, barriers to addressing learning improvement persist. We spend a good deal of time codeswitching to clarify the goals of evidence-based assessment practices. Building from our 2023 session, we will engage in deeper resource sharing through team-based learning (TBL) application activities. We aim for participants to gain new perspectives on effective assessment communication while contributing to community knowledge sharing. Through structured learning opportunities, we hope to further demystify assessment language and provide practical communication tools as part of our ongoing research study.
David S. Williams and Julie Estis, University of South Alabama; and Cecelia Martin, Clark College
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Advanced
Primary Topic: Learning Improvement

AI-Assisted Assessment of Expected Competency Outcomes in Education Programs
This study explores the utilization of AI in predicting competency outcomes within Outcome-Based Education programs and categorizing essential competencies within such programs. The research addresses one core question: can AI accurately forecast competency outcomes within OBE programs? Recognizing that AI augments rather than replaces human decision-making in education, this study evaluates the strengths and limitations of AI, aiming to enhance the assessment of education quality by facilitating the delivery of necessary competencies. Moreover, the proposed AI-assisted methodology emerges as a potential tool for aiding in multidisciplinary program review. Findings from specific case studies highlight opportunities for refining this approach. (Semi-Finalist for the Research & Practice in Assessment (RPA)’s Best Scholarly Presentation Award)
Miriam Celia Bergue Alves, Naval Postgraduate School
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Competency-Based Education and Assessment 

Countering Structural Violence, Fostering Well-being: A Critical Environmental Justice Approach to Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL)
This study examines how COIL, informed by critical environmental justice and critical pedagogy, addresses environmental injustices, structural violence, and health inequalities among college students. The Collaborative Action on Transmedia Human Rights (CATHR) program, designed with a Challenge-Based Learning framework, fosters student well-being, civic engagement, and environmental awareness. Through ethnographic methods, this research demonstrates the program's effectiveness in reducing stress, anxiety, and hopelessness while empowering learners to engage with environmental justice issues and advocate for human rights and democracy. This study highlights COIL's potential to promote individual and community well-being amidst violence and contribute to a more just and sustainable world. (Semi-Finalist for the Research & Practice in Assessment (RPA)’s Best Scholarly Presentation Award)
José-Luis Jiménez-Figarotti, Florida Atlantic University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Experiential Learning 

Creating and Implementing a Data Ecosystem for Assessing Sexual Violence Campus Climate
Creating a data ecosystem for campus climate is better for addressing campus sexual assault than relying only on large-scale, quantitative climate surveys. In this session, we discuss our case study examining the implementation of a data ecosystem as defined by Driver-Linn and Svensen (2017). We share our template for adopting a university-wide climate data ecosystem as informed by our findings. We discuss how campus relationships and perceptions are just as important to a climate ecosystem as the collection and use of the data. Attendees will leave with a strategy to create or improve a climate data ecosystem at their institution. (Semi-Finalist for the Research & Practice in Assessment (RPA)’s Best Scholarly Presentation Award)
Sarah Socorro Hurtado and Caitlyn Glaser, University of Denver
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Institution-Wide Data Collection/Use 

Development of Medical Faculty Workload Model to Improve Productivity and Prevent Burnout
Faculty productivity and effectiveness are evaluated on teaching effectiveness, service, clinical practice, and research productivity. Faculty workload models ensure equitable distribution of workload and prevent burnout. Developing a workload model is challenging because faculty engage in a variety of projects and activities that are difficult to objectively list and quantify. Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine developed a comprehensive workload model to measure and improve faculty productivity. Our presentation will provide a framework to evaluate faculty workload for self-assessment and meeting institutional expectations and vision. We will also describe strategies to engage faculty in the development and adoption of a workload model. (Semi-Finalist for the Research & Practice in Assessment (RPA)’s Best Scholarly Presentation Award)
Rahul Garg and Lawrence LeClaire, Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Faculty/Professional Development 

Fostering Intercultural Competence and Research Skills in STEM Undergraduate Students through Mentored Social Science Research
This study evaluates the Summer Research Mentorship Program's effectiveness in enhancing STEM students' intercultural competencies and research skills. It leverages Kolb's Experiential Learning Framework within a 6-week social science research project, mentored by intercultural specialists. Data was collected through weekly retrospective and exit interviews and was thematically analyzed. Results indicate improved research efficacy, cultural sensitivity, awareness, adaptability, and heightened interest in pursuing research in graduate studies among participants. These findings highlight the program's role in preparing globally competent professionals and suggest implications for educational practices and curriculum design, advocating for research mentorship to develop well-rounded, adaptable researchers for the global workforce. (Semi-Finalist for the Research & Practice in Assessment (RPA)’s Best Scholarly Presentation Award)
Aparajita Jaiswal and Sakhi Aggrawal, Purdue University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: STEM Education 

High-Impact Practices: Evaluating Impact on First-Generation Retention
High-impact practices (HIPs) are expected to engage traditional and nontraditional student populations at different levels and types. As a result, student retention is expected to increase. At Utah Valley University (UVU), we developed a visualization dashboard to measure the impact of individual and collective HIPs on students' persistence and retention using propensity score matching (PSM). This study's findings describe HIPs' effectiveness as a tool for supporting First-Generation students' retention and persistence. Compared to peers who did not participate in HIPs, First-Generation students involved in HIPs were retained at higher rates. (Semi-Finalist for the Research & Practice in Assessment (RPA)’s Best Scholarly Presentation Award)
Alaa Alsarhan, Utah Valley University
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: HIPs in the States/High-Impact Practices

Leveraging Student Voices to Center Career Self-Efficacy in STEM PhD Programs
Attrition rates for PhD STEM programs remains above 45% nationally, and programs increasingly must navigate how to assess the student experience with an eye toward actionable improvement. Designing tools that collaboratively and equitably gather data is a challenge, and using the findings can be even trickier. This session will explore a three-year mixed-methods assessment, from collection through dissemination, of career self-efficacy in STEM PhD students, using a collaborative assessment lens. Information about how our findings have led to changes made to both curriculum (i.e., data bootcamps, new skills-based classes) and new workshop offerings on diverse careers, will be discussed. (Semi-Finalist for the Research & Practice in Assessment (RPA)’s Best Scholarly Presentation Award)
Jennifer Claydon and Meghan Bathgate, Yale University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: STEM Education

Revisiting our Assessment Review Process: A Meta-Assessment Approach
The past 4 years have issued an abundance of change at the Office of Institutional Assessment (OIA) at the University of Florida (UF). Recent changes in legislation and leadership have prompted us to take a step back and examine our past assessment practices to revisit our current practices and shape future endeavors. We are embracing a meta-assessment approach that utilizes two strategies to evaluate, analyze, and improve our assessment practices and foster continuous improvement. In this study, we will share our results as we aim to guide practices that can improve our assessment culture. (Semi-Finalist for the Research & Practice in Assessment (RPA)’s Best Scholarly Presentation Award)
Lissette A. Tolentino and Maria Leite, University of Florida
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Emerging Trends in Assessment

Charting the Course: Navigating Collaborative Assessment Strategies for K-20 STEM Pathway Programs
This session addresses the challenge of aligning assessment strategies across diverse K-20 (Kindergarten through PhD) STEM pathway programs. By establishing strong partnerships among program administrators and assessment professionals, we devised an aligned STEM education assessment strategy consistent with program models and frameworks. We provide insights on the lessons learned during this process and propose the next steps, including the implementation of longitudinal data collection. Our solution underlines the importance of collaboration and strategic planning in creating an efficient, robust assessment and evaluation ecosystem for STEM education.
Amanda Milliken, University of Michigan
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: STEM Education 

Equitable Access to STEM Degrees through Data-Driven Interventions in Gateway Math Courses
Mathematics is the gateway to STEM degrees and careers. When students are unprepared, or underprepared, to succeed in higher education mathematics courses, they are unable to participate in the high-pay, high-growth STEM career clusters. Precalculus is the gateway math course for future STEM professionals at a diverse, Hispanic serving, liberal arts college located in NW Indiana. This session will outline how mathematics faculty designed a successful supplemental instruction program to help students succeed, leading to equitable access to STEM degrees.
Carrie Hutton, Amanda Copeland, and Colleen O'Connor, Calumet College of St. Joseph
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: STEM Education 

Exploring the Impact of Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) on Student Beliefs in Chemistry
Peer-led team learning (PLTL) is a promising approach in undergraduate science education, yet its impacts beyond academic outcomes need deeper understanding. This qualitative study examines how students enrolled in an introductory chemistry course interact with PLTL and how it shapes their beliefs about learning and their abilities. Through in-depth interviews, we explore student perspectives on PLTL's design features, revealing its potential to foster inclusive learning environments. This research offers a complementary perspective to a growing body of quantitative studies and provides insights into PLTL's transformative mechanisms within chemistry education.
Vidushi Adlakha and Pratibha Varma-Nelson, Indiana University Indianapolis
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: STEM Education 

Fostering Intercultural Competence and Research Skills in STEM Undergraduate Students through Mentored Social Science Research
This study evaluates the Summer Research Mentorship Program's effectiveness in enhancing STEM students' intercultural competencies and research skills. It leverages Kolb's Experiential Learning Framework within a 6-week social science research project, mentored by intercultural specialists. Data was collected through weekly retrospective and exit interviews and was thematically analyzed. Results indicate improved research efficacy, cultural sensitivity, awareness, adaptability, and heightened interest in pursuing research in graduate studies among participants. These findings highlight the program's role in preparing globally competent professionals and suggest implications for educational practices and curriculum design, advocating for research mentorship to develop well-rounded, adaptable researchers for the global workforce. (Semi-Finalist for the Research & Practice in Assessment (RPA)’s Best Scholarly Presentation Award)
Aparajita Jaiswal and Sakhi Aggrawal, Purdue University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: STEM Education 

Implications for University Organizations: Assessment Strategies for a STEM Education Innovation and Research Institute
In response to the pressing need for educational reform in STEM fields, universities have established dedicated institutes aimed at promoting and fortifying STEM education through faculty development and evaluation. Due to being outside the traditional university department structure, institutes can influence education reforms throughout the university. Learn about a multi-level assessment designed to measure the contributions of the institute and provide insight to broader impacts to STEM education university wide. The assessment presented could also be adapted to other similar institutes, like education research institutes and teaching and learning centers.
Patrick J. Wilson and Pratibha Varma-Nelson, Indiana University Indianapolis
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: STEM Education 

Leveraging Student Voices to Center Career Self-Efficacy in STEM PhD Programs
Attrition rates for PhD STEM programs remains above 45% nationally, and programs increasingly must navigate how to assess the student experience with an eye toward actionable improvement. Designing tools that collaboratively and equitably gather data is a challenge, and using the findings can be even trickier. This session will explore a three-year mixed-methods assessment, from collection through dissemination, of career self-efficacy in STEM PhD students, using a collaborative assessment lens. Information about how our findings have led to changes made to both curriculum (i.e., data bootcamps, new skills-based classes) and new workshop offerings on diverse careers, will be discussed. (Semi-Finalist for the Research & Practice in Assessment (RPA)’s Best Scholarly Presentation Award)
Jennifer Claydon and Meghan Bathgate, Yale University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: STEM Education 

Science as a Care Practice: Assessing Student Growth in Relational Ethics
STEM students must be introduced to diverse frameworks for making sense of their scientific experiences. “Science as a Care Practice” is a new framework designed to help students explore how, through science, one provides care to self, other, and world. Conversations and activities will explore what it means for scientific inquiry to be introduced as a care practice within experiential learning environments. Examples of critical reflection modalities will be shared to spark ideas about assessing student growth in relational ethics.
Grant A. Fore, Indiana University Indianapolis
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: STEM Education 

Updates in STEM Assessment: Conversations with Leaders in STEM Education
Join this interactive session to discuss, debate, and deliberate on the most important trends in STEM assessment. Presenters will facilitate attendees in discussing current assessment projects unfolding in various campus contexts, debating which assessment ideas, experiences and/or practices must be maintained, improved, or discontinued in the future; and the large group will deliberate on how to utilize this platform to educate and inform the future of STEM assessment practices. Attendees will also have the opportunity to engage in a unique discussion with the authors of the updated chapter covering this topic in the text, Trends in Assessment.
Darrell Nickolson, Indiana University Indianapolis
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: STEM Education

‘What Does It Mean To You?’: URM Student Meaning-Making of STEM Assessment Practice
In light of higher education STEM institutional performance gaps in retention and graduation, it is imperative to understand the mechanisms through which under-represented minoritized (URM) student populations in higher education experience and react to the STEM classroom–in particular, assessment and grading. This proposed session will share preliminary analyses of a quantitative survey seeking to understand undergraduate STEM student perceptions of grades and assessment, and the extent to which these perceptions differ for URM vs. non-URM students. Implications and suggestions for future classroom intervention and practice will also be discussed.
Manisha Kaur Chase, California State University, Northridge
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: STEM Education

Academic Program Assessment Strategies: Themes and Variations
Academic program assessment at Northeastern University is coordinated across nine colleges through a common software platform and an embedded assessment model (faculty grades on course assignments are used for program assessment). Within that framework, each of the colleges has customized an assessment strategy. Student performance on course assignments is used as a measure of program learning outcome achievement. Each college’s strategy of defining assignments and grading rubrics across sections falls along a continuum based on the level of consistency, from prescribed to flexible. Three example strategies will be discussed, including the affordances and challenges of each strategy.
Jes Caron, Sophia Jagannathan, Maureen O’Shea, and Meegan Willi, Northeastern University
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Strategy and Planning 

Collaborative Assessment in Higher Education
Assessment positions in higher education are inherently collaborative, drawing interdisciplinary partnerships with colleagues across campus. This session explores a collaborative assessment model that highlights the importance of functional relationships between assessment professionals and campus partners. This model identifies four distinct types of partnerships and outlines the flexible roles assessment professionals can adopt to meet the specific needs of each project. By recognizing these partnerships and aligning our response, we can better ensure that assessment efforts are impactful and sustainable. Attendees are invited to reflect on partnerships they have cultivated and consider how their assessment work can be tailored in response.
Meghan E. Bathgate and Jennifer Claydon, Yale University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Strategy and Planning 

Decisions, Decisions: Exploring Assessment Survey Choices and NSSE Topical Module Selection
Decisions about assessment relating to the student experience involve many tradeoffs and are growing increasingly complex. To explore this issue, we surveyed institutional contacts for the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) about their participation in NSSE’s Topical Modules, which are short, optional add-ons to the core survey focused on a subject relevant to higher education and student experiences. We aimed to learn about the motivations, stakeholders, and challenges relating to participation and decision-making for Topical Module participation. This session will focus on implications for NSSE participants and the implications for general decision-making processes for campus assessment.
Jillian Kinzie, Christen Priddie, and Kevin Wenger, Indiana University Bloomington and National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Strategy and Planning 

Embedded Assessment: Composing a Strategy at Northeastern University
Academic program assessment at Northeastern University utilizes a strategy of embedded assessment: faculty grading of authentic student work converts to an assessment score on program learning outcomes. This connects assessment closely with pedagogy and optimizes faculty time and expertise. We will discuss key features of embedded assessment, including 1) the central role of faculty throughout the process 2) the need for careful curriculum alignment between program learning outcomes, courses and assignments, and 3) reframing the relationship between grading and assessment. Participants will be invited to discuss how key features of embedded assessment compare with their assessment process.
Maureen O'Shea, Jes Caron, Sophie Jagannathan, and Meegan Willi, Northeastern University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Strategy and Planning 

Evaluating Institutional Performance through a Comprehensive Framework for Excellence
This presentation introduces a comprehensive framework to evaluate institutional effectiveness, emphasizing strategies for achieving excellence in organizational operations. By integrating qualitative and quantitative assessment methods, the framework offers a multifaceted approach to measuring and enhancing performance across various institutional dimensions. Attendees will gain insights into best practices for implementing this framework within their organizations, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and excellence.
Bridget P. Dewees, Claflin University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Strategy and Planning 

From Compliance to Culture: Building Meaningful Assessment Practices
This presentation highlights the importance of building an assessment culture, acknowledging the imperative of meaningful learning improvement beyond mere administrative compliance. Through discussion of five critical domains and by incorporating insights from Tuckman's stages of group development, this presentation aims to elucidate pathways for transforming assessment from a compliance-driven task to a valued component of collaborative and comprehensive planning, meaningful assessment, and continuous improvement.
Missy Nieveen Phegley and Eric Sentell, Southeast Missouri State University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Strategy and Planning 

Liberating Assessment and Assessment Professionals: A Step-by-Step Guide to NOT Stay in Your Lane
Do you want to engage in meaningful accreditation efforts that catalyze social justice and student success rather than serving a compliance function at your institution? Are you someone who wants to inform faculty development, advance culturally responsive teaching, learning, and curriculum design, and break down existing siloes and power differentials between academic and non-academic spaces at your institution using assessment? In this session, we will explore and expose the barriers to being impactful change agents and levers for continuous improvement and equity at our institutions. You will learn 10 tried-and-tested strategies with supporting resources and applied case-studies to dismantle structural, cultural, and institutional barriers at your institutions. We will also have an opportunity to co-create and ideate additional strategies (in collaboration with each other) to be the change we wish to see at our institutions. Together, we will learn how to not stay in our lane. Effectively. Safely. Powerfully.
Divya Bheda, Santa Clara University
Presentation Type: Pre-Institute Workshop
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Strategy and Planning 

Meeting Challenges and Driving Success: Strategies for Effective Academic Program Change Management
This presentation explores essential strategies for managing change in academic programs, ensuring smooth transitions while maintaining quality and stakeholder engagement. It highlights proactive communication, stakeholder involvement, strategic planning, and data-driven decision-making as pivotal elements. Emphasis is placed on fostering a culture of adaptability and collaboration within academic institutions to navigate challenges and capitalize on opportunities. It is a meaningful effort to underscore the significance of robust change management practices in sustaining academic program excellence in the evolving needs of meeting challenges and driving success.
Jie Zhang, Purdue University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Strategy and Planning 

Promoting Institutional Culture through Assessment Policies and Maximizing Stakeholder Engagement through Organizational Learning
Assessment policies across academia ensure data collection and evaluation leads to the improvement of programs, in theory. Difficulty arises when the creation of assessment policy and tools focus on narrow aspects without consideration of all stakeholders’ needs. Using the Organizational Learning Strategy and looking toward modeling a Deliberately Developmental Organization, universities can ensure assessment is integral to their development and progress. Participants will reflect on their current assessment process and develop methods for facilitating OL strategies where inefficiency exists. OL approaches will facilitate assessment tool revision and creation to promote program culture preservation in the assessment process.
Sterling Richards and Jeremy Hughes, Chicago State University; David Fuentes, University of Portland
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Strategy and Planning 

Strategic Assessment Planning Process and Outcomes for an Integrated University of Three Former Institutions
Commonwealth University in Pennsylvania recently integrated from three separate state system institutions into one so that curricular, administrative, technology, and other resources could be shared by three institutions. The cumbersome process of getting all courses and academic programs approved for a newly integrated university has impacted the development of institution-wide annual assessment collection and reporting processes for determining student learning outcomes and data-driven actions to improve learning. This session will present the processes that took place to develop an institutional assessment plan with a curricular building process that occurs concurrently.
Brett Everhart, Commonwealth University (PA)
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Advanced
Primary Topic: Strategy and Planning 

Strategies for Building an Assessment Community Across Campus and Across Your State
Communities of practice create opportunities for sharing, learning, and building collective strategies for success. These communities can be built within a department, across an institution, and even state-wide. This session will feature a panel of assessment leaders from various institutions across Texas who will speak on the strategies that can be applied locally and broadly to bring the assessment community together.
Jennifer Nailos, The University of Texas at Austin; Rosalind Ong, San Antonio College; Dan Stroud, West Texas A&M University; and Jennifer Hughes, Texas Tech University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Strategy and Planning

Building Equitable Futures: Fostering a Culture of Assessment in Student Affairs
In this session, participants will gain insights into the vital role of assessment in student affairs as well as practical strategies for its implementation. Assessment empowers professionals to make informed decisions impacting student success. We'll explore our institution's efforts to assess student support programs, aligning them with equity goals and the strategic plan. Emphasizing equity, we'll discuss foundational principles, share assessment methods, and illustrate data-driven decision-making. Effective assessment enables tailored support services, ensuring equitable access. Together, we aim to foster an environment where every student has equitable support, enhancing success and institutional excellence.
Veena Dhankher and Renee Tastad, Holyoke Community College
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Student Affairs and Co-Curricular Programs and Services 

Characterizing Students’ Choices: Examining the Interplay of New Student Characteristics, Campus Involvement, and First-Year Retention
The impact of new students’ social engagement preferences and choices on their retention at the university continues to be explored by higher education professionals. Through integration of various data sources (e.g. survey, directory information, student engagement platform data), our study will consider how new students’ demographic profile, personality, campus involvement, and social interaction preferences collectively influence their sense of belonging and campus engagement. We will also investigate how these factors predict students’ first-year retention at a major public university. Our findings will provide valuable insights about metrics and student touchpoints that contribute to student retention at the university.
Rachel Siefring and Yiyun Jie, Virginia Commonwealth University
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Student Affairs and Co-Curricular Programs and Services 

Closing the Loop: Strategies for Acting on Results
The assessment cycle is a critical tool for all practitioners to make continuous improvements. While any step in the assessment cycle can be halted, one step that can be especially challenging is “closing the loop.” The purpose of closing the loop often refers to using results to make improvements. In this workshop we’ll discuss and apply strategies to act on results, including topics of reporting, strategic planning, change management, and a culture of assessment.
Shaun Boren, University of Florida; and Kimberly Kruchen, University of Colorado Boulder
Presentation Type: Pre-Institute Workshop
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Student Affairs and Co-Curricular Programs and Services 

Co-Curricular Assessment: A Blueprint
Co-curricular assessment has been part of the assessment and accreditation landscape for some time. However, there is a move to a more centralized and intentional look to co-curricular assessment. This session will look at how to utilize lessons learned in the academic assessment ecosystem to build equally robust co-curricular assessment environments.
Lisa-Marie Norris and Shelli Henehan, University of Arkansas - Fort Smith; and Jason Byrd, University of Alabama - Birmingham
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Student Affairs and Co-Curricular Programs and Services 

Coordinating Divisional and Student Affairs Assessment: Strategies for Success
With increased pressure to demonstrate impact on student learning and success, an increasing number of student affairs departments and divisions are identifying ways to coordinate assessment efforts. A panel of authors from the 2nd edition of Coordinating Divisional and Departmental Student Affairs Assessment will share strategies for successfully coordinating student affairs assessment practice within departments and across divisions.
Gavin Henning, New England College; Erin Bentrim, Anthology; and Kim Yousey-Elsener, Binghamton University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Student Affairs and Co-Curricular Programs and Services 

Creating Cultural Change Surrounding Student Learning Outcomes Assessment through a Co-Curricular Record: A Case Study
Is campus-wide change possible surrounding co-curricular experiences and student learning outcomes (SLO) and assessment? Through implementation of the Spartan Experience Record, Michigan State University’s co-curricular record, our experiences over 5+ years say yes. Through intentional scaffolding and approaches, we have witnessed incremental change that is leading to many benefits for students and professionals across academic and student affairs. Presenters will discuss change management approaches, strategies, and lessons learned to support campus cultural shifts surrounding SLOs and assessment. Additionally, they will discuss how innovations such as co-curricular or experiential records can help provide the framework for creating change at your institution.
Sarah Schultz and Shannon Logan, Michigan State University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Student Affairs and Co-Curricular Programs and Services 

Designing Learning Outcome- Based Assessments for Student Affairs: A Co-Curricular Approach
St. Cloud State University's academic learning outcomes are guided by a set of principles - Our Husky Compact (OHC). While in academic work assessment of learning outcomes is well-defined, the same clarity has been lacking in student affairs. Recognizing this gap, a Co-Curricular Student Affairs Assessment Work Group was formed. Leveraging the academic OHC rubrics, the group restructured them to better suit the nature of student affairs activities, emphasizing short-term and observational measures. This session will review the history and drivers of this project, the process the group followed, share examples of the work achieved, and review outcomes of the recently completed pilot project.
Tammison R. Smith, St. Cloud State University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Student Affairs and Co-Curricular Programs and Services 

Developing a Foundation, Framework, and Future Directions to Demonstrate the Educational Value of Co-Curricular Experiences at the University of North Dakota
Co-curriculars are an essential part of the campus experience and can provide numerous opportunities for students to build on knowledge and skills learned in the classroom. This session will provide an overview of our process to reframe how we conduct co-curricular assessment, by starting from scratch.
Karina Knutson, University of North Dakota
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Student Affairs and Co-Curricular Programs and Services 

Helper of Helpers: Sharing Data Results Across a Complex Division of Student Affairs
In a world of ever-increasing technological advances around assessment, it is easier than ever to share data results. However, sharing results can quickly turn into information overload for many, and what suffers is our collective ability to act upon those results. This session will discuss a complex student affairs division’s journey toward disseminating actionable results focused on continuous improvement of student support. To categorize existing data sources, a catalog of metrics was developed to align with strategic themes and learning outcome domains. Then, results were shared with colleagues by metric, not by instrument, to foster cross-departmental collaboration and decision-making.
Robert W. Aaron, Qile Chen, and Amy Huntington, Northwestern University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Student Affairs and Co-Curricular Programs and Services 

If You Build It, They Will Learn: Development, Delivery and Assessment of a Student-Centered Co-Curricular Program at a Small, Rural, Private College
Co-curriculum programs offer students the opportunity to leverage learning outside of the classroom and develop a more complete skill set. A co-curriculum program was developed, implemented, and assessed at a rural, private College of Pharmacy to allow students to demonstrate competency in areas often difficult to teach and evaluate in the didactic setting; notably leadership, innovation, professionalism, and cultural sensitivity. Approaches to program development and assessment, program content and implementation strategies, lessons learned, and future directions will be discussed during this session.
Kelly Shields, Ohio Northern University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Student Affairs and Co-Curricular Programs and Services 

Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels as a Multi-Use Tool for Student Affairs Assessment
The need to articulate a student affairs portfolio’s impact on the student experience is ever growing; yet, student affairs practitioners can struggle to understand how to articulate their impact. While used in various higher education contexts, such as faculty development and academic medicine, one model not frequently referenced in student affairs assessment literature is Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels of Evaluation. This session supports student affairs assessment leaders and practitioners by explaining Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels, describing how to employ the four levels as a step-by-step reflection tool, and applying the model as a conceptual guide for assessment planning.
Emily Braught, Indiana University Indianapolis; and Kevin Wenger, Indiana University Bloomington
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Student Affairs and Co-Curricular Programs and Services 

Measuring Student Sense of Belonging at New York University
At New York University, fostering student sense of belonging in the midst of an urban experience presents unique challenges. This presentation, based on an ongoing initiative, draws from research and practice to explore how environment, relationships, and involvement shape belonging. We delve into our journey of weaving theory into practice working from the middle outward within our division and from Student Affairs to the rest of campus. We will share insights from what worked (and didn’t) and critique our work via change management theories.
Cindy Cogswell, Rafael Rodriguez, and Tava Bingham, New York University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Student Affairs and Co-Curricular Programs and Services 

Remodel, Rebuild, Redesign: Rewriting Our Story for Co-Curricular Assessment
This poster describes the processes of engaging stakeholders (Student Affairs, Campus Life, Career Services, and Advising), students, and alumni to collaboratively envision an inclusively focused definition for co-curricular assessment on the campus of Indiana University Kokomo. Stakeholders, students, and alumni are also constructing a common set of learning outcomes and designing data collection methods to guide co-curricular assessment on our campus.
Julie Saam and Chanda Deaton, Indiana University Kokomo
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Student Affairs and Co-Curricular Programs and Services 

Synergy Sessions: A Coordinated Effort for Organizational Change
Assessment practitioners are often challenged by the siloed nature of higher education. In some cases, those who need the information to make meaningful improvements are not the same as those responsible for measuring the impact of those improvements. Even more rare is meaningful coordination across three essential portfolios: assessment; diversity equity and inclusion; and marketing and communications. In this session, we share our solution to these concerns at Indiana University Indianapolis: Synergy Sessions. Join us to learn how our Division of Student Affairs leveraged leadership in assessment, diversity, and communications to collaborate with units and help solve strategic problems.
Emily Braught, Mary Knarr, and Ellise Smith, Indiana University Indianapolis
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Student Affairs and Co-Curricular Programs and Services

The Re-birth of the Journal of Student Affairs Inquiry, Improvement, and Impact
The Journal of Student Affairs Inquiry, Improvement, and Impact (JSAIII) is delighted to have a new partnership with the Center for Leading Improvements in Higher Education where it is hosted and supported by the Indiana University Indianapolis University Library as one of their Open Access Journals. JSAIII has continued its collaboration with Student Affairs Assessment Leaders (SAAL). Presenters will provide a brief history of the journal followed by an overview of the revised purpose and focus of the journal. Special emphasis will be placed the revamped submission and review process as well as sections within JSAIII to which we wish to attract submissions. While the traditional publication model often does not support practitioners, JSAIII provides a model uniquely crafted for practitioners in their desire to advance student affairs assessment by publishing their contributions and fostering dialogue. Presenters will provide an overview of forthcoming issues of JSAIII, including a general issue (2024) and two special issues focusing on career preparations and outcomes (2025) and big data in student affairs (2025). Audience discussion will focus on questions for JSAIII about its submission and review process as well as suggestions for possible additional special issues.
Heather Strine-Patterson, Virginia Tech; and Alice Mitchell, University of Maryland
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Student Affairs and Co-Curricular Programs and Services

When is it Time to Move On: Developing an Assessment Process That Centers Students
Residence Life leaders wanted to balance the need for assessment reporting with equipping student staff members with actionable results to use in their positions. These dynamics were merged into a Moving On report: a collection of all the initiatives facilitated by staff members for the previous curriculum time frame, their attendance numbers, assessment highlights, and curated discussion questions. Moving On reports are shared with Housing & Residence Life and Division of Student Affairs leadership staff and include intentional conversations with their staff about how the results can be applied.
Alice Dahlka and Harrianna Thompson, Indiana University Indianapolis
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Student Affairs and Co-Curricular Programs and Services

Activating “Inert Knowledge” in Learning Community-Centered Research: A Case-Study of Environmental Studies Students' Relational Reflection and Research Contributions
What does eco-sociality mean to students? How do students think about eco-justice? We asked these questions in a large learning research context, and found that close attention to the lived experiences of just seven undergraduates – themselves, acting as co-researchers – activated what one learner termed “the inert knowledge that college students have” about their learning “not understood by those outside our age cohort.” We’ll share how two-plus years of multi-perspectival research among learners, a curriculum designer, and faculty have surfaced rich insights into how students live and think about environmental learning and “their enthusiasm for contributing to solutions.”
Laura J. Swartley, Kristi Straus, Najmo Abdi, and Dylon Ongwiseth, University of Washington
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Student Partnership and Engagement in Assessment 

Cruising into Co-Curriculars: A Simple Framework for Assessment
Participants will learn how one small institution leverages a simple five-step process for engaging constituents across campus (including students) in assessment. The process is prefaced with an institutional definition of co-curricular programming and discussion regarding the value of assessment.
Meghan Hollowell, The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Student Partnership and Engagement in Assessment 

Developing Student Partnerships with Satisfaction Data
This session explores student partnerships within a university’s survey strategy, focusing on satisfaction data. Join us as we briefly share recent survey results, highlighting students' call for increased involvement in policies and administration. Help us share methods of fostering partnerships with student organizations and leaders, and discuss the inclusion of students in the survey strategy and decision-making processes. Finally, we welcome input through breakout discussions as we discuss challenges reaching disengaged students, and emphasizing the importance of community building and belonging.
Melanie Kasparian, University of Denver
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Student Partnership and Engagement in Assessment 

Elevating Assessment Excellence: Student-Driven Strategies in Assessment Design
Immerse yourself in a dynamic presentation where we unveil the transformative influence of student-faculty collaboration for assessment excellence. Explore innovative approaches in assessment planning and design, led by student employees serving as consultants to faculty, in creating course visions, measurable learning outcomes, and course assessment plans and maps. Focusing on actual use cases drawn from our experiences as assessment consultants, we showcase the pivotal role of student insights that assist and inspire faculty to develop effective course assessment plans. This session offers practical strategies to elevate assessment practices and foster dynamic collaborations in undergraduate courses.
Jodi Robison, Brigham Young University - Idaho
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Student Partnership and Engagement in Assessment 

Enhancing Education Using Student Feedback for Curriculum Mapping Development
This session shares about the curriculum mapping process undertaken by our College of Education. The university required all Colleges to conduct curriculum mapping. We recognized the importance of students being part of this process. After faculty had created course learning objectives developed from our subject level objectives and linked those objectives to course assignments and assessments, we shared these objectives with students who had completed or were enrolled in those courses for feedback. This helped us determine which objectives and course assignments/assessments needed to be revised for better alignment.
Lori Allen and Joanne Philhower, Austin Peay State University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Student Partnership and Engagement in Assessment 

Incorporating Student Leadership in Pursuit of Justice: Transformative Assessment Paradigms in a Co-Curricular Leadership Development Program
Transformative assessment paradigms rarely, if ever, produce the quippy, primarily-quantitative data demanded by institutions. Justice-oriented student affairs practitioners may experience tension between their commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion and the data expected of them in annual reporting cycles. In this session, participants will engage the evaluation cycle for the Emerging Leaders Program, a first-year living learning program at Virginia Commonwealth University, as an example of incorporating transformative methods into existing assessment and reporting processes that do not prioritize justice. Join to discover new ways to produce data in partnership with students that centers their agency, experiences, and identities.
Jonathan D. Fuller and Gabriel Driver, Virginia Commonwealth University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Student Partnership and Engagement in Assessment 

Inquiry in Action: Methods of Assessment in First-Year Seminars
Complex Problems (CP) first-year seminars at American University introduce students to the core curriculum through engaging real-world problems or enduring questions. This session traces a multi-year journey refining assessment practice within CP, which embodies the program’s commitment to inquiry-driven education. With the support of a faculty-student collaboration initiative, we addressed key questions, using various methodologies, addressing challenges with assessment of class discussions, student work products, surveys, and interviews. Challenges include diverse seminar topics hindering uniform assessment and resource constraints. Our presentation candidly discusses these limitations, aiming to inspire continuous improvement and innovation in interdisciplinary education.
Rebecca Comfort and Brad Knight, American University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Student Partnership and Engagement in Assessment 

Shifting Students’ Mindsets on Assessment: Developing Assessment Literate Future Teachers
This interactive presentation is based on research with undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in an assessment course. One of the goals of the course was to broaden students’ thinking about the true purpose of assessment. Another goal was to develop assessment literate future teachers. This presentation shares findings based on students’ end-of-course self-reflections on how their thinking shifted about assessment based on what they learned in the course. Students also provided reasons for why their thinking changed, such as course assignments or in class activities.
Joanne Philhower, Austin Peay State University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Student Partnership and Engagement in Assessment 

Student Partnership in Assessment: Ideas for Meaningful Student Engagement
In more than three decades of work, we are yet to regularly evidence a return on the investment of student outcomes assessment. Many adjustments to the process have been made (e.g., outcomes design, motivation, instrument design, faculty buy-in). Nevertheless, the key stakeholders, students, are rarely included in the process. Instead, we must—often incorrectly—assume the student experience and build our processes accordingly. To address this issue, participants will engage in a guided redesign of a specific assessment process at their own institution; intentionally planning for student partnership.
Nicholas Curtis, University of Wisconsin–Madison; and Robin Anderson, James Madison University
Presentation Type: Pre-Institute Workshop
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Student Partnership and Engagement in Assessment 

Student Partnership in Executing a University-Wide Assessment Calendar
University-wide student surveys at higher education institutions serve as a leading data source for measuring student needs and institution quality. However, while they offer benefits, surveys also have inherent challenges that assessment practitioners must address. One path for mitigating these issues is to engage with students in the assessment process. To that end, Carnegie Mellon University embarked on a journey to engage students in the implementation of their university-wide assessment calendar. Presenters will share their approach, challenges experienced, and next steps. Participants will be invited to engage in dialogue around which strategies are appropriate/transferable to their institution.
Shannon Foster, Carnegie Mellon University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Student Partnership and Engagement in Assessment 

The Evolution and Adaptation of Actively Involving Students in Assessment Work: A Partnership Process
Though students are undoubtedly key stakeholders of assessment work in higher education, their perspective is historically overlooked (Astin, 1988; Bresciani et al., 2009; Maki, 2004). Students can offer vital input on the creation and deployment of assessment methods to improve the quality of data collected as well as the effectiveness of assessment outcomes. In this presentation, two practitioners will describe how they created and implemented undergraduate student assessment staff positions at their institutions, and they will invite participants to consider how they might develop their own positions to support assessment work in either academic or student affairs contexts.
Daniel E. Becton, University of Wisconsin - Madison; and Jessica Turos, Bowling Green State University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Student Partnership and Engagement in Assessment 

Trends in Student Partnership and Engagement in Assessment: A Dialogue
Formally, student partnership and engagement in higher education assessment work is still in its infancy. However, many examples of gold-standard practices already exist both in the U.S. and around the world. Join us for a conversation around the history, the current trends, and the future of student partnership and engagement in assessment.
Nicholas Curtis, University of Wisconsin - Madison; and Robin Anderson, James Madison University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Student Partnership and Engagement in Assessment 

Using Focus Groups to Enhance Student Voice in Assessment
There have been numerous efforts in recent years to increase student involvement in the traditional assessment cycle. Enhancing student voice involves a shared and mutual process in which students become co-constructors of the development, implementation, and interpretation of assessments. Focus groups provide one tool that practitioners can use to enhance student voice in assessment. Within this session, we provide participants with an overview of the purpose of focus groups, question development, moderator considerations, and the analysis and reporting of results. We then address techniques for enhancing student voice in student outcomes, curriculum alignment, instrument development, analysis, and use of results.
John Hathcoat, James Madison University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Student Partnership and Engagement in Assessment

Academic Success Courses: Comparing Proactive and Reactive Interventions
This presentation compares the results of proactive and reactive academic success interventions within a small, private liberal arts institution. Beginning In Spring 2022, first-year and sophomore students on academic probation were enrolled in a one-credit Academic Skills Course (ASC 085). We implemented a similar course (ASC 080) in Fall 2022 for incoming students whose high school GPA was ≤2.8. This study evaluates the impact of these interventions on student retention and academic standing from 2022 to 2024.
Kellie Schmidt and Sarah Summers, Franklin College
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Undergraduate Education 

An Investigation of Discrepancies of Faculty and Undergraduate Students’ Beliefs Versus Evidence of Student Engagement in Online Courses
Student engagement, interaction, and collaboration in online learning environments have positive effects on student satisfaction and learning. This mixed-methods study investigated the student and faculty members’ beliefs about student engagement and whether those beliefs aligned to evidence of engagement strategies in their courses. Findings from 42 undergraduate students and five faculty members teaching them showed conflicting results between beliefs about engagement activities and evidence of those activities embedded within online courses. Attendees will identify and discuss various engagement strategies in online courses.
Melanie A. DiLoreto, University of West Florida
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Undergraduate Education 

Exploring the Impact of a Pilot Pedagogical Framework on Undergraduate Meaning in Life and Comfort Talking About Religion and Politics
This interactive research session shares findings from the pilot phase of Yale’s Life Worth Living pedagogy initiative in which undergraduates and their instructors are invited to pursue existential meaning through personal engagement with a pluralist selection of texts from major religious and philosophical traditions. Pre-post mixed-methods research at the beginning and end of the course investigated student attitudes about meaning in life alongside comfort levels with talking about religion and politics in a variety of social contexts in and beyond the classroom. The session will map survey findings onto the Life Worth Living pedagogical approach.
Connie M. Steel, Yale University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Undergraduate Education 

Faculty Productivity and Undergraduate Research: Is There a Connection?
This presentation will introduce the current institutional practices on promoting undergraduate research and discuss the relationship between faculty productivity and undergraduate research at the institutional level using data on faculty scholarly activities from Academic Analytics and data on student college experiences from the National Survey of Student Engagement. The findings will provide important contextual information for scholars and practitioners in assessing undergraduate research and campus leaders who aim to improve institutional-level undergraduate research participation.
Wen Qi and Robert M. Gonyea, Indiana University Bloomington
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Undergraduate Education 

Measuring What Matters: Stories from the Revision of Student Teaching Evaluations
In 2021, Harvey Mudd College decided to revise its Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) instrument, which had been used for almost three decades. Attendees will learn the behind-the-scenes of the transition to a) a new form that is more student-learning focused, b) a new reporting mechanism for faculty, and c) how we use SETs to gather actionable feedback. This session will discuss how the Teaching and Learning Committee engaged students, faculty, and administrators in the redesign; how the SET has been received and used; and practical tips on timeline, logistics, drafting, revising, and implementing our new process.
Aye M. Htut-Rosales and Yi Luo, Harvey Mudd College
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Undergraduate Education

A Data-Driven Approach to Balancing Objectivity and Teaching Realities in Curriculum Mapping
Curriculum maps are essential to documenting program effectiveness and identifying areas for improvement, but constructing something so complex in a usable format presents a significant challenge. Join us to learn how our multi-disciplinary team used network science to detect the organization and structure of keywords in student learning objectives, transforming a loose program of study, based on course titles and descriptions, into formalized learning trajectories for curriculum mapping. The resultant cluster maps revealed unanticipated connections across the curriculum and gaps in the program. We will also address the logistics of faculty investment and implications for creating robust program curriculum maps.
Andi M. Strackeljahn, T. Rowan Candy, and Elli J. Kollbaum, Indiana University Bloomington; and Sara Benham, University of Vermont
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Use of Technologies in Assessment 

Assess+AI: Revolutionizing Education with ChatGPT for Effortless, Rigorous, and Personalized Assessments
Unlock the future of assessments! Join us in exploring "Assess+AI," where I demystify how ChatGPT and AIs elevate assessment creation and grading. Discover a seamless blend of ease, rigor, and personalization, transforming your approach to student evaluations.
Jessica Lyons, Perry Township Schools
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Use of Technologies in Assessment 

Building "All Things Assessment"
Ivy Tech Community College is the statewide community college for the state of Indiana. College Assessment at Ivy Tech faced the challenge of sharing assessment data statewide with multiple layers of stakeholders. So, we leveraged the Learning Management System (Canvas) and OneDrive to set up a course site to house all of the assessment data. The site, named “All Things Assessment”, became a repository for all the college-wide assessment efforts. This presentation will walk through the site, the organization of the site, and describe the lessons learned from rolling this out statewide.
Robert K. Morse, Ivy Tech Community College
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Use of Technologies in Assessment 

Coach Advise Resource Educate (CARE): Using Coaching as a Vehicle for Assessment of Student Success and Wellness
Kansas City University has developed a C.A.R.E. model that places connection and assessment at the heart of student success and well-being. Rooted in evidence-based practices, faculty are trained in a coaching model focused on students using existing skills to solve problems and overcome obstacles. Academic, health, and behavioral markers are assessed through pre/post assessments. Student data is used in coaching sessions to promote and monitor student success. Participants will explore our CANVAS course to differentiate between advising, coaching, and mentoring; explore coaching material; and view coaching videos. Finally, participants will learn how to apply a coaching model at their university.
Sarah Getch, Esperanza Anaya, Julie Fountain, and Erinne Kennedy, Kansas City University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Use of Technologies in Assessment 

Continuing the Narrative of the University of Wyoming (UW) Assessment Matrix Pilot Program
Logistics, capacity of a new platform to serve the diverse needs across an institution, commitment to instructor development, and ongoing considerations of alignment with institutional assessment plans and goals, while centering assessment for student learning are an accurate summation of the Assessment Matrix Pilot Program work at UW for AY 23/24. This presentation is an opportunity to continue to engage with the narrative of the utilization of technologies to advance assessment for student learning at our institution. We illuminate what has worked for our six pilot programs as well as sticking points in our design and progress while utilizing the Assessment Matrix.
Heather E. Webb Springer and Francois Jacobs, University of Wyoming
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Use of Technologies in Assessment 

Empowering Insights: Data Storytelling with Tableau- A Workshop on Organizing, Visualizing, and Crafting Compelling Narratives from Survey Data
In this interactive workshop, participants will dive into the dynamic world of data visualization and storytelling using Tableau. With a focus on survey data, attendees will learn essential techniques for organizing, visualizing, and weaving impactful narratives from raw information. Through hands-on exercises and expert guidance, participants will explore the versatility of Tableau's features in transforming complex datasets into clear and compelling stories. From preparing your dataset in Excel, creating insightful dashboards, and incorporating interactive elements, this workshop will equip attendees with the skills to effectively communicate key findings and insights. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced user, join us to unlock the full potential of your survey data and elevate your data storytelling proficiency with Tableau. This workshop is hosted by the Grand Challenges in Assessment Data Visualization Team, which was tasked with increasing the use of data visualizations and data storytelling. Note: Participants will need to bring their own laptop to the workshop and will be required to download the free trial version of Tableau. More information and instructions will be communicated to registered participants prior to the start of the Institute.
Becky Croxton, University of North Carolina at Charlotte; and Ryan Smith, Illinois State University
Presentation Type: Pre-Institute Workshop
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Use of Technologies in Assessment 

From EdTech Chaos to Student Success: A Roadmap for Sustainable Learning Technology Management
It's a simple fact that institutions need to exchange core enterprise data between systems and tools within their teaching and learning ecosystem. Imagine a scenario where your student information system seamlessly communicates with your learning management system, which in turn connects flawlessly to your edtech tools—from AI to curriculum to assessment. This integration holds the promise of not just better decision-making but also a more dynamic and productive learning environment. In this session, we'll review what you need to build a healthy technology ecosystem that supports innovation inside and outside the classroom. You'll gain insights and resources to manage and sustain your technology to support the direction of your institution and its future impact on student success.
Suzanne Carbonaro, 1EdTech; and Andi Strackeljahn, Indiana University Bloomington
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Use of Technologies in Assessment 

Generate Quality Assessment Data and Engage Students in Assessment Results!
Join us for this session to learn how higher education institutions can design assessments with students at the center. Assessment professionals work with their teams, faculty, and Territorium, to create assessments of and for learning, capture skills-based achievements, and award microcredentials. The metadata in each microcredential provides more data for the assessment team to analyze regarding achievements earned and shared. Students are motivated by earning microcredentials and see the transparency in the learning and results. It all starts with the student, quality learning outcomes, and the assessment!
Sherry Reed and Peg Thomsen, Territorium, Inc.
Presentation Type: 60-Minute Sponsor Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Use of Technologies in Assessment

How Can AI Be Used to Support Assessment Processes and Promote Equity?
In this session, we will present our pioneering efforts to integrate Artificial Intelligence into assessment at Western New England University. Our focus is on understanding how AI can streamline and support assessment processes in individual courses and at the institutional level while fostering faculty engagement. We will discuss the semi-automated process used for the assessment of student learning outcomes in which we employ AI to generate scores and feedback, with human assessors fine-tuning the AI's analysis to validate results. In addition, we will share case studies in which we investigate the use of AI to promote equity in assessment.
Lisa Hansen and Josephine Rodriguez, Western New England University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Use of Technologies in Assessment 

Integrating for Impact: Assessment Management Systems as Pillars of Continuous Improvement
Discover how assessment management systems bridge the gap between faculty, staff, and accreditation professionals, fostering a technology-driven educational ecosystem. This session explores strategies for leveraging technology to enhance collaboration, drive excellence in assessment practices, and support continuous improvement. Learn about deploying comprehensive systems, overcoming implementation challenges, and transforming data into actionable insights for institutional success. Join us to streamline processes and enhance strategic planning and learning outcomes.
Will Miller, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; and Summer Jackson, Anthology
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Use of Technologies in Assessment 

Ivy Tech's Rubric Detail Report
In 2022, Ivy Tech Community College partnered with Instructure (the makers of Canvas LMS) to develop a custom Rubric Detail report. We had several courses and programs that used rubrics as the main method of assessment. With many course sections utilizing the same rubrics, we needed a way to aggregate the rubric results and provide data at the criterion level for these rubrics. This presentation will highlight the new Rubric Detail Report and some of the analysis it makes possible.
Robert K. Morse, Ivy Tech Community College
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Use of Technologies in Assessment 

Leveraging Rubrics, Canvas Outcomes, and Power BI in the Assessment of General Education Student Learning Outcomes: A Case Study
This session explores the intersection of technology and assessment through a comprehensive case study from Florida State University's English department, showcasing the evolution of their approach to learning outcomes assessment – from the initial, imperfect process to the successful adoption of the Canvas Outcomes tool, associated rubric, and Power BI visualizations. In this session, we will describe how we used Canvas Outcomes to streamline instructors’ role in scoring and documenting students’ assessment scores, how we extracted and cleaned learning outcomes data, and ultimately leveraged Power BI for data visualization, supporting informed analysis and improvement of the general education curriculum.
Caitlyn Jessee and Galiya Tabulda, Florida State University
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Use of Technologies in Assessment 

LivedX: Using AI to Validate Credit for Prior Learning for Concurrent, Traditional, and Non-Traditional Students
Northeastern University outlines its innovative approach using the AI-powered platform LivedX to revamp its Credit-for-Prior Learning (CPL) processes for concurrent, traditional, and non-traditional students. The partnership enhances accessibility for meeting diverse students' needs while easing faculty and staff workloads. Dr. Verma discusses the creation and implementation of the LivedX Framework, incorporating various educational models like Harvard's EASEL and the Employability Skills Framework, and highlights how 7 colleges, universities, and employers have adopted LivedX to increase its offerings of micro-credentials, stackable certificates, and college credits based on students' lived and learned experiences.
Geeta Verma, University of Colorado Denver; and Sam Soliman, Northeastern Junior College
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Use of Technologies in Assessment 

Mini-ChatGPTs: Bespoke AI and 21st Century Assessment
After using generative AI to help write a few rubrics or summarize an accreditation narrative, assessment professionals must start considering ways to use AI more efficiently and sustainably. One way to do this is to create mini-GPTs. Smaller versions of the larger ChaptGPT can be created with trained rules and parameters. A continuation of last year's successful AI session, this presentation will be a learner workshop where anyone in the room can go home and create their own mini-GPT.
Glenn Allen Phillips, Watermark
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Use of Technologies in Assessment 

Power BI Basics: Dashboard Building for Assessment Professionals
Interactive dashboards are a powerful tool used to visualize data. As postsecondary campuses collect an increasing amount of data related to student learning, satisfaction, and success outcomes, dashboards are becoming a commonly used method to visualize data. Dashboards are highly adaptive and can be used to display many types of data, including data from learning management systems, student surveys, admissions data, demographic data, and student success indicators. This workshop will focus on building dashboards using Power BI for participants with little or no prior experience using Power BI. The entire workshop will be a hands-on learning experience, and participants will leave with a newly created dashboard. The emphasis of the workshop will be learning the basic steps of Power BI dashboard building in order to adapt these skills to other contexts for future use. Participants must bring a laptop computer to use and have Power BI installed prior to the workshop. A dataset will be provided for participants.
Shane Schellpfeffer, University of North Dakota; Caitlyn Jessee, Florida State University; and Jeremy Fry, Indiana University School of Dentistry
Presentation Type: Pre-Institute Workshop
Audience Level: Beginner
Primary Topic: Use of Technologies in Assessment 

Promoting Student Performance through Non-Standard Scaling of Authentic and Program Assessments
All programs in higher education are exploring ways of collecting and processing data for impactful and meaningful decision-making processes. One research-based practice available to higher education is that of Non-Standard Scaling to provide sense of data from the professional perspective of faculty, staff, and administrators as they work through decisions related to program assessment and accreditation. Non-Standard Scaling incorporates the essence of qualitative and quantitative data forms and provides the opportunity to compare and explore processed data in the decision-making process. Non-Standard Scaling provides for professional knowledge and understanding to lead the way in exploring data of all forms.
Ray W. Francis, Central Michigan University; and Mark Deschaine, The University of Mississippi
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Use of Technologies in Assessment 

Tracking Student Engagement in Co-Curriculum Skill Development Across a Four-Year Curriculum
The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education requires that schools of pharmacy track student engagement in co-curriculum skill development. We have developed a process to quantitatively track student engagement in activities that provide individual development of 7 co-curriculum skills across the entire curriculum. Students document at least 12 activities across each year of the didactic curriculum. In the final year of the curriculum, students document at least 2 activities in each of 8 rotations to track co-curriculum skill development during their experiential learning year. Our process demonstrates an effective way to demonstrate student professional development across the entire four-year curriculum.
Karen Pater and Kristine Schonder, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy
Presentation Type: Rise-and-Shine 20-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Use of Technologies in Assessment 

Use of AI: From Artificial Intelligence to Human Intelligence in Program Assessment
The use of ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence (AI) programs have become pervasive in higher education. Being able to pose a complex question and have a coherent summary can be useful in getting started in the development of meaningful and sustainable program assessment processes. Examples of AI-generated assessment processes are becoming common. However, moving faculty from artificial intelligence to human intelligence requires understanding what questions need to be asked to determine whether or not AI-generated responses meet the needs of the program. This session will give examples and explore the questions that need to be asked.
Gloria Rogers, ABET, Inc.
Presentation Type: Concurrent 60-Minute Session
Audience Level: Intermediate
Primary Topic: Use of Technologies in Assessment