StudentAffairsRole in Assessment - Office of the Dean of Students ...

The University of Georgia, as a positive example, clearly articulates the link
between the mission of the institution and that of the division of student
affairs “to enhance the learning environment for students” (http://www.uga.
edu/studentaffairs/about.htm) and, in doing so, to support the larger institutional
mission “to promote high levels of student achievement and to provide
appropriate academic support services” (http://www.uga.edu/profile/mission.
html). Good assessment is purposeful, and, as in the case of the University
of Georgia, it is framed by a logical, systematic link between the mission of
student affairs and the teaching and learning mission of the institution. The
alignment of student affairs assessment with the missions of student affairs
and of the institution has the potential to shape an assessment program that
will provide an enriched learning environment for students.
Understanding the Broader Environment
Student affairs practitioners are often focused inwardly on meeting the needs
of the students attending their institution. While this focus is essential, the
profession must not ignore or underestimate the influence of external pressures
on student behavior and institutional policies and practices. Colleges
and universities are increasingly expected to provide evidence of their student
learning outcomes (see, for example, Middle States Commission on Higher
Education, 2006, and National Commission on the Future of Higher Education,
2006). As Ewell (2009) has observed,
Student affairs professionals
are also among the most
knowledgeable people on campus
for designing and implementing
programs to enhance the student
learning and success of these
students.
Colleges and universities are being asked to disclose more and more about
academic results and are responding in kind. Most now realize that it
will be impossible to sit out the latest round of pressure for accountability
with the hope that it will eventually go away (p. 6).
External stakeholders can benefit from knowing that student learning,
consistent with institutional mission and purpose, occurs both in and outside
the classroom. Student affairs practitioners—with their knowledge about
student learning—must take the lead in documenting how their services
enhance student learning outside the classroom and how their services
support academic-specific and institution-wide assessment efforts (Seagraves
& Dean, 2010).
Bridging Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Ewell (2009) maintains that there are two primary goals of assessment—
accountability and continuous improvement, that these two goals are
constantly in tension, and that given the increased attention on assessment
“[t]he conflicting imperatives of accountability and improvement that
formed the basis of [his] argument two decades ago remain substantially
intact” (p. 7). Student affairs professionals are often well positioned to ease
this tension and to help bridge these seemingly parallel goals. For example,
although institutional research offices typically provide data on overall
student persistence and graduation rates, the work of student affairs offices
with various subpopulations on campus can inform a more detailed picture.
Staff members who work with historically underrepresented groups (Braxton
& Hirschy, 2005)—such as students of color, women, and returning adult
learners—can help examine and interpret information about retention and
graduation rates of these groups. Student affairs professionals are also among
the most knowledgeable people on campus for designing and implementing
programs to enhance the student learning and success of these students.
For example, Grinnell College, a small, highly selective liberal arts insti-
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