Assessment Overview

Many offices keep track of who uses student services, programs, and facilities. Among other things, it is important to know whether certain clientele are or are not using particular services, programs, or facilities. For example, a lower percentage of male compared to female students use the various academic support programs available.

Student Affairs regularly assesses student needs and monitors how they change over time. Examples of recent needs assessment projects are described below.

• Center for Student Success Academic Support survey: this short survey asked students to rank the helpfulness of various support options
• Student Financial Support surveys students every couple of years about their off-campus housing in order to assess housing and living expenses
• Housing and Conference Services surveys students about meeting spaces

We predominantly use survey results to measure student satisfaction. Below are a few examples.

Enrolled Student Survey (bi-annually)

The Enrolled Student Survey (ESS) is primarily focused on measuring student engagement, including day-to-day student activities, modes of student-student and student-faculty interactions, student use of institutional resources, and related environmental factors. The survey also includes a set of learning self-evaluations and a small number of student satisfaction measures. Faculty-student relationships, advising, and academic help are measured.

Senior Survey (bi-annually)

The COFHE Senior Survey provides graduating seniors with an opportunity to evaluate their undergraduate institution in detail, evaluate their own progress, and report on their plans for the future. Satisfaction questions ask about overall satisfaction, academic satisfaction, satisfaction with student services, satisfaction with student life, and a few other areas.

Assessing campus climate is done regularly, mostly via surveys, but sometimes using other methods such as focus groups Examples of projects which include climate assessment are below:

• Enrolled Student Survey
• Senior Survey
• New Student Orientation survey
• PILOT surveys

Student Affairs measures what students are learning as a result of their involvement in the programs, services, and activities we offer.

Divisional Level

At the divisional level, five broad learning domains and related outcomes statements serve to guide and describe the co-curricular learning that takes place through the programs, activities, and services offered by Homewood Student Affairs.

Department Level

Departments in Student Affairs are working to develop student learning outcomes for the work they do. Most department level outcomes flow from the Division learning outcomes.

Program or Activity Level

Within departments, most learning assessment takes place at the program or activity level, using a variety of methods including surveys, direct observation, reflection papers, and others.

To review more about our Learning Outcomes, visit the Learning Outcomes page.

The Assessment Committee is working with divisional leadership to develop a program review process. What we envision is clear guidelines for departments and offices to complete a program review/self-study on a three to five year cycle.

Student affairs measures how our services, activities, programs, and facilities compare to accepted national standards. National standards frequently used include the following:

• Standards from the Council for Advancement of Standards are used in program reviews.
• Student Health and Well-Being is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care. SHWC participates in ongoing self-evaluation in order to improve services to the university population.
• The pre-doctoral internship program at the Counseling Center is accredited by the American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation.