THE ALLIANCE WELCOMES NEW RESEARCH FELLOWS 

The Alliance welcomes its two new Research Fellows: Dr. Carol Trosset and Dr. Steven Weisler!

Currently the Director of Institutional research at Hampshire College, Dr. Trosset has worked as a Director of Institutional Research for sixteen years. She has written publications that have discussed the use of assessment data to improve retention, the assessment of undergraduate research experiences, and student and faculty expectations of the advising relationship. A member of the Board of the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium, she obtained a PhD in cultural anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin and a BA from Carleton College.

Dr. Steven Weisler is the Dean of Enrollment and Assessment and Professor of Linguistics at Hampshire College. He also leads a Teagle-funded assessment collaborative that evaluates the senior thesis experience. Dr. Weisler also serves as a Teagle Assessment Scholar at the Wabash Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts. He has published and presented papers on qualitative assessment, assessment of the first-year experience, retention, and the evaluation of integrative learning. In addition to his research fellow role with the Alliance, he also serves as a member of the selection committee for the Alliance's Excellent Practice in Student Learning Assessment institutional certification program.

The fellows are currently conducting research on the President's Alliance with the aim to understand how the assessment and accountability efforts described in profiles of institutions participating in the President's Alliance compare to similar institutions who are not participating in the initiative. Specifically, the fellows will examine the types of learning outcomes measured at institutions, how the outcomes are assessed, and factors prompting assessment activities.

VIEWPOINTS PIECE BY ALLIANCE BOARD MEMBER

Alliance Board of Directors member and Senior Adviser at The Teagle Foundation, W. Robert Connor wrote the newest invited piece titled "Navigating a Perfect Storm" for the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) Viewpoints. Leaders in the learning outcomes assessment field nationwide are invited to submit writings for Viewpoints that engage readers in critical issues related to assessment.

STUDY REPORTS FINDINGS ABOUT ASSESSMENT PRACTICES AT ACADEMIC PROGRAM LEVELS    

Results from a Spring 2010 study of  assessment practices within academic programs by the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) are now available.  In order to conduct the study, program directors at two- and four-year institutions were surveyed to obtain a detailed information about assessment activities within their programs and departments.  Read about the study in the report "Down and In: Assessment Practices at the Program Level" by Peter Ewell, Karen Paulson, and Jillian Kinzie. 

The Association for Assessment of Learning in Higher Education (AALHE) currently has two active Communities of Practice (CoPs). The CoPs are designed for assessment scholar-practitioners within AALHE to engage in discussions and exchange knowledge and practices about assessment. The two active CoPs are focused on Methodology (facilitated by Dr. David Dirlam - Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion) and Assessment Directors (facilitated by Dr. Melanie Booth - Marylhurst University). If you are interested in participating in one of these CoPs, contact Marsha Watson, PhD at MWatson@AALHE.org.

Located in Decatur, Georgia, Agnes Scott College was founded in 1889. Agnes Scott is a women's college with a longstanding commitment to providing a liberal arts education. With a student body of over 900 students, Agnes Scott maintains a substantial amount of diversity with more than a third of its students being from underrepresented minority groups. With its small size, Agnes Scott is able to provide intentional and focused learning opportunities that allow its students to "think deeply, live honorably and engage the intellectual and social challenges of their times." Such opportunities for learning are shaped and enhanced by the continual evaluation of the academic environment. Through well-established and intentional assessment efforts, faculty and administrators at Agnes Scott are able to advance its mission and commitment to single-sex education.

Improving upon student learning experiences is paramount at Agnes Scott, as faculty and staff approach the gathering and use of data to enhance the collegiate experience for students with great intentionality. Agnes Scott currently uses several self-reported instruments from the Higher Education Research Institute and the National Survey of Student Engagement in order to obtain information on students' goals, aspirations, and levels of engagement in the curriculum and co-curriculum.  In addition to the previously described national survey administrations, Agnes Scott has also created more localized assessments to respond to program- and classroom-level student learning experiences. These assessments examined curricular experiences such as the Generating Excellence in Math & Science program, first year seminars in writing, and effective classroom strategies for learning in biology courses.  Assessment-with respect to these initiatives-has had great success in part because of the high degree of faculty engagement involved to improve the culture of student learning evidence.

Participation in the Presidents' Alliance is merely one way in which Agnes Scott actualizes its commitment to improving student learning. According to James Diedrick, Associate Dean of the College and Professor of English, joining a national dialogue such as the Presidents' Alliance and making a commitment to assessment known beyond the institution are of great importance. The importance of sharing assessment work is further demonstrated through Agnes Scott's creation of an assessment website in 2008. The purpose of this website was twofold. The website was designed to share information about ongoing assessment work with colleagues outside of the campus community.  Meanwhile, it also serves as an internal use clearinghouse for departmental and program-level assessment plans and reports.

To learn more about the extensive work that Agnes Scott is doing to improve student learning visit its Presidents' Alliance institutional profile and campus assessment website.  

Help us welcome our three new members of the President's Alliance for Excellence in Student Learning and Accountability: Miami University, Mohave Community College, and Paul Smith's College. We invite you to learn more about how each institution is committed to improving student learning by viewing their Action Plans on the the Alliance's website.