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Didar Zhakanbayev
As time passes, the importance of assessment and evaluation in student affairs field is
growing relatively. Success for students, programs and institutions can greatly be achieved by the
help of good assessment and evaluation practices. By clearly defined learning outcomes, well-
founded methodology, and up to date data, assessment can make a huge difference. (NASPA)
Recently, I have applied for an internship at the office of global programs. I was
interested in working there because that office works mainly with international students. I was a
member of one group called FiGE, and was able to be involved in various student activities
organized by that office. I should say that it was a unique experience and confidently say that it
was, indeed part of learning. Almost each time at the end of events that I attended our
coordinator used to take a small survey. The first semester I didnt pay much attention to it. But
now I see that all that collected data is carefully analyzed with a purpose to make those events
more useful so that students could benefit from that, and work towards improvement. I believe if
I had chance to see the practical side of it, that would help a lot to learn how to do an effective
assessment.
When making an assessment plan the very first step is to set our learning outcomes. To do
that we need to answer a simple question why?. Answering that question will help us to
come up with necessary objectives. Step two will be designing. That includes who will be the
intended audience for result, who will be a participant, what type of methods and tools are used,
location and logistics of timing. The tools that are commonly used would be surveys, focus
groups, interviews, observation, case studies, etc. These tools will help us to collect data and
analyze afterwards. Finally, we can use and share the results found. The results can show us what
ASSESSMENT IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 3
and why is it important and what actions should be taken or what resources are necessary.
The ASK standards provide a framework for the assessment knowledge and skills in which
student affairs professionals need to be proficient in order to foster learning. These standards look for an
articulation of areas of content knowledge, skill and dispositions that student affairs professionals need in
order to perform as practitioner-scholars to assess the degree to which students are mastering the learning
and development outcomes we intend as professionals. Consistent with language used in the context of
educational accountability, these areas of knowledge and skill are termed content standards. Phrased
conversationally, content standards describe what you need to know. That is, what do student affairs
There are 13 Assessment Skills and Knowledge (ASK) Standards developed in consultation
with student affairs professionals from across the Association. These are some of those standards:
Assessment Design; Articulating learning and Development Outcomes; Selection of Data Collection and
Politics of Assessment.
Now I would like to mention about a couple of areas identified in ASK standards related
Standard A: Ability to Determine Political Risks That May Apply to Assessment Results
and the Audiences Likely to Be Adversely Affected by Findings. Assessment Coordinators have
to know how effectively share bad or uncomfortable results. Because those results may lead to
consequences such as budget cuts or shut down of programs in case they are found unsuccessful.
Assessment Coordinators must have broad view and understanding of who and how among
stakeholders are impacted by result. It is also very important to collaborate with staff in projects
ASSESSMENT IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 4
in terms of setting goals, timeline, requirements, reporting needs. That helps to make everything
Standard C: Ability to Identify the Context/Institutional Factors That Shape the Need for
the Assessment. Every institution has different context for instance, ones may be public, the
others private, ones may have two-year associate degree program, the others four-year bachelors
program, some might have leadership changes in the institution, whereas others might have
stability and so on. For student affairs division, the context may involve demonstrating how
student affairs contribute to the institutional vision, mission and values. As Upcraft and Schuh
(2002) stated, Assessment needs might change drastically as a result of new leadership that
requires different evidence of effectiveness, sees new problems, or devalues old problems (pp.
18-19). Hence why whatever the context is, the Assessment Coordinator has to understand the
impact of environment on the assessment agenda. Because higher education and institutions are
Context for Those Results Such as Who Receives the Results, the Format in Which the Result
Should Be Reported, and Timing of the Reporting. Assessment Coordinator needs to pay
attention to how and when results are communicated. In addition to that Assessment Coordinator
needs to know the purpose, the intended audience, and the potential action to be taken based on
the information even before the data are collected. He/she should also be skilled in data
References:
ASSESSMENT IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 5
http://www.northwestern.edu/studentaffairs/assessment/resources/assessment-
resources/assets/acap-ask-brochure1.pdf
https://www.naspa.org/focus-areas/assessment-and-evaluation
Upcraft, M. L., &Schuh, J. H. (2002). Assessment vs. research: Why we should care about the
http://www.myacpa.org/sites/default/files/CAE-Assessment_In_Student_Affairs.pdf
Yousey-Elsener, K., Bentrim, E. M., & Henning, G. W. (2015). Tenet Nine: Navigating Politics
Stylus.