Assessment Cycle

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Process of Assessment Graphic

The process of assessment is cyclical in nature in the following sequence:

  1. Identify goals and outcomes
  2. Gather evidence
  3. Analyze & interpret the evidence
  4. Create an action plan 
  5. Implement change
  6. Repeat Steps 1-5 above

Each phase of the assessment cycle has a corresponding question:

  1. What is the program/service trying to accomplish?
  2. How will you gather evidence and determine the type(s) of evidence to know whether the program/service accomplished its purpose?
  3. Does the evidence support your goals and outcomes?  Are you noticing other useful patterns?
  4. Looking at the evidence, what specific plan can you create given your available resources to accomplish your area's mission and goals?
  5. How will you make decisions and implement change based on the findings?

“Student affairs staff members need to have more than programs, activities, and experiences they think would contribute to student learning. They need to have the empirical evidence to be confident that these programs, activities, and experiences actually do contribute to student learning. This is the point in student affairs practice where assessment is vital” (Schuh and Gansemer-Topf, 2010).

Using the Assessment Cycle

Our office's Assessment Planning Worksheet in conjunction with the expandable sections below are here to help you apply the assessment cycle to your office's needs.

Outcomes

Different Types of Outcomes

For ease in explanation, we are presenting two different categories of outcomes:

  1. Operational/Program/Service Outcomes
  2. Learning and Development Outcomes

While the focus for each is different, they are all critical with Student Affairs work.  Not all programs, services, and interventions use all these types of outcomes.  Use what best fits what you are working on and what you are trying to accomplish.

However, when developing programs and services, these outcomes should be explored prior to and during program development to maximize the impact of the activity, event, program, intervention, etc.

Operational/Program/Service Outcomes vs. Learning/Development Outcomes

For ease, the main differences between an operational/program/service outcome and a learning/development outcome is participants/audience and learning. 

  • Learning/development outcomes have a specific audience/participation group they are trying to target, whereas operational/program/service outcomes do not discuss an audience.  Audience/participants could be all students, transfer students, graduate students, participants of a certain department (EOP, QCRC, Athletics, etc.), staff, student workers, etc.  
  • Since learning/development outcomes have a clear audience, they are focused on what they hope that audience learns.  However, operational/program/service outcomes' foci are not about learning, rather the result/impact of a program, intervention, policy.
Operational/Program/Service OutcomesLearning/Development Outcomes
Definition

"Operational outcomes--also called administrative outcomes, service outcomes, [program outcomes,] or outputs--are metrics that document how well the operational aspects of a program or an activity are functioning; however, they do not document learning, development, or the overall impact of a program or service" (Henning & Roberts, Student Affairs Assessment: Theory to Practice, 2016, p. 88).

"Learning and development outcomes are desired learning and development effects of a program, a service, or an intervention, but are more specific than goals and are result-focused and participant-centered...They are what students [or other participants] are expected to know or do" (Henning & Roberts, Student Affairs Assessment: Theory to Practice, 2016, p. 89).

Description

Program/Service Outcomes (PO/SO) identify critical and central services, processes, and functions expected of a department and the desired quality.

PO/SO examines what a unit will do, achieve, or improve to demonstrate operational effectiveness; for example, assessment of timeliness of responses, satisfaction with customer service, efficiency of resource utilization, etc.

A Student Learning Outcome (SLO) is a statement that describes the desired result of a student engaging with this unit’s programs or initiatives. It should contain an action verb and be measurable.

SLOs examine cognitive skills that students (or other stakeholders) develop through department/group memberships, interactions, programs, and services; i.e., assessment of what students will know (knowledge), do (skills), or believe (dispositions).

Typical UsageExamples of PO/SO include assessment of timeliness of responses, satisfaction with customer service, number of programs a department offers, efficiency of resource utilization, average attendance at an event(s), speediness of service, etc.Examples of learning and development outcomes include measuring an increase in a skill, a decrease in a behavior, identification or usage of a resource, increased confidence or persistence in an area, etc.
Example Outcomes
  • As a result of the new alcohol use policy, the number of alcohol violations in the residence halls will decrease by 10% in the 2023/24 academic year.
  • During the current semester, the average caseload per General Services advisor will be 200-students.
  • All incoming students who complete the New Student Orientation (NSO) program will be able to identify by the end of the program at least one way in which they plan to get involved with student life outside of the classroom.
  • Due to participation in a campus sport, student athletes will be able to resolve at least one conflict amongst teammates during this academic year.
Formula*As a result of (policy, programing, intervention, etc.) (desired result) in (location, department, etc.) will (specific qualifier/degree) by (timeframe).(Participants/audience) who ________ will be able to (action verb) (behavior/expected learning) (specific qualifier/degree) by (timeframe).

*The formulas above are only guidelines for those getting started and are definitely not the only ways to write outcomes.  As long as your outcomes are "SMART" (see below), you are on the right track.

Help with Action Verbs: Bloom’s Taxonomy

If you are creating a learning/development outcome, and you need help with creating an action verb, borrow from Bloom's Taxonomy. 

Be mindful and realistic with which word you use, however.  For instance, during a stand-alone, one-hour workshop, it may not be realistic for participants to create something new.  Furthermore, during undergraduate studies, it is rare when a student achieves the "create" level of Bloom's Taxonomy because while they may often produce products, many times those products are a depiction of an evaluation, analysis, application, or understanding of a topic.  A thesis is an example of something a student may produce at the "create" level since it is a new and original work.

  • Create: assemble, construct, create, compose, design, develop, formulate, hypothesize, invent, plan, produce
  • Evaluate: appraise, argue, citizen, defend, judge, recommend, select, support
  • Analyze: categorize, compare, contrast, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, question
  • Apply: choose, demonstrate, employ, illustrate, operate, sketch, solve, use, show
  • Understand: describe, discuss, explain, report, give example, paraphrase, summarize
  • Remember: describe, recognize, list, recall, repeat, label, identify

Make Sure Outcomes are SMART

Whichever outcome you choose to write, make sure it adheres to the SMART Outcomes checklist below:

S

Specific

  • The outcome should identify a specific action or event that will take place.
  • Questions to answer: What do I want to accomplish? Why do I want to accomplish this? What are the requirements? What are the constraints?
M

Measurable

  • The outcome and its benefits should be countable.  This could either be done through an increase/decrease in a percentage/number or, in the case of a new program/intervention/policy, by creating a realistic baseline number to try to achieve.
  • Questions to answer: How will I measure my progress? How will I know the outcome is accomplished?
A

Achievable

  • The outcome should be attainable given available resources.
  • Questions to answer: How can the outcome be accomplished? What are the logical steps that should be taken?
R

Realistic

  • The outcome should require some stretching but allow the likelihood of success.
  • Questions to answer: Is this a worthwhile outcome? Is this the right time? Do I have the necessary resources to accomplish this outcome? Is this outcome in-line with long-term objectives, mission statement, vision statement, etc.?
T

Timely

  • The outcome should state the time period in which it will be accomplished.
  • Questions to answer: How long will it take to accomplish this outcome? When is the completion of this outcome due? When am I going to work on this outcome?

Ensure Equitability

When you are creating outcomes, ensure they are as equitable and inclusive as possible.  The National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) (2020) states that for assessment to improve student learning and authentically document what students know and can do for today’s diverse students, an equitable and culturally responsive approach to assessment is needed.

Follow the checklist below to ensure equitability when creating outcomes:

  • Check biases and ask reflective questions while creating and finalizing outcomes to address assumptions and positions of privilege.
  • Include the perspectives of those affected by the outcomes (students, staff, etc.) and modify outcomes based on those perspectives.
  • Make evidence-based changes that address issues of equity that are context-specific.

Example

Below is an example of an outcome written in a way that might unintentionally exclude some participants/students and its more equitable version.

  • Inequitable learning outcome: All students who need internet access will be able to connect to the internet from their house in order to complete their current coursework and access campus resources.
  • Equitable learning outcome: All students who need internet access will be provided a mobile hotspot in order to complete their current coursework and access campus resources. 

Notice that the equitable version does not have an assumption of a student's living situation like the inequitable version did ("their house").  The introduction of a "mobile hotspot" in the equitable version is also a more inclusive solution (albeit idealistic due to resources) since students do not need transportation to use the solutions of campus internet or a stable home to use low cost or free wifi at their residence.

Gather Evidence

Once you have established your outcomes/goals, now you need to assess if they are being met.  This is where you gather evidence.

Assessment Tools

There are a few ways evidence may be collected to be used for assessment.  Please, use the chart below to learn about some of the various assessment tools, so you may implement ones that will work with your program and population.

Assessment Tool

Definition

Benefit

Challenge

Case StudyThis tool allows students to demonstrate a specific skill or several skills together using a real-life example. It could be used for students to explain how they would respond to something they’ve been trained on, such as in their employment or how they might handle a common situation that occurs in organizations.You can determine the focus you are assessing; it can be used easily for both leadership roles and
employment.		It can be time consuming to develop the case study as well as a rubric or other guidelines to use when assessing the responses.
Exit InterviewsThis is a reflective process to allow students to think about their overall experiences.This provides an overall view, can be an opportunity to gather feedback about a program or for yourself as an advisor/supervisor, and can provide rich data.This requires some thought about the questions or prompts to ask to get to deeper reflection and can be time consuming to collect information and then organize themes.
Focus Group/InterviewThis can be done in a group (6-10 students) or individually; students are asked questions that typically require a response more than a simple yes or no question.This can gather rich data, especially about overall experiences.This involves planning and being intentional with questions asked; it is also very time consuming to collect information, transcribe, and then organize themes.
Learning Contracts/AgreementThis is an excellent tool for helping students articulate their commitment to learning through their involvement or
employment of their own learning.		This is personal for each individual student and can focus on involvement, personal, or professional goals.This is time consuming and requires follow-up to be effective.
ObservationObservation alone involves just watching students “on the job” but ideally includes looking for knowledge (ability to define and identify), comprehension (understanding the purpose), application (skills necessary to “do” a task), analysis (ability to deconstruct something into parts), synthesis (ability to reconstruct properly), and evaluation (ability to know whether or not you have done a “good job”).Basic observation can be an easy tool to use.To use as a measure of student learning, observation needs to be intentional and documented.
One-Minute PaperStudents are asked to reflect or respond to a question that should only take a couple minutes. This can be a great tool to use when training. Examples include muddiest point about topic, what a student learned and how they could apply it, or a specific question about how to respond in a certain situation.This is easy to administer and doesn’t require a lot of preparation; it can also be a good way to start a reflection with a group.Depending on the size of the group, this can take time to go through all the responses to organize themes. It is also important the question is the “best” question for the context.
PortfolioThis is a method for students to demonstrate a variety of experiences and/or skills learned or could be focused for one experience. Portfolios can be electronic or physical and students can upload or include reflections or samples of their work.They are flexible and can include multiple items and can highlight students' overall college experiences.They are less common in the co-curricular, requires some platform to gather documents if using an electronic format, and can be time consuming for both the student and staff member.
Reflective JournalsStudents write thoughtful responses to set prompt(s) usually about their experiences, learning, and/or growth.This can gather rich data and be specific about an experience or application of a students’ learning.This can take time for the student to complete as well as time to read and organize themes.
Reflective PhotographyStudents can use pictures to capture student learning or meaning of their involvement.This allows students to be engaged in a personal and creative way.To fully document learning, there should be some manner to reflect and document the meaning of the pictures.
RubricsA rubric can serve as a tool to provide feedback on a student performance or as a self-assessment. This can be used to see improvement or changes over time.Flexible, multiple types of rubrics, provide clear expectations of performance and can be a direct measure.Rubrics take time to develop and can feel a little academic, but if introduced well, can be used in the co-curricular.
SurveyThis is the most common assessment tool; it can be paper or electronic format and can include both quantitative and qualitative questions.They are fairly simple to design and administer, and they can be a quick method to gather a good amount of data.It is easy for surveys to get too long.  Students also receive lots of surveys for their feedback leading to survey fatigue.  Additionally, to be effective, surveys questions need to be well thought out.
TestsSimilar to an academic class, a test is an assessment in which the respondent is asked a question that has a correct answer, rather than their opinion or experience.A test is a direct measure of students’ knowledge or learning, and can be used well with training or employment.It can feel like a classroom measure and may not be appropriate for all situations.
TrackingThis keeps track of the number of students involved with an experience, program attendance, or how often a situation occurs.It is easy to do and easy to make comparisons from year to year.It is limited on what the information fully tells you, but it can be part of the story.
Work SampleThis involves examples of student work or what they have done. This is used best with a rubric or guideline to assess specific aspects.It is a direct measure of students’ accomplishments and what they have done.It may be difficult to use with all students depending on their role and if they have some form of work that can be gathered.

The table above has been adapted from "Assessment Tools" by Shaun Boren, Darby Roberts, Leo Young during their "Assessment 101" presentation at the 2023 NASPA Conference.

Ensure Equitability

When you are gathering evidence, ensure you are doing so as equitably as possible.  The National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) (2020) states that for assessment to improve student learning and authentically document what students know and can do for today’s diverse students, an equitable and culturally responsive approach to assessment is needed.

Follow the checklist below to ensure equitability when creating outcomes:

  • Check biases and ask reflective questions while choosing an assessment tool and gathering evidence to address assumptions and positions of privilege.
  • Whenever possible, use multiple assessment tools to enrich and expand the data pool as well as diversify the results.
  • Include the perspectives of those affected by the outcomes (students, staff, etc.) and take actions based on those perspectives.
  • Ensure collected data can be meaningfully disaggregated and interrogated.
  • Make evidence-based changes that address issues of equity that are context-specific.

Examples

Below are examples of gathering data equitably:

  • Ensure that the availability of the assessment is as convenient as possible for the participants to be able to collect data from a wide group of participants.  For instance, if you are trying to assess student learning, try not to do it when you know their schedules are going to be impacted, such as during Finals Week.  In addition, if you are conducting interviews or focus groups, provide a wide range of time periods to participate to accommodate for a wide range of availabilities.
  • When creating an assessment, involve the assessment's targeted group in the process.  This will ensure the language used will be understood, the assessment's availability is realistic, and the purpose of the assessment will be met.