Assessment, Evaluation, and Research
This competency focuses on how to effectively create assessment protocols that can move programs and events forward to become more significant. By having a proficient level of competency in assessment, evaluation, and research, I have been able to look at what my campus and other campuses are doing in order to improve the work that I am doing.
In my first year in my internship, I worked on creating an assessment of the student organizations at Bowling Green State University. Within this assessment were questions regarding how often student organizations utilized the Office of Campus Activities and how open the environment was. The goal of this assessment was to determine if the current methods of communication the office was using was effective, going along with the outcome of “facilitate appropriate data collection for system/department-wide assessment and evaluation efforts using current technology and methods” (ACPA & NASPA 2015, p. 20). Through this assessment, I learned that the communication that the office thought they were giving out was not seen as effective from the students’ perspectives. From this assessment I was able to give suggestions for future communication that could be more effective.
Another activity that allowed myself to develop within this competency was my summer at Clemson University serving as an ACUHO-I advising intern. My role for the summer was to look at current advising methods for the Resident Hall Association (RHA) and National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH) to compile best practices for advising these organizations. Looking at the outcome of “design program and learning outcomes that are properly clear, specific, and measurable, that are informed by theoretical frameworks and that align with organizational outcomes, goals, and values” (ACPA & NASPA 2015, p. 20), I was able to research disparate institutions of the same institutional type to see how other institutions advised these organizations. From there I was able to create a leadership development method that was informed by effective methods at different institutions as well as theories surrounding organizational development.
