Assessment, Evaluation & Research
Assessment, evaluation, and research is a competency that I currently consider myself to be proficient in at a basic level. I fully understand the value of assessment to developing best practice in student affairs and have conducted a variety of informal assessments and evaluations throughout my time serving as a professional and graduate student. I have also conducted a small number of formal assessment reports working collaboratively with peers while at YSJSU, have developed my knowledge of quantitative research through completing a Statistics in Education class and am currently in the process of completing a Research in Education class and my first independent research project.
My research project is designed to assess the effectiveness of the selection criteria for Resident Advisor recruitment and selection in predicting performance levels. To do this, I have quantified qualitative data from the one-semester evaluations of resident advisors from 4 resident halls, and will process regressions to compare their performance levels with their quantitative scores from the selection process. Once the final written report on the findings is complete, I will upload it here as an artifact. For now, I have included the analysis of my results from the 2007 YSJSU Annual Survey, which evaluates the student body’s perceptions of the Students’ Union and the institution. I have also included the evaluation data I collected from Class Representative training at The Oldham College.
Together, these artifacts demonstrate my basic competency in assessment, evaluation, and research as written by ACPA. My completing the Statistics in Education class and expected completion of the Research in Education class show my ability to “understand quantitative designs and analysis techniques” (ACPA 2007, p.7), an understanding I am demonstrating clearly in my independent research project. My ability to use assessment data to inform best practice is demonstrated by the recommendations put forth in the Annual Survey analysis, proving my ability to “make sense and meaning from data” (ACPA, 2007, p.7). Finally, the evaluation data collected from Class Representative training demonstrates by ability to “facilitate data collection for system/department-wide assessment and evaluation efforts” (ACPA, 2007, p.7). It is my intention to involve myself further in assessment and research throughout my professional career and aim to reach an advanced level of competency within the next two years.