Assessment Methods for Student Affairs

Accountability and demonstrating organizational effectiveness are two hallmarks of contemporary administrative practice in higher education in general and in student affairs administration in particular. As funding for student affairs is increasingly tied to the need to show how student affairs programs and services make a difference in higher education, accrediting bodies, governmental organizations, governing boards, students, parents, and other stakeholders continue to accelerate their demand that higher education organizations be accountable for their work. Consequently, the technical and methodological aspects of conducting assessment projects have become of critical importance to student affairs administrators. Assessment Methods for Student Affairs provides a practical guide to the nuts and bolts of conducting assessments, exploring issues such as how to get started, how to use survey instruments and software, how to collect and analyze data, how to present information in a meaningful form to the various stakeholders of the assessment project--whether by writing reports or conducting briefings--and how to implement findings.

Editor John Schuh and his fellow contributors, all experts in the field, detail the methodological aspects of conducting assessment projects specifically for the student affairs practitioner who is ready to conduct assessment projects, but is not quite sure how to manage their technical aspects. Using a variety of case studies and concrete examples to illustrate various assessment approaches, the authors lead the reader step-by-step through each phase of the assessment process with jargon-free, hands-on guidance.

This book is not written for statisticians, qualitative methodologists, theoreticians, psychometrists, or others whose careers are centered on the development or refinement of various research paradigms. Written by practitioners for practitioners in a straightforward and accessible style, Assessment Methods for Student Affairs will ensure that anyone conducting an assessment can complete it successfully and efficiently.