Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/139946
Committing to Assessment the language of assessment, we talked about outcomes—at one stage we even did an entire college reading of a single course-embedded assessment, so that when we would say, 'We're doing a reading,' everyone would know what we meant," says Knowles. Now, faculty are well-versed in assessment, and May makes sure they have everything they need to produce high-quality assessment data and respond in meaningful ways. (See "Committing to Assessment" at right.) For example, the school has integrated a number of events, workshops, and procedures into its regular schedule: An annual faculty retreat. Held each spring semester, the faculty retreat is one of the most important events of the CBA's academic calendar. During each retreat, the faculty review assessment data from the previous year and hash out what worked and what didn't. They can propose adding a new subject to the curriculum or augmenting a current one. At this year's retreat, faculty discussed how to integrate social responsibility to their courses, as well as what learning objectives and rubrics would best suit that topic. The retreats give faculty an entire day to engage in cross-disciplinary discussions centered on student learning, says Knowles. "They can sit at a table together and ask the big questions: 'Why do our students struggle with the big picture during presentations?' or 'How can we help them become more comfortable with public speaking?'" At the last faculty retreat, members of the board of advisors talked about what they, as employers, want students to know upon grad42 July/August 2013 BizEd Bruce May, dean of UW-L's College of Business Administration, believes that a business school's leaders can't just tell faculty that assessment is important. They also must show their commitment in one or more of the following ways: Provide the funding. Serving just over 1,650 students, the CBA isn't a large business school, but that makes assessment no less important, says May, who has made assessment a permanent line item in his budget. He allocates funds for hotel meeting space for the annual faculty retreat, books on assessment for faculty, honorariums for guest speakers, on-campus workshops, and travel and fees for conferences and seminars. May also provides an independent budget for the college's assurance of learning task force and gives the school's assessment coordinator a halftime teaching schedule and a summer stipend. "If faculty say they need to read this book or attend an additional conference, I say, 'Go ahead.' I know it's a good investment," May says. Send the right signals. May shows his commitment to assessment by not only providing resources, but also participating himself. He attends task force meetings and invites members of his board of advisors to attend as well. He also invites board members to participate in the faculty's annual retreat and help faculty read course-embedded assessments. "Faculty read signals, and when the dean comes to their meetings and participates in discussions, these are signals that assurance of learning is important to the college," says May. Reward the effort. Faculty generally have three areas of responsibility—teaching, research, and service. Many deans automatically categorize faculty's work toward assurance of learning as service. But that does not recognize the full scope of its importance. "We elevate assessment and assurance of learning work by relating it to teaching, research, and service," says May. "When assessment becomes part of teaching and research, and not just service, it becomes a more integrated part of our faculty's normal workload." Choose the right motivation. "Do not ask faculty to conduct assessments because of accreditation," says May. "Ask faculty to do them because they improve your programs." Stay flexible. Refining an approach to assessment is not about achieving perfection. "Some people were trying to make this a perfect process, but when you try to do that, it keeps you from making progress," says May. "We'd try something. If it didn't work, we'd laugh it off, get together, and try something else." That process of trial and error, he says, has led the school to a successful—and sustainable—assessment strategy.