+ Putting the Pieces Together for Standard 14 Middle States Conference December 7 – 9, 2008 Baltimore, MD Moving from Warning to a Culture of Continuous Improvement
+ Expectations for the Monitoring Visit Procrastination Planning Practice Preparation Presentation Perceptions Productive Perfection Presidents/Provosts
+ Procrastination DONT! Mobilize immediately In report, be sure to include timelines of activities
+ Planning Establish cross-college assessment team Lay ground work for understanding assessment Professional development Building a vocabulary of assessment Look at best practices Review Middle States documents
+ Practice Review what is already happening in assessment around the college Try some simple assessment activities Document Discuss Share Offer incentives for bigger assessment activities
+ Preparation Cross-college assessment team meets weekly Does homework and reports back to committee Briefs President Seeks input from greater college community Be sure Dean/VP of Finance is part of the process for tying to budgeting and closing the loop Establish whole-college communication Newsletters Meeting minutes Open meetings
+ Presentation Honesty is the best policy Realism is also a mustthink sustainable Packaging information Develop a workable template Find your best writer Write to express, not to impress Find multiple readers from various constituencies Include concrete evidence of activities timelines of past Timelines for future Calendars of cyclical events
+ Perception What do various constituents think about assessment? About the colleges progress? Establish a rubric scoring 1-10 with 10 being a culture of assessment. Reality: No one is a 10! Theres always more to do. Practicality: Operationalize the rationale for where you are in the rubric. Discuss next steps and sustainability
+ Productive Seek meaningful ways to develop, implement, and use assessment Develop manageable plans and activities
+ Perfection No one is perfect. Honest, systematic efforts are best. Usefulness is expected. On-going is required.
+ Presidents Understanding Support Intellectual Financial Commitment