May 1, 2023
Dear Colleagues,
The WSCUC reaffirmation-of-accreditation process that we are currently going through provides our campus with a valuable opportunity to grow our collective habit of collecting, analyzing, and making effective use of good assessment data—whether it is a unit’s functionality and efficacy, an academic program, or a campus process being assessed. We have had many opportunities over the past many months to see need for working within and across our respective divisions to develop this habit. I’m eager for next steps in this to begin.
Moving from One-Off Assessment to a Culture of Assessment: Getting Started
Although the upcoming WSCUC visit in April 2024 serves as the catalyst, it is not
the sole reason for every division and unit to embrace assessment as core to our campus
culture. The underlying reason is the opportunity to develop shared understandings
of our past, present, and future through formative assessment efforts.
An assessment culture can foster inclusivity, collaboration, hope, generativity, meaning, and impact. Leveraging the WSCUC Thematic Pathway Review (TPR) process, we will use it as a launching pad to build and nurture an assessment- and data-competent culture at º£½ÇÉçÇøCI. All divisions, including Academic Affairs, Business & Financial Affairs, Student Affairs, University Advancement, and the Office of the President, will be asked to incorporate this work in meaningful ways. While this may take time to fully realize, we have the opportunity to take initial steps now.
To facilitate this work, we have engaged the services of two renowned experts in assessment culture development: and . These facilitators have a proven track record improving efficiency and providing actionable outcomes, including shaping essential structures for a positive assessment culture. They will work with our campus to achieve three outcomes:
- Making Culture Core. Our goal is to become a true and continuous learning organization rather than approaching assessment and accreditation as compliance-based, one-off actions. To achieve this, we need to establish a sustainable foundation for ongoing reflection and action, not just for the current accreditation cycle, but also for future cycles. Our facilitators will start by building an evidence-based snapshot of our existing culture through interviews and surveys. We will then facilitate sessions to make sense of the snapshot and co-create a plan to move forward, leveraging existing structures and efforts, and honoring the progress we have made so far.
- Highlighting Alignment. Building a healthy assessment culture involves supporting existing processes for self-reflection such as program review, strategic planning, and pursuing program-level accreditations, so that we can align our efforts and streamline our work.
- Embedding Inclusion. Inclusivity must be at the heart of our assessment culture. Our facilitators will help us ensure that our assessment efforts are inclusive, equitable, and respectful of diverse perspectives and voices. Facilitators will 1) Engage in constructive gathering of information that captures change and growth rather than accomplishments and highlights, and 2) Engage in participatory analysis and interpretation of findings with people most impacted by findings.
The goal is for this facilitated process to help us align strategic directions and data-informed student success strategies. Many individuals and groups who are interested in participating in this process will be invited and appreciated. As a starting point, the following will be invited to meet with Drs. Mersman and Nguyen for a 30–45-minute session between now and the end of the Spring 2023 semester:
- Faculty (academic program chairs or their designee, Senate committee representatives, faculty developing new programs or pursuing specialized accreditation)
- Academic deans
- Institutional Research
- Teaching & Learning Innovations
- Success and Inclusion for Graduate and Undergraduate Academic Excellence (SIGUE)
- Learning Resource Center (LRC)
- Writing & Multiliteracy Center (WMC)
- Student representatives (ASI)
Additionally, faculty, staff, and students will be invited to provide feedback on the three outcomes named above (i.e., making culture core, highlighting alignment, and embedding inclusion) in a campus-wide survey distributed via email.
Assessment Culture as Our Core: An Opportune Moment
The results of this work, which will be communicated to the campus community in early
Fall 2023, will enable º£½ÇÉçÇøCI to improve supports and infrastructure, to identify investment
needs in existing programs, to allocate resources in meaningful and informed ways,
to prepare us and help support our April 2024 WSCUC visit and support specialized
accreditation processes, and finally, to help shape an assessment culture—first in
Academic Affairs but eventually across all divisions.
We’ve taken some initial steps toward culture building with the Inclusive Excellence Action Plan (IEAP); campus climate surveys and CLC response processes; and new approaches to communicating with prospective and current students. Establishing a culture of assessment at º£½ÇÉçÇøCI will ensure continuous improvement and growth. By making culture core, highlighting alignment, and embedding inclusion, we can create a sustainable foundation for ongoing reflection and action. The results of this work will inform resource allocation, improve infrastructure, and prepare us for accreditation processes. Let us embrace this opportune moment to cultivate a culture of assessment that fosters inclusivity, collaboration, and meaningful impact.
Sincerely,
Richard Yao, Ph.D.
President