Graduates should be able to evaluate both the processes and desired outcomes of student affairs programs and services. Specifically, students should possess the skills necessary to:
- gather and analyze quantitative and qualitative data from student and programs;
- read with understanding the published research on higher education;
- conduct and write a program evaluation report.
Jump to Counseling and Personal Development
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Each semester, five students are offered an opportunity to function in student leader positions. These positions are designed to be intentional learning opportunities for students where they can gain pracitical leadership experience and be mentored as they develop their leadership abilities. In an effort to foster leadership development, I invite the entire community to offer anonymous feedback to the student leaders via an online survey (CAS Standards, 2006). While collecting the results I ask student leaders to complete self-evaluations (Nouwen, 1993). After collecting both the survey and the evaluation, I devote one of our individual meetings to discussing the results and developing a growth plan. These are generally challenging and encouraging conversations.
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Desiring to learn how students felt about the High Sierra Semester, a classmate and I conducted this qualitative study of 12 students who had returned for a second or third semester. In their own words, the students described for us the growth they experienced while living in the mountains and why they had chosen to return. A closer look at the interviews revealed that students naturally progressed through some of Chickering's (1969) vectors. Specifically, it appeared that students moved through the vectors of developing competence, moving through autonomy toward interdependence, developing mature interpersonal relationships and establishing identity.
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At the end of each semester, students are asked to complete a comprehensive survey that helps faculty and staff assess outcomes and student satisfaction. After revising program goals last summer, I took the challenge of redesigning and updating this survey. The survey is issued on the final night of the semester and the results are taken seriously by faculty and staff and have often resulted in positive policy or programmatic changes. The survey is primarily quantitative assessment because this method is generally accepted as most beneficial in outcome and student satisfaction surveys (Upcraft & Schuh, 1996). This revised student survey will be used for the first time at the end of the Spring 2010 semester.
