http://studentaffairsassessment.org/entries/blog/motivationComments on post: What Motivates You to Engage in Assessment and does it Matter?VivitiCMS2018-10-19T06:06:37-07:00About SAALtag:studentaffairsassessment.org,2018-10-03:/entries/1233333#comment_7284Comment by Whitney Brown2018-10-03T22:43:56-07:002018-10-03T22:43:56-07:00Ooow, great question. I find myself somewhere in the middle. For me, it’s important that staff fully embrace data-driven decision making... in essence, an outcome of assessment. I have found that the verbiage of “data-driven decision making” really resonates with the staff in my division. How do you make data-driven decisions though = through assessment. So, meeting them where they are at makes assessment practical to them and something they can embrace. I find that sometimes the tone of “embracing assessment” fosters a narrow view of assessment amongst my staff and makes them feel like they need to assess all things at all times, which makes them overwhelmed and not motivated to embrace assessment. By embracing data-driven decision making its making assessment a natural part of the conversation, a more intrinsic driver, and helps them think beyond surveys when it comes to assessment. For example, it reveals that they are evaluating enrollment dashboards each week to alter recruitment strategy, they are analyzing attendance data to see who isn’t participating to develop marketing efforts, they are creating common student employee training programs because they are all working towards the same learning outcomes, etc. Nice thought provoking post!tag:studentaffairsassessment.org,2018-10-04:/entries/1233333#comment_7286Comment by Melinda Stoops2018-10-04T12:32:10-07:002018-10-04T12:32:10-07:00Thanks, Whitney. I really like the phrase, "data-driven decision making".tag:studentaffairsassessment.org,2018-10-08:/entries/1233333#comment_7291Comment by Judd Harbin2018-10-08T09:38:09-07:002018-10-08T09:38:09-07:00Like Whitney, I find myself in the middle, but then, I almost always opt for a "both/and" approach instead of an "either/or" one. So, folx who know me probably are not surprised. HA!
For staff who view assessment as some add-on, after-the-fact, bureaucratic requirement for their "actual" work, listening skills have been helpful for me. Exploring with them their reasons for doing the work they do and how they know that their hard work is having the desired impact usually offers me (and them) ideas about intrinsic motivations for work. When sharing my own intrinsic motivation, I speak to my value of fidelity: keeping promises. That is, when we offer a program or service to students, we do so because it should meet some theoretically or empirically identified need (or perhaps, a legal or bureaucratic requirement which I hope is based on an actual need). We implicitly tell students that if they participate, this program or service will help them to meet that need--such as, developing a skill or competency. How do we know that they effectively did so? Hint: The answer is assessment. When we have evidence that students who participate accomplish the outcome and that the outcome fosters the desired impact, then we know we have kept our promise to the students. Otherwise, we're just guessing or relying too much on anecdotal evidence. That's my own intrinsic motivator, and by sharing it with my coworkers, I hope that they will understand for what I am listening and what I am hoping to help them to find.
But despite my best efforts, some folx are not ready to embrace assessment--even if they can identify an intrinsic motivator. For them, I am content for them to "just do it," and I hold onto hope and optimism that someday, they too will get it and feel that intrinsic motivation. That they are fulfilling the requirement is sufficient even if not quite satisfying for me professionally.
To the note of "data-driven" decisions, I prefer "data-informed" decisions. Data--just like any other human endeavor--will always be imperfect and/or incomplete, so I encourage staff critically and thoughtfully to consider data (and other evidence) as well as theory, ethics, professional standards, laws, and insights from their own experiences of the world (e.g., identities, backgrounds, emotions, and intuitions) to inform their decisions.
Great blog, Melinda! Thank you for sharing your experience with the question and your reflections on it.
tag:studentaffairsassessment.org,2018-10-19:/entries/1233333#comment_7301Comment by Melinda K Stoops2018-10-19T06:06:37-07:002018-10-19T06:06:37-07:00Judd - sorry I am responding so late to your comment. I really like the fact that you look at assessment through the lens of the value of fidelity. It really puts the importance of assessment into perspective; specifically, assessment better serves our students.