Finney & Horst Publish New Article Entitled, Standards, Standards, Standards: Mapping Professional Standards for Outcomes Assessment to Assessment Practice
SUMMARY: In a newly published article, Drs. Sara Finney and Jeanne Horst map three sets of student affairs professional standards to the student learning outcomes assessment cycle. Although the professional standards differ in focus (i.e., individual competencies versus program characteristics), the mapping showcases the immense similarity in expectations regarding the gathering of empirical evidence of program effectiveness. To further facilitate professional development, Finney & Horst supplement the mapping with a discussion of derivative products associated with the standards (e.g., rubrics to assess personal skills, guides to assess program characteristics, program development guides).
Authors Dr. Sara Finney & Dr. Jeanne Horst
The mapping of the student affairs professional standards to the student learning outcomes assessment cycle accomplishes at least three purposes. First, it conveys that assessment practice should be supported and embraced by student affairs professionals given the professional standards are supported and embraced. Second, it can be used to bolster informal professional development, in addition to being a resource for higher education and student affairs (HESA) graduate programs. Simply being exposed to the student affairs professional standards may result in a new appreciation for the assessment-related skills and goals of student affairs practitioners. And, third, the mapping showcases how both faculty and student affairs professionals are engaging in very similar processes when empirically evaluating learning improvement. By spotlighting these commonalities, emphasis can be placed on sharing assessment-related education and training opportunities across academic and student affairs divisions, not only for efficiency in training but also to foster collaboration.
After reading the article, student affairs and assessment professionals will be able to:
- List the different student affairs standards/competencies related to student learning assessment and improvement;
- Articulate the alignment between these student affairs standards/competencies and the assessment process;
- Describe standard-related resources available for professional development, program development, and assessment.
Finney, S. J. & Horst, S. J.(2019). Standards, Standards, Standards: Mapping Professional Standards for Outcomes Assessment to Assessment Practice. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice. DOI: 10.1080/19496591.2018.1559171
