Hello SAAL Blog readers! The Research On and Advancing Knowledge of the Profession committee is delighted to share the second installment of our four-part retrospective celebrating a decade of the SAAL MOOC, in the words of participants! The participants come from various backgrounds and levels of awareness of assessment when starting the course. No matter where they start, though, they have found important pieces of wisdom about how individual contributions can spark strong assessment cultures that promote evidence-based practice. In this post, we’ll hear from participants that left with a deeper appreciation of how culture underpins sustainable practice:
“My biggest takeaways have been the entire concept of a culture of assessment, and its importance to an organization (particularly in the areas of consistency and commitment)...I was too weighed down by these expectations I had given myself…I still have a lot of work to do when it comes to analysis, however, and effective communication strategies. Both of these, though, are dependent on the biggest factor that I need to consider--making time for assessment. (2018)”
The discussion boards often challenged participants to think through complex scenarios, applying what they learned in realistic contexts, such as building on their skills for managing the complicated political work of navigating assessment in student affairs:
“My biggest takeaways from this course are the coaching/consulting module and all content that addresses the 'people' side of assessment. Supporting others through change is always complex. Learning about where I begin and end in relation to program leads and how to address fears of unexpected or 'bad' data results is very helpful. (2020)”
As the course evolved, participants began to connect personal learning with institutional impact. Understanding the structure of an assessment culture contributed to perspective shifts for some participants:
“One of my biggest takeaways was viewing assessment as a practitioner and practitioner scholar. I have always viewed my work as [a] college success [advisor] as a practitioner. This helped me change my mindset of assessment. It helped me see that assessment does not have to feel intimidating or overwhelming. I realized that creating a culture of assessment at my University begins with me and I have the ability to take what I have learned and apply it to my work as an advising practitioner. This work takes time and I plan to begin to incorporate what I have learned in my facility practice. (2021)”
At the heart of culture is the self-reflection participants engage in to recognize that their own learning will be optimized when shared with their colleagues:
“assessment does not happen in a bubble! I saw assessment as something only a small group of people needed to work on but now understand that it is most successful when all parties are involved and conscious of its importance. My other big takeaway is that assessment is not as 'scary' as I previously thought it was! (2022)”
Even from the early years of the course, participants brought tangible takeaways for building culture:
“I need to focus on more reflection about growing the culture of assessment at my College, and how to integrate more in depth conversations about the value of assessment. [embracing all of the aspects of assessment and not just the results] really resonated with me, as I often focus on results more than the process. The process is where I can get more buy in and grow the culture, and in the end, people will be more open to looking at results and using them to change. (2017)”
Thank you for joining us in reflecting on participant responses from the past decade of the SAAL MOOC in this second installment of our four-part retrospective. These voices remind us that assessment culture is not a monolith but rather a group of individuals empowered with resources like those provided in the SAAL MOOC. If you’d like to learn more or share your own experience, leave a comment below.
The content of this blog post was written primarily by participants in the SAAL MOOC (2017 - 2025), and compiled by members of the SAAL Research on and Advancing Knowledge of the Profession Committee: Ellissa Brooks Nelson, Ph.D., SAAL VP of Profession Advancement, Divisional Director of Student Affairs Research and Assessment, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Leo Young, Assistant Director for Assessment, Evaluation, and Data Strategy, Virginia Tech, Misty Song, Assistant Professor of Education, West Texas A&M, and Rebecca Gibbons, Ph.D., incoming SAAL VP of Profession Advancement Director of Disciplinary and Institutional Accreditation, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.