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 a…
If you ask Chrystal Colquhoun what draws her to assessment, she won’t start with software, surveys, or stats. She starts with people. And with possibility.
“My professional background sits at the intersection of data, equity, and student development,” Chrystal shared. N…
Caption: Photo by fauxels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-people-near-wooden-table-3184418/
I found Student Affairs Assessment Leaders (SAAL) in 2014, almost by accident, after attending what was then the NASPA Assessment and Persistence Conference in San Antonio, now the NASPA Confere…
Hello SAAL Blog readers! We’re delighted to share a series of reflections on a decade of the SAAL MOOC, in the words of the participants! The SAAL Research On and Advancing Knowledge of the Profession committee regularly analyzes participant posts from MOOC discussion boards. Reflecting on the align…
Image from Mathieu Odin (@mathieuodin) via Unsplash
As the open course prepares for its 10th year of running, SAAL has a few extra marketing and promotional elements planned this year. One such treat is this blog from the current course instructors. While some are newer as instructo…
Some student affairs practitioners find assessment too boring, while others find it too complex. Worst of all, some see it as both. But despite these perceptions, most practitioners today recognize that assessment is essential to our work. For assessment practitioners, the real challenge isn’t con…
In 2024, I finally got to attend the Tableau Conference in San Diego — the ultimate pilgrimage for someone like me: a researcher who lives to tell stories with data.
For years, TC had been my “someday” dream. Every time I mentioned it to a higher ed data friend, they’d give me the same wide-e…
In my conversation with Kyle Amore, Associate Director of Co-curricular Assessment at Santa Clara University, Kyle shared how his journey into student affairs assessment began organically, rooted in a desire to demonstrate impact and improve student experiences. His reflections emphasized the import…
In undergraduate creative writing courses, my fellow students and I were always guided to “show, not tell”. In creative writing, this directive related to the ability to use descriptive text, plot devices, and character development to show the reader what you want them to know, rather than simply te…
Late June saw a gathering of over 100 student affairs professionals invested in deepening their assessment knowledge convene at ACPA’s Student Affairs Assessment Institute (SAAI) just outside of DC in Crystal City, Virginia. Co-Chaired by Zach Hooten and Heather Strine-Patterson, SAAI leaned on the …
Hello SAAL Blog readers! Here is the next installment of our conversation series getting to know the leaders that make up this wonderful group of Student Affairs Assessment Leaders and learning from their personal stories. Maureen, a current member of the SAAL board, was willing to share some of her…
As we approach the close of our current SAAL leadership term, we’re taking a moment to reflect on what it means to serve, lead, and grow within this community. Each of our Board members has contributed time, passion, and expertise to advancing our organization and creating spaces for connection, lea…
I’m having an identity crisis. Is it just me?
Everyone’s path to Student Affairs Assessment is a little different. Usually winding, rarely straightforward.
Someone once told me a joke—and maybe you’ve heard it too:
You can trace the roots of every Student Affairs professional back to high school,…
Most days, my LinkedIn feed is filled with posts repeating a common message: the job search process is exhausting and defeating (as I typed this, I received a YikYak notification: “another day of job searching and crying 😍”). The narratives I read detail individuals applying to hundreds of jobs, hea…
The Student Affairs Assessment Leaders (SAAL) Board has been hard at work this year, and we’re excited to share a few highlights and updates with our incredible community of practice!
We hosted our 2nd Annual SAAL Awards to ring in the year by recognizing the outstanding contributions of assessme…
Hello SAAL Blog readers! Here is the next installment of our conversation series getting to know the leaders that make up this wonderful group of Student Affairs Assessment Leaders and learning from their personal stories. I joined the SAAL blog team after starting a new role as the Director of Asse…
The Data Identity Framework from Amelia Parnell’s You Are a Data Person (2021) empowers higher education professionals to use data effectively by leveraging their unique strengths. Its six components—Curiosity and Inquiry, Research and Analysis, Communication and Consultation, Campus Context, Indust…
