Assessment within the Division of Academic and Student Affairs seeks to promote continuous improvement of programs, services, and courses. Each year, through the annual assessment reporting process, DASA units measure their progress towards their outcomes and reflect on ways to enhance their work. This process requires that DASA staff and faculty engage in significant effort to gather data, analyze results, and disseminate and discuss results.

Assessment Highlights

This showcase seeks to highlight the best practices DASA units demonstrated in their 2024-2025 assessment activities as described in their report: triangulation, use of NC State data, and journey mapping. When units engage in best practices, assessment work may be more effective and insightful.

While DASA Assessment applauds the great assessment work many DASA units completed in 2024-2025, this page highlights New Student Programs, Student Conduct, and the Women’s Center.

Use of NC State Data

DASA faculty and staff have access to institutional data, including the Factbook, dashboards, and survey results, that can inform their understanding of students’ experiences. DASA units are encouraged to use these data to support their assessment efforts when valuable and relevant to their assessment plans.

Highlight: New Student Programs

New Student Programs (NSP) works with University Data and Analytics (UDA) to customize questions regarding New Student Orientation on the Incoming First-Year and Transfer Student Surveys each year. NPS utilizes survey results as part of their assessment of the effectiveness of orientation. Recently NSP assessed students’ ability to “identify behaviors and resources that promote personal and community well-being and safety.” Utilizing institutional data and campus surveys may help reduce assessment fatigue.

Journey Mapping

Journey mapping is an assessment method that explores the holistic journey of students (or other stakeholders) through services, programs, or processes at NC State. Depending on your outcome, journey mapping may be an appropriate tool to help you assess your outcomes and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.

Highlight: Student Conduct

The Office of Student Conduct (OSC) focused their recent journey map on the experiences of students returning from suspension. To support their journey map, OSC staff distributed a survey to students who were suspended for academic and non-academic conduct and campus partners who interact with students returning from suspension. Survey results and accompanying interviews provided insights on students’ experiences returning to campus after suspension. OSC staff learned that returning students struggled with stigma and confidence issues. They also found that students returning during the spring semesters faced different challenges than students returning in fall semesters. These results led to new initiatives to support students returning from suspension.

Triangulation

Data are a snapshot in time. When you utilize multiple data sources to “triangulate” your results, you are often able to develop a more complete picture of your ability to meet your outcomes. Incorporate more than one data set in your assessment to gain even more insight into your audience.

Highlight: Women’s Center

The Women’s Center provides non-confidential advocacy and support to students who have experienced interpersonal violence. In 2024-2025 the Women’s Center assessed survivor support services through multiple methods including an analysis of case notes, funding requests to the Survivor Fund, and a survey. These methods facilitated the Women’s Center ability to analyze trends in referrals and survivor awareness of resources. Staff identified opportunities to improve the referral pipeline and awareness of resources at the Women’s Center.