DASA wants students to get the best possible education while being supported by effective programs and services during their time at NC State. That is why we seek to continuously improve programs, support services, and courses through assessment.
Why does assessment matter?
Assessment is an iterative process of continuous improvement. Assessment can involve analyzing learning evidence from students (such as portfolios, papers, quizzes, exams, oral presentations, etc.) to help faculty and staff identify strengths and areas for improvement for student learning.
Assessment can also help us understand students’ experiences with university programs and services. University staff collect data through surveys, observations, reflections and other student products to determine how well services are meeting students’ needs and stated program outcomes.
For example:
Staff may assess whether students who complete a leadership development program are able to demonstrate knowledge or skills taught during the course.
Staff may also assess whether students who engage in certain support services have increased retention rates or higher GPAs than students who don’t.
How do students participate in assessment?
Student participation in assessment is vital for faculty and staff to make data-informed improvements to courses, programs, and services. Every student participant helps us make NC State even better. There are several ways that NC State students participate in assessments.
Students may be passively involved in assessments when they complete coursework. Faculty and staff gather and assess student work to identify strengths and areas for improvement. This assessment may include direct evidence of student learning (such as scoring completed student projects with a rubric, aggregating and analyzing testing data, etc.) or indirect evidence (asking students to reflect on their learning through surveys). This kind of assessment work goes beyond knowing the grade students’ scored on an assignment; it seeks to understand what content students understood and to identify content that needs to be reinforced in the course.
Students engage in assessments outside of the classroom as well! Staff may assess student event participation, ask students about their experiences with workshops and training, prompt students to reflect on high impact experiences, or observe students as they engage in case studies.
Staff want to know what students know, think, or can do as a result of participating in programs and services.
Students may also be asked to participate in University surveys from University Data and Analytics and the Division of Academic and Student Affairs including the First Term Survey, the Sophomore Survey, Future Plans Survey, Graduating Senior Survey, and Alumni Survey, among others.
“NC State has been fundamental to my success. Participating in assessment is my chance to contribute to NC State’s success.”
Jessica Archibald, ’20
B.A., Psychology
Aggregated survey data help faculty and staff better understand student experiences and help us determine how we’re meeting learning outcomes. Survey results are also shared with our accrediting body, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). It’s important that students complete these surveys so that their experiences and voices are represented.
Why should students participate in assessment?
Students play an essential role in helping make NC State better through assessment. When students participate, they enable faculty and staff to further improve the quality of their education and support services on campus. Assessment is a tradition in the NC State community and it is win-win for students and faculty. If you get the opportunity to participate in assessment while at NC State, show your Wolfpack pride and do your part to help make NC State even better!
If you get the opportunity to participate in assessment while at NC State, show your Wolfpack pride and do your part to help make NC State even better!
