The document discusses assessment of academic advising at Highline Community College. It provides an overview of the college and its student population. It describes the challenges of assessing advising given the transient nature of community college students. It outlines the history and process of Highline's Assessment Task Force, which developed an assessment approach for student services departments. The approach focuses on measuring learning and service outcomes to improve programs, and engages all staff. Examples of assessment methods and results are provided.

1. Assessment to Action
Assessment to Achievement
A Comprehensive Approach to Assessing Academic
Advising
Gwen Spencer Ed.D
Kevin Kildun M.ED.
Highline Community College
www.highline.edu

2. What We’ll Cover
I. Overview of Highline Community College
II. Assessment Challenges and Rewards
III. Brief History of Assessment Task Force
IV. Mission to Measurement
V. Group Project and Sharing
VI. Assessment of learning and service outcomes
VII. Post Assessment: Action Steps, Achievement
Results
VIII. Questions

3. Highline Community College
∗ Mid-way between Tacoma ∗ 42% male students and 58%
and Seattle female students
∗ Over 10,000 students ∗ Average age 24 of degree
∗ Of degree and certificate seeking students
seeking students: ∗ 65% multicultural students
∗ 60% are transfer ∗ 73% first generation
∗ 40% are Prof Tech and/or ∗ 2000+ ELL students
High School degree

4. Challenges to Assessment at a
Community College
∗ Transient nature of students.
∗ Professional staff advising is done primarily using a
drop-in model so continuity is compromised.
∗ 2008 survey of Washington community
colleges indicates that
∗ 5%+ use appointments only
∗ 20% use drop-in almost exclusively
∗ 75% use mix of drop-in and appointments

5. Challenges to Assessment
∗ Students receive advising from a variety of sources.
When we ask students how satisfied they are with
advising, they have different ideas about who we are
referring to
∗ Faculty
∗ Counselors
∗ Educational Planning and Advising Center (EPAC)
∗ Special service offices such as Athletics, International, TRIO,
Access Services, Washington Achievers, Work First, Worker
Retraining, Foster Youth Services

6. Challenges to Assessment
∗ Community college’s
mission to provide student
“access” challenge the
focus on persistence and
assessment.
∗ Traditionally, national
surveys and research has
come from baccalaureate
institutions.

7. Assessment Task Force (ATF)
∗ Some “hit or miss” departmental assessment efforts until
Accreditation Review challenged both Instruction and
Student Services to utilize assessment to inform practice.
∗ Assessment Task Force (ATF) Launched in Spring 2008.
∗ Eight member task force charged with developing an
assessment process, training and review for all Student
Services Departments.

8. ATF Guiding Principles
∗ To build a process that is sustainable, manageable,
and systemic
∗ To identify learning outcomes grounded in Education
and Student Development theory and practice
∗ To develop a process that informs self-improvement
of staff, policies, programs and services (creating a
culture of evidence)
∗ To develop a process that engages and educates all
Student Services staff and faculty

9. Principles continued
∗ To incorporate multiple measures and sources for
each outcome measured
∗ To support assessment measures that are meaningful
and not simply “bean counting”
∗ To have fun!

10. The Assessment Process
∗ Trained assessment liaisons to guide their department’s
process
∗ ATF provided departmental and individual consultations
∗ Hosted “exchange of ideas ” meetings for liaisons
∗ Provided timely, clear feedback to each liaison so they
could refine their department’s assessment submission .
∗ Posted the departments’ submissions on the Student
Services website for transparency and accountability.

11. Starting Point – Student Services Mission
∗ Supports the college mission and the Student
Services mission and vision
∗ Articulates concisely and clearly the department’s
unique role and what it provides for
students/campus
∗ Expresses mission in a way that someone could
understand who is not from the department (no
abbreviations or “edu-speak”)

12. Primary and Secondary Functions
∗ Primary
∗ Activities take up 75% of weekly time
∗ Activities that may be quarterly or annually but is key to
department’s contribution (packaging financial aid, notification
of academic probation, major statewide or federal reporting,
new student orientation)
∗ Secondary
∗ Activities that take up less than 25% of weekly time
∗ Activities that happen periodically but are not critical to services
∗ Value enhanced – not expected of department but is a
contribution the college (i.e. teaching a College 100 class)

13. Primary and Secondary Service
Populations
∗ What campus populations do you serve?
∗ What government, agency, education institutions do
you serve?
∗ What community populations do you serve?

14. Learning Outcomes
∗ Primarily focused on the learning that has occurred
because of your department’s contact with students
∗ Examples of learning outcomes
∗ Student understanding or knowledge – types of degrees
∗ Student learns a new skill – register online
∗ Student develops self-advocacy skills – requests
accommodations from an instructor
∗ Student develops a personal awareness/belief–
cultural diversity

15. Service Outcomes
∗ Benchmarking – how does our college compare to
others?
∗ Customer satisfaction – not only students but
agencies, high school counselors, faculty, etc.
∗ Return customers
∗ Number of projects completed
∗ Time to response (i.e. phone calls returned within 24
hours)

16. Service Outcomes continued
∗ Few or no complaints
∗ Better than competition
∗ Professional development – all staff know how to do
a certain skill such as degree audit by a certain date
∗ Results of our services – more students have an
assigned faculty advisor
∗ Attendance – numbers who attend New Student
Orientation
∗ Over serving or under serving any student population

17. Educational Planning Center and High
School Programs Mission
∗ The Educational Planning and Advising Center (EPAC)
and High School Programs (HSP) advisors are
committed to working with faculty and staff to:
∗ Assist students in planning a realistic educational and career
pathway
∗ Provide students with accurate and clear information about
academic programs, policies, resources and procedures
∗ Empower students to take responsibility for monitoring their
progress and achieving their goals.

18. EPAC/HSP Service Populations
∗ New and continuing degree and certificate seeking
students
∗ Undecided students
∗ Work Force students
∗ Students on Financial Aid
∗ Evening students and students who cannot get to
campus

19. EPAC/HSP Functions
Some Examples
∗ Provide New Student Orientation programs
∗ Notification of students on academic probation
∗ Train faculty advisors
∗ Advise students on degrees and programs
∗ Provide transfer information
∗ Assist students on financial aid suspension with the
petitions

20. Learning Outcome A
∗ A student is able to develop and implement a clear
academic/career pathway (mapping)
∗ Understands the general purpose of the different degrees
and certificates offered at Highline (orientation or first
advising session)
∗ Can identify the degree, certificate or courses that will meet
his/her educational goal (end of first quarter or two)
∗ Can explain the classes, GPA, internships, etc needed for
his/her degree or certificate (beginning of second year)
∗ Submits a graduation evaluation when 50-60% of degree or
certificate is completed (mid-way through second year)

21. Learning Outcome B
∗ A student is knowledgeable about academic and
registration policies and procedures so he or she can
successfully navigate college
∗ Student knows how to register online and can use the
registration tools on the web (i.e. registration
appointment time, entry codes, dropping classes, etc.)
∗ A student know how to read the quarterly schedule

22. Learning Outcome C
∗ A student takes responsibility to monitor and achieve
his/her education and career goals
∗ Knows how his/her GPA is calculated and know his/her
current GPA at Highline
∗ A student comes prepared for advising session
∗ Transfer student understands the concept of Major Ready
and can identify classes, GPA, etc. to successfully transfer into
the major
∗ Running Start student knows the classes he/she needs to
complete high school diploma

23. Service Outcomes
∗ Increase attendance at New Student Orientation
Programs by 10% for 2009-10 and another 10% but
2010-2011
∗ Assign a faculty or staff advisor to 65% of all students
who have completed three quarters at Highline in
2009-10 and then to 75% in 2010-11.
∗ Monitor student satisfaction with services and
programs

24. Group Project
∗ Brainstorm some assessment methods for the following
outcomes:
Service outcome:
∗ “How would you assess a student’s success in the navigation of
a school’s system from when they first apply as a student to
when they register for classes?”
Learning outcome:
∗ “How would you assess a student’s understanding of what their
particular degree requirements are?”
∗ In other words, how do we measure if students know what
courses and other requirements are needed to successfully
complete their degree?

25. EPAC/HSP Assessment Strategies for our
Learning Outcomes
∗ Pre and Post “Clicker” assessment at Orientations
∗ Pre and Post Assessment online assessment at
Running Start Orientations with program developed
by one of our Computer classes
∗ Follow-up phone calls after student was placed on
academic probation and when a student got “off”
academic probation
∗ GPA prediction mid-way through quarter
∗ Students attempt to fill out degree planning sheet
themselves

26. Pre and Post Assessment Online

27. Learning Outcome Template
Identification of classes Understanding of pre- Understanding of GPA Knowledge of Awareness of the
needed and completed requisite needed to pursue application need to apply for
for intended degree requirements for specific major or deadlines and graduation
intended degree or program degree expectations
major
Able to identify classes Able to identify pre- Correctly identified GPA Understands very Has already applied for
completed and needed very requisite classes needed clearly the deadlines graduation
accurately completed and needed and application
very accurately procedure
Able to identify 75 to 90% of Able to identify most Generally understands Has general Has not applied but
classes completed and pre-requisite classes the GPA needed understanding of knows this must be
needed for degree/programs needed and completed application deadlines completed
and procedure
Unclear about classes Unclear about classes Is uncertain what GPA is Has very limited Does not know that an
needed and completed needed and completed needed understanding of application for
application deadlines graduation must be
and procedure completed

28. Service Outcome Assessments
∗ Orientation attendance
∗ Criterion for what should be included in a meaningful
Orientation
∗ Base line – how many degree/certificate seeking
students that had never attended college prior to
coming to Highline?
∗ 70% had attended the CORE, Running Start, International or
Athletes Orientation
∗ Track attendance based on new offerings and interventions
(up 9% in first year)

29. Service Outcomes Assessment
∗ Satisfaction Surveys
∗ On our web site
∗ Follow up to e-advising
∗ Focus Groups
∗ Cards after advisor session
∗ Satisfaction with Orientation
∗ Satisfaction after a specific programs such as Transfer Fair –
college reps and student participants
∗ Advisor assignments (track number for first two years and then
we will track utilization of assigned faculty or staff advisor)
∗ Collect Student ID numbers to gather demographic data

30. Policy and Program Perspectives
∗ Assessment can also be a powerful tool in revising
and improving policies, programs and procedures
∗ Students on Probation taking over 18 credits
∗ Running Start students with HS GPA of less than 2.00
∗ Running Start student applying to college 2 weeks prior
to quarter
∗ Online Class success

31. Results and Recommendations
∗ Change in policies and procedures
∗ New specialized orientation programs – Nursing,
Human Services, Vets, Work Force
∗ “How To” Camtasia Videos online
∗ New methods for presenting orientation material –
case study approach with Ken D. Moines
∗ Share the news – Division Chairs, faculty meetings,
have a website

32. How do you keep staff motivated to
conduct assessment ?
∗ “Stump the Stars”
∗ Everyone on staff has at least one “piece of the
assessment”
∗ Assessment Template – keeping the records and the
focus
∗ Periodic “Pep” Rally's at Division-wide meetings –
“Olympics” theme

33. Questions??

34. Assessment – Looking at where we have been
to determine where we are going
∗ “Assessment is not valuing what
we measure but measuring what
we value.” (Astin, 1991)
∗ “…Assessment can help us
understand which students learn
best under what conditions”
(AAHE, 1992)
∗ “Assessment itself is a strong
factor in pushing institutions
toward clarify of purpose.”
(Nichols, 1995)