This presentation describes how several institutions for higher education in the Chicago area improved their assessment efforts by creating a Community of Practice with other assessment colleagues from different institutions in the area.
Improving Assessment Through Communities of Practice
1. Jen Sweet; University of Illinois at Chicago
Shannon Milligan; Loyola University, Chicago
Carol Scheidenhelm; Loyola University, Chicago
2. Define Communities of Practice
Discuss Benefits of Communities of Practice
Explore how to Establish Communities of
Practice
Present an example of a successful
Community of Practice
Provide Time for Discussion/Questions with a
successful Community of Practice
3. “Groups of people who share a concern or a
passion for something they do and how to do it
better as they interact regularly.” (Wenger,
2006)
“Groups whose members regularly engage in
sharing and learning, based on common
interests.” (Lesser & Storck, 2001)
4. Groups of Practitioners
Shared Interests
Regular Interaction
Exchange of knowledge, ideas, best practices, etc.
Professional Development
Determine Best Practices
Solve Common or Related Problems
Encourage Innovation in the Field
Facilitate the Development of Professional
Networks/Support Systems
5. Sharing Knowledge, Ideas, Problems, etc.
Discussing Best Practices
Organizing Site Visits/Outreach Activities
Engaging in Problem Solving
Seeking Expertise
Discussing Developments in the Field
Conducting Networking Events
Commiserating
6. Decrease learning curve of new professionals
Encourage innovation and reduce redundancy
(“reinventing the wheel”)
Provide individuals with a sense of identity
Increase knowledge base, both individually
and collectively
Connect members with other assessment
professionals
Provide a professional support system for
assessment practitioners
7. Identify a person or group willing to assume a
leadership role
Establish a reliable mode of regular
communication
Create a schedule for regular communication
among group members
Recruit other practitioners
Ensure everyone is “equal”
Determine the needs of the group members
8. Meetings
hold less frequently
conduct remotely (webinars, live broadcasting, phone
conferencing, real time chat, etc.)
rotate locations
Arrange to meet a professional events, such as conferences.
Information Sharing
websites
Wikis
listservs
online discussion boards
online social networking sites, such as facebook
9. Meet regularly
Have a core of interested people and distribute the
workload, as this lends to a sense of ownership in the
community
Leave competition between institutions at the door and
recognize how collaboration benefits each
institution. The collaboration lends to support and the
differences in institutions bolsters sharing of new
perspectives and ideas
Look to existing communities of practice, especially any
that are nearby, for advice and best practices
Having a group of people rather than just one person
enriches the community due to the multiple
perspectives that are offered.
**Thank you to SLATE and CAFDN for providing feedback for this presentation **
10. Chicago Area Assessment Group
Mission: to advance understanding of assessment and its impact on college
and university planning and effectiveness.
Goal: to serve as a professional peer group that provides a forum for
sharing best practices, soliciting feedback and creating an open dialogue for
gathering information and thinking through ideas.
11. January 2008:
Higher Learning Commission Workshop
Representatives from area institutions worked in
groups
Identified the lack of community in supporting
quality assessment information and practice
Meetings:
Initial gathering: April 2008
Bi-Monthly meetings at rotating campuses across the
city
12. Started and maintained by assessment
individuals, not an institution or company.
We have no budget, no “home”
institution.
All organizational activity is volunteer.
Members work together to select topics,
arrange speakers, host meetings.
Materials and resources are shared
through a wiki managed by the group.
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