In order to best serve the students, the institutions, and the communities in which student affairs professionals work, we must practice intentional assessment, evaluation, and research. It is also crucial to self-monitor organization/participation in programs and initiatives, ensuring they are relevant and sustainable to the individual campus environment and responsive to student needs (Schuh & Upcraft, 2009). I am learning that assessing and evaluating the practices and programs around me is a responsible, reflective way of ensuring student success. As I become acclimated to the expectation set forth through learning outcomes and institutional/professional standards, assessment and evaluation is slowly becoming ingrained in my own professional practice.

Institutions are often held accountable for meeting certain learning outcomes (Creswell, 2014); to remain relevant and on par with our student needs and other institution’s deliverance of similar services, this practice is critical. I am a firm believer that meaningful self and departmental assessment is the cornerstone of enacting meaningful change in the work we all complete. As a lawyer, you would never show up to a court hearing with insufficient evidence to assert your client's innocence; why would we, as student affairs professionals, assert our work is benefitting our community and meeting the needs of our intended audience without providing hard data and evidence that corroborates this statement?

While in EDS 755: Research in Student Affairs, I gained a basic understanding upon completing the research Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) training. CITI explored ideas such as informed consent, federal research regulations, ethical principles behind receiving gifts/donations, and privacy and confidentiality in the undergraduate setting. Some ethical concepts seem obvious, but one must never overlook or dismiss ethics and as unimportant or secondary in the assessment process; doing so could result in significant consequences for the investigators or the surrounding community (Shuh, 2009). Proof of my CITI training is attached, and it has certainly assisted in my understanding of ethics and consent behind research and evaluation.

In my role as an Assistant Resident Director (ARD) at Wentworth Institute of Technology, I have found the application of assessment and evaluation to become crucial in order to ensure a successful outcome in regards to community development initiatives, RA programming, and general operation of our mission as residential life staff members. In particular, crafting and abiding by learning outcomes has played a crucial role in my time in residence life thus far. Learning outcomes are based on the idea that learners will be able to do something as a result of partaking in a specific activity or utilizing the services of an institutional office (NASPA, 2009). A successful learning outcome will answer who the outcome pertains to, what you expect them to know/demonstrate, the conditions under which the learning will occur, to what degree/how much will be accomplished, and to what level (Heinich et al, 1996 cited by D. Licitra, personal communication, 2015). However, college students often do not experience college – or life -  in a way that is conducive to outcome assessment. Assessing learning is far more complex and time-consuming than other assessments (NASPA, 2009). Thus, student affairs professionals must work with care and intentionality when partaking in any sort of assessment. Attached you will find Wentworth's 2015-2016 RA Learning Outcomes, along with a photo artifact from RA training. These outcomes are the guiding force behind our practice in Office of Housing and Residential Life, and their crafting serves as an important reminder of our core institution values. My RA staff had the chance to lead an engaging activity involving legos and the construction of an obstacle course. Each leg of the obsctacle course represented a different core value - communicating without talking out loud, working under a time constraint, etc. Bringing elements of staff bonding and learning outcomes together proved to be fun and fruitful!

In EDU 861: Assessment and Evaluation in Student Affairs, I was able to apply learned concepts to assess an institutional program. My assessment partner and I opted to examine Salem State University’s Diversity and Multicultural Affairs Office. Specifically, Safe Zone 101 trainings, which seek to recruit and train community members on issues that impact various communities, both on Salem State’s campus and in the broader world, were assessed. In this case, our assessment involved gathering core values, vision statements, goals, mission statements, and action plan/objectives to be assessed (NASPA, 2009). We were able to construct surveys and rubrics to measure achievement of learning outcomes. This occurred, in part, from consultation from our professor and in accordance with NASPA/ACPA professional competencies (2010). We utilized these surveys and rubrics during and after the training was held, and we chose these methodologies based on intended audience, critical questions, and crafted learning outcomes (NASPA & ACPA, 2010). Attached is an executive summary report documenting the rigorous assessment process, learning outcomes, themes identified during assessment, and future recommendations. As I move forward with my graduate studies, I am excited about continuing to apply my knowledge about assessment, evaluation, and research to my practice inside the classroom and in my profession.