Kansas State University

search

Office of Assessment

Category: Fall 2016

Faculty Spotlight: Phillip Payne

Learning the ropes of teaching is no easy task. Each future teacher will bring his or her own unique perspective to the classroom. Ensuring that everyone leaves K-State ready to put their skills to the test requires a very personalized curriculum. That’s where Dr. Phillip Payne, Assistant Professor of Music Education, comes in.

Continue reading “Faculty Spotlight: Phillip Payne”

Fall Senior Survey Begins November 16th

The Senior Survey will be sent out November 16th to seniors in undergraduate degree programs who have applied or been approved for graduation in the Fall semester.

The survey is designed to give students the opportunity to reflect upon their experiences and time at K-State. Results are used to improve the K-State experience for future students by identifying areas of strength and areas that need further development.

Prizes are available for students who complete the survey, including $15 K-State Student Union gift card, Alumni Association photography books, $15 K-State Campus Store gift card and Varsity donuts.

Senior Survey

Survey results of 1,718 seniors from 2015-2016 showed very positive results, including:

  • 96% of respondents reported that they had a very positive (56.7%) or positive (39.3%) experience at K-State.
  • 95.6% of respondents indicated that they definitely (68.9%) or probably (26.7%) would recommend K-State to others.
  • 71.6% of respondents have a job lined up (48.6%) or will attend graduate school (22.9%) upon graduation.
  • At least 94.9% of respondents felt that they made some or a lot of progress in:
    • ability to interact positively with people who are different from themselves
    • gaining a broad general education about different fields of knowledge
    • ability to think critically (analytically and logically)
    • understanding the ethical standards of their discipline or profession
    • understanding themselves – their abilities, interests, and personality
    • understanding of other people and their abilities, interests, and perspectives
    • ability to participate as a team member

The entire 2015-2016 survey can be found here.

Find more information about the Senior Survey can be found here.

Faculty Spotlight: Kristy Archuleta, Personal Financial Planning

Kristy Archuleta, Associate Professor in the Personal Financial Planning (PFP) program in the School of Family Studies and Human Services, is very familiar with assessment. The PFP program recently was recognized for outstanding work in assessment. Although she wrapped up undergraduate assessment for this year’s cycle only a few days ago, assessment continually remains on her mind.

Archuleta said there have been changes in how assessment tools are utilized. “We utilize (assessment) in a way in which we share with the faculty about how we can make changes to our degree program so that students can succeed in meeting our programs’ high standards,” said Archuleta. Continue reading “Faculty Spotlight: Kristy Archuleta, Personal Financial Planning”

National Engagement Survey Results Highlighted During #NSSEWeek

The National Survey of Student Engagement, or NSSE (pronounced “nessie”) has been used to measure student engagement by four-year colleges and universities across the country since 2000. K-State administers this survey every three years to first-year and senior students. The survey was administered in spring 2016 and results are now available.

The Office of Assessment will be highlighting special segments of the 2016 NSSE results on Twitter October 24th – 28th. Follow the Office of Assessment on Twitter and join the fun with the hashtag #NSSEWeek.  Full results are available on the Office of Assessment NSSE website.

NSEE Week

According to the NSSE website, “Student engagement represents two critical features of collegiate quality. The first is the amount of time and effort students put into their studies and other educationally purposeful activities. The second is how the institution deploys its resources and organizes the curriculum and other learning opportunities to get students to participate in activities that decades of research studies show are linked to student learning.”

View past NSSE results and learn more about the survey here.

Plan to Attend the 2016 Institute for Student Learning Assessment/Diversity Summit

The 2016 Institute for Student Learning Assessment/Diversity Summit will be held on November 3rd from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Student Union.

The event provides opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to learn about research and teaching practices that relate to diversity learning outcomes. Participants will hear how faculty across a variety of disciplines teach and assess diversity, how students and alumni view diversity education, and how students and faculty are approaching diversity topics in research.

Institute & Diversity SummitThe event includes a faculty panel on teaching diversity, a student panel on diversity perspectives, and a diversity research forum. The full schedule can be found here.

Faculty, staff, and students are all invited to attend and learn about the future of diversity at K-State. The summit is sponsored by the K-State Office of Diversity, Office of Assessment, Teaching and & Learning Center, Vice President for Research, and Dow Center for Multicultural and Community Studies at K-State Libraries.

More information about this event can be found here.

Interactive Assessment Data Workshops Available

The Office of Assessment is launching Interactive Assessment Dashboards this fall. The dashboards combine data from direAssessment Dashboard Wordmarkct assessments, surveys, and other sources to create dynamic views of data.

One-hour workshops will guide program assessment coordinators through using the interactive dashboard to get information to improve undergraduate programs.  Workshops are available on the following dates:

  • Oct 6 – 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., 112 Leadership Studies Building
  • Oct 7 – 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., 112 Leadership Studies Building
  • Oct 10 – 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m., 112 Leadership Studies Building
  • Oct 11 – 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., 112 Leadership Studies Building

No registration is required for the workshops.

Go to http://www.k-state.edu/assessment/surveys/dashboard/ for more information and to see a sample dashboard.

Additional sessions can be scheduled by contacting the Office of Assessment at assessment@ksu.edu.

Faculty Spotlight: Anne Phillips, English

Anne Phillips, Professor of English, is quick to remind people that assessment in the English department is far from a one person job. Her coworkers are more than happy to work together to create measurable results. “I have the best colleagues in the world,” said Phillips.

There is a huge sense of community within the English department, which carries over into assessment work. Phillips, Naomi Wood, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Department Head Karin Westman, and the Undergraduate Advisory Committee were the driving force behind creating ENGL 698, the capstone course. Wood and Instructor Anna Goins played an instrumental role in the department’s discussion-based student learning outcome, which reads, “Participate in discussions by listening to others’ perspectives, asking productive questions, and articulating original ideas.” Wood and Goins utilized oral examinations to meet this outcome, but Phillips said other methods have included online message boards, or Associate Professor Kimball Smith’s approach which involves tracking how often students speak in class. Continue reading “Faculty Spotlight: Anne Phillips, English”