Administrative Services
Administrative effectiveness supports institutional success through a reflective process that allows administrative units to define meaningful outcomes to measure the effectiveness of their services and activities for continuous improvement.
Administrative outcomes align with the divisional and institutional mission, focus on the central purposes of the unit, and reflect meaningful and manageable expectations for the unit to achieve and track on a continual basis.
Units follow a regular process of collecting data and assessing outcomes using multiple measures, which may include a combination of direct measures and indirect measures. Data collected through this process are analyzed and summarized in an assessment document based on the Administrative Outcomes Template.
Administrative outcomes assessment documents are submitted to the Office of Institutional Assessment and Accreditation for peer-review. IAA hosts several charrette events for all administrative units, in which units have the opportunity to discuss, reflect, and receive feedback on their assessment process or documentation from other administrative units.
Administrative Outcomes Assessment Timeline
| Assessment Timeline | Description | Charrette Dates | Document Due Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| January – June 2023 | Complete Mission Statement through Reflections sections & Use of Assessment Results for Future Improvement section | June 2023 | July 21, 2023 |
| July – December 2023 | Update previous sections & Complete Impact of Past Improvements and Changes | January 2024 | January 19, 2024 |
| January – June 2024 | Update and complete assessment document | June 2024 | July 19, 2024 |
| July – December 2024 | Update and complete assessment document | December 2024 | January 17, 2025 |
Student Services
Student Services Outcomes assessment supports student success through a reflective process that allows student and academic support units to define meaningful outcomes to measure the effectiveness of their co-curricular educational programming, services, and activities for continuous improvement of student success initiatives.
Student outcomes align with the unit mission, focus on the central purposes of the unit, and reflect meaningful and manageable expectations for the unit to achieve and track on a continual basis. If a unit has an educational component, it is appropriate for the unit to have a student learning outcome, a type of student outcome. Student learning outcomes (SLOs) are specific statements that articulate the content knowledge, skills, and/or dispositions students should gain or improve through participating in unit programs or activities. SLOs contain precise, measurable, and observable verbs that reflect an appropriate depth of knowledge from expected participation.
Units follow a regular process of collecting data and assessing student outcomes using multiple measures, which may include a combination of direct measures and indirect measures. Data collected through this process are analyzed and summarized in an assessment document based on the Student Services Outcomes Template and Student Services Outcomes Checklist. This document provides evidence of seeking improvement based on analysis of results in student outcomes.
Student Services outcomes assessment documents are submitted to the Office of Institutional Assessment and Accreditation twice a year for peer-review using the criteria in the Student Services Outcomes Checklist. IAA hosts several charrette events for all Student Services units, in which units have the opportunity to discuss, reflect, and receive feedback on their assessment process or documentation from other Student Services units.
Assessment Process
The Cyclical Nature of the Student Services Assessment Process (text version)
Plan
Define your mission, identify outcomes and develop measures.
Guiding question: How can I impact student success?
Implement/Do
Provide services and learning that align with your division or unit.
Guiding question: How do I provide effective services and learning opportunities?
Check and Reflect
Measure performance or progress and reflect on results.
Guiding questions: Are expected outcomes being met? What are students learning or experiencing?
Apply
Use results to make changes to services and learning experiences.
Guiding questions: How do I use what I have learned to improve?
| Reporting Cycle | Assessment Timeline | Charrette Dates | Document Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2023 | January – June 2023 | May 2023 | June 26, 2023 |
| Fall 2023 | July – Dec 2023 | Nov 2023 | Dec 15, 2023 |
| Spring 2024 | January – June 2024 | May 2024 | May 31, 2024 |
| Fall 2024 | July – Dec 2024 | Nov 2024 | Dec 13, 2024 |
| Spring 2025 | January – June 2025 | May 2025 | June 24, 2025 |
Student Services Support
Let’s chat about:
- Assessment processes
- Survey development
- Overcoming challenges
- Engaging stakeholders
- Assessment growing pains
- Assessment document support or feedback
- Summarizing data
- Manageable & meaningful assessment practices
- Orientation to Student Services assessment
- Refining outcomes
- Improving alignment
- Data collection considerations
- Qualtrics support
- Mission statements
- Assessment terminology
- Measurement tools
- And more!
Student Services Assessment Bulletins
General Student Resources
- Pre-submission Check
- Actions for Future Improvement List
- Data Review Worksheet
- Marymount University Administrative Assessment Handbook
- Youngstown State University Co-Curricular Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Handbook
- James Madison University Assessment Skills
- Niloa Website for Those New to Assessment
Frequently Asked Questions
Assessment is a reflective process by which a department or unit reviews and considers the effectiveness of instructional methods, class activities, curriculum, and student engagement by measuring student learning. This process should be informative and meaningful to the faculty and staff engaged in providing instruction in the course or program and should lead to improvements to student learning based on data-informed decision-making.
While we recognize that assessment is a component of institutional compliance with state and regional policies, Georgia Southern values assessment as a critical activity to ensure continuous improvement in the experience of our students.
The goal of your assessment process should be to gain a greater understanding of student learning in your course or program. Keep this focus in mind as you draft student learning outcomes, design assignments for assessment purposes, decide what data are critical to collect and how you will collect it, interpret those data in alignment with student learning outcomes, and use that interpretation to drive action plans to improve student learning.
Your assessment should provide meaningful insights into student learning that can be used to guide future developments of the course or program. As disciplines, pedagogy, and student characteristics change and evolve, you may need to adapt your assessment framework and processes to address those changes and ensure that your process remains meaningful and useful.
The systematic examination of outcomes that define achievement in our courses and degree programs plays a significant role in student success. Your efforts contribute to the intellectual, personal, and professional development of students as we work together to ensure excellence in teaching and learning at Georgia Southern.
When assessment is done in a meaningful way, it is beneficial to students, faculty and staff, Georgia Southern, and our community. The assessment process allows us to continuously seek improvement and make informed decisions for achieving our desired outcomes, goals, and strategic plan.
Georgia Southern students benefit from a broad range of student and academic support units with intentional programming, services, and activities to promote the success of every student. Student Services Outcomes assessment is a reflective process that allows staff working in those areas to determine meaningful outcomes and methods for measuring the effectiveness of those services. If a unit has an educational component, it may adopt student learning outcomes like those used for academic programs or core courses but tailored to the mission and purposes of the specific unit. Other types of metrics may be used to measure effectiveness for units who do not have a focused educational component. Units follow a regular process of collecting data and assessing their chosen outcomes using multiple measures. This data is analyzed, summarized, and used in the development of action plans for future improvement. Student Services Outcomes assessment documents are reviewed in interactive charrettes to generate actionable feedback for the units.