SYNOPSIS OF LEARNING

Day 31 of Stay at Home Order: A Synopsis of What I Learned in Dr. French’s Assessment

Course

Chavonis D. Black

Northern Illinois University

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Day 31 of Stay at Home Order: A Synopsis of What I Learned in Dr. French’s Assessment

Course

There is nothing more important in the field of student affairs than research. It allows for

professionals to follow the history of practice, identify current research trends, and provide

insight on how potential problems and opportunities should be tackled. The opportunity to

illustrate and understand how policies and programs connect to educational outcomes is no

longer a privilege, but a standard across modern education. As student affairs professionals,

conducting research is essential to be effective. By continuously engaging in assessment,

research can provide institutions with innovative direction and potential to grow. This direction

and growth potential requires constant emphasis on the value of assessment and research.

According to Biddix (2018, p. 4) “research is a systematic approach to learning that

involves asking and answering questions”. In student affairs, research serves two functions: to

contribute knowledge and to improve practice. Research can be used to identify gaps in what is

already known about a topic. For example, while there are several known risk factors for college

students not completing their degree, there are some factors that increase risk as well but require

further exploration. Research enhances professional understanding of those risk factors.

Research has the capacity to expand educational procedures by offering perspective on how the

larger field is responding to trends and handling challenges (Biddix, 2018).

As stated in the book by Biddix (2018, p. 8) “Assessment is the collection, analysis, and

interpretation of context-specific data to inform the effectiveness of programs and services.” In

student affairs, professionals engage in assessment for two purposes: to show accountability and

to have evidence to improve (Schuh, 2011). Assessment should be used to keep experts mindful

of the need to provide students with quality programs and experience in creative ways that can
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endure the turn-over rate of college populations; this requires professionals who are not afraid to

raise questions about the way things are done at an institution.

Although both research and assessment share an emphasis on program evaluation and

institutional development, the two entities are contrasting in several respects. Research is meant

for external audiences with the intention of generating knowledge, while assessment is meant for

internal audiences with the intention of informing practice (Biddix, 2018). Another distinctive

characterization of the two shows that assessments are guided by theory, while research is

conducted to test theories. Assessment usually has time constraints, while research does not.

Unlike research, assessment proves that programs that do exist should exist- research discovers

the truth as to why rather than relying on assumptions.

Some attention should be paid to the method for data collection in order to engage in

efficient research. Student affairs professionals benefit from the usage of qualitative,

quantitative or mixed methods research designs, each with their own identifying characteristics.

"Qualitative research,” according to Biddix (2018) "seeks to explore and represent reality as it

exists in context and to enlighten the ways in which individuals experience that reality” (Biddix,

2018, p.76). Because content and context are not readily interpreted, collecting qualitative data

can help practitioners learn how something is experienced or perceived. Interviews and

observations typify most common forms of qualitative data collection. For example, in “I Didn’t

Come to School for This: A Qualitative Examination of Experiences With Race-Related

Stressors and Coping Responses Among Black Students Attending a Predominately White

Institution,” authors Griffith, Hurd, and Hussain (2019) conducted a qualitative study to examine

Black students’ experiences of race-related stressors, coping responses, and the role of collegiate

mentors in the coping process. A series of questions, interviews, and coding were conducted,
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which led to the authors being able to identify three categories of race-related stressors and four

categories of coping strategies that served as themes (Griffith et al., 2019). Qualitative research

can act as a way of incorporating individual experiences, sharing perceptions and exploring

issues (Biddix, 2018).

Quantitative research aims at identifying and explaining reality as it exists, using

numerical data (Biddex, 2018). It can serve as a guide to help student affairs professionals

consider the connection of variables and their impact. Surveys are the most common form of

quantitative data collection. To illustrate, in “A Quantitative Analysis on Mindset and

Masculinities among Straight and Queer Black College Men” by Travers, Duran and Craig

(2018), a quantitative study was conducted to investigate the effect of sexuality on mindset and

masculinities among Black men in college. Using data analysis from a series of surveys,

researchers were able to determine the effects of hegemonic masculinities and negative attitudes

toward queerness within these college-aged individuals (Travers et al., 2018). Research using

quantitative means can serve as a way of making predictions, offering efficient ways of

analyzing knowledge, and illustrating the need for new initiatives as well as endorsing the value

of current ones (Biddix, 2018).

Underutilized in student affairs, mixed method analysis provides opportunity to take

advantage of the capabilities of both quantitative and qualitative study, presenting a more

systematic approach to the problem. Mixed methods can help researchers overcome a single

research design’s limitations or provide stronger inferences. They can also be helpful for

developing, applying, or a checking a theory. For instance, in “Bisexual Women’s Experience of

Microaggressions and Microaffirmations: a Community Based Mixed Methods Scale

Development Project”, Flanders, LeBreton, and Robinson (2019) sought to develop a measure of
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social stressors that support bisexual women’s experiences. The authors usage of surveys and

interviews lead to the development of The Bisexual Microaggression and Microaffirmation

Scales for Women (BMMS-W), the first standardized measures of microaggressions and

microaffirmations experienced by bisexual women (Flanders et al., 2019). Integration points can

appear at any time for a mixed method study, which is dependent on the researcher (Biddix,

2018).

Data collection is an critical component in student affairs. It acts as an incredible

platform for experts in student affairs to share the inspiring tales of how the initiatives and

resources they deliver help student learning and achievement. Many stakeholders crave

statistical updates, wanting to learn the efficiency of a program’s success from the data. But,

there are still stakeholders who want to learn how to execute the curriculum and the experiences

of the students who took part in it. Such data collection approaches are combined by

experienced student affairs experts to reassure each type of stakeholder they are getting the

whole story (Biddix, 2018). The use of mixed methods as a research design has proven to be a

good step to comprehend more fulsome findings and more pragmatic impacts of

recommendations. Research will help educational institutions continue to expand as long as the

institutions undertakes ongoing evaluation.

In order to keep assessment relevant, a culture of assessment needs to be implemented. A

culture of assessment is used to educate decision makers, improve credibility with stakeholders,

and provide a framework for continuous movement (Schuh, 2011). Through establishing the

way things are in advance, staff members understand that data gathered must be presented to the

stakeholders and used as a guide for improvement. Understanding the data is used as a guide for

improvement shows not only engagement with the students, but also a commitment to the
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institution’s developmental progress. In order to continue promoting a culture of assessment

within student affairs, it is imperative that these institutions remain self-critical (Schuh, 2011).

Another way to sustain a culture of assessment is to respond to the findings of an

assessment and act upon them. Successful assessment requires transparency as well as progress.

If assessment is carried out with one of the components missing, problems would be inevitable.

Engaging in assessment without positive progression puts practitioners in a position where they

can appease stake holders, but not improve. Engaging in accountability-free assessment allows

educators to identify places where they can step in any direction but risks them losing sight of

the students' best interests (Schuh, 2011). Just as students are constantly evolving, institutions

should too. Universities should always be asking how things are moving, and how can they

move better. By introducing a culture of assessment, emphasis is placed on the need for

accountability and change necessary for such educational establishments to thrive.

After taking HESA-572, I have a deeper understanding of how important it is for research

from assessments to be utilized for strategic institutional development and growth. As a future

educator, I want to use evidence collected from assessments as a foundation for proposing new

strategies and implementing initiatives to better develop prepared minds. Using the data would

demonstrate to the appropriate stakeholders that such improvements will eventually be

necessary. That is why it is so important to include both accountability and improvement when

engaging in assessment. Apart from the culture of assessment being important, it is critical that

everyone on the team supports it as well. This makes it possible for everyone to be tasked with

improvement. The great Paulo Freire once said, “Education doesn’t change the world. Education

changes the people who will change the world.” Enhancing student learning eventually leads to

further development and, ultimately, success.

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I am passionate. I am determined. I am fearless. Some educators forget their roots as

they are pursue their professions, but I seek not to. One good thing is that research helps

educators to consider experiences they may have overlooked. My life experiences have had a

tremendous effect on how I define myself as a future educator. The world of higher education is

forever advancing, and sometimes the work is tiring. If my passion for education can touch the

mind of one person, then it has the ability to touch the minds of many. That is all the push I need

to continue learning now, to help the continuous development of education later.

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References

Biddix, J. P., Renn, K. A., & Roper, L. D. (2018). Research methods and applications for student

affairs. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated.

Flanders, C.E., LeBreton, M. & Robinson, M. (2019). Bisexual women’s experience of

microaggressions and microaffirmations: A community-based, mixed-methods scale

development Ppoject. Arch Sex Behav 48, 143–158. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-017-

1135-x

Griffith, A. N., Hurd, N. M., & Hussain, S. B. (2019). “I Didn’t Come to School for This”: A

qualitative examination of experiences with race-related stressors and coping responses

among black students attending a predominantly white institution. Journal of Adolescent

Research, 34(2), 115–139. https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558417742983

Schuh, J. H. (2011). Assessment methods for student affairs. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley

& Sons.

Travers, C. & Duran, A., & Craig, J. (2018). A quantitative analysis on mindset and masculinities

among straight and queer black college men. Spectrum: A Journal on Black Men 7(47),

47-56. 10.2979/spectrum.7.1.04.