Lyon College

Assessment Plan for Student Life

I. Mission

The Student Life component of Lyon College utilizes a comprehensive, systematic, and continuous process of assessment to ensure the high-quality co-curricular experience that complements the Academic Services component.

The mission of Student Life is to “provide supportive professional staff, engaging learning experiences, and social activities in environments that intentionally guide, challenge, and support holistic student learning and growth.  Members of the Student Life staff facilitate the process in which students weave choices into the fabric of their lives as they develop their potential in learning what it means to be a person of honor and integrity.”  With nearly 90% of Lyon students residing on campus, the College provides a strong sense of community and numerous activities for both personal development and recreation.

II. Goals

Each department in Student Life will develop, administer, and interpret assessment tools specific to their mission, goals, and needs.  The assessment tools utilized will reflect the following items necessary for comprehensive assessment as described by Upcraft and Schuh (1996):

1.      Keeping track of who uses student services, programs, and facilities.  (i.e.  logs of appointments and what they were there for, program attendance, etc.  Do you notice any patterns that would indicate a need to make a change/improvement?)

2.      Assessing student and other clientele needs.  (i.e.  pen and paper needs assessments; CORE Alcohol and CIRP surveys; personal observations)

3.      Assessing clientele satisfaction.  (i.e.  Asking clients to evaluate the services provided, or the programs they attend.  Student satisfaction surveys, etc.)

4.      Assessing campus environments and student cultures.  (i.e.  CIRP data does provide insights into student culture, as does CORE Alcohol survey and community evaluation section of RLS evaluations)

5.      Assessing outcomes.  (i.e.  Clarify desired outcomes and then develop means to assess them.  CIRP offers end-of-freshman year and end-of-senior year assessment instruments where comparisons can be drawn)

6.      Comparing the above assessment results against comparable institutions when applicable and useful.  (i.e.  CIRP data allows for this. .. not in terms of individual institutions, but in terms of categories of institutions (selective 4-year) )

As a component, we are expected to assess each and every program and service in some way to help:

1.      assure quality, and

2.      to assess how well we are meeting our goals.

To support the above objectives, the assessment process will:

• Ensure departmental missions support Student Life and Lyon College mission statements
• Facilitate the development of mission-driven learning outcomes and/or goals reflective of the Student Life and Lyon College missions
• Provide direction and assistance to any department that needs help in the development of effective assessment instruments and processes
• Support data interpretation and its presentation to appropriate College constituencies
• Ensure assessment results are maintained properly so they may be used longitudinally if necessary
• Result in the development of action plans in response to assessment findings

III. Process

Each department in the component should submit a biennial assessment report to the Student Life Assessment Committee.  The report should include the following pieces of information, as appropriate to each department. 

Planning and Assessment Portfolios:

• Mission statement and departmental goals/objectives linked to student learning outcomes, as well as the Student Life and Lyon College mission statements
• Department specific assessment strategies
• Narrative summarizing assessment activities during the cycle
• Copies of assessment instruments used
• Results compiled during the cycle
• Interpretation of the results utilizing a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, potential threats, and potential opportunities to the program)
• Proposals for modification to the program as necessary

In non-review years, each department should submit a brief narrative report detailing the following:

• Assessments administered
• Success of modifications made based on the previous year’s biennial review
• Additional modifications planned for the current cycle
• Goals for the coming year

Reporting: The chair of the Student Life Assessment Committee will collect copies of all departmental assessment reports and related documentation.  Assessment materials will be filed and maintained by the Administrative Assistant to Student Life.  Copies of all reports and assessment documentation will be provided annually to the Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students for inclusion with the assessment resource collection maintained by the Institutional Assessment Committee.  The Vice President for Student Life will disseminate this information to the Institutional Assessment Committee and other constituencies as appropriate.

Schedule: The Student Life Assessment Committee has established the following timeline for these biennial reviews.  The schedule may only be changed in consultation with the Vice President for Student Life.  The review will begin during the fall semester of the given cycle year.  Departments should submit their reports to the Student Life Assessment Committee no later than June 30^th of the cycle year and be prepared to report their findings at the fall Student Life retreat.  Review cycles are as follows:

Even years beginning in fall 2004

Residence Life

Student Activities and Organizations

International Student Advisor

Chaplain

Honor Council

Social Council

Student Life Component

Odd years beginning in Fall 2005

Counseling Services

Health and Wellness

Career Development

APPLE

Upward Bound Math-Science

Student Government

Initial Reviews: The Student Life Assessment Committee will complete a draft of an assessment instrument to be used to evaluate the Student Life component by November 1, 2004.  A final version of the tool will be presented at the Student Life retreat in December, and it will be administered to students, faculty and staff during the early part of spring semester.  Results from the evaluation will be summarized and presented at the Student Life retreat in May.  Furthermore, results can then be used for goal setting during the Student Life fall retreat.

Each department should submit the following assessment information to the Student Life Assessment Committee no later than November 1, 2004.

• Mission statement and departmental goals/objectives linked to student learning outcomes, as well as the Student Life and Lyon College mission statements
• Department specific assessment strategies based on the SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, potential threats, and potential opportunities to the program) of your program
• Copies of assessment instruments you will be using
• For those departments in the 2004 review year, include a timeline that reflects when your assessment efforts will occur

This information will bring the Student Life assessment records up to date.  It will also serve as a starting point for the final reports that should be completed no later than June 30^th.