Assessment practice in student affairs : an applications manual / John H. Schuh and M. Lee Upcraft

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Part 1. Principles and purpose -- 1. Why assessment in student affairs? -- 2. Steps in the assessment process -- Part 2. Methods -- 3. Qualitative assessment -- 4. Conducting focus groups -- 5. Designing and selecting quantitative instruments -- 6. How to conduct mail-out surveys -- 7. Telephone surveys -- 8.Web-based data collection -- Part 3. Basic approaches -- 9. Needs assessment -- 10. Satisfaction assessment -- 11. Assessing learning outcomes -- 12. Environmental assessment -- 13. Assessing cost effectiveness -- 14. Assessment and accreditation -- 15. Dropout assessment -- 16. Post graduation assessment -- 17. Assessing group educational programs -- Part 4. Programs and service areas -- 18. Assessing student academic success -- 19. Assessing first-year programs -- 20. Assessing campus recreation programs -- 21. Assessing an office of financial aid -- 22. Assessing admissions programs -- 23. Assessing residence life programs -- 24. Assessing college unions -- 25. Assessing health services -- 26. Assessing career services -- 27. Assessing counseling services -- 28. Assessing Greek life -- 29. Assessing an office of student conduct -- Part 5. Assessment issues -- 30. Getting started -- 31. Arranging for a consultant -- 32. Ethical issues -- 33. Strategies for implementing an assessment program -- Resources: Review of selected assessment instruments.

When Assessment in Student Affairs was first published in 1996, readers found a practical context for viewing the power of assessment across the domain of student services. Since then, John H. Schuh and M. Lee Upcraft have received numerous requests for more specific guidance to assessing and communicating the value of student affairs. This manual continues the work begun in their earlier book and provides a full range of tools for conducting effective assessments. The authors begin with an overview of the assessment process and then detail a range of methodologies, approaches, and issues—explaining how to use them and when to recruit expertise from other campus sources. Drawing from the latest practice and a wealth of case studies, they discuss: qualitative assessment, including how to conduct focus groups, quantitative assessment, including how to select and design instruments, data collection and analysis, including mailed questionnaires, telephone surveys, and web-based surveys, assessing diverse needs, satisfaction, outcomes, environments, cost effectiveness, and accreditation, specialized assessment studies, including how to review dropouts, graduates, academic success, and group educational programs, select programs in student services, including first-year programs, recreation programs, financial aid, admissions, residence halls, college unions, health services, career services, counseling services, judicial affairs, and Greek life and organizational and ethical approaches to assessment.