25 Years of Top-Notch Student Affairs Assessment at Texas A&M University
The Department of Student Affairs Planning, Assessment & Research celebrates how learning happens outside of the classroom in the Division of Student Affairs.
By Veronica Gonzalez Hoff
What is Texas A&M University doing to foster a culture of learning outside of the classroom? Areas in the Division of Student Affairs like the MSC Freshmen in Service and Hosting (FISH) are implementing small ways to assess learning in their programming that makes a difference in showing the value of student experiences outside the classroom.
In 2005, the division developed the Student Leader Learning Outcomes (SLLO) project to create rubrics for advisors to use to evaluate student leader growth in a specific area. Katy King, former MSC FISH advisor and currently an associate director with the Department of Student Activities, helped choose rubrics based on the needs and goals of the committee.
For MSC FISH, King chose rubrics that gave each student leader an opportunity to evaluate themselves. King would also evaluate each leader and then set up a meeting to discuss how each evaluated the student leader on a specific skill and then set goals to work towards growth. Once student leaders began to see results, the entire organization saw their leadership roles in a whole new way.
“In my first few years of advising MSC FISH, I established a relationship built on trust and mutual respect,” said King. “The student valued my opinion because I also valued the impact they made through their work. I focused on what I felt the positive outcomes of this intentional practice would bring to the overall organization and freshman experience. Once we had gone through this cycle for two years, utilizing rubrics and engaging in discussions based on learning became standard practice for the organization.”
Simple processes like this show how experiences outside the classroom have impacted student learning in a positive way. And they help students recognize the skills they have learned that they can take on in their careers.
Former student and MSC FISH chair in 2010-2011 Jessica Licarione Thomas shared, “Learning contracts were helpful during my time as a student leader because it helped me sit down and focus on what I could [and wanted] to get out of this experience. I think often we get involved in things we enjoy but don’t realize that learning is happening. It opened my eyes to see what I had already been learning as well as what else I could learn through an experience I was doing for ‘fun.’ As a teacher now, I use learning objectives and setting goals similar to learning contracts. I try to help my students realize the skills they are learning as they work together and have them set their own academic and skill-based goals at different points throughout the year.”
Leading the Way in Assessment
Now, when you think about assessment, you might feel an immediate sense of overwhelm, or maybe dread over the idea of surveys and data you might not be sure what do with. Perhaps, you just might not feel sure where to start. This is where the Department of Student Affairs Planning, Assessment & Research (SAPAR) comes in.
SAPAR, formerly known as Student Life Studies until 2022, was established on Feb. 1, 1998, to help the Division of Student Affairs tell its story and show how co-curricular programming is contributing to student learning and the student experience at Texas A&M University.
From student organization experiences to student affairs department programs, events and employment experiences, SAPAR helps to assess learning outcomes and experiences of those involved in many of these activities.
Texas A&M was one of the first universities in the United States to establish a department specifically for assessment in student affairs programming. Many institutions have an office of institutional research that focuses on assessing teaching, learning and overall institutional effectiveness. In the 1990s, having one person solely focused on assessing student learning outside the classroom was rare.
Before Student Affairs established Student Life Studies, they worked closely with Texas A&M’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Evaluation which was Measurment and Research Services at the time. They focused primarily on research and assessment in academics, and Student Affairs wanted to make it more of a priority and have the right people in place to help give context and translate the assessment process from a student affairs perspective.
“Someone needs to take all that data, analyze it and put it into the context of how things could change or improve,” said Darby Roberts, SAPAR director. “We understand student affairs and we understand statistics, research, and assessment and can contextualize the results. That’s the translational purpose of our department.”
Creating a Culture of Assessment
Roberts, pictured right, has a unique view of the department since she started as the first graduate assistant in July 1998 while she completed her Ph.D. in Education Administration. Roberts also completed her bachelor's in business administration in 1988 and a master's in human resources management in 1990 from Texas A&M. She has witnessed firsthand how the department has expanded and influenced the culture of assessment at Texas A&M and in student affairs.
“It's not about statistics, but about relationships,” she said. “Sometimes it's a relationship of numbers. But a lot of times, it's a relationship of people. We're here to help and support. We're not here to instill fear, punish or make people feel stupid. That's how it has become a natural thing in our division that people want to do. They're not scared of it because we take away the scary part.”
Roberts and her team help 14 different departments, their individual student programs, and the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs to tell their stories through the amazing experiences of students. They focus on taking the intimidating feeling of assessment out so that student affairs staff can see how they can continue to support students. It’s been a labor of love to create assessment instruments, rubrics, learning contracts, and training sessions to help staff learn how to assess student learning.
“When there is a question of ‘what's the value of student affairs?’ and ‘aren't you just the party planners?’ We can say, ‘No, actually, let's talk about the student learning happening,’” Roberts said. “We are educators in student affairs. Everyone here is an educator. It’s comprehensive. There’s a commitment and responsibility that has been ingrained in our division that has made us fantastic and that has produced successful graduates of Texas A&M who go out and change the world.”
King is one of those student affairs professionals who has taken their part as an educator to heart.
“I value the impact Darby and the entire SAPAR team has not just on our programs, but on our practice,” she said. “The information they provide, the insight they give and the expertise they use allows us to be intentional in our work with students, creating a deeper impact on student experiences. Because of their work, we can engage in insightful and thoughtful conversations that push us to be better practitioners no matter our area of expertise. Their work reaches across the division and into the whole experience of our student leaders.”
Improving the Student Experience
Another essential service SAPAR provides student affairs is a comprehensive program review (CPR) so that departments have a tool for review and improvement. The department’s first director, Sandi Osters, a 2007 Texas A&M graduate, spearheaded the development of the CPR, which was a product of her dissertation research.
“We're going to tell you contextually, “Here are the things we are seeing,’” Roberts said. “It will be helpful for you to look at these things and make your own decision how you will improve the student experience.”
About every seven years, each department in the Division of Student Affairs completes a CPR to review the effectiveness of programs and services and set priorities for the future. SAPAR provides training, coordination, and support for the 10-month evaluation process. Departments with external accreditation use those processes for their program review.
Following the departmental self-study, an external review team provides an outside perspective and an additional evaluation. The external review team is comprised of campus constituents and lead by an expert in the department’s field. Findings and recommendations from the self-study and external review reports are integrated into the department’s strategic plan.
"I’m proud of the work Darby Roberts and her team have done and continue to do in providing sound guidance to the Division of Student Affairs (DSA) in assessment best practices,” said BG Joe E. Ramirez, Jr., vice president for student affairs. “Their work helps our departments show the value we bring to students outside the classroom. Darby and her team use proven analytical practices to ensure that we are planning effectively to achieve goals that support our students, and to assess ourselves on a regular basis to ensure we are executing across the division in the most efficient and effective manner. Her work enables the DSA to be the best at what it does in providing world class facilities, services and programs to our students.”
Getting Started
Osters, the first director of what became Student Life Studies, played a pivotal role in its establishment. She came to Texas A&M in 1994 to work for J. Malon Southerland, a 1965 Texas A&M graduate who at the time was the assistant to the vice president for student affairs. Osters recalled having an intuitive habit of asking questions about experiences, program development and process.
“I always had a personal interest in this,” she said. “I always thought, no matter what I was doing, that I had a responsibility to tell somebody why they should be effective. We can’t just say students are learning through their experiences. How do we know that? How can we show that? Let’s get the evidence we need to prove and illustrate it.”
In the 1990s, there was a shift in student affairs and higher education to more formally assess student learning. In 1994, ACPA–College Student Educators International published The Student Learning Imperative to encourage student affairs professionals to be more intentional about assessing student learning along with programs and services.
Osters followed the literature and best practices coming from higher education professional organizations and felt Texas A&M needed at least one individual dedicated to assessment for student affairs. She discussed it with Southerland and the student affairs leadership team at the time, who she recalls were open to the idea.
“I’m happy the department has grown and seen success,” Southerland said. “At the time, assessment needed attention and I knew establishing a department would be received well by the academic community. Assessment shows what we know and don’t know, and it has proved to be effective.”
Telling the Story
Osters retired in 2012, but Roberts stepped in to continue doing the work SAPAR started in 1998. Roberts tries to lead from a lens of learning—for students and staff—in everything she does and inspires her team to do the same. The SAPAR team values the “A-ha!” moments many students and staff experience as they work together on assessment. The team is known and respected for how it cultivates relationships first and then works alongside student organizations and staff to show them how they can implement assessment practices in everyday processes.
“In order for that to happen, we student affairs professionals must have a system on how we're structuring things that encourages learning, reflection and application of skills,” she said, “and then ask, ‘How do we know students have that?’ Some departments and units have embraced this, and I get excited about that!”
The first step was creating a culture and understanding of assessment and removing the fear and hesitation that comes with it. Now, Roberts wants to see members of the division use assessment to tell their story.
“I think nationwide there’s still this sense of ‘how is student affairs proving its value?’” Roberts said. “As we've developed and matured in our department, we're looking at bigger-picture topics that may create greater change and improvement. Through better storytelling, we are maturing in how we collect and report data about student experiences and student success.”
FORMER STUDENTS SHARE SLS/SAPAR'S IMPACT IN THEIR CAREERS
"I appreciated the exposure to the student organizations via the data that SLS collected. I feel like I learned how the little impact I was making in the day to day was beneficial to the larger cause. Most of the time my tasks were not difficult, but meticulous and needed to be right. I learned to do the small things correctly. I work in an environment where taking different opinions into consideration and building consensus is important. Also doing the little things right or wrong have major impacts in multimillion dollar decisions. I feel like my time at SLS helped me appreciate and develop those skills. "
Austin Wright ‘14 , vice president and area asset manager for Matador Resources
"I am first generation college student who was admitted to the best University in Texas. When I started at SLS in April 2011, I had just changed my major Sociology. So SLS was the perfect fit! It was a job showing what I could possibly do with the degree I was working on obtaining. I worked with SLS until I graduated with a Bachelors of Sciences in Sociology in May 2013. Working at SLS gave me a window into the student body. I got to learn about different organizations on campus and get a brief idea of how they worked and impacted other students. I also learned great teamwork skills and felt more connected to the University because I got to see it from several different sides, the side of a student, an employee and the students’ involvement in organizations on campus."
Cesily Hibbeler ’13
academic advisor, Department of Construction Science, Texas A&M University
"I had one of the best supervisors that I will probably ever have in my life in Barbara Schumacher. At the time I didn’t realize it but not all supervisors are like her unfortunately. The way I was taught what to do and challenged to learn new skills and improve my work while being addressed as part of the office even as a student worker played a large part in my development as manager. In my current position I am the Health Safety and Environmental manager at one of the largest manufacturing facilities for NOV in the US. I have a team of 4 employees working for me and I have taken many lessons and skills from my time working at SLS into my current role."
Tyler Harkrider ‘18
health safety and environmental manager at National Oilwell Varco
"I started working at SLS around my sophomore year in 2004-ish and wrapped my time with treasured colleagues in 2007 upon graduation. All through college, I was a single student working, going to school, and soaking up all TAMU life had to offer. SLS was my first entrée into office dynamics, and I learned so much from a great group of leaders. I had countless examples of solid work habits and genuine teamwork that have served me well. We worked hard and had fun. My experience with SLS was an important foundation for who I am in my career today.
Today, I work in healthcare administration as an associate vice president of finance in Houston. I support four divisions with a total annual budget of $200 million in operating income. I can’t thank Barb, Sandy, Peggy, and Jennifer enough for their leadership."
Kenyon (Allen) Cichowski ‘07
associate vice president of finance in healthcare administration