Book Review #21: Learning is Not a Sprint

Last week, I saw this FB post from my friend and former colleague, Lisa Endersby:

Lisa Endersby shared a link.

April 8

Join me on April 25th for an hour long discussion about “Learning Is Not a Sprint” with authors Kathy Collins and Darby Roberts.I have questions to ask, but I know you have some too! Submit your questions for a chance to win a copy of NASPA’s newest book, “Decisions Matter.”Go here for more information and to RSVP: http://bit.ly/Zqgygu

NASPA | Learning is Not A Sprint – Discussion

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NASPA, Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education

I had previously seen the book mentioned on GoodReads and elsewhere, but hadn’t really thought anything of it at first (let’s be serious, I’ve read a lot of assessment books the past few months). Once I saw that post though, and knowing how totally awesome Lisa is, I decided to sign up for the webinar, and figured I should read the book before then.

Well, it was totally worth it! As I said, I’ve read more than a few assessment books since January, and was kinda feeling a bit assessed-out. This is something I am hoping to begin implementing in my Residence Life work; however since I haven’t actually started working on it yet it’s been difficult for me to figure out which questions I need to answer. The books I have read so far have offered me some ideas in terms of starting points, but I figured that once I actually get into the swing of it I would either re-read them, find other resources, or give Lisa a call.

This book does more than just offer ideas of where to begin, it asks reflection questions aimed at allowing the reader to determine what types of assessments would best work, what learning outcomes he/she is trying to achieve, as well as templates of assessment tools used at various institutions.

One suggestion I look forward to trying as soon as my new team begins training in August is:

Setting Expectations:

For use with individual students at the beginning of the year to establish rapport and set expectations

1- Student advisor distributes notecards

2- Students are asked to respond to the following questions:

a) What is one expectation you have of me [the advisor] this year?

b) What is one expectation you have of yourself this year?

3- Advisor collects the cards and does periodic check-ins with student leaders throughout the year.

This book has lots of other goodies which are making me excited to start reviewing our current practices.  I am also really looking forward to this webinar so that I can learn even more about the outcomes/assessment process.

Book Review #19: Outcomes-based Academic and Co-Curricular Program Review

As part of my latest order of books, I picked up Outcomes-Based Academic and Co-Curricular Program Review by Marilee J. Bresciani.  I know I’ve been reading lots of assessment-related books recently, and the reason for that is I am hoping to review many of the current residence life practices at my college over the summer to ensure that we are offering the best possible experience to our students.

This book begins with the following statement:

Rather than telling readers how to conduct assessment, I have focused on institutions that are actively engaged in systematic evaluation of student learning and development, gathering meaningful data about how to improve student learning.

This is something I appreciated, as I know that ‘one size fits all’ models typically do not work.  As promised, the author spends the majority of the book providing examples of different practices currently in place at various institutions. Unfortunately, there is quite a bit of “60% of schools do this” or “87% of schools agree that” which can become a bit tedious for readers.

One of the best parts of the book is the extensive Appendices at the end of the text, all providing examples and/or links to school/program websites to be used as resources for developing and implementing an outcomes-based assessment program.

Though reading the book cover-to-cover wasn’t necessarily that helpful (on the surface), I do look forward to coming back to this book later when I am in the process of conducting my own assessments in order to help guide my own practice. 

Book Review #18: Assessment Reconsidered

I have had the book Assessment Reconsidered: Institutional Effectiveness for Student Success by Richard P. Keeling, Andrew F. Wall, Ric Underhile and Gwendolyn J. Dungy (2008) for over a year now, and even referenced it in a paper I wrote as part of my Student Affairs and Services Certificate, but hadn’t actually read it in its entirety until this week. 

Having just finished reading We’re losing our minds by Keeling, I can say that many of the ideas are the same, though in this volume they are a bit more concise with more natural flow. 

The authors offer useful steps for beginning (or strengthening) an assessment process in higher education, and I look forward to using certain sections of this work in order to inform my own work in residence life.

 

Book Review #17: We’re Losing our Minds

I ordered the book We’re losing our minds: Rethinking American Higher Education written by Richard P. Keeling and Richard H. Hersch in 2012 after reading a review by @joesabado on Goodreads.

The main premise behind this book is that American institutions of Higher Education have shifted their focus away from being places of ‘learning’ towards a place of higher rating than its neighbours. Although the arguments themselves made a lot of sense (and I certainly couldn’t argue with many of the points made), the book itself was a bit winded and made for a slow read.

I definitely took my time getting through this one (2 weeks is a long time for me to take to read a book), but it was worth reading just for the fact that it offered some strong arguments, as well as a few suggestions of discussion points to encourage change.  Not quite a page-turner, but an interesting read nonetheless.

Book Review #11: Pursuing Higher Education in Canada

I’ve just finished reading Pursuing Higher Education in Canada: Economic, Social, and Policy Dimensions, edited in 2010 by Ross Finnie, Marc Frenette, Richard E. Mueller, and Arthur Sweetman, the accompanying volume to the book I reviewed this morning.

Like it’s predecessor, this work is a compilation of a series of research articles and studies conducted based on Statistics Canada data (yes, this weekend has been a bit of a statistics overload).  Though the first volume was focused more on what factors (financial, parental education, etc) could increase or decrease likelihood of pursuing post-secondary (PS) education, this one focuses more on the transition from high school to college or university, how the general economy impacts PS enrollment, ethnic differences in educational attainment, and the impact of family background on PS aspirations and attendance.

This volume is very data-heavy, and causes a bit of an information overload when read at once (especially with the first volume added); however the information contained in both volumes is extremely valuable in understanding the students currently enrolled (or enrolling) in our institutions.

Book Review #10: Who Goes? Who Stays? What Matters?

In a previous post, I wrote how Canadian higher education resources are relatively hard to come by.  As the field is still behind its American counterpart, most of our research and data is based on US numbers.

A book I reviewed recently provided historical information and background on the field of Student Affairs in Canada. This new volume, Who Goes? Who Stays? What Matters? Accessing and Persisting in Post-Secondary Education in Canada, edited by Ross Finnie, Richard E. Mueller, Arthur Sweetman, and Alex Usher in 2008, provides statistical analysis of post-secondary attendance and persistence in Canada.

The book is by no means a thrilling narrative; however it is quite informative (and I imagine I will be using it as a resource when I pursue advanced degrees).  Much of the articles in this volume are based on the data compiled with Statistics Canada’s Youth in Transition Survey, a longitudinal analysis of students from age 15-21 (to date) as they make their decisions to (or not) pursue higher education in Canada.

The volume is divided into a number of sections regarding Access, Persistence, and Financial Issues.  The works attempt to determine which factors are more likely to determine whether a student chooses to attend college, university, or neither: high school gpa, friends intent to pursue PSE, parental income, parental education level, part time jobs, etc.

I would recommend this volume to any professional in Canada looking to examine educational trends, as it not only answers some questions, but opens the door for new studies.

Book Review #7: Demonstrating Student Success

The Student Learning Imperative (ACPA, 1994) states:

Knowledge and understanding are critical to student success and institutional improvement.

Whereas Alexander Astin (1991) says that:

Assessment practices should further the basic aims and purposes of our higher education institutions.

These two statements are in many ways the basis for Demonstrating Student Success: A Practical Guide to Outcomes-Based Assessment of Learning and Development in Student Affairs, written by Marilee J. Bresciani, Megan Moore Gardner, and Jessica Hickmott in 2009.

This book serves as a ‘how-to’ guide on designing, implementing and reporting on assessment of student services and programs in higher education.

In the first section, the authors provide a historical overview of assessment theories in higher education, followed by an explanation of and rationale for outcome-based assessment.

The body of the work includes a listing of the main components of an outcome-based assessment plan, as well as an explanation of various assessment methods, analysis and reporting of results; and implementation of recommendations based on those results.

Finally, the book concludes by exploring some of the challenges in assessment, collaboration, and funding requirements.

As I came into my current position in late October, many of the processes were already in place before I arrived.  One thing I am looking forward to doing this summer in preparation for a new influx of students is examining some of our existing programs and creating an outcome-based learning model moving forward. I plan to use this book as a starting point, and am sure that I will take advantage of the various resources listed within it to help guide my work.