What kinds of projects should go into the Assessment and Research Project Completion Form?

Recently I had a conversation with someone in our division regarding assessment and research projects. It was clear through our conversation the combination of those words were conjuring images of a rigorous, research-informed process on the level of a thesis or dissertation! While that is certainly one type of project you could initiate, often the types of assessment projects I see in Student Affairs are scaled down initiatives that are trying to understand satisfaction with a program, learning that has happened through participation in a project, or something to understand the needs or behaviors of a population. This type of analysis often takes the form of administering a survey, conducting a focus group/interview, or having students respond to a reflective prompt.

These are the types of things that should be captured in the ongoing Assessment and Research Project Completion form, the last step of any project where you have collected data or information about the student, staff, alumni, or family experience at UMBC.

This form is important because it:

• helps us capture the results of assessment and research projects from around the division;
• create a repository that will help us be more organized for program reviews, Middle States, etc.; and is
• open throughout the year- you do not need to wait until Annual Report timeline to track progress.

You will be asked to input information about your project, key takeaways, and how you are using the results. In addition to completing this form, you will be asked to upload a copy of the instrument as well as a results report. There is no standard template for your results so a PowerPoint presentation you delivered about the results, a dashboard, a Qualtrics report, or another format is fine.

Any and all assessment and research projects from 25-26 must be submitted in the form by July 25th. Thank you!

Questions about the form can be directed to Mary Ellen Wade, Director of Assessment and Planning, via either email or Webex message.