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鈥淎ssessment is any effort to gather analyze, and interpret evidence which describes institutional, divisional or agency effectiveness" (Upcraft and Schuh, 1996, p 18).

As a research university, LUC views assessment as a natural concern of educators. We want to know what our students have learned, the means by which they learned, and the effectiveness of the learning process. As student affairs practitioners, we must ask: 鈥淲hat evidence might we gather that our students, taken as a group, are in fact acceptably achieving the learning outcomes that we intend?" (鈥淎ssessment Protocol鈥� Ignatian Pedagogy, n.d) The pursuit of this question is how we learn what our students know and what they are able to do as the result of participating in co-curricular activities. We see assessment as a crucial part of our work towards continuous improvement of all that we do.

The following is a comprehensive assessment model adapted from Assessment Practice in Student Affairs, an Application Manual. It is highly recommended that departments in the division of student development consult this model prior to conducting assessment. This model provides eight recommended components to an assessment that can help departments frame or plan assessment initiatives:

• Tracking鈥擪eeping track of who uses student services, programs, and facilities.
• Needs Assessment鈥擜ssessing student and other clientele needs.
• Satisfaction Assessment鈥擜ssessing student and other clientele satisfaction.
• Student Cultures/Campus Environment Assessment鈥擜ssessing campus environments and student cultures.
• Outcomes Assessment鈥擜ssessing learning outcomes.
• Comparable Institution Assessment鈥擟omparing your program/initiative to your peer institutions.
• National Standards Assessment鈥擴sing nationally accepted standards to assess.
• Cost-Effective Assessment鈥擜ssessing the cost of a program/initiative related to the amount of student learning or successful achievement of the outcomes.

Ensure that every department within the Division of Student Development has articulated learning outcomes for their programs and initiatives. 

Determine that each department has methods in place to assess their stated outcomes.

Establish a yearly reporting process at departmental and divisional level to provide supporting data on assessment of student learning for the Division鈥檚 annual report.

Develop capacity to engage in assessment work, and foster a culture of assessment throughout the Division.

Implement a cycle of high-quality direct and indirect assessment practices that support continuous co-curricular enhancements.