Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 61

difficult to determine if a struggling
student is simply underperforming or
underprepared.

effectively? What improvements should
be implemented? Without this review,
assessment is really incomplete.

The use of pGPAs helps make that
distinction between students, as well
as measure some degree of impact on
students' academic achievement.

TP: Shana brings up a good point

SM: I'm a big fan of Bloom's Taxonomy
and well-written learning outcomes. If
you haven't looked at Bloom's lately,
it has been revised since its original
creation, and there are now all kinds of
posters and graphics to help write clear
objectives with specific language. There
are so many possibilities of quantitative
indicators to consider. Unfortunately, it
is all too easy to rest alone on satisfaction
surveys.
MB: The credit hours variable has been
demonstrated in multiple studies as
a useful metric for predicting future
retention. Students who complete more
credit hours in the first year are more
likely to be retained. Conversely, the
number of credits a student withdraws
from during the semester can be an
early predictor of attrition. In addition
to these metrics, assessment on a small
number of specific learning outcomes
and feedback from students about what
they enjoyed or did not enjoy about the
experience can be helpful for assessing
the impact of the LLC.

SM: There are some interesting
qualitative indicators that can be used
to assess as well: things like site visits,
class observations, and interviews. We
also have to remember to account for
the many, many variables that go into an
LLC. It's important to think about how
coordinated the program is, if students
self-select into the LLC, what our control
group is, and how we truly correlate the
program and the outcome.
Of course we can survey and assess
all year long, and that work doesn't
amount to anything if we don't use the
data, for better or for worse, to report and
refine what we're doing. How can we get
more efficient? What can we do more

regarding the use of our collected data.
I am guilty at times of collecting great
information and sitting on it for longer
than I would like. It can be difficult to
prioritize the analysis and reporting of
data when assessment is only one of
many points in your job description
and your email continues to grow while
people are beating down your door and
the phone won't stop ringing.
TS: Considering that others on your
campus - whether they work in housing
or not - will be coming at the topic of
living-learning communities differently
than you do, how do you communicate
their value to them?

MB: I feel that the LLC concept has
been broadly implemented over the
past 10 years, and it is already a familiar
concept to our colleagues across campus.
Nevertheless, it is critical to develop
high-quality marketing materials both
in print and electronic forms for the
supporting colleges and departments to
have available for prospective students.
In addition, the office of admissions
is often on the front line of promoting
these communities and answering
questions. One-page fact sheets about
the communities as well as concise and
relevant data to support their impact
should be disseminated broadly on an
annual basis if not more frequently.

SM: Going back to your program's
purpose is key. It's important to tie
back to institutional and departmental
missions. I also believe in transparency,
partnerships, and clear communication.
Working with our academic partners
can help them to invest in the program
and understand its value. And, again,
we need to tell our story. Collect that
data, and share it! Present at faculty
senate, meet new faculty when they
come to campus, present at hall training

sessions. It's important to keep the value
of successful programs at the forefront
and, if need be, even share the not-sopositive stories with the hope of some
collaboration and retooling.

TP: Having a strong understanding
of, and being able to articulate, how
my position specifically supports the
academic success of every resident
is critical. From there I work to build
partnerships.
I meet with faculty, academic staff,
and campus colleagues over coffee,
breakfast, or lunch quite often. It is
important to understand how they
see LCs or feel about the residential
experience, before attempting to
communicate the value of that
experience. My number one goal is to
get them engaged in some way with
our LCs, even if only for a minute. It is
during that engagement when I feel all
the student stories and facts and figures
I have shared finally mean something to
them.

SM: Who doesn't like a free lunch
or coffee? Tyler's connections with
faculty are likely ones that develop over
time, and that can have benefits to the
residential life community beyond the
LLCs. I also like Matt's promotion ideas.
I'm always surprised at what parents
know (and don't) and what impresses
them. Typically parents love to see LLC
information. These are communities
in which a parent can envision their
student living. Being able to tie in hard
data with the emotion of the daughter or
son living in a community is a win-win
all around. r

This conversation is just getting started. To read
it in its entirety go to www.acuho-i.org/blog.

JULY + AUGUST 2015

61
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