Talking Stick - September/October 2016 - 42

STEP
5
STEP
6
STEP
7

STEP
8

Create a Core Group.
One of the most important steps to consider in the self-study is the work group, which consists
of staff within the department who are at the helm of the self-study effort. They will be the main
group working to collect, organize, and analyze quantitative and qualitative information. The work
group has three special functions: The group works to train and educate other staff throughout the
self-study effort, represents the voice of the staff and serves as the representative of the effort, and
communicates the progress of the effort to the department.

Provide Evidence-based Scores.
Whether you decide to focus on one functional area or multiple areas, you will need to give staff
a sense of what information the work group will be collecting. Terra Peckskamp, the director of
residence life at Syracuse University in New York, recalls her experience in setting the foundations
to collect good information. "I asked each committee to make specific requests to staff and use
surveys and interviews to collect hard-to-reach information," she says. "Each group took a functional
area and used the SAG rubric to grade each area. The rubric pushed us to find the tangible evidence
in our department to justify our findings."

Analyze, Review, and Share the Information.
You may find that after the work group has collected the information needed to satisfy their
requests they can begin to pull the information into a report or a presentation that can be shared
with the department and other stakeholders. Peckskamp recalls her thoughts at this phase
of the self-study. "I used a department meeting to make time for each committee to make a
15-minute presentation focused on areas of excellence, areas of improvement, and highlights. This
information was used to create the goals for the department. We continue to use the information,
and now that we are working on our strategic plan we have the information needed to set our goals
and strategic priorities."

Implement the Findings and Results.
The commitment of the work group does not have to end at the analysis and review phase of the
self-study. The second leg of the process is a plan for implementation of the findings and results.
The conclusion of the self-study process and the production of a findings report represent the final
phase in the analysis and review process. Carter notes the usefulness of having two teams. "Within
the work group, we had two leaders: one who led the self-assessment team for five-year review and
a second leader on implementation. They both are on the same team, so our leadership separated it
into two different projects. The self-assessment was more than a year long. Then it was time for the
next team to come on board for the implementation process."

"We continue to use the information, and now that
we are working on our strategic plan we have the
information needed to set our goals and strategic
priorities."
-Terra Peckskamp, Syracuse University

TALKING STICK

Talking Stick - September/October 2016

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