2022-2023 Assessment Initiative Awards

In an effort to support the assessment of student learning and program effectiveness, the Assessment Initiative Awards provide financial and professional support to cover some or all of the costs of conducting assessment studies/program evaluations or attending an assessment workshop/conference.

The award program provides five awards of $2,000 each to individuals or teams who plan to do one of the following:

• Complete an assessment/evaluation project: These should assess learning outcomes at the program or unit level (i.e., no single course assessment proposals will be considered). The funds may be used in any appropriate line (e.g., student help, printing, postage), but a maximum of $700 may be allocated to faculty/staff salary. Each individual or team receiving an award will be required to share information about the project in a campus presentation during the 2023-2024 academic year.

 

• Attend an assessment workshop/conference: These can include pre-conference sessions or stand-alone workshops and conferences that focus on assessing learning outcomes at the program or unit level. The funds may be used in any appropriate line (e.g., registration, transportation, lodging). Each individual or team receiving an award will be required to share information about the workshop/conference in a summary report during the 2023-2024 academic year.

 

For more information, see the guidelines and contact us if you have any questions.  Application materials are due at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, October 28, 2022, and can be emailed to University Assessment Services at assessment@IllinoisState.edu.

Recent award recipients include:

• Developing online dashboards to examine longitudinal-based student learning data in the graduate programs of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders to assist in reviewing, interpreting, and using this information for program improvement and accreditation purposes.

 

• Informing faculty in the Department of Politics and Government how best to design and implement their future online courses to assess the extent to which indirect evidence of student learning varies by course modality and by student characteristics.

 

• Evaluating the impact of the Voices of Discovery program offered by Student Counseling Services in reducing racial colorblindness and increasing group cohesion and appreciation for diversity to inform programming and the provision of clinical and outreach services offered to diverse students.

 

• Administering focus groups to supplement survey responses regarding student learning and better assess the efficacy of student participation in one-day, co-curricular community service/service learning experiences through the Center for Civic Engagement.