One of the “hot button” topics in higher education is assessment of co-curricular activities. In the Higher Learning Commission universe, it is even written into the Criteria for Accreditation; however, many schools are struggling to understand how to assess these activities. For that matter, how do we as educators define co-curricular versus extra-curricular activities? At my institution, we are grappling with these issues with new specialized software and a task force charged with determining the how, why, and when of capturing and assessing how students benefit from co-curricular engagement.
If you are in the same boat, you might consider joining us at the Pre-conference workshop for Assessment Matters on Thursday, April 25th. We have two afternoon sessions on assessing co-curricular. The first is from our keynote Dr. Jeremy Penn, President of the Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education. His session is entitled “When you Run a Co-curricular Program, Assess it! Strategies for Developing Manageable and Meaningful Co-curricular Assessments.” The second session will feature Dr. Franklyn Taylor and Ms. Amy Bird from St. Louis Community Colleges. Their session is “Utilizing the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education in a Student Affairs Division.”
These two pre-conference workshops will begin at 1:30 pm and run back-to-back until 4:30 pm. The cost is $25 for the afternoon and includes materials and a snack break. Consider joining us and learning from your colleagues!
