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Why Assessment in Student Affairs & Enrollment Management? |
When I think of the need to plan and assess the work of our division, I think about a type of systems theory called cybernetics. Katherine Miller in her book Organizational Communication (2006) says that the term cybernetics is derived from the Greek word for a boat’s steersman. The metaphor is that as we set our goals (our destination point on the horizon), we are steadily adjusting our rudder to make sure we are progressing to that goal. This is done through feedback, or the constant gathering of information to determine our progress toward our destination.
Assessment is the primary way that we will gather information to determine if we are progressing toward our goals. It is also the most valuable tool in providing information to others about our performance, our efficacy, and the value we add to our students’ learning outcomes and to our institution’s goals.
As we strive to help our students succeed, we need to be the best that we can be. We cannot rely on our feelings alone to tell us if we are doing the best we can for our students. We need to gather and assess feedback in our efforts to improve, to determine what we can do better and what we should do more of…all in an effort to steer our collective ship to that elusive point on the horizon.
Dr. Jeff Jones
Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs & Enrollment Management
