Connections 2012 Conference
Connections 2012
Making Meaning of Assessment through Collaboration
Hosted by: Virginia Tech and WEAVE
March 12-14, 2012
The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center
Blacksburg, VA
According to Webster’s dictionary, to collaborate is to work jointly with others especially in an intellectual endeavor. The assessment and evaluation field relies on the spirit of collaboration in order to create a culture of quality and improvement in the classroom and greater learning environment. Assessment professionals appreciate a rich assessment model that consists of measurable outcomes, findings with meaningful data, and action plans to close the loop. This process is most successful with key partners on and off campus. This conference program will highlight the contributions of “friends” who assessment directors can point to at their institution and beyond – those who have helped create an atmosphere where assessment is successful.
Keynote Presenter
We are proud to announce Linda Suskie as the keynote speaker!
Linda Suskie is an internationally recognized speaker, writer, and consultant on a broad variety of higher education assessment topics. Her latest book, the second edition of Assessing Student Learning: A Common Sense Guide (Jossey-Bass, 2009), ranks consistently as one of the best-selling books on assessment in higher education. Her publications include books, book chapters, and articles on assessment and survey research. Her scholarship interests include principles of good practice in assessment, setting benchmarks and standards, communicating assessment results, fostering a culture of assessment.
Ms. Suskie is a former vice president of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, an accreditor of colleges and universities in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Prior positions include serving as Associate Vice President for Assessment & Institutional Research at Towson University and as Director of the American Association for Higher Education’s Assessment Forum. Her over 30 years of experience in college and university administration include work in assessment, institutional research, strategic planning, and quality management.
Ms. Suskie has taught graduate courses in assessment and educational research methods and undergraduate courses in writing, statistics, and developmental mathematics. She holds a bachelor’s degree in quantitative studies from Johns Hopkins University and a master’s in educational measurement and statistics from the University of Iowa.
About the Hosts
The conference is co-hosted by Virginia Tech’s Office of Assessment and Evaluation (OAE) and WEAVE, provider of WEAVEonline, a popular web-based tool for managing assessment and accreditation processes. The mission of OAE is to facilitate and promote a climate that supports continuous improvement of student learning across the university. The office primarily focuses on assessing student learning outcomes, analyzing those outcomes to determine areas of strength and areas needing improvement, and developing and implementing plans to improve student learning.
WEAVE is proud of its mission and commitment to enrich education through better assessment and planning. Over the past decade, more than 175 member institutions of higher learning have used WEAVEonline to enhance learning. WEAVE also provides comprehensive assessment and planning services that includes consulting services and continuing education. Many WEAVE staff members have a deep understanding of assessment from extensive experience at colleges and universities, and they provide professional development resources and opportunities on a broad array of topics to a wider audience.
Registration
Registration includes the opening reception, breakfast, and lunch at the conference as well as continuous (i.e., ALL DAY) coffee, snacks, and refreshments.
Registration Fee – $225.00
Click Here to register.
* This is a small interactive conference with only 200 registrations, so space is very limited. Registration will close once capacity is reached or by March 5, 2012.
Please note that canceled registrations will not be refunded after February 12, 2012.
Accommodations
The conference will be held at:
The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center
901 Prices Fork Road, Blacksburg, VA 24061
Phone: 877-200-3360 or 540-231-8000
Fax: 540-231-0146
The special conference room rates are $95.00 (plus taxes) for a single and $115.00 (plus taxes) for a double occupancy, with a $10.00 charge for each additional person (per day).
Click Here for room reservations. Use Attendee Code: CAC
The conference center provides directions and here is the conference center’s mapquest location.
Blacksburg Tourism: The conference center provides a list of nearby attractions as does the Town of Blacksburg.
Transportation
The nearest major airport to the conference site is the Roanoke Regional Airport (ROA). The Roanoke Regional Airport is approximately 40 miles from the conference site. Car rentals and Taxis run about $70-100. The SmartWay Commuter Bus provides transportation between the Roanoke Regional Airport and Virginia Tech campus on a set schedule for less than $10 round trip. The only Smart Way Bus stops are Roanoke Regional Airport and Squires Student Center (Blacksburg). The bus stop at the Roanoke Regional Airport is to the left as you walk outside the terminal. Look for the bus stop shelter with the Smart Way logo.
* To get from Squires Student Center to The Inn at Virginia Tech (conference venue): When you are on the bus to Blacksburg call The Inn at Virginia Tech and ask for a shuttle pick-up at the Squires Student Center bus stop (Alumni Mall side of the Student Center). Please give them the arrival time for the Smart Way bus. You can reach The Inn at Virginia Tech toll-free at (877) 200-3360 or (540) 231-8000.
Conference Schedule
Conference Sessions
Exemplary Department Awards Panel
The University Exemplary Awards Program at Virginia Tech recognizes the work of departments and/or programs that maintain exemplary teaching and learning environments for students and faculty. With this award, the University publicly honors the collaborative efforts and successes of a group of dedicated colleagues – actively performing work that is essential for sustaining a truly excellent academic environment. The University Exemplary Departments and Programs Awards are given in recognition that the academic excellence of individuals is achieved within distinctive working and learning environments to which many individuals contribute in essential ways. The awards program was established as a part of the University’s Faculty Rewards Project, a project which seeks to clarify the expectations of faculty, and define appropriate rewards for accomplishments. Each year the Exemplary Department Award focuses on a different theme. This year, departments and programs were recognized for effectively linking assessment with instruction in order to improve student learning.
Representatives from the three award-winning departments will present on a panel to discuss the work of their department in the area of assessment, their lessons learned, and take-aways for conference participants on how they can create a culture of assessment at the department level. Winning departments were: Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, College of Engineering; Department of English, College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences; and Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
The Evaluation of Teaching Process: How Does it Fit into the Work of Assessment Offices?
The “evaluation of teaching” process is owned by different units in different institutions. Indeed, it is sometimes difficult to determine who is ultimately responsible for its upkeep. This session will share the story of how assessment professionals in one institution became involved in this process and what they have learned as a result. Participants will gain awareness of multiple viewpoints on the evaluation of teaching, including how some of the most frequently asked questions have been answered in the research literature. Further, they will gain insight into issues and opportunities for assessment professionals involved in this process.
What does assessment in administrative support units look like on your campus?: A conversation among colleagues
How does assessment look in administrative units such as facilities management, budgeting, information technology—units with varying degrees of proximity to the academic enterprise and certainly isolated from student learning outcomes? This session will feature a short informal presentation followed by open conversation. The presenters will share the ways Virginia Tech approached administrative assessment before and after reaffirmation. They aim to advance an emerging conversation and shape best practices in an effort to define assessment in this important area. Attendees of this session will be encouraged to ask questions, share their own experiences, and offer their interpretations.
Other session topics include:
- Assessment Processes/Activities That Cross Over Departmental Boundaries
- 100% Participation/Developing and Implementing Successful Assessment
- Laying the Tracks of Assessment While Creating a Culture of Assessment
- Using Meaningful Connections to Make Friends of Assessment
- The Value of Home-Grown Rubrics
- Journey to Assessment
Contact Information
Co-Chair (Virginia Tech)
Megan Armbruster Franklin
Assessment Coordinator
Office of Assessment and Evaluation
122 Hillcrest Hall (0157)
Blacksburg, VA 24061
(540) 231-1437
marmbrus@vt.edu
Co-Chair (WEAVE)
Matt Urey
Director, Marketing & Administration
PO Box 3598
Glen Allen, VA 23058
(804) 302-5848
murey@weaveonline.com
