Chapter 19: Efficiency and Engagement in Program Assessment Conversations: Working Together to Create Useful Data

Working as the point person for assessment and accreditation at your college or university may appear to be a job that is done mostly alone in front of a computer. While there may be multiple hours when you are working with your assessment management system or other databases, the job of an assessment coordinator requires many conversations and interactions with faculty and staff. It is a job that demands a balancing act between engagement and efficiency: engagement with the individuals who are teaching and working with the students and efficiency in meeting the data and reporting requirements. To do this work effectively, it helps to have a core group of faculty and staff who you can rely on for ongoing conversations and reflection before, during, and after the work you do with the larger faculty body (Yin & Buck, 2019).