Access the slide decks and session recordings for the Higher Ed Assessment Conference sessions: 'Assessments that Create Connections: Fostering Deep Learning in Person and Online' and 'Assessments that Drive Desired Outcomes: Early Alerts, Interventions and Improving Student Success' here. ... View more

Now On-Demand From COVID-19 to systemic racism, 2020 brought about an increased focus on continued issues related to equity, including in higher education. For students to succeed, we must acknowledge this reality and actively work to embed solutions into our persistence and graduation initiatives. How does this work in practice? Join us to learn about an approach to student success based on leveraging student equity surveys to inform impactful interventions. We’ll also discuss a new equity initiative that was crafted to connect students to expert guides, address significant challenges, and provide a pathway towards success. View the Recording! View the Recording! ... View more

Now On-Demand! For many, the idea of new student retention initiatives involves a long, complicated, and intensive process. But, it should not - and does not - have to be this way. In this webinar, we discussed an easier approach to supporting student persistence with short, research-informed surveys that can be launched immediately, inform earlier interventions, and complement existing retention solutions. We hope you were able to join this interactive discussion of practical and proven student success and retention tips from a student success professional. View the recording! View the recording! ... View more

Congratulations to Matthew Venaas and Cate Morrison on the publication of their article "Agreeing (how) to Disagree" in the latest issue of Talking Stick! Talking Stick is a bi-monthly publication produced by ACUHO-I, the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International. The publication, written by experts in the field, focusses on the latest in housing news, innovation, and professional development information. In the current issue, Venaas and Morrison use a Skyfactor survey to prove that roommates who complete their roommate agreements in the beginning of the year are more likely, across the board, to have a positive roommate experience, than those who do not. This data-supported conclusion supports the necessity for housing departments that are committed to housing agreements--read it here!  Click here to learn more about Skyfactor housing surveys Click here to learn more about ACUHO-I ... View more

Skyfactor and Macmillan Learning are delighted to announce that our very own Senior Director of Analytics & Research, Sherry Woosley, has received the Corporate Friend Award for the 2021 ACUHO-I Awards! The ACUHO-I Awards highlight the service and accomplishments of professionals who have worked to strengthen the Association and the campus housing profession as a whole. Congratulations, Sherry! Click here to learn more about Sherry Click here to learn more about the ACUHO-I Awards ... View more

Our 2021 FYE Conference presentation, 'Improve Student Success in the Age of COVID-19 and Beyond', presented by Sherry Woosley, Ph.D., Amanda Shaffer, James Mantooth, Ph.D. highlighted easy-to-implement retention tools designed to work fast and light with respect to short timelines and small budgets - specifically, how short, research-based retention surveys can be used to improve student success. The session featured concrete implementation tips from The University of Tennessee, Martin, who began using the tools in the midst of COVID-19.  ... View more

The Benchworks New Student Survey enables you to assess how well new students are acclimating to campus by providing insight into the critical topics that impact new student satisfaction including: academic adjustment, educational goals, non-cognitive skills, social connections, and residence life experiences. ... View more

Tuesday, December 01, 2020 @ 2:00 PM ET Conducting an effective program review means having quality data from a range of sources to highlight strengths and identify opportunities for improvement. Benchmarking surveys can and should be one of these diverse sources of data. In this webinar, presenters from multiple campuses and functional areas will discuss practical strategies and concrete examples for how to best leverage benchmarking surveys as part of your next program review.   View the Recording! VIEW RECORDING ... View more

Not only are iClicker Insights' retention surveys effective - just check out how University of Missouri improved the timeliness of identifying and intervening with students who were experiencing obstacles to retention - the surveys are incredibly easy to deploy. Five clicks and you're on your way to understanding student retention risks. Check out the video below to see just how easy early identification of retention risks can be.      Visit https://www.iclicker.com/institutions/retention-surveys/ for more on iClicker Insights' retention surveys. ... View more

The University of Scranton’s (UofS) School of Nursing has been awarded the 2020 Assessment and Impact Award for Nursing Education. UofS used data to make real changes in their nursing curriculum to benefit student experience. For example, UofS found that by highlighting the value of faculty efforts, they were able to build stronger relationships with students. UofS also found data to support the positive impact of incorporating more hands-on experiences in their curriculum. Check out the summary of UofS’s use of data for growth and positive impact in their Nursing Education in the attached Assessment & Impact Award winner profile below. ... View more

The University of Scranton’s (UofS) School of Nursing has been awarded the 2020 Assessment and Impact Award for Nursing Education. UofS used data to make real changes in their nursing curriculum to benefit student experience. For example, UofS found that by highlighting the value of faculty efforts, they were able to build stronger relationships with students. UofS also found data to support the positive impact of incorporating more hands-on experiences in their curriculum. Check out the summary of UofS’s use of data for growth and positive impact in their Nursing Education in the attached Assessment & Impact Award winner profile below. ... View more

Undergraduate nursing programs play a vital role in helping to prepare the next generation of nurses in an effort to fill the increasing demand for new professionals. While nursing programs have been focused in recent months on continuing these efforts and working to support students and staff during a global pandemic, many have been making adjustments to curriculum, learning experiences, and engagement opportunities well before COVID-19. For the second year, Skyfactor Benchworks, a Macmillan Learning Company, recognized two colleges - Montclair State University (MSU) and The University of Scranton (Scranton) - with an Assessment and Impact Award for Nursing Education.  “From the classroom to students' living areas, the college experience is undergoing a significant amount of change this year. It’s more important than ever that colleges are able to make informed investment decisions. …MSU and Scranton are strong examples of how nursing education programs can improve the student experience and support their accreditation efforts through strategically using data and we’re excited to recognize them for their efforts,” said Steven Ray, Vice President, Macmillan Learning.  The Assessment and Impact Award for Nursing Education was established in 2019 to recognize colleges that have successfully used data to analyze and make changes to better their undergraduate nursing programs. Previous winners were Bloomfield College, Colorado Technical University, Roman University, and Seton Hall University. Though the assessments took place prior to COVID-19, many of the insights and resulting decisions benefit students' academic experiences, even today. For example:   Montclair State’s School of Nursing exhibited high performance in multiple factors: Course Interaction, Facilities, Professional Values, and Core Competencies. The new School of Nursing’s growth initiatives were guided by pairing exit survey results from their very first cohort of graduates with course-level evaluations and direct measures. The data has helped contribute to a data-driven culture focused on continuous improvement. The data has helped contribute to a data-driven culture focused on continuous improvement. The University of Scranton’s Department of Nursing exhibited high performance in satisfaction with instruction. An analysis of the program’s data highlighted the value of faculty efforts to build strong relationships with students as well as the impact of instructional changes that increased hands-on experiences in their curriculum. The 2020 winners were chosen this summer through a careful analysis of multiple years of data from the AACN/Benchworks Undergraduate Nursing Exit Assessment. The Skyfactor Benchworks Analytics and Research Team first conducted a quantitative analysis and review of applications, followed by interviews with finalists to learn about improvements in their nursing programs. Those applications and interview notes were then blind reviewed and evaluated on a rubric by an external panel of experts in the nursing education profession.  Please drop a comment below to congratulate this year's Assessment & Impact Award Winners! ## Benchworks assessments are the most widely used programs in nursing education. Benchworks has partnered with the Association of American Colleges of Nursing (AACN) for two decades to offer benchmarking assessments that empower nursing administrators to better understand the program components that most significantly impact these important stakeholders. The various AACN/Benchworks Nursing assessments are used by more than 250 nursing programs each year, and is one of more than 50 different assessments from Benchworks on topics important to college success, including housing, orientation, and student affairs and service. The survey includes questions about student happiness, safety, diversity and inclusion, facilities, costs, sense of community, and time management, among others. ... View more

University of Houston's Department of Student Housing and Residence Life welcomed students back to their on-campus residences this fall with greet cheer and optimism, even though the on-campus experience is a bit different than before. They also announced that they will be using iClicker Insights surveys to keep in touch with how students are acclimating to the 'new normal' on campus. Check out the video below that they created explaining how easy it is to provide feedback on the transition back to campus life using iClicker Insights surveys.  ... View more

Faculty and students have more flexibility than ever before with iClicker Assignments & Polling. Join iClicker training specialists Natalie Dougall and Lindsey Thomas for a demonstration of the different types of activities you can run with these two features and some advanced tips and tricks to go beyond the basics . Whether you’re giving live lectures to students or you’re assigning students videos and readings, you can make their experiences into active learning sessions.   Access the recording! WATCH RECORDING ... View more

University of St. Francis (USF) has been awarded the 2020 Benchworks Assessment and Impact Award in Housing for high survey scores on personal interactions, self-management, and overall learning. USF’s survey data on resident learning related to interactions, diversity, and transferable skills informed their selection of and measured progress on program learning outcomes. Data empowered the Department of Residence Life to transition their residential education model from a traditional programming model to a curricular approach, an intentional process of promoting student learning in the residence halls. ... View more