WMU Assessment Conference
KALAMAZOO, Mich.—The eighth annual Western Michigan University Assessment Conference will be held from 8 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Friday, March 17, on campus in the Fetzer Center.
WMU graduate teaching assistants as well as faculty and staff members, including part-time instructors, are invited to attend. Attendees should feel free to come and go as their schedules permit.
The conference is free of charge, but registration is required by Friday, March 10, for the luncheon. To register, visit wapps.wmich.edu/workshops, log in by Bronco NetID and scroll to the link for the conference.
About the conference
The Assessment Conference is designed to provide education, resources and networking opportunities on student learning outcomes assessment topics.
Those who have developed expertise in that area of assessment are invited to share and build upon their knowledge base while those who are new to assessment are invited to come and learn best practices in the field.
Conference registration takes place from 8 to 8:30 a.m., and the noon-to-1 p.m. luncheon will center on announcement of this year's Assessment Excellence Award winners. The day's other events include two plenary talks, two concurrent hands-on workshops in the morning and afternoon, a poster session to showcase WMU's current Assessment Fellows projects, and prizes.
The conference is being organized by the Office of Assessment and Undergraduate Studies.
For more information, visit wmich.edu/assessment/resources. Direct questions to Karen Stokes Chapo at karen.stokeschapo@wmich.edu or (269) 387-3867.
Presenters
The plenary talks as well as the workshops are being presented by two national speakers who are experts in student learning outcomes assessment, Dr. Gloria Rogers and Dr. Kristen McKinney.
Rogers is a senior scholar for the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association and adjunct director for professional services for the ABET international accrediting body. McKinney is director of UCLA's Student Affairs Information and Research Office.
Their scheduled presentations are as follows:
- Plenary talk—"Assessment as Ally: Focusing on What Matters," by Rogers, 8:30 to 9:15 a.m.
- Plenary talk— "Reconnecting With 'Why' to Move Beyond Assessment Sticking Points," by McKinney, 9:30 to 10:15 a.m.
- Concurrent workshops—"Defining Outcomes" by Rogers and "Using Data to Tell Your Story" by McKinney, 10:30 a.m. to noon.
- Concurrent workshops—"Transforming Data into Information" by Rogers and "Honing in on What to Measure" by McKinney, 1:15 to 2:45 p.m.
For more WMU news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.