Moving the Campus Forward

“Ethical Assessment and Institutional Advancement: Connecting Good Practice with the Need to Move Campuses Forward” – Finley

“Rather, the challenge with ethics in assessment refers to the nuances of conducting an inquiry about learning and student success within the environment of most postsecondary institutions”. (637). This sentence stuck out to me as I was leading one of the sessions within the conference I was assessing. I, along with another Pacific student, led a caucus on gay and queer men. The session was designed to provide an open space for the sharing of experiences, the successful resources of a campus, and the opportunity to ask questions. A question was raised about the LGBTQIA umbrella and whether or not we glorify certain sub groups and exclude those within our own identity group. It made me reflect on whether or not my evaluations had the same potential glorification due to my experience with certain groups and lack thereof with others. I am glad that I incorporated several open-ended questions in my evaluation for individuals to share their feelings if in fact the glorification was present.

The author also brings up the idea of instances where the identity of the students participating in assessment should be known. She goes on to talk about the learning and living components to collegiate life, along with the academic and social contexts of the student experience. Currently, I have started doing focus groups for my Action Research project, which is focused on the success and retention of the living learning communities here on campus. Some of the students that my partner and I are interviewing are involved within residential life and would be great resources for the office to have moving forward to their intended programs and structure. We were asked; however, to have the participants sign a confidentiality agreement for the sake of the project. I am trying to think of ways to bring these students to light because they felt so passionately about improving the quality of the residential facilities.