Meet Heather Doyle

This skill is especially important as institutions navigate budget cuts, fiscal restraint, and increasing pressure to make difficult choices about programs, services, staffing, and resource allocation."

Why is program assessment such an important skill for student affairs professionals?

Program assessment helps student affairs professionals understand what is working, where students may need additional support, and how programs and services can be strengthened over time. In today’s higher education environment, this skill is especially important as institutions navigate budget cuts, fiscal restraint, and increasing pressure to make difficult choices about programs, services, staffing, and resource allocation. Assessment is not just about accountability; it is about learning, improving, and being able to tell a clear, evidence-informed story about the impact of student affairs work. When resources are limited, student affairs professionals need assessment to identify what is having the greatest impact, where gaps or inequities exist, and how to make thoughtful decisions that protect student success, belonging, well-being, and engagement. Professionals who build these skills are better equipped to demonstrate value, advocate for students, prioritize resources responsibly, and ensure that decisions are guided by evidence rather than assumptions.

What are some of the most common mistakes institutions make when assessing student programs and services?

One common mistake is starting with the instrument rather than the question. Institutions often collect large amounts of information without first identifying what they need to understand, how the findings will be used, or what decisions the assessment is meant to inform. Another common challenge is focusing too heavily on participation numbers or satisfaction ratings without examining deeper outcomes, such as learning, development, access, equity, or impact. Effective assessment requires a thoughtful plan, clear goals, and a commitment to using findings in ways that lead to meaningful improvement.

Effective assessment can reveal insights that may not be visible through day-to-day program delivery alone. "

Many professionals collect data but struggle to use it effectively. How does this certificate help learners move from data collection to meaningful action?

This certificate is designed to help student affairs professionals move beyond simply collecting data and toward using assessment as a practical tool for action. Participants learn how to ask stronger assessment questions, choose methods that align with their goals, interpret findings with confidence, and translate results into recommendations, decisions, and improvements. The emphasis is on making assessment useful and manageable, so professionals can turn evidence into clear next steps that strengthen programs, enhance student experiences, and support strategic priorities.

Can you share an example of how effective assessment has led to positive changes for students?

Effective assessment can reveal insights that may not be visible through day-to-day program delivery alone. At ±«Óãtv, sense of belonging data provides a strong example of how assessment can move us from assumptions to more targeted action. For example, at ±«Óãtv, students who attended orientation reported higher belonging than those who did not, but the deeper finding was that orientation satisfaction was the key driver. Orientation participation alone explained only 3.2% of the variance in belonging; when satisfaction with orientation was added, the model explained 13.3%, an increase of 10.1 percentage points. That finding gave Student Affairs a clear direction for improvement: strengthen the quality of the orientation experience, particularly the elements that build connection, inclusion, and community. The result is a more responsive approach to programming, one that uses evidence to strengthen students’ sense of belonging and improve their overall experience at ±«Óãtv.

What skills or tools will participants have by the end of the certificate that they may not have when they begin?

By the end of the certificate, participants will have a stronger foundation in assessment planning, outcome development, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and reporting. The certificate is designed to be hands-on and applied, so participants are not only learning about assessment concepts, but actively building the tools they need throughout the experience. They will leave with practical resources they can apply immediately, including ways to design assessment questions, select appropriate methods, organize findings, communicate results, and connect evidence to improvement. Most importantly, participants will come out of the certificate with a completed assessment plan that is relevant to their own program, service, or unit. This gives them a concrete product they can take back to their work, as well as greater confidence in using assessment as an everyday professional practice—not as an add-on, but as a meaningful part of designing and strengthening student programs and services.

By the end of the certificate, participants will have a stronger foundation in assessment planning, outcome development, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and reporting."