2023 Assessment Symposium
Telling Your Story
November 8, 2023 | 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Dallas Bauman Center for Leadership & Service, H-QuaD
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Join the Office of Educational Effectiveness for its second annual Assessment Symposium to learn how to leverage your program assessment data to tell your story! This event is free and open to all Stony Brook University faculty and staff. We encourage deans, department chairs, program directors, assessment coordinators, and anyone interested in using assessment to spark continuous improvement to attend. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.
Registration is required by November 1, 2023.
Check-in and registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. on November 8 in order to begin our program promptly at 9:00 a.m.
Brenda Hoffman, PhD
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Graduate Programs Director
Assistant Professor of Practice
School of Communication & Journalism
Stony Brook University
Dr. Brenda Hoffman is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the School of Communication
and Journalism. She serves as the Graduate Programs Director and Basic Course Director
for Public Speaking. Over the last year she has stepped in to assist with the school’s
curriculum and assessment efforts. Much of Dr. Hoffman’s research is translational
and centered on the intersection of health and instructional communication to improve
the quality and continuity of health care and improve health outcomes for patients
and communities. As a communication researcher, her work explores topics such as student
learning and assessment, organizational socialization, interdisciplinary teams, health
literacy, patient adherence, and communication motives. Dr. Hoffman holds a PhD in
Health Communication from George Mason University, an MA in Communication Studies
from Texas State University, and a BA in Communication from Bryant University.
Plenary Session - Building Your Assessment Narrative
Join this plenary session for an engaging journey exploring the versatility of data
to build an effective narrative. Delve deep into understanding the university's assessment
initiatives and learn how to apply them effectively within your program. By the end
of this session, you'll be equipped with practical strategies to enhance your storytelling,
whether it's in response to donor or foundation requests, to strengthen your recruitment
endeavors, or to ignite faculty enthusiasm for data collection.
Ashley Finley, PhD
Vice President for Research & Senior Advisor to the President
American Association of Colleges & Universities
Ashley Finley is the Vice President for Research and Senior Advisor to the President
at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). She was previously
associate vice president for academic affairs and founding dean of the Dominican Experience
at Dominican University of California and national evaluator for Bringing Theory to
Practice. Currently, Dr. Finley oversees AAC&U’s research agenda through the coordination
of projects and reports on pressing issues in higher education. She also advises on
strategic initiatives to support member campuses. Dr. Finley’s campus engagements
focus on aligning learning outcomes, vocational exploration, and assessment with students’
holistic development and equity. Her publications include, How College Contributes to Workforce Success; A Comprehensive Approach to Assessment of High-Impact Practices; and “Well-Being: An Essential Outcome for Higher Education.” Finley received a BA
from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and an MA and PhD, both in sociology, from
the University of Iowa.
Keynote Session - Getting Organized: How to Unite Good Ideas, Inspiration, and Meaningful
Assessment
A great many institutional resources, including human resources, are expended on assessment
without enough discussion of intent. Assessment, effectively employed, tells a holistic
story about student learning and success - across the college journey, not just in
one course or one program. But effective storytelling takes planning, a sense of audience,
and solid communication. In short, the best stories require asking meaningful questions
about what matters and what’s next. The goal for this discussion is for participants
to consider assessment as a means to a strategic end for students’ learning and development
across the curriculum that invites dialogue among faculty, staff, and even students.
Participants will be invited to reflect upon how their own and institutional commitments
to equity, learning, and success can be leveraged through collaboration to reach shared
goals for improvement.
Unlocking Hidden Narratives: The Student Perspective
Stories shape our world, but can we truly tell our story without the voices of those
at the heart of our programs? Join us for an engaging and thought-provoking discussion
where we explore the vital question: "How can we tell our story properly if we're
not involving students?"
Faculty Spotlights
Learn strategies and techniques that your faculty colleagues leverage to collect student
outcomes data and stay organized.
Institutional Updates
Stay in-the-know on assessement topics, including the MSCHE Reaffirmation process,
Assessment Council, General Education Advisory Committee.
