We’ve tried to keep to the principles that assessment on campus is about reducing—rather than creating—work, and that work in assessment should be rewarded. To that end, we make a point of acknowledging those on campus who have worked to improve student outcomes by changing the way we ‘do assessment’ at Missouri State. That means doing more than a pat on the back. The following list presents our recipients from the 2019-20 academic year.
General Education Assessment Award
Dr. Rich Biagioni
Dr. Biagioni is recognized for his efforts to improve the quality and effectiveness of general education teaching by promoting a collaborative and streamlined process that encourages interdisciplinary cooperation and feedback to improve overall learning outcomes for students.
2019-2020 Assessment Grant Awardees
Summer 2019
Tina Hopper, “Increasing Collaboration to Enhance Student Learning in BIO 101”
Hopper’s assessment project enabled collaboration of all BIO 101 instructors to implement practices that meet general education goals and find a method to efficiently and effectively evaluate student learning pertaining to these goals.
Fall 2019
Dr. Avery Russell, “Toward Enhanced Teaching of Evolution: Supervised Peer Mentoring by Graduate Students”
Dr. Russell’s project allowed graduate students taking BIO 515/616 (Evolution) to become peer mentors. Prior to each weekly Recitation, peer mentors learned the material with the opportunity to ask the instructor questions. During Recitation, the peer mentors assisted the instructor in guiding the undergraduate students through the materials.
Dr. David Rohall, “Initial Assessment of the Value of Program-Level Career Training”
Dr. Rohall’s project used Foliotek to help students prepare for the job search. Instructors monitored students’ work in the program. Students were then surveyed and asked the value of adding career training to their program of study, to show a pathway between textbook knowledge and future work roles.
Debra Price, “Family and Consumer Sciences Advisory Board”
Price’s project enhanced student learning by allowing alumni and stakeholders to come together to review and make recommendations to improving the Family and Consumer Sciences Program at MSU. This project was used for program improvement by the provided suggestions and ideas from the Advisory Board to improve recruitment and retention.
Lindsey Taggart, “Evidence-Based Inquiry Using Student-Led Focus Groups”
After participating in Assessment’s Student-led Focus Group Workshop, Lindsay Taggart’s team had students hold focus groups about students’ textbook needs. The students’ experience supported them in continuing to facilitate meaningful focus groups and their findings will shape the Libraries textbook reserve and OER initiatives.
Dr. Mandy Benedict-Chambers, “Developing a Strategic Vision for the Elementary Education Graduate Program”
Dr. Benedict-Chamber’s project assessed current practices in recruitment and admission to the program as well as student learning goals and outcomes for each course and for the program as a whole. The project was used for program improvement by analyzing the program data using the results to develop the strategic vision for the program.
Spring 2020
Dr. Alana Mantie-Kozlowski, “Beyond Impairment-Based Thinking – Advancing Students’ Understanding of Social-Approaches to Care for PWA”
Dr. Mantie-Kozlowski’s project engaged both graduate and undergraduate students and prepared them to conduct aphasia therapy that is grounded in a social-approach to care with a focus on improving the lives of those with aphasia. Students constructed high-quality games with attention on creating communicative success (and fun) for PWA.
Natalie Curry, “Student Engagement Strategies in an Asynchronous Online Course”
Curry’s project targeted increasing student engagement in the only social welfare policy course offered by the BSW program. She used data collected from surveys and compared students’ perceptions of their engagement in the course to students’ responses in a seated section of the course.
Dr. Tracey Glaessgen, “GEP 101 General Education Course Review and Analysis of Student Learning”
Dr. Glaessegen’s project had First-Year Council members and GEP 101 instructors review course goals, General Education goals, student learning outcomes, course evaluations, and student work that provided valuable feedback to make course improvements and to increase student learning.