A group of Missouri State’s graduate faculty and students recently gathered to think, talk and plan with peers from across campus. They were part of the 2024 Graduate Assessment Workshop, which was organized by Mark Woolsey, interim director of public affairs and assessment, Mary Bohlen, assessment and accreditation consultant, and Stephanie Dixon, executive assistant for public affairs and assessment.

“Amazing things are happening on campus,” Bohlen says. “It’s wonderful for different colleges to come together, share what they’re doing and learn from each other.”

Graduate Assessment Workshops

At this year’s event, representatives from graduate programs presented data points they’d gathered from student surveys and other assessment tools. They also discussed their programs’ strengths and pain points, with the hope that their findings might benefit other programs.

The workshop was the latest in a four-year program that began in 2022. It’s a critical component of Missouri State’s ongoing Higher Learning Commission (HLC) evaluation. To maintain HLC accreditation, a university must demonstrate its commitment to continuous improvement by designating “one major improvement effort it has undertaken during its 10-year accreditation cycle as its Quality Initiative,” according to HLC’s website.

At Missouri State, graduate education was a logical choice for the current Quality Initiative. In 2018, Missouri State received a higher level of classification in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Learning — rising to the “doctoral/professional universities” classification. HLC subsequently removed restrictions related to clinical doctorates that may be offered by Missouri State. These changes led to the development of new graduate programs and an uptick in graduate enrollment. Bohlen says, “We wanted to be sure that we’re providing the same rigor and assessment to graduate programs” that had been applied to undergraduate programs through previous projects.

The assessment team set a big goal: They wanted at least 50% of graduate programs to participate in at least one assessment workshop. With another year remaining in the project, they’ve met the goal — out of 82 programs, 45 have already participated.

Tips for a Successful Workshop

This year’s event was the biggest yet, with 19 programs taking part. Bohlen identified key elements that helped make it a success.

• Structure: Graduate Assessment Workshops are three-day events; this year, the assessment team switched up the format. Instead of convening the entire group for all three days, the first two days were set aside so that representatives from individual programs could meet on their own. They used this time to evaluate information from their own assessments and zero in on topics they’d like to present to the larger group.
• Timing: Like previous Graduate Assessment Workshops, this year’s event was scheduled for the week after Spring Commencement. This timing means that no one is prevented from participating because of class schedules. And with grades turned in and calendars cleared up, faculty can devote in-depth attention to assessment questions.
• Focus: Bohlen says that “assessment” can sound like a monumental undertaking. To alleviate these feelings, the assessment team provided a presentation template, which helped program representatives refine the information they wanted to share with the larger group. As additional preparation, Woolsey and Bohlen offered pre-workshop consultations with individual programs. 
• Tone: The workshop was held off-campus, in a private room at Mother’s Brewing Company, with refreshments from The Traveling Chef. These touches made the experience feel intentional, like the professional gathering it was. “Our goal was to say, ‘We appreciate you,'” Bohlen says. “We’re thankful that faculty were willing to add one more thing to their plates, so making it special was important.”

How to Get Involved

Whether or not your program has participated in previous Graduate Assessment Workshops, there are still opportunities to benefit from them.

If you’d like to participate in the 2025 session, reach out to the assessment team. If you’re unsure whether it’s a good fit for your needs, review this year’s presentations. Even if your program doesn’t end up participating, Bohlen encourages you to make use of the insights other programs have shared.

Review Graduate Assessment Workshop Presentations

“During the workshop, we saw lots of groups coming together, wanting to talk more about something that was presented,” Bohlen says. “This is the kind of collaboration our office wants to facilitate.”

Around Campus…

The office of assessment offers another opportunity for faculty who have questions related to student learning — at the graduate or undergraduate level.

Assessment grants are micro-bursts of funding — $500 — that support faculty who want to examine a focused question. For example, Bohlen suggests, you might single out one assignment that you’d like to better understand from a student’s perspective. “Gather a small group of students to break it down with you and find out if it’s meeting your goals,” she says. “You can do it in one afternoon, and give them a stipend to thank them for their time. It’s just one manageable question.”

Assessment Grants

• What: Micro-grants of $500 to support faculty in assessing student learning.
• When: It’s a rolling deadline — apply at any time.
• How: For more information, visit the assessment grants webpage.