Evaluating Assessment Practices and Culture Within a Student Affairs Office: A Case Study

The student affairs field has varying functional areas to support students throughout their higher education journeys. One functional area within student affairs is assessment, which involves regularly surveying students and utilizing data to make student support decisions. This paper is a qualitative case study of the assessment practices at the Education School’s Admissions and Student Affairs Office. The Education School is set at Research University, a large research university in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. This case study examined the student affairs office’s assessment practices and how they may align with Knefelkamp, Golec, and Wells (1985) Practice-To-Theory-To-Practice (PTP) Model. The PTP model, originally introduced in 1985, has eleven stages for student affairs professionals to progress through as they design, refine, and assess student support initiatives. The study also evaluated the culture of assessment present within the Admissions and Student Affairs Office at the Education School. Findings from this study answer the preceding research questions, as well as inform recommendations for practice for the office to undertake.