An assessment calendar/schedule helps an institution strategize and organize their assessment plan(s) within a specific/desired amount of time.
When developing an assessment schedule/calendar, the following items should be considered:
- Assessment fatigue
- Target population(s)
- Along the same lines as assessment fatigue, avoid targeting the same audience when administering multiple assessments. There are different sampling methods that can be used when targeting populations.
- Duplicate assessments
- Communicate with colleagues to ensure that the same data is not being collected by other individuals or offices.
- Large-scale vs. small-scale assessments
- Coordinate the larger campus-wide assessments with office and departmental assessments. Overlapping assessments may cause assessment fatigue for the target population.
- Coordinating departments
- Different departments and offices may be able to collaborate on assessment efforts. By sharing data, an institution can limit the workload on one department/office and also reduce assessment fatigue for the students.
- Assessment calendar vs. academic calendar
- When assessing in an academic environment, it may be better to administer during the first half of a semester. Avoiding time periods when the academic workload is higher may help increase response rates.
- Available staff
- Administering an assessment may require a certain amount of staff to be involved. Coordinate the assessment schedule with staff availability to ensure that the assessment will be administered effectively.