Several national associations hold annual conferences that have some or all of its focus on assessment. Presentations and workshops are available to inform participants of best practices and recent findings. Some of these conferences are:
EditAAC&U’s Network for Academic Renewal Conference: General Education, Assessment, and the Learning Students Need
The
Network for Academic Renewal Conference: General Education, Assessment, and the Learning Students Need “will help campuses align General Education vision and action, including action to assess and strengthen students’ cumulative learning.” The conference takes place in a different city each year typically around the end of February/ beginning of March, and is the fourth of the Network for Academic Renewal Conferences to focus on assessment.
“This conference will help faculty and staff to invest in designs for assessment that focus and deepen learning, especially designs that are anchored in the curriculum.” It will also explore what is being learned from assessment initiatives across the country, including AAC&U’s effort to develop national guidelines for e-portfolios.
EditACPA’s Student Affairs Assessment Conference
ACPA holds an annual
Student Affairs Conferencededicated to the professional development of student affairs personnel, particularly in the assessment field. The 2008 conference, held in Indianapolis, IN, June 18-21, was designed “to meet the critical continuing education needs and to promote the success of student affairs professionals.” Based around the ASK Standards developed by ACPA, the conference holds sessions aimed at increasing skill level in each of these standards.
Practicing student affairs professionals from regionally and nationally accredited institutions have the opportunity to analyze their own methods of assessment, discuss assessment plans, view other assessment projects, and network with other professionals.
EditInternational Association for Educational Assessment Annual Conference
The
International Association for Educational Assessment (IAEA) holds an annual world assessment conference. The conference is “recognized as a major event in assessment, bringing together leading assessment and education experts and providers of examinations from around the world. It provides a forum for participants to share professional expertise and strengthen mutual understanding and relationships.”
Typically held in September, IAEA has been hosting its annual conference at various locations around the world since 1976. Each conference has a theme and various sub-themes relevant to assessment. This conference is open to IAEA members and non-members. Anyone interested in assessment or higher education is welcome and encouraged to attend.
EditIUPUI Assessment Institute
The
Assessment Institute in Indianapolis is “the nation´s oldest and largest event focused exclusively on Outcomes Assessment in Higher Education” having begun in 1992. This annual event is typically held in October and “designed to introduce new innovations in assessment that can be used” by higher education professionals. Sessions are available for each skill level with regard to assessment and range in topic from new techniques to assessment outcomes.
The Institute is intended for faculty, student affairs professionals, and administrators “who have an interest in or responsibility for assessment.” Higher education related vendors have exhibits on display during the conference.
EditNACADA Annual Assessment of Academic Advising Institute
The
NACADA Annual Assessment of Academic Advising Institute is a working institute “focused on the components of a successful assessment program as well as specific strategies and tools for developing and implementing assessment programs on your campus.” The 6th Annual Institute was held in Clearwater Beach, FL, February 18-20, 2009 and offered three different levels of instruction to accommodate the varying experience of the participants in assessment.
One key component of the Institute is the Assessment Cycle, as the cycle will be introduced and discussed throughout many of the sessions offered. All academic advising professionals are welcome to attend the Institute where they are encouraged to develop an assessment program if one does not exist already.
EditNASPA’s Annual Conference
NASPA’s member-wide annual conference typically takes place in March and is an opportunity for its membership to gather to discuss all aspects of student affairs. The
91st Annual Conference was held March 7-11, 2009 in Seattle, WA and focused on Nourishing Partnerships for Lifelong Learning. Although the focus is not entirely on assessment, many of the presentations pertain to assessment projects aimed at achieving goals related to the main theme.
NASPA’s Annual Conference is open to all Student Affairs professionals whether or not they are members. Companies that work with higher education institutions, like
StudentVoice, also are welcome to exhibit their products and services at the conferences.
EditNASPA’s International Assessment and Retention Conference
NASPA holds several conferences each year, one of which is the
International Assessment and Retention Conference typically held in June. The 5th annual conference was held in June 2008 in Scottsdale, AZ and was held in conjunction with the
International Center for Student Success and Institutional Accountability. The conference is intended to be all-inclusive “dealing with topics of both policy and practice.” Contributors are encouraged to submit presentations on four specific areas of assessment and range from assessment professions to campus administrators.
The conference is “aimed at higher education professionals interested in and committed to the improvement of student learning.” This includes professionals in Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and Institutional Research. “The conference is designed to address emerging issues in assessment and retention as well as to showcase effective practice, thereby serving a wide range of institutional audiences, from those that are just initiating assessment to those that are integrating and modifying structures and practice.”
EditNational Conference on First-Year Assessment
The
National Conference on First-Year Assessment is “designed to maximize opportunities for participant learning and networking, and structured to create a cumulative learning experience. The Conference’s purpose is to provide a comprehensive introduction to the theory and practice of first-year assessment.” The 8th annual conference was held October 12-14, 2008 in San Antonio, TX, and was co-sponsored by the National Resource Center for The First Year Experience and Students in Transition at the University of South Carolina and the Policy Center on the First Year of College.
Faculty, first-year program directors, student affairs professionals, institutional researchers, and assessment practitioners are all welcome to attend and participate in the sessions exploring both quantitative and qualitative assessment practices.
EditTexas A&M Assessment Conference
The
Annual Texas A&M Assessment Conference is typically held in College Station, Texas, in February. The Conference Theme changes each year, but brings together faculty, institutional researchers, student affairs professionals, and others to discuss assessment implementation and using assessment results to improve higher education. Program tracks include assessing academic courses and programs, student affairs and student development, strategic planning, general education, and more. Speakers include Mary Allen (author of Assessing General Education Programs), David Carter (Vice President and Director of Training for SACS), and Gloria Rogers (Associate Executive Director of Professional Services for ABET). For more information, go to
http://assessment.tamu.edu/conference.