Developing student leadership capacity is included in the mission, vision, and objective statements of many colleges and universities. Research related to college student leadership programs reflects that valid instruments to measure leadership development are limited. Colleges and universities lack a comprehensive method to assess leadership learning and development. Many of the current instruments only allow institutions to gain insight into how programs and services affect self-selected student leaders or those students already involved in leadership programs. In order to comprehensively assess leadership development across campus, a broader number of students with a variety of leadership experiences must be included in assessment initiatives.

Populations to assess

Three different populations of students should be assessed to holistically study and understand leadership development: 

• A random sample of the general student population.
• Students intentionally seeking leadership knowledge through educational pursuits, or those students participating in leadership programs or workshops.
• Students identified as leaders or those in active leadership positions including student employees.

These three different student populations are each distinct assessment targets for institutions. In addition, alumni and employers of graduates are also relevant and important constituencies to consider when assessing student leadership development.

Assessment and benchmarking opportunities

Leadership development can take place in multiple settings, including in the classroom, in co-curricular activities, or in the community. Leadership development may be one of the most popular foci in higher education, yet professionals are unable to adequately assess and document the related outcomes of these experiences. Thus, institutions are in need of an instrument that can be applicable for those wishing to measure leadership across a general student population, across particular programs or initiatives, or within certain populations of students.

StudentVoice, in concert with Miami University of Ohio, has created a flexible and customizable leadership development assessment instrument that would allow institutions to assess leadership at a variety of different points and with a variety of diverse populations. While customization is an important goal, it is also desirable to have common questions that can be benchmarked across institutions. Benchmarks facilitate the sharing of best practices and would help institutions to better understand and document their leadership development outcomes.

A committee of experts in the field of leadership studies/development convened to develop question sets that would be appropriate for benchmarking and would become the accepted standard by which to measure college student leadership. The resulting instrument incorporated the framework put forth by Roberts and Faulkner (for more information, see the link below), while additionally addressing the Professional Standards for Higher Education set for by the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS). Additionally, institutions can opt in and out of sections or add questions depending on their specific institutional goals.

Structure of the Instrument - A Modular Approach

The resulting leadership development benchmarking instrument is uniquely customizable because of its modular approach to the assessment of student leadership. While all students will respond to questions regarding their demographic information, participation in on campus leadership opportunities, and perceptions of various leadership skills, participating institutions will be able to choose between subsets of additional questions to ask their students. Eight total additional modules can be selected for student completion, with topics including three separate leadership skill areas, the leadership environment on campus, and participation in leadership opportunities off campus.

Campuses can choose between two delivery options for the "extra" modules of the benchmarking instrument. Modules can be randomly selected for each student, in sets of two, or campuses can designate which modules they want administered to their students. Additionally, campuses offering an incentive for completion of the instrument in the form of a prize drawing, can entice students to complete additional modules (either randomly selected or designated, in order, by the participating institution) by offering additional entries into the final prize drawing or offering a separate prize drawing for those students who complete the entire survey. This allows campuses to maximize the information they receive from their students while simultaneously minimizing the number of "incomplete" surveys they receive because of respondent fatigue. For additional information about the study or the modular approach, please email info@studentvoice.com.

Click here to view the framework for assessing student leadership.

Click here to read a NASPA Leadership Exchange article about the study.

Click here to view an example online assessment.

This study and the resulting benchmarking report are included in a StudentVoice annual license.
Click here to sign-up for the study and to receive additional information.