Assessment Consultants 

During the first semester of teaching – or a first solo research project – it's important to have mentors and advisors who can serve as sounding boards and resource people when questions arise. So also with assessment.   Perhaps some of these situations sound familiar:   

"Our faculty have approved an assessment plan, but we aren't getting much done with it and I don't even know where to begin. It's so complex – lots of goals, information to be collected from every class, lots of scoring and evaluating and analyzing. How can we make this more manageable?" 

"We really do have a lot of assessment information collected. But I honestly don't know what to do with it or even how to keep track of it all." 

"It's hard to stay motivated to do assessment because it mostly seems to be more paperwork. Is there a way to connect this work to teaching so it isn't just another thing to get done?" 

"We're a small department and we talk about teaching and learning all the time. Shouldn't that substitute for setting aside a special meeting to 'do assessment' together?"  

"Every time we try to talk about assessment, we end up debating terms like 'indirect' vs. 'direct' assessment, arguing about what 'rubric' really means, etc. How can we get past the confusion of jargon and just get moving with something straightforward?"

The resources on this website have been created to help you with some of these challenges. But often the best help is that which comes through conversations with a colleague or mentor from outside your program who can help you work through issues. Several UND faculty, each of whom has significant experience with and expertise regarding assessment, are available to provide this kind of face-to-face assistance, and all are available for consultation, informally or formally, with any UND department.

Darla Adams – Nursing

Mary Askim-Lovseth – Marketing

Elizabeth Bjerke – Aviation

Jeff Carmichael – Biology

Barb Combs – Teaching & Learning

Kirsten Dauphinais – Law

Mike Mann – Chemical Engineering

Daphne Pedersen – Sociology

Fred Remer – Atmospheric Sciences

Lori Robison – English

Joan Hawthorne, Director of Assessment and Regional Accreditation, is also available to work with faculty and program directors from across campus on assessment issues.

To request assistance, consultation, or conversation regarding assessment from any of the individuals identified, please contact Joan Hawthorne (7-4684 or <joan.hawthorne@und.edu>). Or to work with a specific faculty member, you may prefer to contact the consultant directly.