There are five subcategories within the rubric for advanced competency in AER: Terms and Concepts; Values/Ethics/Politics; AER Design; Methodology, Data Collection, and Data Analysis; and Interpreting, Reporting, and Using Results. This is an area in which I have a good deal of familiarity, though not expertise. As I compare myself with the rubric, I think that where I land as an average between these five subcategories would place me at  foundational level of competency.

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Terms and Concepts is a relatively strait forward category. I feel that I can aptly define assessment, evaluation, and research, and the concepts that accompany them. Assessment is the collection, interpreting, and understanding of data, whereas research is how that data is used, and evaluation is how that data compares to other sets of data within a similar range of perimeters. The ability to define and understand the multitude of terms within the assessment purview is a necessity to be able to effectively collect and use any data. Although I have not been exposed to all terms and concepts, I would say that my understanding is at least functionally intermediate, and I most definitely possess the disposition to view AER as an essential element for improvement in higher education.

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As I discussed in the section regarding PEF, having a strong foundation of personal ethics is inextricably linked to my success as a higher education professional. This ties in with the second piece of the AER rubric or Values/Ethics/Politics. Again, I feel that I have a demonstrated level of intermediate competence here, and am approaching an advanced level. In my many roles, I have stressed the importance of maintaining ethical standards, including in how we are assessing our programs, which includes an understanding of politically sensitive topics throughout campus. I try to be the voice of reason when consulted on how a survey might be worded, and foresee potential ramifications of collection methods, showing that my disposition aligns with that of this category.

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With these concepts in mind, I would say that although I have taken part in AER Design, I have not piloted and implemented the collection of data on my own. As a part of a team, I feel that I am a capable and confident intermediate level, but were I to be asked to singlehandedly craft a form of AER, I would be comfortably foundational. Most recently, I was involved in redesigning a student satisfaction survey for an orientation program. Previous survey results had yielded little usable data, so in the redesign, we needed to think more critically about how to elicit honest and constructive responses from students.

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Competency in AER Design is directly linked to competency in Methodology, Data Collection, and Data Analysis, and for this, too, I would rate myself at a foundational level of competency. The student satisfaction survey for the orientation program in my department started as a strictly likert scale design. Through critical thought and reflection, it soon morphed into qualitative survey with not only open ended questions and space for open commentary, but also went from have a binary gender selection, to including multiple gender choices, and a fill in the blank box for expanded inclusion. Thinking through some of these more personal touches is important in soliciting trust and honesty in order to have productive feedback. While interpreting trends may be more work through use of a qualitative survey, in some situations, it may yield better results. All of the components of a situation from and for which you are obtaining data should be considered when designing the AER.

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Lastly to reach the highest level of competence in AER, it is critical to be able to actually interpret and use the results from the data that has been collected. This is probably my weakest category which I would consider to be foundational. I have worked on assessment projects largely from the backend. I have rarely had the opportunity to see long term results from data sets over a period of time, and therefore, have not had the experience of assessing trends or documenting results in a report. I was able to input data from the aforementioned orientation survey, but I was not able to see the project through to the finish once all the results were tabulated.

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One of the main reasons that I made the decision to return to school for my master’s was to become more educated on topics like AER. The coursework that is provided in the HESAA program will serve to expand not only my understanding of this professional competency, but also my opportunity for involvement in the creation, collection, and interpretation of data. One of the most exciting and unexpected surprises during my time as a student in the HESAA program was the creation of the Advanced Certificate in Student Affairs Assessment. In the fall of 2019, I was fortunate enough to be able to matriculate into this certificate program alongside my master's degree.

In addition to mandatory courses geared towards assessment such as HEA 650 Assessment in Higher Education and Student Affairs and HEA 689 Methods and Techniques of Educational Research, I now have to opportunity to expand my studies in assessment with HEA 725 Fundamentals of Data Management and Decision Support in Higher Education, HEA 789 Advanced Data Analysis Techniques in Higher Education and HEA 750 Student Affairs Assessment Capstone.

In fall 2019 I completed HEA 689, which greatly expanded my understanding of how to create a research proposal. Additionally, in taking HEA 725, I gained a deeper understanding of how data is collected and used within offices around campus such as Educational Effectiveness and Institutional Advancement. Both of these courses proved to be full of information that I did not know that I was lacking, and were eye-opening to how truly foundational I am in the AER competency.

Currently, in my spring 2020 semester, I am continuing down the assessment path with HEA 789 which will provide me with the skills to actually analyze data using tools such as SPSS, which is a statistical software package. This semester also brings the opportunity to attend my first national ACPA annual convention, which boasts roughly 60 sessions dedicated to work in assessment. I am also working closely with my supervisor in my new professional position on a sundry of assessment projects - from program evaluation to ABET accreditation and beyond. Without the exposure and education from my coursework I feel I would be at a complete loss. As I learn in the classroom, I am able to take that knowledge straight into my practice which is a truly priceless experience.