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Identifying what works
A Q & A with Dean for Academic Assessment Ann Damiano.
With more than three decades of experience in higher education, Ann Damiano, Dean for Academic Assessment at Utica College discusses how assessment helps an institution and those working there to keep moving forward.
Q: Tell us a little about yourself and how you came to take your position at Utica College.
A: I have been in higher education for more than 30 years. I received my bachelor’s degree in English from Buffalo State, my master’s degree in composition theory and rhetoric from SUNY Buffalo, and my doctorate in writing from Drew University. I taught English and writing for close to 30 years.
I also have an administrative background. I was the first Director of Outcomes Assessment at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, NY. Prior to coming to UC, I was at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, PA, where I served as the senior associate dean of academic affairs for seven years. My responsibilities at Lebanon Valley College included leading student learning assessment initiatives, co-chairing the college’s Institutional Effectiveness Committee, and serving as the accreditation liaison officer.
I decided to come to UC because it looked like a very good opportunity, and I was impressed with the presidential leadership.
Q: What is assessment?
A: Assessment means identifying areas of strength and areas in need of improvement. It is the heart of continuous improvement. Assessing student learning means articulating what we want students to know and do, and measuring how successful they are. What we discover may lead to changes in curriculum and pedagogy that will maximize student learning and help them achieve the outcomes inherent in our mission.
Q: Why is assessment important?
A: If we want to be successful in anything, it is critical to have evidence and reflect on our practices. We need to be honest about where we might need to make changes or do a better job. We owe that to our students, the institution, and other stakeholders. Assessment is often perceived solely in terms of accreditation. It is important to accreditation, but its value is in making evidence-based decisions that result in improved programs, services, and student learning.
Q: What’s your assessment of our assessment process?
A: In the three short months I have been here, I have witnessed a faculty truly dedicated to student success and educational excellence. They are dedicated to doing effective assessment, and receptive to feedback and suggestions regarding their processes. They are a hard working group. Likewise, administrative units in student affairs, academic affairs, and athletics have responsibility for assessing student learning, and these operations have done excellent work.
The Academic Assessment Coordinating Committee is comprised of faculty members that have worked hard to strengthen the infrastructures, provide resources, and review processes. On top of all that, faculty and administrators have been hard at work completing program reviews, accreditation reports, and the self-study for the Middle States Commission.
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