Assessment at WMU

Office of Institutional Effectiveness
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5253 USA
(269) 387-0399

Professional Development

For those who are interested in building your assessment toolbox, learning about new concepts and research in the field, sharing ideas and collaborating with others around assessment-related topics, this page is for you! Below we have collected a list of some of the various institutions and professional organizations that can provide you with a myriad of ways to participate in assessment-related and other teaching and learning related professional development experiences.

Measures of Success Educator Impact Series

The University Assessment Steering Committee, in collaboration with WMUx, holds an annual series of professional development sessions on various assessment-related topics. Each year, we invite assessment professionals from across the country to share keynote presentations and workshops in order to provide you with the tools and resources needed to continue to grow your assessment toolbox. You won't want to miss these sessions and the other excellent presentations shared by many of your own amazing WMU colleagues! All webinars are recorded and can be found on the ScholarWorks site, along with any other resources provided.

You may also want to check out the resources from the sessions held at the Assessment in Action Conferences that took place annually from 2010-2019, and 2021-2022. There have been many excellent and still relevant workshops and presentations shared over the years, so check them out!

WMUx Events, Workshops, and Communities

WMUx provides a host of events, workshops, and communities throughout the academic year. You can learn more on their events page about how register to attend or how to review past presentations and recordings.

Annual Conferences (from across the country)

Check out this list of annual assessment and measurement-related conferences from across the country.

Organizations

The following is a list of organizations that provide assessment-related (and other higher education topics of interest) professional development opportunities.

NSEE is an organization dedicated to promoting and advancing experiential education. They offer workshops, conferences, and resources, including those related to co-curricular assessment.

The American College Personnel Association (ACPA) is a professional organization focused on student affairs and higher education. They host conferences, institutes, and webinars that often include discussions on co-curricular assessment.

NASPA is another prominent organization in student affairs. They provide professional development opportunities, conferences and resources related to co-curricular assessment and student affairs.

AAC&U is dedicated to promoting quality and equity in undergraduate education. They offer resources and events that explore assessment in higher education, including co-curricular assessment.

Coursera is an online learning platform that offers a wide range of courses, including those related to assessment in higher education. Look for relevant courses on their platform.

edX is another online learning platform offering courses on various topics, including higher education assessment. Search for relevant courses in their catalog.

SAAL provides the opportunity for educators that coordinate assessment for divisions of student affairs to discuss issues and improve their work. They offer free webinars, and although they are focused on co-curricular assessment, most (if not all) of the content shared is easily translated to an academic/classroom assessment context. They also offer an annual online assessment course, free of charge.