It's Better to Get It Right

Let's continue the football theme in honor of the first college football playoff announcement this week. I had the opportunity to attend the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission on Colleges annual meeting this week — SACS-COC is UTSA's regional accreditation agency.

There has been a lot of talk about assessment at the conference, but I would like to share an example from a UTSA colleague, Dr. Rajendra Boppana, chair of the computer science department. We shared a bus ride on the way to the conference. Funny what conversations take place at all points of a conference experience.

When thinking about assessment, he shared that sometimes we need to stop and assess what we are doing in order to get it right. Like when a call is reviewed by the officials in football, assessment gives us a chance to make adjustments along the way. Over the past few years, there have been changes in football review guidelines. Some say it slows down the game, but Rajendra and I agree that it is better to get the call right. (At least they get it right MOST of the time.)

So, I encourage you to stop and review the call when needed. Are there any adjustments that need to be made? Sometimes you need to spot the ball in a different place, or maybe you'll get a first down that you would not have gotten without the review. Either way, you will have more information to work with by stopping to review!

See you next month!
Kasey

Kasey Neece-Fielder
Director of Strategic Planning and Assessment
Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs
kasey.neece-fielder@utsa.edu
http://utsa.edu/students/assessment/