Course Description
This course is an applied service-learning experience in educational assessment and data analysis. Students collaborate with non-profit partners on assessment design, data management, analysis, and reporting. Through hands-on projects, students will apply foundational and advanced concepts in real-world contexts while developing technical skills and civic engagement.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Undergraduate students focus primarily on the quality assurance phase of the term project, such as testing, verifying, and refining work against project requirements.
Graduate students are involved across the full project lifecycle, from initial planning and analysis through development and final delivery. Graduate students will take the lead on early-stage work such as defining project scope and requirements, analyzing the problem, and making design decisions, and they carry those decisions through to building the program. Graduate students are also expected to justify their planning and design choices in writing and to work with greater independence than undergraduates, with less step-by-step direction from the instructor.
Athena Title
Stat Assess For Service
Non-Traditional Format
Online
Undergraduate Prerequisite
ERSH 4300
Graduate Prerequisite
ERSH 6300
Semester Course Offered
Offered summer semester every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student learning Outcomes
- Apply principles of backwards design to define project goals, align processes and deliverables, and evaluate coherence between intended outcomes and final products.
- Demonstrate project management skills by planning and executing projects that include scheduling, role definition, teamwork, and effective use of available time and resources.
- Communicate professionally and effectively with team members and non-profit partners through written, oral, and digital formats, adapting messages to audience, purpose, and feedback.
- Evaluate the role of assessment, measurement and data analysis in supporting the mission of non-profit organizations.
- Design and implement balanced assessment systems tailored to diverse needs.
- Use survey tools and statistical methods to collect, analyze, and interpret data for program evaluation and improvement.
- Apply artificial intelligence tools to streamline assessment development, automate scoring, and enhance response analysis.
Topical Outline
- I. Active Listening and Goal Setting with the Non-Profit Partner
• Introduction to community-engaged and service-learning partnerships
• Active listening strategies for understanding partner context, needs, and constraints
• Clarifying project purpose, audience, and success criteria
• Translating partner needs into clearly defined, achievable project goals
- II. Project Management Skill Development
• Defining the scope of work and establishing project boundaries
• Applying backwards design to align goals, processes, and deliverables
• Developing project schedules, timelines, and milestones
• Resource allocation, feasibility analysis, and working within constraints
• Team roles, responsibilities, and coordination strategies
- III. Assessment and Statistics Teamwork
• Collaborative workflows for assessment and data-focused projects
• Applying statistical and research methods to address partner-defined needs
• Iterative reflection, feedback, and revision within project teams
• Quality assurance and alignment of products with partner expectations
- IV. Professional Product Development and Presentation
• Development of a polished professional deliverable for the non-profit partner
• Communicating findings, recommendations, and limitations
• Reflection on project impact, process, and transferable skills
• Reacting appropriately to partner feedback and evaluation with an eye on continuous improvement
