The Assessment in Practice Certificate is designed to build confidence and capacity in assessment practices that support meaningful, data-informed decision making. The certificate provides staff with a structured pathway to develop practical skills, apply assessment concepts to their work, and strengthen programs and services.
While particularly relevant for staff in student affairs–related roles, the certificate is open to all University of Iowa faculty and staff interested in advancing their assessment practice. Staff members interested in completing the Assessment in Practice Certificate can sign-up via Employee Self-Service.
Certificate Outcomes
By completing the certificate, participants will be able to:
Apply the full assessment cycle to their work
Develop clear, measurable goals and learning outcomes
Select appropriate assessment methods
Analyze both quantitative and qualitative data
Use evidence to inform decisions and improvements
Communicate assessment results effectively to key stakeholders
Certificate Requirements
To earn the Assessment in Practice Certificate, participants must:
Complete all six (6) foundational workshops within a two-year period (see list below)
Complete at least one (1) elective workshop from the Special Topics Series (see list below)
Attend each selected session in full
Complete any required pre-session materials
Complete post-session assessments
Recognition and Milestones
Assessment in Practice Certificate participants who complete all requirements will receive a certificate recognizing their achievement in assessment practice.
Participation and Commitment
The program is intentionally structured to be flexible—allowing participants to complete requirements over two years—while emphasizing meaningful engagement through full participation, preparation, and reflection. At the same time, the inclusion of evolving elective topics supports a culture of continued learning and professional growth beyond the certificate itself.
Because Special Topics offerings will vary from year to year, participants are encouraged to continue attending elective sessions even after completing the certificate. This allows individuals to deepen their expertise and stay current with evolving approaches to assessment.
Registration
Participants can sign up for all workshops via Employee Self-Service, selecting My Career, then My Trainings. All sessions will be conducted via zoom, and participants will receive an email confirmation upon signing up for each workshop. Attendance tracking will be conducted via My Trainings.
For specific enrollment instructions please click here.
Please contact Martha Pierce (martha-pierce@uiowa.edu) with any questions.
Foundational Workshops | |
|---|---|
Crafting Impact: Writing Goals, Objectives, & Outcomes | Monday, September 28th from 10:00-11:30am |
Choosing the Right Tool: Assessment Methods That Work | Thursday, October 22nd from 10:00-11:30am |
Making Sense of the Numbers: Quantitative Data Analysis Made Simple | Wednesday, February 17th from 10:00-11:30am |
From Text to Insight: Qualitative Data Analysis Made Simple | Wednesday, March 10th from 10:00-11:30am |
From Data to Decisions: Using Evidence to Drive Change | Tuesday, April 6th from 10:30am-12:00pm |
Telling Your Story: Sharing Assessment Results with Impact | Wednesday, May 5th from 10:00-11:30am |
Special Topics: Elective Workshops | |
|---|---|
Ask Better Questions: Survey Design That Delivers | Wednesday, November 18th from 1:00-2:30pm |
Better Surveys for Everyone: Qualtrics & Accessibility in Practice | Thursday, December 17th 10:00-11:30am |
Built In, Not Bolted On: Embedded Assessment Techniques That Work | Thursday, January 28th from 2:00-3:30pm |
Foundational Workshop Descriptions (required)
Session 1: Crafting Impact: Writing Goals, Objectives, & Outcomes
Strong assessment begins with a clear understanding of what your program or service is trying to accomplish. In this interactive workshop, participants will learn how to differentiate between goals, objectives, learning outcomes, program outcomes, and metrics, and explore how these elements work together to tell the story of program impact. Through examples, discussion, and hands-on practice, participants will draft measurable learning outcomes for their own program, service, or unit and leave with tools to strengthen their assessment planning.
Participants will be able to...
Differentiate between goals, objectives, and outcomes.
Explain the purpose of program goals, objectives, and outcomes as part of effective assessment.
Write a measurable learning outcome specific to your program/service/unit.
Describe how goals, objectives, outcomes, and metrics connect to support assessment and demonstrate program impact.
Session 2: Choosing the Right Tool: Assessment Methods That Work
Planning assessment strategies that fit your assessment needs is an important part of effective assessment. In this interactive workshop, participants will learn about different assessment strategies, including their strengths and weaknesses, and how to implement assessment that best gathers the feedback needed to assess their programs and services. Participants will have the opportunity to practice applying what they’ve learned to real world examples.
Participants will be able to...
Explain the purpose and use cases of different assessment methods.
Identify the best assessment methods for different assessment needs.
Incorporate different assessment methods into program planning and implementation.
Session 3: Making Sense of the Numbers: Quantitative Data Analysis Made Simple
Data collection is a key step in the assessment process, and collecting quantitative data is one way to measure outcomes. Once the data is collected, steps are required to clean, prepare, and analyze the data. In this interactive workshop, participants will practice reviewing a data set, examples of analysis options, and preparing data for next steps in decision making and storytelling.
Participants will be able to...
Describe when quantitative data analysis should be utilized in assessment settings.
Explain the steps in cleaning and analyzing quantitative data.
Differentiate between different basic statistical methods.
Practice analyzing sample data from a case example.
Session 4: From Text to Insight: Qualitative Data Analysis Made Simple
Collecting and analyzing qualitative data is an important dimension of the assessment process. Qualitative data analysis helps practitioners gain deeper context and understanding about a process, program, or problem. It complements quantitative data and helps understand complex problems. In this interactive workshop, participants will interact with qualitative data to practice coding themes.
Participants will be able to...
Articulate how qualitative data analysis complements quantitative data.
Explain the steps in cleaning, coding, and analyzing qualitative data.
Differentiate between qualitative coding methods.
Practice coding themes from sample qualitative data.
Session 5: From Data to Decisions: Using Evidence to Drive Change
Collecting data is only the first step. The real value of assessment comes from using evidence to make informed decisions and improve programs, services, and experiences. In this interactive workshop, participants will learn how to determine when they have enough evidence to act, interpret findings from multiple sources, navigate conflicting results, and make thoughtful, evidence-informed decisions. Through a case study and hands-on activities, participants will practice moving from data to dialogue, decisions, action, and learning while developing practical strategies for assessing the impact of change over time.
Participants will be able to...
Identify meaningful findings from quantitative, qualitative, and contextual evidence sources.
Evaluate whether available evidence is sufficient to support action, additional inquiry, or a small pilot.
Use triangulation and structured dialogue to interpret assessment findings, including mixed results.
Select an appropriate evidence-informed decision based on the findings.
Develop a feasible action step and follow-up plan to assess whether the decision made a difference.
Session 6: Telling Your Story: Sharing Assessment Results with Impact
Telling our assessment stories effectively, in multiple ways, to a variety of audiences, can be the most impactful part of the assessment sharing process. An impactful and memorable story can lead to a better understanding of the problem or program and action to be taken. In this interactive workshop, participants will learn how to craft data examples into a story and how the story arc can be changed, depending on the audience. Through a case study example, participants will practice crafting a story arc, plan a graphic or illustration, and discern how their own data can be shared through storytelling.
Participants will be able to...
Identify the steps involved in developing a story about data from a case example.
Evaluate effective visuals for story telling.
Identify how stories should be modified for different audiences.
Practice writing a story outline using data examples.
Elective Workshop Descriptions (choose one)
Ask Better Questions: Survey Design That Delivers
Surveys are one of the most commonly used assessment tools, but poorly designed questions can produce misleading or unusable results. This interactive workshop introduces participants to the fundamentals of effective survey design and provides practical strategies for creating surveys that generate meaningful, actionable data. Through hands-on activities and real-world examples, participants will practice revising survey questions and applying best practices to assessment and evaluation projects.
Participants will be able to...
Apply best practices to improve survey question design.
Decribe methods for pre-testing surveys to improve validity and reliability.
Develop survey questions that better align with assessment goals and learning outcomes.
Better Surveys for Everyone: Qualtrics & Accessibility in Practice
This workshop will provide a practical introduction to a variety of topics including: creating surveys in Qualtrics, using logic and other Qualtrics design tools, testing and distribution. Included throughout is a focus on accessibility in Qualtrics. During this workshop, participants will receive practical tips on creating functional, accessible surveys with plenty of opportunities to practice and apply these lessons throughout.
Participants will be able to...
Describe when to use Qualtrics.
Design effective Qualtrics surveys.
Implement accessibility best practices within Qualtrics.
Built In, Not Bolted On: Embedded Assessment Techniques That Work
Assessment does not have to be a separate task added after a program, service, or initiative ends. In this interactive workshop, participants will explore practical strategies for embedding assessment into existing activities, processes, and experiences. Through examples, discussion, and hands-on practice, participants will learn how to gather meaningful evidence using techniques such as reflection prompts, polls, observations, operational data, and other low-burden approaches. Participants will leave with concrete ideas for integrating assessment into their own work in ways that are sustainable, efficient, and actionable.
Participants will be able to...
Explain the value of embedded assessment approaches.
Identify opportunities to gather evidence within existing programs, services, and processes.
Select embedded assessment techniques that align with their goals and context.
Design an embedded assessment strategy for a program, service, or initiative.
Evaluate the strengths and limitations of different embedded assessment approaches.