Dr. Kierstyn Hunter has served in both two- and four-year higher education institutions. She has held several roles including assistant faculty, graduate program director, Vice President of Academic Affairs. All combined, this path has given her a perspective on what is and is not working in higher education when it comes to equity in assessment. Putting equity and diversity in a strategic plan is a great initial step, but talking about it and asking good questions show that we are learning about our work and then designing strategies that show we are learning. This can make some people involved feel vulnerable, like they are under the microscope or will be “called out”; this is the real challenge in faculty/administration collaboration, and is both challenging and inspiring.

Reflecting on her experiences, Dr. Hunter shared several key points: 

Make time for heady conversations with faculty so that they come to care about the competency or the criterion as their own—How do you define demonstration of learning? 

Give faculty time and space to dive into the work—Summer stipends, even if small, convey respect for the time and work, and allow faculty to dedicate the time (otherwise absorbed by the normal academic calendar) to collaborate and reflect on the data and think about what is really happening across different student groups on campus. 

Work from the strengths of a community—Learn what draws colleagues into the conversation and about what inspires them. Or maybe it’s about their own ‘great puzzle’ in a course or course sequence. This can lead to profound understanding and, hopefully, effective changes over time. 

Know where the directive for change is coming from—If it is coming from the legislature or the state department the process of getting buy in is different than if it is coming organically from the faculty and students. 

Play to the variety of strengths in the room—Not everyone is a data person and that is okay. Use data to tell a story. Let the faculty take the lead whenever possible. Showing up as an administrator and listening deeply is sometimes the most important part of the work.

Get past the fear of not having all the answers  Assessment is about  learning what we don’t yet know and about generating the questions to help us learn what we need to do next. It’s essential to carry the learner’s mindset into assessment work.