USING EQUITY FOR EVERYONE: USING DATA TO DEVELOP CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PLANS

"USING EQUITY FOR EVERYONE: USING DATA TO DEVELOP CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PLANS TO BENEFIT AN ENTIRE CAMPUS"

Part of the Lindenwood University Certificate in Culturally Responsive Assessment Speaker Series

Facilitator: Matthew DeSantis

Description: In the presentation, Matthew DeSantis outlines the steps taken to transform St. Edward's University into an equity-based assessment campus. The presentation provides an overview of how the assessment process and breakthroughs in data analysis led to more meaningful analysis of different student populations that reflected the mission of the university. The presentation provides examples from both Student Activities and the General Education curriculum to show how these ideas can be applied to both co-curricular and academic areas. Finally, the presentation shares data visualizations, results, and continuous improvement strategies to demonstrate how an equity-based assessment process can lead to actionable change at an institution.

About the facilitator: Matthew DeSantis currently serves as the Director for Institutional Assessment at St. Edward’s University. Prior to becoming an assessment leader, Matthew served as a faculty member at the University of Texas at El Paso, High Point University, and Guilford Technical Community College (NC). At GTCC, Matthew co-chaired the Learning Evidence Committee, establishing faculty-driven processes to develop and assess general education and program student learning outcomes. Matthew transitioned to a full-time assessment leadership role by accepting a position at Florida Southern College in which he oversaw accreditation and institutional research. At St. Edward’s, Matthew provides support for the assessment of student learning outcomes at the course, program, general education, and university level. Matthew has presented his work on assessment at several national conferences and has had his perspective on assessment published in Insider Higher Ed. He earned his BA in political science from Furman University and his MA in political science from the University of Florida. He lives in Austin, TX, with his two Jack Russell Terriers, Maya and Kerri.