Career Center

Reporting to the Assistant Provost of Accreditation and Institutional Research, the Assistant / Associate Director of Assessment Strategy provides campuswide leadership and guidance for assessment and evaluation to advance student learning and continuous improvement at the unit and institutional level. Facilitates the design and implementation of assurance of learning initiatives, program evaluation efforts, and continuous improvement projects. Coordinates and carries out survey design, assignment design, rubric development, and various data collection and analysis strategies. Connects key leaders on campus to facilitate timely, data-supported discussions about student learning, student perceptions, faculty perceptions, and campus climate. Serves as an accessible resource for the campus community with regards to assessment strategies, best practices for measurement and analysis efforts, and data driven decision making. Champions ongoing institutional and unit-level data analysis, reflection, and decision-making cycles in support of best practices and maintaining compliance with accreditation standards for assessment. Contributes to data and information integrity efforts with a special emphasis on continuous improvement and institutional outcomes.

To achieve our mission as a liberal arts college, we continually strive to foster an inclusive campus community, which recognizes the value of all persons regardless of identity. Our department is committed to contributing to an educational environment that is rich with cultural, social, and intellectual diversity.

Essential Functions:

• Cultivates and sustains a vibrant culture of assessment and learning improvement at W&L; Promotes learning assessment as an essential element of good teaching practice, while helping assessment coordinators design and implement strategies that are efficient and meaningful.

• Provides easily accessible consultation and expert guidance for programs and departments in support of assurance of learning and the use of results for improving the educational environment.

• Builds faculty capacity to do meaningful learning assessment and use information to improve teaching practice; Ensures that the student voice and engagement in their own learning are included in assessment practices.

• Facilitates the design and implementation of research, assurance of learning, and improvement projects in support of General Education, Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and administrative units; maximizes the use of technology to facilitate collection of learning data for ease, efficiency, and organization.

• Provides leadership and strategic direction for the Assurance of Learning Committee; Organizes reports, documentation, student artifacts, learning data and other materials in support of the Committee’s work.

• Facilitates the design and regular review of core student learning and development goals and ensures their alignment with the University mission; Coordinates with University data managers to foster alignment with W&L’s key data collection initiatives and related analysis and data sharing strategies.

• Facilitates cross-campus conversations about the types of data and feedback units need, to ensure University leaders have meaningful, relevant, and timely data with which to make informed decisions.

• Designs and implements surveys and other data collection strategies, such as focus groups, to inform curricular design, excellence in teaching and learning, and strategic initiatives; Coordinates the distribution of pre-existing surveys on campus and leads survey promotion campaigns to ensure strong and representative response profiles.

• Extracts, collects, analyzes, and summarizes survey data using a variety of data visualization tools to share with key campus leaders in an easy to understand and timely manner via print materials and presentations. Invites relevant stakeholders to discuss survey findings, interpret results, and articulate meaningful action steps to implement impactful changes.

• Designs and offers campus workshops and training opportunities to enhance a culture of meaningful assessment on campus.

• Facilitates regular opportunities for assessment stewards on campus to work with external consultants and experts for assessment-related professional development and/or assessment workshops with their teams.

• Develops reporting narratives for assessment-related standards of accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC); Organizes and maintains the University’s archive of assessment data, reports,  and collection of evidence for SACSCOC accreditation and compliance.

• Participates in various committees, advisory boards, and work groups on campus to advance strategic initiatives related to excellence in teaching and learning, especially those related to assessment and continuous improvement.

• Regularly participates in external professional development opportunities in the field of assessment and reviews recent assessment literature to stay apprised of best practices for outcomes assessment in higher education.

• Shares and presents at conferences and professional meetings to promote W&L’s impactful assessment-related initiatives and share lessons learned.

• Other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Advanced degree strongly preferred, especially in social science or education disciplines.

• Significant progressively responsible experience leading assessment initiatives in a higher education setting. Six years direct experience is preferred.

• Record of presentations to various audiences, including organizational leaders, that demonstrates the ability to summarize complex information, describe best practices, and provide recommendations.

• Facility with multiple software packages and systems, including online data (survey) collection platforms and statistical tools. Some knowledge of administrative student database systems and data warehousing, and ability to access data through online data query systems or ability to learn new systems.

• Experience in quantitative and qualitative research methods, survey design, a strong understanding of statistics and excellent analytical skills are essential.

• Must possess excellent oral and written communication and effective interpersonal skills.

• Strong organizational skills and the ability to handle multiple projects concurrently is required.

• Position requires the incumbent to work collaboratively with colleagues from multiple disciplines.

Minimum Pay: Salary Commensurate with Experience. $70,000 is the minimum pay at the Assistant Director level. Candidates with significant experience in leading assessment initiatives in a higher education setting may be considered at the Associate Director level with the corresponding pay grade.

Application Instructions:  Review of applications will begin immediately, and continue until the position is filled.  Resume and cover letter are required. You will be asked to provide names and contact information for three professional references.

External Applicants: Application instructions for external applicants are located at jobs.wlu.edu or here.

Current W&L Employees: Apply from your existing Workday account. Instructions are located at jobs.wlu.edu or here.

Position Type:

Exempt, Full Time, Benefit Eligible

About Washington and Lee University

Washington and Lee is a top-ranked, private institution in Lexington, Virginia where we integrate the rigorous inquiry and critical thinking of a liberal arts curriculum with nationally accredited undergraduate programs in business and journalism, and a graduate School of Law. Our graduates, mentored by a faculty of teacher-scholars, are ready to make a meaningful impact wherever they go in the world.The campus is a national historical landmark, the city offers small-town charm, and the Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountains provide unparalleled surroundings. Washington and Lee affirms that diverse perspectives and backgrounds enhance our community. We are committed to the recruitment, enrichment, and retention of students, faculty, and staff who embody many experiences, cultures, points of view, interests, and identities. As engaged citizens in a global and diverse society, we seek to advance a positive learning and working environment for all through open and substantive dialogue.Washington and Lee is an Equal Opportunity Employer. As such, we are interested in candidates who are committed to high standards of scholarship, performance and professionalism and to the development of a ...campus climate that supports equality and diversity in our faculty, staff and student body. Job description requirements are representative, but not all-inclusive of the knowledge, skill, and abilities needed to successfully perform this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Show more

Show less

Connections working at Washington and Lee University