This session explores qualitative and quantitative assessment procedures utilized across three undergraduate departments to examine changes in civic engagement after student participation in a community-based learning project. Attendees will be given the opportunity to make predictions about, interpret results and evaluate the utility of our procedures for their own classes. Marie Walker, Associate Professor of Psychological Science, Angelique Dwyer, Assistant Professor of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures, and Kristian Braekkan, Assistant Professor of Economics and Management, all at Gustavus Adolphus College

1. FACILITATING AND ASSESSING COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT AND STUDENT LEARNING
ACROSS DISCIPLINES
• Dr. Marie Walker, Psychological Science
• Dr. Angelique Dwyer, Modern Languages, Literatures
and Cultures
• Dr. Kristian Braekkan, Economics and Management

2. Demographics of Gustavus Adolphus
College
• Private Lutheran Liberal Arts College in rural MN
• $40,000+ tuition
• Trying to improve interdisciplinary collaboration
• Working toward Carnegie classification
Who Are Our Students?
• 18-22 yrs, majority White, Christian, MN natives
• Millennials, midwest, expectation of more community
involvement
• Students are engaged, but not used to uncertainty or
working outside comfort zone

3. Summary of Projects
Spring, Fall 2012
- 3rd, 4th year students
- 75% women
- Multiple majors
- 3 classes of 25 students
1. Determine format and feasibility of a Mental
Health Forum in St. Peter
Chill Out: Mental
Health Wellness
Fair 2012
2. Use social media in marketing Mobile Crisis
Team for Mankato’s South Central Crisis Center
3. Fund an Intermediate Care Facility for
Children with Developmental Disabilities with
Nicollet County Social Services
Abnormal Psychology

4. Summary of Projects
Fall 2011, 2012
- 3rd, 4th year students
- 75% women
- Multiple majors
From Latin America to
Latinos in the U.S.
Intercultural
Mediator:
Latino Student
1 Latino
Family
2 Spanish
Students
Language Buddies
Model

5. Summary of Projects
Justice and Equity in the
Workplace
Fall 2012
- 1st year students
- 62% women
- Multiple majors
- 1 class of 13 students
College
professors
Groups of
3-4 students
Diversity
Council
Purpose:
Developing a “joint”
understanding of the
employment relationship
Context:
Immigration, race, gender, and poverty

6. Assessment of Projects
1. Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment Tools:
- Civic Attitudes and Skills Questionnaire CASQ (Moely et al., 2002)
- Open-Ended Reflection Questions
2. Assess multiple times (Beginning, Middle and End of
semester)
- Learn student perspectives at different points in semester to be
prepared for concerns, questions

7. The Civic Attitudes and Skills Questionnaire
(CASQ)
• Measure of Civic Action, Interpersonal and Problem-Solving
Skills, Political Awareness, Leadership Skills, Social Justice
Attitudes, Diversity Attitudes
• CASQ values (ceiling effects – social desirability)
• Self-report
• Made available to all faculty at Gustavus on SurveyMonkey, allows
for control groups, frequently used by community based learning
fellows and other faculty
• 44 items Moely, et al., 2002), five-point scale
• Internal consistencies (Cronbach’s coefficient alpha) values range
from .69 to .88 (based on two samples; N = 761 & N = 725)

8. Results: Quantitative Assessment for All
Classes
• N = 179 with different classes and control groups
• 61% women
• 39% men
MEANS for CASQ Subscales
• Civic Action = 4.05, SD = .56
• Interpersonal Problem Solving Skills = 4.28, SD = .38
• Political Awareness = 3.15, SD = .65
• Leadership Skills = 3.77, SD = .61
• Social Justice Attitudes = 4.01, SD = .48
• Diversity Attitudes = 3.85, SD = .52

9. Results: Quantitative Assessment - CASQ
At Time 1 – Similarities/Differences from the Outset
• Significantly highest subscale score on Interpersonal
and Problem Solving Skills for entire sample
• Lowest subscale scores on Political Awareness
• Justice and Equity FTS had higher scores on Political Awareness
(topic or age?)
• Latin American Cultures had higher Social Justice Attitudes

10. Your Students and Civic Engagement
• Where will your students stand at Time 1 as a function of
your discipline, course level, gender, college?

11. Results: Quantitative Assessment - CASQ
CBL vs. Control at Time 2 – Bottom Line
• Social Justice and Diversity Attitudes were significantly
higher in the CBL group vs. the Control.
• For Abnormal Psych, Civic Action was higher, too.
• Women higher than Men on
• Civic Action, Interpersonal and Problem-Solving Skills, Social
Justice Attitudes and Diversity Attitudes

12. CBL vs. Control
• Can you find a control group? Which class can you use?
• What differences are you expecting? Which will you find?
• Would you have similar findings for all your CBL classes?

13. Results: Quantitative Assessment - CASQ
Significant Subscales Change Over Time (not including Latin American
Cultures) – perhaps due to age, topic and CBL
• Civic Action went down in Justice and Equity FTS over time, especially
the Men. Similar effect in one of the Abnormal Psychology classes.
• Also, Interpersonal and Problem Solving Skills, Leadership Skills
and Social Justice Attitudes went down in Justice and Equity FTS for
Men over time.
• Political Awareness went down in Justice and Equity over time.
Political Awareness went up in one section of Abnormal Psychology.
Both effects were due to Men only.
• Leadership Skills went down for Men over time.
• Diversity Attitudes went up for Women and down for Men in Justice and
Equity FTS over time.

14. Changes in Civic Engagement Across
Time
• What constitutes positive or negative change?
• As a function of gender? Age? Discipline?
• What is the time span that you are devoting to the CBL
project? Will you be able to discern change?

15. Results: Qualitative Assessment for All
Classes
Before beginning the projects
Mid semester
At the end of the projects

16. Results: Qualitative Assessment for All
Classes
Before beginning the projects
STUDENTS:
• Put theory into practice
• Gain real world experience
• Group work
• Increase individual knowledge
• Application of specific skills
• Benefit the community / contribute
• Nervousness and/or excitement

17. Results: Qualitative Assessment for All
Classes
At the end of the projects
STUDENTS:
• Not enough time
• Recognition of amount of work
• Got a glimpse of “reality”
• Mixed feelings: “disappointed” yet “proud”
• Pushed out of our “comfort zone”

18. Pre and Post Qualitative Reflection
• Will your students recognize change in themselves?
• Have you seen different responses in your classes?

19. Benefits of Conducting Assessment
Across Disciplines
• Recognizing general goals of liberal arts curriculum that
apply across all disciplines
• Sharing instruments
• Learning better ways to engage in this type of learning
• Broaden network of colleagues conducting CBL
• Differences in use of technology to help do the CBL
• Learn about differences and similarities in your own
majors
• Reinforce development of applied skills across the
curriculum
• Through assessment, identify areas of need for curricular
change

20. • What benefits do you foresee in working with colleagues
from other disciplines? What have you experienced
already?
• Is CBL assessment college-wide on your campus? Can it
be?