AALHE 2023 Conference Registration

About AALHE 2023

The AALHE 2023 Conference – Assessment Narratives, Mysteries, and Myths will bring together various communities that exist within higher education assessment through a dynamic learning experience. The Conference will take place June 5-8, 2023, in person, in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Join us in-person as we reengage and learn together to support the assessment of student learning.

Hotel Registration

A block of rooms has been reserved for AALHE conference attendees at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel.  The room rate is $219/night, regardless of occupancy.  Follow this link to secure your hotel reservations.  This room rate is only available until May 15, 2023.

Conference Registration Rates

 

 

Become a member of AALHE to unlock members-only discounts!

Early Bird Rate

February 13 – April 30

Regular Rate

May 1 – June 2

On-Site Rate

June 5-8

AALHE Individual Member $400 $450 $500
AALHE Student Member* $150 $150 $175
AALHE Institutional Member (per member seat) $375 $375 $400
Non-Member $575 $600 $650
Half-Day In-Person Pre-Conference Workshop (3 Hours)** $175 $200 Not available
Full-Day In-Person Pre-Conference Workshop (5 Hours)** $250 $275 Not available

*Student membership is specifically for full-time students who are not employed full-time.

**Register for (2) Half-Day Pre-Conference Workshops and receive a discount of $100. Lunch is included for those who register for Full-Day Workshops and/or 2 Half-Day Workshops.


Pre-Conference Workshops - June 5, 2023

This year we have one FULL DAY pre-conference workshop and five (5) AM and four (4) PM pre-conference workshops to choose from. Lunch will be provided for those who register for a full day workshop OR two half day workshops. 

Full Day Workshop: 9am - 4pm (lunch 12pm-1pm)

Applying the CAEP Criteria for Evaluation of EPP-Created Assessments and Surveys: Ensuring Assessments Meet Sufficiency Through the Content Validity and Reliability Process (All Audiences)
Dr. Timothy Melvin and Dr. Malina Monaco

The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) explained, "Assessments and scoring guides are used by faculty to evaluate candidates and provide them with feedback on their performance. Assessments and scoring guides should address relevant and meaningful attributes of candidate knowledge, performance, and dispositions aligned with standards" (CAEP, 2017). Under CAEP, an Educator Preparation Provider (EPP) uses CAEP's Criteria for the Evaluation of EPP-Created Assessments and Surveys (2022) when the EPP designs, pilots, or judges the adequacy of assessments they create.

Participants will be guided through the process used by the College of Education and Professional Development at Marshall University to determine assessment validity and Reliability. Participants will conduct a Q-Sort, learn tools to establish Lawshe's Content Validity Ratio (CVR), complete Content Validity Index (CVI), use Cronbach's Alpha to determine Reliability, and go through the process of calibrating a rubric and determining inter-rater Reliability using Cohen's Kappa.

Half-Day Workshops: 9am - 12pm

Assessment 101: A Step by Step Guide for Non-Academic Unit Assessment (All Audiences)
Dr. Nasrin Fatima

Although student learning is directly affected by instruction in the classroom, it is indirectly affected by the processes, services, and resources of the operational/administrative support units of an institution. Because these units have great impact on the environment and tools of the classrooms, the goals/objectives of these units must be assessed on a continuous basis. However, many institutions struggle to create a culture of non-academic unit assessment that is systematic, organized, and sustainable. Misconceptions about what assessment is and how administrative unit assessment is relevant to the overarching effectiveness institutional mission, goals, and objectives are the principal barriers to this. This workshop will provide step-by-step guidelines to create a framework for developing and successfully implementing an organized, systematic and sustainable non-academic unit assessment geared to improve institutional effectiveness.

Enhancing Student Learning by Practically Applying Program Theory and Implementation Fidelity with Assessment (Experienced Audience)
Dr. Terri Flateby

Student learning can be enhanced by collaboratively planning and implementing curriculum, instruction, and assessment processes. This workshop will explore cultivating this integration by practically applying key components of Program Theory (PT) and Implementation Fidelity (IF) to assessment practices.

By focusing on essential components of PT and IF, which emerged organically in an institution-wide initiative to foster critical thinking and effective writing in disciplines, attendees will discuss contributors to this natural evolution of key components of PT and IF and the importance of collaborating with teaching and learning centers, libraries, and others to facilitate integrated teaching, learning, and assessment practices. Attendees also will examine these key components’ potential for increasing the initiative’s success. After describing a practical application of the key components, attendees will discuss and apply these in scenarios often encountered in higher education institutions for enabling implementation at their own institutions.

Identifying Effective Affective Instruments for Everyday Assessment (All Audiences)
Dr. Rebecca Gibbons

This workshop will provide the skills and strategies needed to find, identify, and select instruments to measure affective learning in higher education assessment. Learning is an emotional experience, and faculty and staff are becoming increasingly interested in measuring students’ non-cognitive (affective) experiences. There are various strategies for measuring affective learning, including both qualitative and quantitative techniques. This workshop will focus on quantitative measurements, with the goal of empowering participants to respond quickly and confidently when their colleagues seek insight on affective measurement. The activities in the workshop are designed to build upon participants’ existing fonts of knowledge on assessment practice with instrument quality parameters as defined in the Standards of Educational and Psychological Testing. Participants will leave with added layers of skills to bring instrument evaluation to their home institutions.

Strategies for Assessing General Education and Transfer Programs at Community Colleges (All Audiences)
Dr. Fiona Chrystall and Dr. Kathleen Gorski

Community colleges serve multiple missions and are open access. Students attend for a variety of reasons: completing career and technical education credentials; transferring to four-year institutions; or completing individual courses for skill development or lifelong learning. High percentages of students attend part-time around full-time work and family obligations. Many course prerequisites are not required to accommodate busy student schedules. Paths to completion are not perfectly sequenced. All this makes assessment challenging.
Using a co-learner approach, participants will conduct a rapid status check of current Gen Ed/Transfer program assessment practices at their institution. Through discussion and sharing of experiences of assessing Gen Ed and Transfer programs, participants will explore a variety of strategies for tackling this challenging task to ensure the process achieves its goal of effecting meaningful change in students’ learning experiences. Participants will leave with a plan for further improvements in their Gen Ed/Transfer program assessment processes. 

Increasing Equity in the Assessment of Student Learning (All Audiences)
Dr. Karen Singer-Freeman

The Grand Challenges in Assessment project is working to increase the equity of assessments in higher education. A key part of this work is finding more accurate and fair ways to measure learning. Assignment features can support or prevent equity in higher education. Student work on assignments influences the extent to which they learn important concepts. Grades and feedback influence their success and feelings about the extent to which they belong in institutions or majors. In this workshop, we discuss features of assignments that perpetuate equity gaps and interfere with students' ability to demonstrate proficiency. We provide a range of simple ways that assessments can be improved to increase equity and support student success. We conclude with a discussion of ways to engage others in working to improve the equity of their measures of student learning.

Half-Day Workshops: 1pm - 4pm

Facilitating Assignment Charrettes to Enhance Faculty Collaboration and Student Learning (Experienced Audience)
Dr. Stephanie Foster, Dr. Yao Zhang Hill and Dr. Sheri Popp

This workshop is part of the Grand Challenges in Assessment National Initiative, and will serve as a pilot run for a nationwide training program for assignment design coaches. Participants will experience a simulated assignment charrette activity, and then learn best practices for assignment design as well as ways such activities can support equity in learning. They will also learn ways to facilitate assignment charrettes for different durations and formats (in-person and online), as well as considerations for facilitating sessions when serving as an outside consultant or coach. Participants will do hands-on planning for an assignment charrette activity in their own context or for another institute and receive peer feedback. The group will collaboratively brainstorm challenges and ways to overcome them. Participants will also have the opportunity to provide input for how coaches might earn credentials, and can apply for a credential after the workshop.

Overcoming the Mysteries of Academic Assessment: Time to Just Do It! (New Professionals)
Dr. Deidre Heistad, Dr. John Ophus, Dr. Brenda Bass, Dr. Donald Gaff

This interactive workshop will provide assessment leaders a comprehensive academic assessment process that could be used in part, or in whole, at their institutions. Presenters will introduce participants to a system that can be intentionally aligned with accreditation standards and the NILOA framework, creating a culture of meaningful compliance. Participants will leave with practical resources and a renewed sense of confidence for leading assessment at their own institutions.

After introducing participants to a simple four-step academic assessment process, the presenters will introduce a framework for aligning general education assessment with the overarching system, working with faculty to gain buy-in and participation, storing results, and sharing findings to tell your assessment story to all university stakeholders: students, faculty, administrators, legislators, and accreditors.

This hands-on workshop will include many opportunities for participants to apply the content covered to their own institutions. Teams from the same institution are encouraged to attend.

From Contributor to Collaborator: Strategies for Increasing Faculty Engagement with General Education Assessment (All Audiences)
Dr. Jennifer A. H. Billman

In their study of faculty motivation for engagement with general education assessment, MacDonald et al. (2014) suggest that “if faculty can see the value of assessment for improving student learning, then the cost associated with conducting good assessment is worthwhile” (p. 83). So, how do general education assessment leaders help faculty see the value of assessment? To answer this question, this workshop steps participants through (a) evaluation of their current faculty engagement strategies, (b) identification of structural barriers to faculty engagement, (c) exploration of potential opportunities for increased engagement, and (d) co-creation/sharing of strategies to support faculty engagement with General Education Assessment. Participants will leave the workshop with a set of strategies for increasing faculty engagement with General Education assessment and tips for how to best implement these strategies so that faculty members both value General Education assessment and feel valued as key partners in the assessment.

Register Now

 

New!  Grants and other Opportunities for AALHE 2023

AALHE is invested in ensuring everyone may attend the 2023 conference regardless of financial hardship or employment status. AALHE members who would like to attend but are otherwise unable to pay the registration fee may submit a 2023 Conference Registration Grant Application.

Grants will be supplied by conference sponsors and donations, so funds may be limited. Grantees will be awarded on a first come, first served basis. Please note that only the conference registration fee will be covered. Requests for full and partial grants may be indicated on the application. This grant is not available to Non-Members.

The deadline to apply is May 15, 2023!  Email [email protected] to receive an application.  

Justification Resources and Photo Release

Understanding attendees may need to request support from their institutions to attend the 2022 Conference, AALHE has prepared this draft Justification Letter attendees can download, complete, and share with their supervisor to facilitate requests for funding to support attendance at and/or travel to the conference. 

Attendees will also be asked to agree to the AALHE Photo Release form at registration.

Conference Schedule

The schedule below is tentative as of February 1, 2023.

Monday, June 5, 2023
9:00am - 4:00pm Half-Day/Full-Day Pre-Conference Workshops
6:00pm - 9:00pm Welcome Reception

 

 Tuesday, June 6, 2023
8:00am - 9:00am Breakfast
8:30am - 9:00am Welcome
9:15am - 10:15am Concurrent Sessions 
10:30am - 11:30am Concurrent Sessions 
11:30am - 1:00pm Lunch on Own
1:00pm - 2:30pm Concurrent Sessions 
2:45pm - 3:45pm Concurrent Sessions
3:45pm - 5:00pm Visit Exhibitors
6:00pm Networking Dinners (Optional)

 

Wednesday, June 7, 2023
8:00am - 9:00am Breakfast
8:30am - 9:30am Keynote
9:45am - 10:45am Concurrent Sessions
11:00am - 12:00pm Concurrent Sessions
12:00pm - 1:30pm Lunch on Own
1:30pm - 2:30pm Concurrent Sessions
2:45pm - 3:45pm Concurrent Sessions
3:45pm - 5:00pm Happy Hour / Poster Session
5:00pm Excursions (Optional)

 

Thursday, June 8, 2023
7:30am - 9:00am Breakfast
9:00am - 10:00am Concurrent Sessions - Unplugged
10:15am - 11:15am Concurrent Sessions - Unplugged
11:30am - 12:00pm Closing Session

 

Payment and Cancellation Policy

Registrations can be paid by check or credit card (VISA, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express) and must be received by AALHE by June 1, 2023.

Refunds of conference registration fees will be made on cancellation requests submitted up to 30 days prior to the start of the conference (May 5, 2023), however an administrative cancellation fee of $50 will be charged. 

 Cancellation requests submitted within 30 days of the start of the conference must be for reasons of personal or family emergency only.  Refund requests must be made in writing, stating the specific reasons and circumstances for the refund request. The $50 administrative cancellation fee will still apply.

 All cancellation requests should be sent to [email protected]

Questions

If you have any questions about registration or the AALHE 2023 conference experience, please email [email protected].