Using Direct Measures in the Cocurriculum

tended to showcase the work of student affairs educators using direct measures of learning in the cocurriculum. There is a skill gap at our institutions— between a student’s demonstration of adequate skills and the implied outcomes of postsecondary education. Stansbury (2016) asserts that “despite having the highest levels of educational attainment of any previous American generation, Millennials, on average, demonstrate relatively weak skills in all skill sets” (para. 3), including the cocurricular learning outcomes of communication and problem solving. Direct assessment of students’ skills and competences is vital to telling cocurricular student success stories on our campuses and can assist in narrowing of the aforementioned skill gap. What Is a Direct Measure? Direct measures include “performance assessments that require students to demonstrate their competence in one or more skills” (Banta and Palomba 2015, 79). Direct measures are often also described in opposition to indirect measures, which rely on students’ reflections on their skills or competences. For example, a direct measure in the cocurriculum includes