Contact Us
For general questions about assessment, contact assessment@duke.edu. To reach a member of our team directly, refer to our staff directory.
Background
The Office of Assessment, Trinity College, was formed in 1999 by former Dean of Trinity College, Professor Emeritus Robert J. Thompson and former Director Dr. Matt Serra. As the Curriculum 2000 was being shaped and later implemented, Dean Thompson and Dr. Serra recognized the importance of parallel efforts to understand the impacts of this new design for undergraduate teaching and learning. Among the Office of Assessment's chief responsibilities is supporting the multidisciplinary endeavor to assess, discuss, and create lasting positive change for undergraduate and graduate and professional education.
Due to a growing need for a centralized approach to assessment, the office was brought under the scope of the Office of the University Registrar in early 2023. The Office of University Assessment is now part of a larger network of Duke personnel engaged in study of student learning and development.
Our Vision
Our vision is to nurture a culture of evidence at Duke University by joining sources of information with thoughtful consultations about educational research and assessment. Recognizing the wealth of resources and professional expertise at Duke, our objective is to help campus partners and institutional leaders organize and carry out relevant, rigorous, and efficient educational research that aligns with Duke’s broader strategic goals. We try to anticipate emerging questions of educational practice so that our community is prepared with evidence to guide our collective work. Building from our long history within Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, we now extend this expertise to all of Duke’s colleges and schools.
Our Mission
The mission of the Office of University Assessment is to support the operationalization of Duke’s Strategic Plan by:
- Creating and/or sharing data resources that are relevant, reliable, valid, timely, and usable
- Developing and sharing essential technology tools and instrumentation, such as course evaluation operations, in support of learning outcomes assessment
- Providing direct assistance to faculty and staff who are engaged in the study of teaching effectiveness
- Offering conceptual and operational guidance to departments, programs, centers, and service units in areas of curriculum and course development, assessment, and program effectiveness
- Maintaining a systematic and high-quality program of institutional research for Duke’s colleges and schools, the programs therein, and representing the university’s strategic initiatives
- Overseeing reporting templates that simplify the sharing of assessment findings across stakeholder groups
- Ensuring that internal governing boards and committees have access to information during their periodic meetings, as requested
- Supporting Duke’s regular processes for reaffirmation and other forms of external review
- Cultivating thought partnerships and stimulating connections within and between communities of assessment practice
- Offering quality workshops and learning sessions on outcomes assessment and program evaluation. Diffusing new ideas in assessment and program evaluation across Duke
- Upholding our shared responsibilities for diversity, equity, and inclusion in teaching, learning, and assessment
- Connecting assessment partners to Campus IRB for human subjects research guidance as appropriate
Staff Directory
Responsibilities:
Overall strategic planning for academic outcomes assessment in undergraduate education, including both the general education and individual programs; coordinating and ensuring appropriate use of student data for assessment analytics; assessment consultation with academic department officers, faculty and staff.
About:
Jennifer Hill has worked in learning outcomes assessment for over 18 years, appointed Director in 2020. She teaches research methods in the Program in Education at Duke, supervises undergraduate honors theses, and serves as an undergraduate pre-major advisor. She is active with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on College, participating in and chairing reaffirmation off- and on-site visits and chairing the 2021 and 2022 SACSCOC Annual Meeting planning committees. She received her AB in History and Political Science from the University of Notre Dame, followed by an MA in Political Science (Duke University), as well as MEd and EdD degrees in Education (North Carolina State University). Jennifer lives in Cary, NC with her husband and two children. She volunteers in the Wake County public schools assisting with school improvement committees and program evaluation. She is active in the North Carolina Odyssey of the Mind and is a judge for Lincoln-Douglas in the National Speech and Debate Association.
Alessandra joined the Office of University Assessment in March 2017. Early in her time at Duke she completed her PhD at North Carolina State University in Educational Policy and Research Analysis, Higher Education Administration. For the OUA, she helps academic partners leverage existing data to understand their programs, curricular offerings, instructors, and/or students. She supports OUA’s work in course evaluations, data analytics, and enterprise reporting systems. Alessandra is particularly interested in efforts regarding institutional effectiveness, and higher education research methodologies, especially surveys and qualitative research. She serves as a Trinity College Advisor and enjoys teaching for the Graduate School's Certificate in College Teaching.
Becca has been working at Duke since 2018, and came to Assessment in late 2020 from the Office of Academic Deans in Trinity College, where she supported courses and curriculum development. Her responsibilities include managing the administration of course evaluations processes in the Watermark system, including timeline; communications; and guidance for departments, instructors, and students. She supports data management, general education assessment, program-specific projects, and communications and outreach. Becca is interested in the role of systems and workflow in the context of assessment and engagement. She also serves as an academic advisor and is a visual abstract artist and papermaker.
Lisa joined Duke's Office of Academic Assessment in June of 2024 as a research analyst, transitioning from 15+ years of teaching high school mathematics, 9 of which were at Durham's Southern School of Energy and Sustainability. In OUA, she manages course evaluation administration for multiple schools towards the goal of a smooth process for all stakeholders. Additionally, she collaborates with campus partners to clean, analyze, and visualize data that supports both research and internal initiatives related to academic programming success. She particularly enjoys the backend work of creating replicable data management and analysis materials for the sake of longitudinal studies.
Marina joined the Office of University Assessment in June 2024. She received her PhD in Educational Psychology from North Carolina State University in August 2022. She has experience teaching PreK through higher education in North Carolina and abroad in Argentina, Estonia, Finland, Mexico, and South Korea. For OUA, she maintains assessment infrastructure and analyzes academic, bio-demographic, and attitudinal data to support various assessment initiatives. Additionally, she supports assessment activities across academic programs and support services. Marina is particularly interested in student success and leveraging data to address complex challenges in higher education. She also serves as an academic advisor and sings in the Duke Chapel Choir.