Effective program development begins with the end in mind. While ideas for activities and events might be plentiful, harnessing those elements in the service of essential understandings and a mission allows authentic assessment and evaluation to occur.
I often use a logic model to assist me in finding the moments when formative assessment can occur to refine the delivery and goals of a program. The following is one such model I developed as the Director of Education at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord, NH:
Each input and activity served as a source for formative assessment for the School Series program as a whole.
More recently I developed a logic model following work on a task force to norm the Communication criteria used in the General Education program at SNHU:
Program Delivery
As the coordinator of general education, I oversaw the implementation of the new program that included over 160 courses in its debut in 2012. The process included ongoing training for faculty in developing assessment plans and rubrics to align their courses with the learning goals and criteria established by the General Education Committee. The training also assisted faculty in their understanding of higher order thinking and the development of domains as outlined by Benjamin Bloom. This training with faculty is open-ended as many continue to express interest in having their courses included in the program.
Marketing and Outreach
My marketing training as a graduate student at Columbia University Business School was embedded in the ideal that marketing is synonymous with mission. It is not a series of activities undertaken by a department but instead a mindset that informs every action performed within the organization. I later reframed this as agency in that every member of the academy is an agent for learning as shaped by the mission.
At SNHU I try to maximize the exposure of the General Education program among a variety of stakeholders. I visit school and department meetings to talk about the program and the opportunities it presents to faculty. I visit every SNHU 101 and SNHU 202 section to talk about General Education and how it connects to students' academic, personal and professional lives. I work one-on-one with students to help them make informed choices about their general education options.
It is not unusual for education directors at arts organization to take on every facet of the department's management including programming, fundraising, and marketing. This was my experience while at the Capitol Center for the Arts. The following links provide samples of the collateral marketing materials that I developed as an arts education directors:
School Series Brochure
Prompt Book (study guide)
