VAG2023: 2023 Virginia Assessment Group Conference Delta Marriott Hotel Richmond, VA, United States, November 15-17, 2023

The joint theme of the 2023 VAG and VRAS Conference is Begin with the End in Mind: Exploring the Purpose and Goals of Assessment and Accreditation. The theme pushes us to explore, reflect, and connect our work to the goals, outcomes, objectives, and visions of higher education. In alignment with the theme, the VAG/VRAS Conference Planning Committee seeks to create a conference experience focused on reflecting on how assessment and accreditation tie into the mission and vision of the institution, student learning and program outcomes, continuous improvement, and accreditation standards.  

Join us at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Richmond Downtown in Richmond, VA on November 15-17, 2023.

Conference Tracks

• Track 1: Using assessment and accreditation to achieve excellence in teaching, learning, and student success
  • Seeking and achieving excellence in teaching, learning, and student success requires a shared commitment, holistic planning, and institution-wide engagement. What strategies, frameworks, or ideas best ensure that assessment and accreditation achieve our goals of excellence? How do we build and sustain cultures of continuous improvement and accreditation that do not simply check a box? How do we address inherent tensions between stakeholders, institutional bureaucracy, compliance requirements, resources, and time to effectively seek and achieve excellence? 
• Track 2: (Re)imagining and advancing assessment practices with today’s students in mind
  • Current, emerging, and future trends in higher education are essential concerns that require dynamic and continually evolving institutional strategic planning. What are the implications for assessment? What are strategic priorities for the field of assessment to address?  How can assessment be leveraged for equity, engagement, and effectiveness in higher education? What are promising practices and proven approaches to ensure that assessment advances rather than impedes student success?
• Track 3: Connecting and Collaborating to Advance Common Goals
  • To advance the goals of our institutions, there needs to be collaboration and connections both on and off campus. How do we bring people together? How do we make purposeful connections to both develop and advance common goals? How can we involve diverse perspectives and ideas, giving both internal and external stakeholders an opportunity to be part of the conversation?

• Track 4: DEI, QEP, and Strategic Planning Considerations in Accreditation
  • Accreditation by SACSCOC requires an intentional connection between institutional strategic planning, the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), and assessment efforts. SACSCOC is now poised to require institutions to address diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in their decennial and fifth-year interim reporting. Sessions in this track may address one or more of the following questions: 
    • How are institutions assessing their strategic plans and how do these processes align with the SACSCOC Principles of Accreditation? What does it mean for an institution to use its mission to identify appropriate assessment measures? 
    • What are the implications of the new DEI requirements on assessment design? QEP planning? Institutional strategic planning? How might the requirements promote collaboration?
    • What does DEI look like within the context of an institution’s mission? Is there diversity in how institutions define DEI and support DEI initiatives? How can institutions consider and embed the DEI requirements within measures of student achievement as required by Standard 8.1? 
    • If institutional strategic planning, QEP development, and DEI planning are not in the same cycle, how can institutions align the efforts with each other and with SACSCOC standards?

Submission Types

The following paper categories are welcome:

• Posters: Poster presentations combine a short oral presentation with a visual display to facilitate short conversations sharing current work, research, or examples. During the presentation, attendees with visually guide themselves at their own pace through the basics of the poster while the short presentation focuses on explanation, clarification, and discussion of key elements of the work.  

• Round Table Talks: Roundtable presentations provide an opportunity for conference attendees to get together in an informal setting and examine issues, topics, current work, or share examples with peers. They allow for extended discussion among a small group. Roundtables are excellent venues for giving and receiving targeted feedback, engaging in in-depth discussions, and meeting colleagues with similar interests. Each conference roundtable session will be 60 minutes in length. An individual roundtable presentation will be 30 minutes in length and repeated once to allow attendees to attend 2 presentations during the session. An individual round table presentation will consist of a 5 to 10-minute oral presentation by the facilitator/presenter followed by a discussion with attendees seated around the table.

• Presentations: focus on assessment best practices, as well as practical, usable advice. This is an opportunity to showcase of the good work happening at institutions, in addition to helping people think about “how they can do it” rather than “what ‘we’ did”.  Sessions should be interactive, no longer than 60 minutes, and include time for questions. 

Submission Requirements

Proposals are accepted through Easy Chair and must include:

• The track that is the focus of your presentation
• Presentation Format (Poster, Round Table Talks, or Presentation)
• Proposal title/topic (20 words)
• A clear statement of the purpose or goals and alignment to the conference theme or track call (100 words)
• Proposal abstract (500 words)
• Poster or presentation description for the conference program (100 words)
• Statement of intended audience/audience level (50 words)
• Description of handouts, media, or learning materials (100 words)
• Brief biography for each presenter (150 words)

Contact

All questions about submissions should be emailed to Joel Hanel at vat4aa@virginia.edu.