Challenges & benefits of cross-sectional assessment.

Abstract

Repeated assessments are intended to generate knowledge about changes occurring on campuses to make informed decisions; however, data often lay dormant not reaching their full potential beyond a single use. This session clarifies the differences between the uses of longitudinal studies and cross‐sectional examinations and discusses strategies for using cross‐ sectional data to discover trends in student outcomes. Examples include investigations of teaching practices and student engagement over time. Examples will be provided for using both multi‐institutional and single institution data sets.