Using the CAS Professional Standards: Diverse Examples of Practice

Using the CAS Professional Standardsall is a practical text designed to highlight multiple ways to apply the standards and guidelines published by the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS). It offers a compilation of in-depth case studies that demonstrate what the CAS approach looks like in practice across a wide range of functional areas in a variety of college and university settings.all

Written by student affairs faculty and practitioners, the book details how the CAS approach can be used successfully to design new programs, develop learning outcomes, address organizational challenges, conduct program reviews, and compile and report on findings. The authors offer diverse perspectives on how to apply the CAS standards and support efforts to promote assessment and effectiveness, benefitting both the division of student affairs and the whole institution by contributing to a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

The book also expertly illustrates the many ways in which to utilize the CAS standards beyond program reviews. Chapters explore how to use the standards to inform the development of new programs and services as well as how to assess and benchmark existing ones. In addition, a chapter is devoted to adapting the standards and guidelines to address unique functional areas not addressed by CAS.

Using the CAS Professional Standards is a must-have companion guide to the CAS standards. The guidance offered by the case studies and commentary is indispensable for higher education leaders who are considering adopting the standards or who seek to take their practice to the next level.

 Praise for Using the CAS Standards

“The need to benchmark and assess high-quality programs and services in colleges and universities has never been greater. Thankfully, the already useful CAS standards, guidelines, and self-assessment guides are brought to life in this new companion book. It provides much-needed in-depth, practitioner-authored examples of how to apply and practice the standards in divisionwide program review, housing and residential life, multicampus systems, and more.” —Jillian Kinzie, Associate Director, Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research

“Self-assessment and self-regulation, when fused into a single grand strategy, are the most brilliant ideas to emerge in the quality assurance movement in higher education. However, they are foundational concepts, not practitioner guides. This book shows how practitioners in a variety of institutional settings have put these concepts into practice. I applaud NASPA, ACPA, and CAS for addressing this previously missing element in the successful use of the CAS standards and guidelines.” —Don G. Creamer, Professor Emeritus, Higher Education Administration, Virginia Tech

“This practical, user-friendly guide demystifies the process of measuring programs and services against the standards of the profession. Readers will find helpful tips and strategies to approach learning outcomes, assessment, and reporting results to close the loop. I plan to share it across the Student Affairs Division as each unit initiates a 5-year program review.” —Jody Donovan, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs/Dean of Students, Colorado State University

“As institutions are faced with greater expectations around accountability, this book provides critical and timely practical examples of how the CAS standards can positively impact the manner in which our institutions support student learning, growth, and success.” —Jim Dunsdon, Associate Vice-President Student Affairs, University of Victoria

“This much-needed book provides a critical and important link, with invaluable examples, for using the CAS standards to advance good student affairs practice.” —J. Patrick Biddix, Associate Professor, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

 

Hardcover | 2017 | 200 pages

ISBN: 978-0-931654-70-1

Copublished by NASPA, ACPA, and CAS