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Assessment Support Staff

The staff members listed below support assessment or assessment-related initiatives across the campus. They are also members of the Campus Working Group on Assessment.


Academic Planning and Assessment Support Center (APASC)

Kerry Clifford
Academic Planning and Assessment Support Director

Assessment role: The Academic Planning and Assessment Support Director identifies long-term and short-term strategic plans to achieve the APASC mission, develops project plans to meet academic planning and assessment support needs across campus, manages the activities and provides guidance to the APASC staff, and advises academic and administrative leadership, including the Periodic Review Oversight Committee, on decision-making that impacts assessment and related academic program planning activities across the campus.

Jenny Xiang, Ph.D.
Substantive Change & Graduate Assessment Coordinator

Assessment role: The Substantive Change & Graduate Assessment Coordinator supports faculty with their graduate-level assessment needs including Coordinating Committee on Graduate Affairs (CCGA) and WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) proposal preparation, annual assessment, and periodic review. The Substantive Change & Graduate Assessment Coordinator also manages the campus' accreditation needs related to substantive change.

Hannah Maulden, Ph.D.
Undergraduate Assessment Coordinator, School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts

Assessment role: The Undergraduate Assessment Coordinator provides support and assessment expertise for annual program-level academic assessment, while also contributing to periodic program review, accreditation, assessment in relevant administrative areas, campus-level analysis of assessment results, and the integration of institutional data into academic planning. 

Trent Dawson, Ph.D.
Undergraduate Assessment Coordinator, School of Engineering and School of Natural Sciences

Assessment role: The Undergraduate Assessment Coordinator provides support and assessment expertise for annual program-level academic assessment, while also contributing to periodic program review, accreditation, assessment in relevant administrative areas, campus-level analysis of assessment results, and the integration of institutional data into academic planning. 

TBD - for support needs, contact Kerry Clifford
Program Review Coordinator

Assessment role: The Program Review Coordinator is the lead facilitator of the periodic program review process for academic programs and administrative units, providing process expertise, related resources, and logistical support, conducting this work in partnership with the Academic Senate Office and with the staff and faculty of the units undergoing review. This position also provides staff support for the Periodic Review Oversight Committee.


Division of Undergraduate Education

Linda Sheehan, Ed. D.
Assessment Analyst

Assessment role: Linda's responsibilities include establishing and maintaining an on-going, systematic program of assessment and evaluation of academic and program activities within the Division of Undergraduate Education and supporting the assessment of the UC Merced General Education curriculum. 


Center for Engaged Teaching and Learning

Adriana Signorini, M. A. (TESOL)
Coordinator, Students Assessing Teaching & Learning Program (SATAL)
Phone: 209-228-4766
Office: AOA 111

Assessment role: Among her responsibilities in the Center for Engaged Teaching and Learning, Adriana coordinates the Students Assessing Teaching and Learning Program (SATAL). This program partners with faculty, teaching assistants, co-curricular program leads and academic support units to gain a better sense of their students' learning experiences by supporting faculty and staff assessment efforts.


Division of Student Affairs

Emily Langdon, Ph.D.
Coordinator for Assessment, Evaluation & Research
Phone: 209-386-3824

Assessment role: Through her 50 percent-time appointment, Emily facilitates annual assessment, program review and assessment-related capacity building in the Division of Student Affairs. Emily works with the “A Team” to strengthen the Division’s culture of assessment in support of student learning and success.


Institutional Research and Decision Support

Cinnamon Danube, Ph.D.
Principal Research Analyst
Phone: 209-228-6982

Corinne Townsend, Ph.D.
Principal Research Analyst
Phone: 209-228-6901

Assessment role: Institutional Research and Decision Support (IRDS) summarizes data for program reviews; conducts faculty workload analyses; analyzes student retention, graduation, academic achievement and other student-success-related measures; generates models projecting student and faculty growth to facilitate budget and space planning; identifies potential peer institutions; gathers benchmarking indicators; conducts cross-institutional comparisons; coordinates and administers most campus surveys; manages historical data about students, faculty and staff; and coordinates development of the campuswide data warehouse and business intelligence (Cognos) environment.  As the keeper of official data, IRDS provides technical support about how to use and interpret data, and ensure compliance with federal, state and University of California data confidentiality regulations. IRDS's primary role is to support -- rather than conduct -- assessment.


Library

Sara Davidson, MLIS
Head, User Communication & Instruction
Phone: 209-205-8237

Assessment role: Sara tracks and assesses the impact of library services in relation to student-learning and library-service objectives. She uses a variety of tools, including surveys, focus groups, and the Student Assessing Teaching and Learning program. Sara actively seeks opportunities to collaborate with campus partners in gathering evidence of student learning outcomes relevant to the library’s goals for undergraduate and graduate information literacy.