C.O.R.E.

Training
Assessment Report
SPRING 2018

Raquel Cifuentes, Carrie Hachadurian, Jennylee McLaughlin, and Kevin Trudell

Assessment is the

ENGINE
which drives student
LEARNING
--John Cowan
Contents
INTRODUCTION
04

ABOUT C.O.R.E. TRAINING

06

SURVEY DESIGN AND METHODS

08

DATA ANALYSIS
12

20 BENCHMARKING

RECOMMENDATIONS
22

LIMITATIONS
25

APPENDIX
26
INTRODUCTION
"Assessment is not the end in and of itself...
Upcraft, & Schuh defined assessment as “any
effort to gather, analyze and interpret evidence
which describes institutional, departmental,
divisional, or agency effectiveness” (1996, p.18).
In order to assess a program effectively, the
program should have clearly stated goals and
learning outcomes (Schuh, Biddix, Dean, &
Kinzie, 2016). Assessment strategies should be
carefully and intentionally planned in order to
gauge whether or not the goals are being
accomplished. Likewise, assessment strategies
should be cyclical, as assessment is not the "end
in and of itself, but rather a means to an end. The
end is the improvement of student learning at
the individual, program, and institutional levels"
(Beirhede, 2007, para. 1.).
One of the most important aspects of
assessment is the expectation that each program
has intentional goals it should be reaching
(Schuh, et al, 2016). Programs without such goals
may achieve great successes, but student affairs
04 C.O.R.E. Training Report 2017-18
professionals, as well as administrators, have no
evidence of such success. Collecting data to show
that particular goals are in fact being reached
helps the facilitators of the program defend the
use and possible increase of resources, funding
specifically, to operate the program being
assessed.
Dr. John Cowan, Professor Emeritus of Student
Learning at UK Open University, wrote in 2005
that "assessment is the engine which drives
student learning." Dr. Phil Race, Senior Academic
Staff Development Officer at the University of
Leeds, added, "And feedback is the oil which can
lubricate this engine" (Race, 2009). In order for
assessment to make a difference, one must use
the feedback, or assessment results, to improve
one's program, course, learning outcomes, or
whatever one may be assessing. Closing the
assessment loop with action, prompting a new
assessment cycle is imperative.
Raquel Cifuentes Carrie Hachadurian
...but rather a means to an end."
We were asked to work with the Office of
Leadership and Student Involvement (OLSI) to
identify a program in need of assessment, create
and apply an assessment plan, and use the data
collected to determine if learning goals were
being met. Finally, we were asked to suggest
recommendations on how to improve the
program for greater student engagement and
learning. In conference with Mike Corelli, former
Assistant Director of OLSI, our team decided to
assess the leadership development program
called Clubs and Organizations Reaching
Excellence (C.O.R.E.) Training, housed and
mandated by the Student Government
Association at Western Carolina University.
In this report, readers will find information on
C.O.R.E. Training, its learning outcomes, a brief
history, details on our chosen methodology and
assessment designs, an analysis of our findings,
benchmarking data from four peer institutions,
our group's recommendations for moving
Jennylee McLaughlin Kevin Trudell
MESSAGE
FROM THE TEAM
(Berheide, 2007, para. 1)
forward, and a brief synopsis of the limitations
of our assessment report. In an effort to remain
unbiased, our group members have no close ties
to C.O.R.E. Training or have any stake or claim to
the future success of the program. The
information given in this report is written to
provide our clients, OLSI and SGA, with tangible
data and recommendations for finding ways to
improve the program. It is our intention to assist
the department and the overarching organization
succeed in connecting students of Recognized
Student Organizations (RSOs) with the resources
and opportunities they need in order to manage
and lead a successful RSO. We hope this report
will serve as the "oil" to assist in improving C.O.
R.E. Training and its mission to foster student
success within their clubs and organizations.
Sincerely,
Raquel, Carrie, Jennylee, and Kevin
C.O.R.E. Training Report 2017-18 05
ABOUT C.O.R.E. TRAINING
Purpose
The purpose of Clubs and Organizations Reaching
Excellence (C.O.R.E.) Training is to provide students
with information, resources, and support they need
in order to maintain and advance their Recognized
Student Organizations (RSO). Topics within C.O.R.
E. Training include recruiting and retention
strategies, fundraising and financial protocols,
communication and collaboration, among others.
This year's list of sessions is included in Appendix
A.
Background Info
Recognition of student clubs and organizations
is granted through the Office of Leadership and
Student Involvement (OLSI), and through the Student
Government Association (SGA). In order to become a
RSO at WCU, the organization must have at least ten
interested members, a faculty or staff advisor, and a
constitution published through OrgSync, OLSI's
online software system to manage student clubs and
organizations. Recognition grants significant benefits
to the organizations. The most noteworthy of these
benefits include the ability to reserve meeting and
programming space in the University Center at no
financial cost, and the ability to apply for
supplemental funding through SGA for programs,
activities, and materials.
Once an organization is granted recognition by
OLSI and SGA, the organization has certain
responsibilities which must be met in order to
maintain recognition. Currently, one such
requirement mandated by SGA includes attendance
at C.O.R.E. Training, a monthly leadership
development program for leaders of RSOs. Each
organization must send one representative to each
of the monthly trainings. Attendance is taken at each
170+
RSOs at Western
Carolina University
1
representative per club or
organization is required to attend each
monthly C.O.R.E. Training session
7 C.O.R.E. Training monthly sessions for
2017-18 academic year
training. If an organization is not represented at more
than two trainings, the organization loses its
recognition status and all associated privileges.
Each C.O.R.E. training focuses on subject matter
intended to ensure the successful and smooth
operation of a RSO on the WCU campus. Each session
is conducted in person in the Blue Ridge Conference
Center, though the structure of the session may vary
depending upon the subject matter. A member of the
SGA executive board, the C.O.R.E. Director, with
guidance from the OLSI's graduate assistant, is
responsible for selecting workshop topics, designing
each workshop, and implementing each program. The
most recent C.O.R.E. training topics have included
recognition, membership, and constitutions;
communication and collaboration through
networking; finance, requesting funds, and
fundraising; creative marketing and promotion;
effective communication within organizations; and
professionalism and transferable skills. To make the
most of C.O.R.E. Training, participating students are
encouraged to follow up with members of their club
or organization on the material presented to ensure
all students have access to the material.
C.O.R.E. Training Report 2017-18 06
History of C.O.R.E. Training
C.O.R.E. Training is now in its second year of
operation. The training model was first
implemented in September 2016 in response to
feedback indicating that its predecessor,
Interclub Council meetings, was not engaging or
effective in imparting leadership skills to the
students in attendance. As the Office of
Leadership and Student Involvement and the
Student Government Association are
continuously working to improve their
programming efforts, our team was tasked with
implementing the inaugural assessment report
and distributing the results for C.O.R.E. Training.
It is important to note that since C.O.R.E. Training
is a SGA-sanctioned program, before changes can
be made to the program, students in SGA must
vote to grant such changes. This report is both for
OLSI and SGA representatives.

C.O.R.E. Training Learning Outcomes

1 2 3
Learn vital information Connect RSOs with various Develop leadership skills
for creating and resources, networks, and which will enable them
maintaining a individuals that may (students) to become
successful RSO. further the successfulness leaders in their RSO, on
of the RSO. campus, and in their
future post-graduation
life.
--As found in OLSI QEP Program Overview

07 C.O.R.E. Training Report 2017-18

ASSESSMENT METHODS
Our team was tasked with measuring the importance and effectiveness of CORE Training using the
current CORE Training learning outcomes as our guide. We used a mixed methods approach in that we
launched a quantitative online survey as well as conducted a qualitative focus group session. In this
section, we will describe our processes based off quality practices advised in student affairs literature.

Survey Design Participants must have attended at least one C.

As Banta & Palomba (2015) define, surveying
is the “process of administering a set of
predetermined questions – a questionnaire – to
collect information from individuals in a target
group about their characteristics, behaviors,
attitudes, perceptions, and needs (p. 121). Before
beginning a project, student affairs professionals
must first identify the goals and
O.R.E. Training session as representatives for their
RSO. We constructed the web-based survey using
Qualtrics, a WCU-sanctioned tool to gather and
measure quantitative data. The survey, which is
included in Appendix B, consisted of three
separate but similar Likert-style questions (ex:
How IMPORTANT has C.O.R.E. Training been in:
creating your RSO? Developing your leadership
skills?) based off C.O.R.E. Training’s already-

purposes of the assessment study (Banta &
Palomba, 2015; Wentlend, 2012). Our goal is to
measure the established student learning
outcomes for C.O.R.E. Training to assess whether
the program is meeting its goals in providing
students with the resources necessary to
maintain or advance their RSOs and developing
leadership skills within their RSOs and their
professional lives.
Our target group consists of C.O.R.E. Training
participants for the 2017-2018 academic year.
established learning outcomes. Effort was made
to make questions clear and concise and to
minimize student bias as much as possible. The
survey also invited participants to select which
sessions they felt were most enjoyable. Finally,
the survey gathered demographic information
including how many C.O.R.E. Training sessions
survey participants have attended, how many
RSOs memberships participants have, and how
organized they feel their RSOs are. The survey
took less than five minutes to complete
continues on next page

08 C.O.R.E. Training Report 2017-18

 Surveying is the “process of administering a set of predetermined
questions – a questionnaire – to collect information from individuals in
a target group about their characteristics, behaviors, attitudes,
perceptions, and needs (Banta & Palomba, 2015, p. 121)."

and was anonymous. Data is stored in a
password-protected WCU-sponsored Qualtrics
account.
The survey was active between March 1 and
March 15. It was emailed via Sophia Calhoun,
OLSI Graduation Assistant, using OrgSync, a
software system which keeps track of student
clubs and organizations. Sophia emailed C.O.R.
E. Training participants three times: March 1,
March 5, and March 12 to share the purpose of
the assessment project, to ask for participation
and to also advertise for the focus group
opportunity (discussed later). Twenty-four
students participated in the survey.
Focus Group Design
In an effort to collect more detailed and rich
data regarding student perceptions of C.O.R.E.
Training, we also used a qualitative approach and
conducted a one-time, 30-minute focus group
session. Focus groups are "carefully planned
discussions designed to generate in-depth
consideration of a narrowly defined topic," (Banta
& Palomba, 2015, p. 132) or in our case, C.O.R.E.
Training as a whole. A major benefit of conducting
focus groups is to capture perspectives that are
not often heard (Latess, 2008; Wentlend, 2012).
Likewise, student affairs professionals can use
focus groups effectively by encouraging
participant interaction with each other (Kitzinger,
1995). In doing so, practitioners gain better sense
of not only what students think about a certain
topic but also how they think and why they think
that way (Kitzinger, 1995).
The session was conducted immediately
following the March 15 C.O.R.E. Training session.
We offered pizza, purchased through OLSI, as an
incentive to participate. We advertised the focus
group opportunity via email (included in the
emails to advertise the open survey) as well as
during the March 15 session, facilitated by
Courtney Gauthier, who made an announcement
about group and its purpose before and after
her presentation. Seven students participated
continues on next pagein

C.O.R.E. Training Report 2017-18 09

before and after her presentation regarding the down tables and chairs at the same time. The
focus group and its purpose. space was not reserved for additional time and
Considering a target population when although we finished our focus group session
conducting focus groups is imperative to the with enough time to allow the student staff to
success of the project finish on time, the audio file was at times
(Kitzinger, 1995). difficult to hear due to the
However, because our
Conducting focus groups background noise.
focus group is assessing "is particularly useful in As Latess (2008) points
the learning outcomes exploring people's out, it is imperative that the
of C.O.R.E. Training, all knowledge and experience focus group facilitator be
C.O.R.E. participants were and can be used be used to unbiased and not hold
invited to participate. examine not only what authority over the group to
Our group did not target people think but how they minimize the possibility of
specific demographics of what he calls "data
think and why they think
students, other than contamination" (p.26) In an
that way." (Kitzinger,
those who have particip- effort to collect the truest
ated in C.O.R.E. Training
1995, p. 299) data from our participants,
at least once. our group facilitator, Jennylee, began the focus
Seven students participated in the focus group session with introductions and
group session, which was held in the Blue Ridge emphasized our group's involvement as limited
Conference Room, the same space as the actual to our Master of Education, Higher Education
C.O.R.E. Training session. Using Blue Ridge Student Affairs assessment project and that we
provided a convenient space with ample room; had no ties to C.O.R.E. Training. Kevin Trudell
however, we did not take into consideration that explained that although he previously oversaw
the student staff in charge of cleaning the room C.O.R.E. Training, he was no longer involved with
after the C.O.R.E. Training session would be taking the department and remained an unbiased

C.O.R.E. Training Report 2017-18 10

participant in the assessment project. We also
explained that we would not be recording their
names or the names of their clubs or
organizations to ensure anonymity and minimize
the risk of data contamination.
Jennylee then received permission from
group participants to audio record the session
and Kevin used a smartphone application to
record the session in its entirety. Jennylee served
as the main group facilitator; Kevin provided the
audio recording device; and Carrie took notes
as the students were talking to both provide a
back-up of data in the event the audio file did
not record properly and to write notes on student
body language and other nonverbal cues. Once
the focus group session was finished, the audio
file was saved for transcription and emailed to
Carrie Hachadurian, the group transcriber.
Raquel Cifuentes was then in charge of analyzing
the focus group data and group them into
common themes.
In accordance with quality practices (Banta &
Palomba, 2015; Schuh, et al, 2016), we
FOCUS GROUP QUESTIONS ASKED:
Tell me about your
1 experiences with CORE
Training?
How has CORE Training
2
1 helped you in creating or
maintaining your
organization?
11 C.O.R.E. Training Report 2017-18
conducted the semi-structured session with four
pre-prepared clear and open-ended questions,
presented below.
This allowed students to construct their
answers informally and as a group, creating their
meaning based off others' answers. Body
language of the participants was also relaxed and
informal. Participants seemed comfortable in
sharing their opinions of C.O.R.E. Training.
Transcribing the data consisted of typing the
conversation verbatim. Since we did not record
their names, any time a new student began
talking, the transcriber started a new paragraph
with ** to indicate a new student was talking. Any
time a member of the assessment team began to
talk or ask a question, the transcriber typed the
person's name into the transcription file.
The transcribed data was saved to a Google
document online so that the data could easily be
shared with Raquel, who grouped the findings
into themes, presented in the next section.
What would make C.O.
3 R.E. Training more
effective?
Why do you feel this
4 way?
DATA Analysis
Survey Results
Our team launched an online Qualtrics survey to assess student perceptions surrounding C.O.R.E. Training
and its learning outcomes. Questions were constructed with the learning outcomes (listed on page 7) in
mind and grouped into three categories: Importance of C.OR.E., Effectiveness of C.O.R.E. and the frequency
to which students applied the skills learned in C.O.R.E. Below is an explanation of our findings.

Importance of C.O.R.E. Training

We first wanted to know if students saw the
importance of C.O.R.E. Training in creating or
maintaining their RSO; in connecting them with
resources on campus needed to be successful
within their RSO (such as important information,
financial funding, etc.); in developing their own
leadership skills; and in developing leaders
within their organization. Before programs can
be truly effective, students need to first
understand the importance of such a program.

Four percent of students surveyed stated C.O.R.E. Training was either very important

4% or important in creating their RSO.

Thirteen percent of students surveyed stated C.O.R.E. Training was very important or
important in maintaining the success of their RSO, as well as in developing leaders
13% within their RSOs.

Thirty-eight percent of students surveyed agreed that C.O.R.E. Training was important
or very important in connecting them with resources needed to be successful (e.g.:
38% information, campus departments, financial support, etc.).

This data shows some students find C.O.R.E. Training important in connecting them with the resources
they feel they need in order to manage their RSOs; however, the majority of students do not see the
importance or were neutral of the program in creating and maintaining their RSO or in developing their
leadership skills.

Effectiveness of C.O.R.E. Training

We also wanted to measure student perceptions
surrounding the effectiveness of C.O.R.E. Training
in creating and/or maintaining their RSO;
connecting them to important resources in order
to be successful; in developing their leadership
skills; and in developing leaders within their RSOs.
We believe in order for students to integrate their
learning, they should see the effectiveness in the
skills they are developing within the program.

Eight percent of students surveyed stated C.O.R.E. Training was either very effective
8% or effective in creating their RSOs.
continues on next page

12
12 C.O.R.E. Training Report 2017-18
 Twenty-one percent of students surveyed stated C.O.R.E. Training was either very
effective or effective in helping them to achieve success in their RSOs.
21%

Thirty-eight percent of students agreed C.O.R.E. Training was either very effective
or effective in connecting them with resources they need to be successful
38% (information, campus resources, financial support, etc).

Thirteen percent of students surveyed agreed that C.O.R.E. Training was very effective
or effective in developing their leadership skills and in developing leaders within
13% their organization.

This data suggests there's a bit of a breakdown in perception between importance of the program and
effectiveness in each of the program's learning outcomes. The focus group analysis later in this document
goes into more detail of student opinions and what would make C.O.R.E. more effective.

Frequency of applied skills

Finally, our group wanted to measure the
frequency in which students applied the
information given or skills learned within C.O.R.
E. Training. Like the above, we asked students to
rate how frequently they applied concepts
learned in C.O.R.E. Training in creating or
maintaining their RSO; in connecting them to on-
campus resources; in developing their
leadership skills; and in developing leaders
within their RSOs.

Sixteen percent of students surveyed stated they frequently applied skills learned
in C.O.R.E. Training in creating and maintaining their RSO.
16%

Thirty-eight percent of students stated they applied information regarding on-

38% campus resources to achieve success within their RSO.

Thirteen percent of students stated they have used leadership skills learned during
the C.O.R.E. Training program within their RSO.
13%
This data is congruent with previous answers which indicate the majority of students surveyed do not
see the importance or the effectiveness of C.O.R.E. Training. As a result, the majority of students also do
not apply the skills the program aims to promote. The most successful of the learning outcomes lies in
connecting students with information and on-campus resources intended to help students succeed in
their RSO-related endeavors. This is also echoed in the next question, which is explained on the next page.

continues on next page

C.O.R.E. Training Report 2017-18 13

13
 When asked to choose the topics students
most enjoyed within C.O.R.E. Training as listed
on the C.O.R.E. Training schedule (see Appendix
A), the session on club finances, requesting
funds, and fundraising strategies was the
number-one topic, at 10 votes. The second-
highest session was on creative marketing and
promotion strategies at 8 votes, followed by
networking and collaboration and club
membership and constitution both at 6 votes.
This indicates that students liked the sessions
on tangible topics directly related to running
their clubs and organizations more so than on
broader topics such as communication and
collaboration.
This data is somewhat congruent with our
focus group analysis, which will highlight
students' desires for topics which directly
impacts how students run their clubs and
organizations. However, students in our focus
group, which is highlighted in the next section,
also stated they wanted more topics such as
conflict resolution and effective communication
strategies integrated into the C.O.R.E. Training
program. The data sets are contradictory in what
students say they wan to see in C.O.R.E. Training.
Some students only want solid information on
processes and policies, where others find
foundational skills such as effective
communication and conflict resolution skills
equally valid
We wrote one open-ended question to allow
students to tell us what topics they would like
to see in future C.O.R.E. Training sessions. Most
students mentioned wanting to see less of C.O.
R.E. trainings; however, one student mentioned
that the format of the sessions needed to be
more engaging and fun with learning activities
and a better mixture of media use rather than
using PowerPoint for the basis of the sessions.
This suggests that the style of the presentation
and the number of engaging activities is
important when creating sessions for the
program. This idea was also highlighted in the
focus group session, which will be presented in
the next section.
continues on next page
C.O.R.E. Training Report 2017-18 14
Demographics Explanation
We asked a few demographic questions at the
end of the survey to better understand to what
extent the students surveyed participated in the
C.O.R.E. Training program. When asked if the
students surveyed had personally been to C.O.R.
E. Training sessions, 22 students responded "yes"
with two students responding "no." When asked
how many C.O.R.E. sessions the students had
personally attended, 3 had indicated they did
not personally attend any C.O.R.E. sessions
(despite their answer to the previous question);
6 said they attended between one and two
sessions; 8 said they attended between three and
four sessions; 6 had attended between five and
six sessions; and 1 student said they had been to
all sessions to date (which was six sessions)..
When asked about the number of RSOs the
15 C.O.R.E. Training Report 2017-18
students surveyed had membership, 20 students
reported they were members of between one and
two RSOs; 3 stated they were part of three to four
RSOs; and 1 student reported they were members
of more than give RSOs on campus. Finally, when
asked how organized they felt their RSOs were, 9
students chose very organized; 11 chose
organized; two chose neither; and two chose
unorganized.
We did not ask questions pertaining to student
identity (sex, gender, race, age, etc.) because we
did not feel as though this would give us any
additional insights. Additionally, we felt asking
these types of questions on a survey when we
would not be using the data is disrespectful to
the participating students' time.
continues on next page
 FOCUS GROUP ANALYSIS
o gain a richer understanding of student perceptions of C.O.R.E.
T Training, our group conducted a focus group session in which
seven participants shared their views. During the session, four
reoccurring themes emerged: Additional topics and ideas are
needed; C.O.R.E. Training is not well advertised/ difficult to attend;
C.O.R.E. Training is a missed opportunity for networking; and it
should be more engaging. The following is a short analysis of our
findings:

I think something like this [C.O.R.E. Training] is the

perfect opportunity for other clubs to network and
partner with each other while learning skills.

12 Annual Report 2017-18

12 C.O.R.E. Training Report 2017-18
16
TOPICS OF INTEREST/ IDEAS
During the course of our focus group session, participating students spent a FREQUENCY
good amount of time on what they would like to see from C.O.R.E. Training.
Examples of topics that would interest them or benefit them personally or their
RSO in some way was the number one theme of the focus group session. A variety
18
of topics were mentioned 18 times through the conversation.

"The one CORE Training that I went to before this one which was on getting funds for your org,
which I haven't had to do or anything, but that was interesting and important information."

"Someone from SGA talked about how to do a supplemental funding request, because people
don’t know how to do that....as far as clubs go, they need to know how to get money so they
can go to these conferences; they probably need know how to deal with conflict because
you’re dealing with people with different personalities in the club and org."

"One of the biggest things I’d like to see in C.O.R.E. and C.O.R.E. Training is how to teach people
how to recruit people on Western’s campus in a way that fits their view on how they want to
run their org and how to find people that match their same idea and beliefs."

Additionally, students discussed ideas they feel would be helpful. Several students mentioned a
needing a central place to find pertinent information such as how to book rooms on campus,
which was a recurring example students used throughout the conversation.

"If there was more information like with a database or something, or to have a page (forum)
where everyone can kind of communicate with each other and open more bridges for
everyone, that would be a really beneficial thing to have something all set up. There’s really
no information out there and it’s so difficult to find [information]."

It is important to note that the Office of Leadership and Student Involvement does have an online
database housed within OrgSync; it was evident, however, that these particular students were not
aware of the resource.

The C.O.R.E. Training on

getting funds for your org
... was interesting and
important information.
continues on next page

C.O.R.E. Training Report 2017-18 17

 I think something like this is the perfect oppotunity for other
clubs to network and partner with each other..."

POOR COMMUNICATION ABOUT C.O.R.E./

DIFFICULT TO ATTEND
Students stated that although this issue has gotten better over the last several FREQUENCY
months, they were often unaware of when C.O.R.E. Trainings were happening
and would like better communication about sessions. With lack of communication,
they said, C.O.R.E. Training is difficult to plan for and attend. This sentiment was
11
expressed a total of 11 times throughout the conversation.

"I think they kind of resolved this, but I know like last semester, they would email the day of,
and I don’t know if it’s just my email or if like the other person who was also part of it wasn’t just
in it, so we only got notified like the day before and we’re like what's going on? Like, why can’t
you notify us beforehand?"

"We need more than just a Monday Morning Message that says ‘this week is CORE Training’ I
have a life other than this."

"The reason I missed the first ones was because they emailed about it the day of, and I was like,
I didn’t know about this beforehand. I had gotten no information on it it ... I think they’ve gotten
a little better about it, but it’s been a struggle trying to come to these things."

MISSED OPPORTUNITY TO NETWORK

Participants stated that they would like to utilize C.O.R.E. Training to connect FREQUENCY
with other clubs and organizations. They would like C.O.R.E. to be a network-
ing opportunity to learn about other clubs' events and collaborate with each
other on future endeavors. This theme was heard 10 times during the 10
session.

"I think something like this is the perfect opportunity for other clubs to network and partner
with each other while learning skills...I feel like that can be the spawn of you know, possibly
some networking in the future."

"I just think like it (C.O.R.E. Training) just hasn’t been used properly ... it should be something
that people want to go to. Like, 'Hey I’m going to C.O.R.E. tonight, so we can promote this
event; I’ve got an event coming up in two months, let’s see if anyone’s interested in that.’

C.O.R.E. Training Report 2017-18 18

NOT BENEFICIAL/ ENGAGING
Lastly, students stated that C.O.R.E. Training was not helpful to the develop- FREQUENCY
ment or management of their club. Additionally, students felt the sessions
were not interesting or engaging. They did not want to feel as though they
were sitting in a classroom, and wanted more opportunity to get up and
8
participate in learning activities. This theme was present eight times during
the session.

"There’s a lot of people here but we just sit and do nothing. So I agree, like I find them boring
because sitting down is boring."

"I feel like a lot of people view it as something that you have to go to, just send anyone, like
make sure like there’s attendance on there....I don’t know I don’t really find it as helpful as it
could be."

"I would just say if you’re going to ask so many people to take an hour out of their day, that
like, it should be worth it."

CLOSING ANALYSIS
During our semi-structured session, we
also asked questions in addition to the four
prepared questions. We asked participating
students if any of them had taken what they
learned or heard at C.O.R.E. Training back to
their respective RSOs. We feel it important to
note that no one mentioned they spoke of C.
O.R.E. Training or the items discussed in any
of the meetings with their RSO members.
Essentially, most students see C.O.R.E.
Training as simply something that they have
to do in order to maintain their RSO status,
which misses the mark on the program's main
learning outcomes. This also helps explain
why in the online survey the vast majority of
students stated they did not apply the skills
learned at C.O.R.E. Training sessions to their
RSOs.
We also feel it important to note that at
several points, students mentioned they
would be interested in leading, or at least
being heavily involved in, C.O.R.E. sessions.
This idea of peer-led workshops could be
mutually beneficial in allowing members from
clubs and organizations to increase their
professional development by creating the
sessions, as well as the benefit of hearing from
their peers, who also struggle with the same
challenges.
Additionally, during at least one instance,
students mentioned that although C.O.R.E.
Training is a SGA-mandated program, they
rarely see much of a presence from SGA or
GSA (Graduate Student Association). Several
questioned why C.O.R.E. Training was
mandatory for their club but not mandatory
for SGA representation.
In short, our team feels that with some
tweaking, C.O.R.E. can be extremely beneficial
to the students' professional and personal
development. Our suggestions are discussed
later in this report.

19 C.O.R.E. Training Report 2017-18

BENCHMARKING
In addition to our assessment approaches, our team chose four institutions from a list of already-
established WCU peer institutions (Kennesaw State University, SUNY Osewego, Western Illinois
University, and Radford University) to examine their practices in providing support of their student
clubs and organizations. Below is a table with those findings, in comparison with WCU's C.O.R.E.
Training and other additional resources:
Training for Required? Topics Covered? Additional
University student orgs? Format? Support?

Yes required for new Basics (Policies/ Student Activities;

Kennesaw State organizations and Resources) and a Coord. of Student
officer positions; a Reservations/ Event Orgs/ Student
Students Enrolled: required annual Planning module. Activities; Business
35,600 RSO conference; Required annual Coord. for Student
and optional conference and Orgs; Reservation/
# of orgs: 300+ monthly workshops. optional monthly Event Specialist; Owl
meetings cover Life (their version of
leadership OrgSync)
development and
other various topics.

Two required online Director/ Assoc./

Online training modules: RSO Asst. Director for
Western Illinois Yes 10- 12 optional in- Topics include the Associate Director;
University person workshops Lead series, RSO Grad. Assistant; Org
per semester guidelines and Finance Officer; RSO
Students Enrolled: resources available Advisors (volunteer
9,441 of organization, faculty/ staff);
recruitment and PurplePost 2.0 (their
# of orgs: 260+ retention of version of Orgsync);
members, utilizing Student
social media to Organization Center;
promote events, Two graphic
interview tips, etc. designers for
marketing; free
printing; cost-
effective catering

Radford University Yes Optional in-person

workshops; Optional workshops Two Assistant
Students enrolled: required program, topics include how Directors of Student
9,418 Leadership to apply for funding Activities; two
Oddyssey, for or create a page on Coordinators of
# of orgs: 275 returning student RU Involved website. Student
orgs; required one- Leadership Odyssey Organizations;
on-one training for centers around materials to create
new student orgs leadership posters and flyers
with full-time staff development topics. for events;
leadership library
where students can
get information and
resources about

20 C.O.R.E. Training Report 2017-18

 Training for Required? Topics Covered? Additional
University student orgs? Format? Support?

Yes workshops for basic organizations; Risk “The Point” for full-
SUNY - Oswego information; Management time staff and
optional in-person session required for student office space
Students Enrolled: workshops Sport Clubs and and mailboxes;
8,000 throughout the Greek organizations; Student
semester Treasurer Training Involvement
# of orgs: 224 for SGA-funded Advisor, Coord.,
organizations Director of Student
required. Optional Involvement;
opportunities Administrative
include annual Associate
conference; \
leadership courses,
speakers series,
individualized
trainings

Laker Life (their

Sessions on Title IX version of OrgSync);
Required in-person are required for all Office-plex called

Western Carolina Yes Required Topics include OrgSync; Club Hub

University representation from fundraising of online resources;
each org at monthly strategies and some funding for
Students enrolled: in-person policies, printing or other
11,043 workshops (C.O.R.E. communication and materials needed;
Training); Required collaboration Director of C.O.R.E.
# of orgs: 170+ 3-hour RSO Training through networking, via SGA; Assistant
session for professionalism, etc. Director for Student
Presidents, Vice RSO Training for Clubs/
Presidents, and ICC student leaders Organizations;
Delegate includes leadership Graduate Assistant
training and
development.

C.O.R.E. Training Report 2017-18 21

RECOMMENDATIONS
C.O.R.E trainings provide a variety of programs that complement the academic experience of students
at WCU. The trainings provide opportunities for students to build leadership skills and embrace new
experiences. Though the foundation for C.O.R.E. has already been established, our team believes that
there is room for improvement and growth throughout the program based on the findings.

#1: REVISED LEARNING OUTCOMES/ PROGRAM GOALS

We recommend the Student Government Association and the Office of Leadership and Student
Involvement consider revising the student learning outcomes using Bloom’s Taxonomy, with
taking the following into consideration (a helpful guide is also included in Appendix C):
Avoid abstract words or phrases such as 'understand' and 'be aware of,' which are
difficult to measure;
Avoid compound outcomes, such as combining 'creating an RSO' and 'maintaining an
RSO' into one learning outcome, when the two should be assessed separately; and
Scaffold the learning outcomes from low-order to high-order to challenge all
participants, even those who have already completed the year of the program (Schuh,
et al, 2016).
Additionally, the program outcomes should focus on long-range goals and provide direction for
program development and topic selection (Schuh, et al, 2016).

#2: OPTIONAL MONTHLY MEETINGS

The monthly C.O.R.E. Training sessions currently required for student clubs and organizations
could be optional. Optional meetings would offer students leverage on programs they are
interested in and want to freely participate. Additionally, the optional meetings could focus more
on networking and collaboration opportunities between organizations.

C.O.R.E. Training Report 2017-18 22

 #3: C.O.R.E. CON
In lieu of the monthly required sessions, the Student Government
Association may consider a mandatory conference at the start of
each semester as an introduction to resources available to
registered student organizations. The conference-style orientation
could feature sessions on topics relevant to student organizations including:
Club/ Organization overarching policies;
Room reservation;
Recruitment and retention strategies;
Event planning protocols and procedures;
Fundraising and requesting funds.
Additional topics would include effective communication within organizations, conflict resolution,
and collaboration with other organizations and departments on campus. At least TWO executive
members of the organization should plan on attending, though more are welcome. This event
could also be a DegreePlus opportunity in the professionalism and leadership skills and an
optional event for students outside the C.O.R.E. program (A sample conference agenda is found in
Appendix D.

#4: MEMBER REPORTS/ HANDOUTS

Club representatives must consider reporting back to their members. The training may be
incomplete or out-of-context without students having the opportunity to process and reflect on
the information received. A member report form could help club representatives contextualize the
information they learned from the session as it applies to their organization (A sample is included
in Appendix E). Likewise, presenters of C.O.R.E. Training sessions should consider a short handout
of key points to aid students in relaying the information to members of their RSOs.
continues on next page
23 C.O.R.E. Training Report 2017-18
 #5: NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES/ LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Organizers may consider inviting external speakers, either from on-campus departments or off-
campus motivational speakers, to provide inspiration and networking opportunity through
presentation or social mixers. At the beginning of each session, students from on-campus
organizations could also apply to present with the external speaker on the same topic.
Additionally, to avoid making sessions feel like lectures, more learning activities which promote
personal interactions would benefit the development of leadership, critical thinking skills, and
communication skills of the members during each session. For every 15 to 20 minutes of
speaking, the presenters could incorporate a relevant learning activity or short group discussion/
personal reflection. Presenters could also be encouraged to incorporate a variety of media
including videos or online games such as Kahoot to better engage students during the sessions.

#6: CLUB UPDATES/ COLLABORATION

A designated time for club updates and collaboration may be incorporated into the beginning of
C.O.R.E. sessions. This collaboration would allow student organizations to learn from each other
and utilize their experiences to assist with planning efforts, funding events, access new resources,
and work together toward a shared goal, e.g. collaboration with Greek Life.

#6: IMPROVED
#7: CLUB UPDATES/
KNOWLEDGE-BASED
COLLABORATION
WEBSITE
The Office of Leadership and Student Involvement currently has a dedicated website for clubs and
organizations; however, it could be updated with a better design so that the information is easier
to see. When students search for 'clubs and organizations,' it takes them directly to the correct
page, which is great -- but the eye is naturally drawn to the search function in the middle of the
page. Students may not know that there is also a manual for RSOs and other online resources at
their disposal. We recommend a page outside of OrgSync -- rso.wcu.edu or core.wcu.edu, for
example -- that would enable better design features. The OLSI could also work with Web Services
to integrate better practices and marketing strategies for the students who need this information.

#6: INCREASED
#8: CLUB UPDATES/ COLLABORATION
SGA PRESENCE/ RESTRUCTURE OF C.O.R.E.
Organization members would benefit from increased participation from the Student Government
Association regarding effective communication (both written and oral), making personal
connections, and providing opportunities for students to engage in public speaking. If SGA is in
charge of C.O.R.E., then there should be much more participation from SGA (and possible the
Graduate Student Association). Alternatively, SGA could consider restructuring C.O.R.E. so that it
falls directly under OLSI with SGA partnership. This would allow full-time staff to make more
timely changes and improvements without having to wait on SGA to approve the amendments. We
recommend having the OLSI Graduate Assistant become the Director of C.O.R.E., with supervision
from OLSI, and create an Assistant Director of C.O.R.E. position within SGA for continued SGA
involvement, but not necessarily management.
24 C.O.R.E. Training Report 2017-18
LIMITATIONS
Despite our best efforts in marketing our
online Qualtrics survey, participation in our was
quite low. Although the total number of C.O.R.E.
Training participants is difficult to calculate given
that anyone from a RSO may represent their
organization and one student may represent
multiple RSOs with which they are affiliated, we
believe the response rate of the survey is less
than 10 percent.
Additionally, we did not include the March 15
and April 15 C.O.R.E. Training sessions in our
online survey because we launched the survey
before those sessions took place. It is possible
the results may have been different If we had
had the opportunity to wait so that we could
include those sessions.
The focus group session consisted of seven
participants, two of which also belonged to Greek
organizations, which may have given them a
certain bias towards the Greek system and how
it operates. The other five students in the focus
group belonged to smaller organizations, which
could also affect their perceptions in what C.O.
R.E. Training should look like and the types of
resources and guidance it gives.
Additionally, the focus group took place
directly after the March 15 presentation on
transferable skills and professionalism in which
a representative from the Center for Career and
Professional Development focused on resume
development and how to translate skills learned
within campus involvement in a future job
interview. Several students commented that
while resumes are important and the information
given was meaningful, they did not see the
connection with C.O.R.E. Training's main purpose
of assisting students in running their
organizations well. As a result, the students
tended to use the March 15 session often as their
examples to describe why the felt C.O.R.E.
Training was not always applicable to running
their clubs or organizations.
Since the focus group took place directly after
a C.O.R.E. Training session as student workers with
the Department of Campus Activities were
breaking down tables and chairs, it was difficult
to hear some participants in the audio recording.
This may have also affected participants' ability
to hear each other and may have caused a
disruption to their train of thought.
Additional assessment strategies should be
considered to gain a holistic understanding of C.
O.R.E. Training, as well as its goals and learning
outcomes. Such strategies should be launched in
a cyclical fashion to continue to meet student
needs.
C.O.R.E. Training Report 2017-18 25
REFERENCES
APPENDIX

C.O.R.E. Training Report 2017-18 26

APPENDIX A

C.O.R.E. Training Report 2017-18 29

APPENDIX B

27 C.O.R.E. Training Report 2017-18

28 C.O.R.E. Training Report 2017-18
APPENDIX C

C.O.R.E. Training Report 2017-18 30

APPENDIX D
APPENDIX E

Sample Member Report Form

C.O.R.E. Training participants are encouraged to report back to their clubs and organizations any
information or skills learned you find pertinent for the maintenance and advancement of your
RSO. Please use this form as a way to take notes during the session so that you are better
prepared to share this information with your peers.

SESSION TITLE: _______________________________________

DATE: ____________________________

THREE TAKEAWAYS:

HOW YOUR ORGANIZATION CAN USE THE INFORMATION:

USEFUL RESOURCES: (Note: This section could be pre-filled by the session presenter)

31 C.O.R.E. Training Report 2017-18