JoeBooksLevy

Beyond effectiveness and efficiency, organizations need

Inspiration + Integrity

Meet Joe

Joe "Books" Levy

Strategist for Learning & Organizational Effectiveness

Before becoming Dr. Joseph D. Levy, his high school friends called him "Books". This nickname came from regularly doing homework and pleasure reading while his friends would play games. More desire than discipline, Joe was a high achiever with an avid appetite for learning.
 
Joe has extended his passion for learning, development, and outcome-oriented success through a career encouraging a learner-centered approach to achieving goals. Leveraging industry and organizational context, his scholarship and work promotes strategic operations, values-based accountability, and data-informed decision-making toward equitable outcomes. Joe loves to showcase his eclectic interests, experience, and enthusiasm to promote quality, justice, and organizational effectiveness in relatable ways.

What Joe Does

Consulting

Strategy | Guidance | Problem-Solving 

Having formal consulting experience in the technology (SaaS) space, higher education, non-profit organizations, and as a coach for the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA), Joe is experienced and comfortable consulting for on data-informed continuous improvement and quality assurance efforts as one-time projects or long-term organizational strategies, or somewhere in between.

Training

Workshops | Activities | How-To

Formats: Comfortable engaging large or small groups with in-person or virtual sessions. Open to conducting recorded sessions.
 
Topics: Assessment and evaluation; reporting and data-informed action; accreditation and compliance; learning and development (strategy, training facilitation, curriculum design); organizational effectiveness; advancing inclusion and equity efforts; and more! Inquire for additional or custom topics.

Speaking

Topical | Motivation | Professional Development

Having professional experience with topics others may find boring, mandated, stressful, or generally consider unrelated to their purpose, Joe has honed his style finding ways to engage an audience through enthusiasm, humor, relatable examples, and purposeful messaging to both empower individuals and encourage action.

What Joe Publishes

Collection of peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and white paper publications

Levy, J. D. (2024, forthcoming).Drive for results. In R. Lindbeck and V. Nix (eds.) Workplace Leadership.
Levy, J. D. (2023). Examining motivation to advance assessment actions. Assessment Update, 35(3), 8-9. https://doi.org/10.1002/au.30348 
 
Levy, J. D.,& Carpenter, C. (2022). Equity considerations in credit for prior learning and beyond. The Evolllution. 
 
Heiser, C. A., & Levy, J. D. (2022). Advancing equity in student affairs through assessment practice. In
Henning, Baker, Jankowski, Lundquist, & Montenegro (Eds), Reframing Assessment to center equity: Theories, models, and practices (pp. 213-233).
 
Levy, J. D., & Carpenter, C. (2022). Equity considerations in credit for prior learning and beyond. The Evolllution.
 
Levy, J. D., & Patel, M. (2022). Combatting a compliance mindset by advocating for betterment. The Assessment Review, 3(2).
 
Levy, J. D. (2022). Transcending terminology can elevate student affairs assessment value. Student Affairs Today, 25(2), 1, 4.
 
Levy, J. D. (2022). A year in the life of an assessment coordinator: Reporting. The Evolllution.
 
Levy, J. D. (2022). A year in the life of an assessment coordinator: Data collection. The Evolllution.
 
Levy, J. D. (2022). A year in the life of an assessment coordinator: Assessment planning. The Evolllution.
 
Song, L. M., Nix, J. V., & Levy,J. D. (2021). Assessing affective learning outcomes through a meaning- 
centered curriculum. Proceedings of the Association for Assessment of Learning inHigher Education (AALHE), June 7-11, 2021 Annual Conference, pp. 15-37.
 
Levy, J. D. (2021). How to leverage assessment and strategic planning for beneficial by-products. The Evolllution.
 
Levy, J. D. (2020). Self-Determination Theory and faculty behavior: A quantitative study of faculty leaders' use of assessment evidence. Dissertations. 434.
 
Levy, J. D. (2020). Measuring prior learning success by leveraging data. The Evolllution.
 
Costello, T.A., & Levy, J. D. (2019). Supporting the adult learner through prior learning assessment. The Evolllution.
 
Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Innovation Zone. (2018). Continuous improvement of the substantive change process. Higher Learning Commission. [Primary author]
 
Levy, J. D., Hess, R. M., & Thomas, A. S. (2018). Student affairs assessment & accreditation: History, 
expectations, and implications. The Journal of Student Affairs Inquiry, 4(1).
 
Levy, J. D., & Heiser, C.A. (2018, March). Inclusive assessment practice (Equity Response). Urbana, IL: University of Illinois and Indiana University, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA).
 
Levy, J. D. (2017). Awareness and strategy necessary for technology. AALHE Intersection, Summer, 3-6.
 
Levy, J. D. (2017). Remembering the basics. The Journal of Student Affairs Inquiry, 2(Letters to the
editor).
 
Heiser, C. A., Prince, K., Levy, J. D. (2017). Examining critical theory as a framework to advance equity 
through student affairs assessment. The Journal of Student Affairs Inquiry, 3(1).
 
Levy, J. D. (2016). Own it! Assessment is your responsibility. In K. Irland, J. Bhatt, A. Fields, S. De Matteo, & T. Krieglstein (Eds), Tracking is trending: A survival guide to assessment in student affairs (pp. 45-50). Student Affairs Collective.
 
Levy, J. D. (2013). What if assessment advanced our practice? AFA Essentials, (50).
 
Levy, J. D. (2013). A catalyst for collaboration. ACUHO-I Talking Stick, 30(6), 20-22, 52.
 
Levy, J. D. (2013). ABCs of ineffective assessment cultures: Spelling out the wrongs to make right.
Journal of Student Affairs, (22), 35-40.
 
Levy, J. D., McKelfresh, D. A., & Donovan, J. (2012). A scale for success. ACUHO-I Talking Stick, 29(3), 28-
35, 49.
 
ACPA Internal Publications. (2012). Professional competency areas for student affairs practitioners: Rubrics for professional development. Washington, D.C.: American College Personnel Association. [Contributing author]
 
McKelfresh, D. A., & Levy, J. D. (2009). No small measure. ACUHO-I Talking Stick, 27(2), 28-31, 34, 51.
 
Levy, J. D. (2009). Distance learning: The struggle for satisfaction. Journal of Student Affairs, (18), 27-33.
 
Levy, J. D. (2008). Ancient Mayan mathematical developments. Baldwin-Wallace College Journal of 
Research & Creative Studies, 1(2).

What Joe BlogsCollection of professional and personal blog posts. Admittedly, Joe shifted attention more to publications versus blogging since 2022, but still great (approachable/engaging) nuggets of wisdom here!

4 Ways You Should Be Reviewing & Refining Your Student Learning Outcomes

September 21, 2021 · Intentionality,How-To,Student-Centered,Reflection

You likely have some student learning outcome statements — that is, statements that reflect what skills or knowledge sets you want students to learn as a result of your office or division’s programming. You may have created these statements because someone told you to, because you were...

How Data Can Help #SApros Improve Their Co-Curricular Courses & Workshops

August 24, 2021 · Online,Intentionality,How-To,Academic Affairs,Reflection

Everyone involved in shaping student learning has a responsibility to do meaningful and impactful assessment. Assessment should help you answer essential questions about the student learning experience. And because of the care you hopefully put into crafting learning outcomes for student...

9 Smart Ways to Involve Students in Assessment of Programs & Learning

July 30, 2021 · How-To,Student-Centered,Student Affairs,Action,Principles

We need to involve students more in assessment. Despite assessment usually being shorthand for assessment of student learning, faculty, staff, and assessment pros are all guilty of not engaging students as much as we should. And it’s not like including students is merely a nice thing to do....

The president invited Joe back...

"Joe facilitated two hands-on workshops for faculty that helped coordinate learning outcome articulation and curriculum mapping for all academic programs at Triton College. During his workshops, he provided a strong foundation of knowledge for faculty across academic areas of the college and accelerated our assessment efforts for the year. After hearing his presentations to faculty, the president invited Joe back to speak to the college’s leadership team about advancing and supporting an institutional culture of assessment."
Lauren Kosrow, Ed.D.
Chair, Triton College Library
Chair, Academic Assessment Committee
Triton College

I know Joe. He's great.

"Joe Levy visited our college as part of the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) Coach program. NILOA selected him as our coach because of his expertise in Student Affairs assessment as that was a particular area of interest for us. During his one-day visit, he gave tailored presentations to student affairs, academic affairs, and college administration. He met with large and small groups and effectively interacted with students, faculty, and staff. Joe was responsive, organized, and easy to work with through all phases of the process and has continued to serve as a resource for us in the 18 months since his visit. I have recommended both him and the NILOA Coach program in a number of assessment settings and when I do, I frequently hear someone say, "I know Joe. He's great." If you are looking for support with assessment, I highly recommend Joe Levy."
Julie Bauer Morrison, Ph.D.
Director, College Assessment & Review Team
Glendale Community College, AZ

 

We left with a better understanding...

"Joe’s work with our faculty and staff provided them with valuable insight on using CAS Standards as a framework for institutional and departmental level assessment. Through his concrete and meaningful examples, we gained new appreciation for the value of both quantitative and qualitative feedback, and we left with a better understanding of how to map our program goals to our institution’s strategic plan."
Debra West, Ph.D.
Chancellor
Arkansas State University Mid-South

Dr. Levy was instrumental...

"Dr. Levy was instrumental in laying the foundational assessment knowledge to successfully launch Oakton Community College's Student Affairs Assessment Program. He also helped the College's assessment team, Oakton's Program for Assessment and Learning, advance its equity in assessment work by facilitating interactive discussions about how to approach disaggregated assessment data with an equity lens."
Ruth Williams
Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs
Dean of Curriculum and Instruction
Oakton Community College

Our team loved working with Joe...

"Joe was an amazing partner who brought our idea of creating a system-wide comprehensive co-curricular assessment resource to life!  Joe’s deep knowledge and enthusiasm for assessment was contagious and resulted in a renewed appetite among our college and university leaders to revise co-curricular assessment plans and scale assessment practices to all areas of student affairs and enrollment management.  The resource that was created continues to serve as a foundational resource for our college and university leadership and has also served as a critical professional development resource for practitioners as they build assessment practices in the design of the programs and services offered to enhance student success.  Our team loved working with Joe and we are thankful to have benefitted from his expertise in developing our co-curricular assessment resources."
 Paul Shepherd, Ed.D.
System Director for Student Development and Success
Minnesota State System

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