The SSHE Conference is designed to engage professionals in critical discussions and strategies surrounding Assessment, Planning, and Data Analytics (APDA), Dismantling Systemic Barriers to Student Success (DSBC), and First-generation Student Success (FGSS). Each track will address the unique challenges and opportunities within these fields, equipping attendees with actionable insights to enhance institutional effectiveness, promote equity, and foster student achievement. This is a space for collaboration, innovation, and the exchange of best practices across higher education, focusing on the student experience from a data-informed, equity-centered perspective.

Dr. Bell will present Listen Up!: Designing and Implementing Student Focus Groups for Campus Change, Assessment, Planning, and Data Analytics Track. In this workshop, presenters introduce focus groups as a tool for incorporating student perspectives in campus transformation efforts. Participants will learn hands-on techniques to design and implement focus groups that address systemic barriers on their campuses. By the end of the session, participants will leave with a complete focus group plan and interview protocol draft ready for implementation.