Actionable Steps for Engaging Assessment Practitioners and Faculty in Implementation Fidelity Research

Kristen L. Smith, Sara J. Finney, and Keston H. Fulcher   |    Volume Twelve  |   

Implementation fidelity data indicate to what extent the delivered educational intervention (e.g., pedagogies, curricula) differs from the designed intervention (Gerstner & Finney, 2013; O’Donnell, 2008). Fidelity data help practitioners make more accurate inferences regarding program effectiveness (Dumas, Lynch, Laughlin, Smith, & Prinz, 2001). However, implementation fidelity research is underused in higher education (Berman & McLaughlin, 1976; Dhillon, Darrow, & Meyers, 2015). Institutional and programmatic assessment cycles typically omit implementation fidelity processes. Moreover, there are too few didactic examples of how to engage in implementation fidelity (O’Donnell, 2008). Thus, we provide actionable steps for gathering implementation fidelity data. Practitioners who adopt these steps will be well-positioned to conduct fidelity research as part of assessment processes. They will also be able to draw more valid inferences from assessment data and make more informed decisions regarding interventions. Fidelity research can help higher education evolve from an assessment culture to a learning improvement culture.

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