Single-Subject Research Design: A Rigorous, Responsive, and Accessible Approach to Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education

Assessment, evaluation, and research in higher education serve as a means to evaluate and document evidence of educational effectiveness. However, many existing approaches to assessment and evaluation lack rigor in their methodological design, responsiveness to changing student needs, and accessibility to researchers and practitioners with varying degrees of methodological training. This paper offers an illustrative example of single-subject research design (SSRD) as a means to evaluate the effectiveness of a unique behavioral program developed by the staff of a post-secondary transition program on a university campus. Through this example, we highlight SSRD as a promising option for rigorous, responsible, and accessible assessment to improve data-driven decision-making in higher education.