What is Assessment?
Assessment is the ongoing process of:
- establishing clear, measurable, expected outcomes and/or program objectives, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the program.
- Implementing programs and practices designed to achieve those outcomes/goals.
- systematically gathering, analyzing, and interpreting evidence to determine how well programs and practices are working at meeting their expected outcomes/goals, and
- using the resulting information to understand and improve the program.
Most importantly, assessment should be:
- Meaningful
- Manageable
- Flexible
- Truth-seeking/objective/ethical
- Designed to inform decisions for continuous improvement
Why is Assessment Important?
Because assessment can:
- provide tangible data to evaluate current programs, and make necessary changes
- provide information on student and department needs
- Results can provide a learning opportunity
- be specific to a department or program
- clearly identify expectations
- help identify what will be evaluated
- help tell our story through a systematic and compelling way
- improve campus-wide communication and collaboration
References
- Schuh, John H. and Ann M. Gansemer-Topf, The Role of Student Affairs in Student Learning Assessment, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA), 2010.
- Upcraft, M.L. and John H. Schuh, Assessment in Student Affairs: A Guide for Practitioners, Jossey-Bass, 1996.
Assessment is the ongoing process of:
- establishing clear, measurable, expected outcomes and/or program objectives, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the program.
- Implementing programs and practices designed to achieve those outcomes/goals.
- systematically gathering, analyzing, and interpreting evidence to determine how well programs and practices are working at meeting their expected outcomes/goals, and
- using the resulting information to understand and improve the program.