Academic research, statewide reports, and regional report cards describing K-12 student achievement on standardized tests have become commonplace throughout the US. Incorporating outcomes assessment in higher education is proceeding more slowly. Faculty and staff at colleges and universities have not embraced the assessment movement, and many…

In 1997, the Oregon legislature directed the Oregon University System (OUS) to develop and implement performance measures and indicators with respect to broad policy goals of access, quality, employability, and cost-effectiveness. An advisory committee of representatives of the state's public colleges and universities was formed to shape the…

Because assessment of student learning is mandated by accrediting bodies, many faculty and administrators feel coerced and so resist or even undermine assessment activities on campuses. In this article, the author describes how a prominent motivation theory called "self-determination theory" can be helpful in understanding the attitudes and…

In November 2003, Southeastern Oklahoma State University underwent a comprehensive reaccreditation visit conducted by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Throughout the visit, Southeastern was commended for the assessment culture that had been created on campus. The team concluded that…

One of the author's first assessment experiences at California State University, Sacramento, began when she was assigned to teach a graduate-level program evaluation research course in the Division of Criminal Justice. The chair of the assessment committee and the division chair approached her with the idea of conducting an assessment of the…

By late last November, the 2004-2005 academic year had become known informally among higher education policy wonks as "the year of accountability." Probably because of anticipated debates about the Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (which were supposed to have begun in January but fizzled), no fewer than four major reports on…

Blue Ridge Community College (BRCC) and James Madison University (JMU) in Virginia are longtime transfer partners. Almost 85 percent of BRCC's transfer students transfer to JMU. An articulation agreement between the two institutions guarantees admission to JMU with junior status to BRCC Associate in Arts and Sciences graduates who have a grade…

Building a campuswide culture of assessment is a complex, long-term goal, and the process for achieving such a lofty goal must be thoughtfully planned, persistently and sensitively implemented, and, above all, inclusive of the various campus constituencies that form the backbone of the academic community. Often as campus assessment initiatives…

The Evergreen State College is a public liberal arts college in Washington that has been named the "number one learning community" in the nation by "U.S. News & World Report." There are no grades at Evergreen; instead, faculty provide a narrative evaluation of students' performance in their courses. There are also no majors at Evergreen. Most…

Values and realities may have difficulty coexisting on a college campus. What is expressed in an institution's mission and what actually occurs may be far apart. In some instances, the academic values incorporated within a mission and the realities of implementation operate in completely separate channels and rarely interact. In other cases, the…

In an attempt to understand what was going on at the classroom level, the College Student Report was augmented to focus on specific classes. The survey draws on items from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) instrument and specific content items for courses were added. This article describes CLASSE, a two-component tool that compares…

Employing a graduate assistant in the assessment process can be rewarding for both the student and the academic department. This article describes the skills, challenges, and rewards of the author's work on program assessment in the Interdisciplinary Technology Department at Eastern Michigan University. The author hopes to provide some insights…

Portland State University (PSU) is a public university with more than twenty-three thousand students enrolled in 120 undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degree programs. In the fall of 1994, the PSU faculty initiated the revised general education program, University Studies. The culmination of this four-year, interdisciplinary general education…

Several years ago, the University of Indianapolis embarked on its self-study for North Central Association accreditation with the issue of quality assessment linked to outcomes. As such, its Department of Communication was forced to demonstrate outcomes-oriented evaluation of student learning. After an extensive audit of the department's…

Capstone experiences in higher education are not a new phenomenon. Indeed, for several decades, graduating seniors in a variety of disciplines from a wide range of institutions have participated in a course, program, or activity designed to facilitate their transition to the real world beyond the academy. It has been found that capstones provide…