"Assessment on college campuses has a sordid history, and it is fairly simple to find someone with a traumatic tale to tell. It is wise to respect that that reputation is deserved." "How do you modify the inner workings and culture of a massive institution with minimal resources and even less authority (other than GE course approvals), and thousands and thousands of talented people busy doing other things?" "The road to departmental assessment can seem both dramatic and apocalyptic, especially if one's departmental centre cannot hold, and purpose falls apart. The Department of English and Linguistics is presently on this journey, slouching towards its own revelations of mission and fulfillment of purpose." "I have become more optimistic about the potential value of the process, even if some of my initial skepticism remains. This skepticism, however, has been valuable, forcing me to think in more concrete ways about what I do in the classroom." As these excerpts show, this is no conventional book about assessment. It presents the unvarnished first-person accounts of fourteen faculty and administrators about how they grappled, and engaged, with assessment and how--despite misgivings and an often-contentious process--they were able to gain the collaboration of their peers as the benefits for student learning became evident. This is a book for skeptical faculty, for those who have been tasked to spearhead their institution's call to create a culture of assessment; and, on campuses where assessment has been widely accepted and implemented, for those who now need to ensure this commitment will endure. For all these audiences, this book offers valuable advice, strategies, models and ideas. Contents include: (1) Assessment Is Like a Box of Chocolates (Lisa Maxfield); (2) Assessment: Legacy, Culture, and Vision (Lynn Lester and Kate Hendel); (3) Some Uncertainties Exist (David A. Eubanks); (4) Wanted: Nutrient-Rich Environments For Genuine Assessment (Jean Mach); (5) From Bereavement To Assessment: The Transformation of a Regional Comprehensive University (Rose Perrine, Charlie Sweet, Hal Blythe, Paula Kopacz, Dorie Combs, Onda Bennett, Stacey Street, and E. J. Keeley); (6) How It Took A Whole Village (Eileen Matthews); (7) Slouching Toward Assessment: One Department's Journey Toward Accountability Bliss (Hardin L. Aasand, Stevens Amidon, and Debrah Huffman); (8) Designing, Implementing, And Sustaining Department/Program Review and Assessment at a Community College (Althea Smith and Susan Bayard); (9) Discovering Our Way: Defining And Implementing An Integrated Culture Of Assessment (Mia Alexander-Snow and Christine Robinson); (10) Outcomes Assessment, The Public Research University, and the Humanities (Laura J. Rosenthal); (11) Turf Battles, Subcultures, and Procedural Technicalities: Multiple Pathways Toward Assessment at The University of Southern Maine (Ann C. Dean and Susan Mcwilliams); (12) Engaging Faculty in the Assessment Process at The University Of West Florida (Eman M. El-Sheikh, Justice Mbizo, Claudia J. Stanny, George L. Stewart, Melanie A. Sutton, Laura J. White, and Michelle Hale Williams); (13) Evidence of Learning (Melissa Pedone and Allison Sloan); and (14) Seeing the Light, Feeling the Heat (Patricia A. Thomas, Jeanne Mullaney, and Deborah Grossman-Garber).