The three-year Miami University (Ohio) project to develop teaching portfolios is described. The department-based approach acknowledges that departments and disciplines have different cultures, and that departments are where rewards are determined. Issues in portfolio development and use, including benefits and problems, are discussed and…

This article briefly reviews assessment trends in higher, secondary, and elementary education and argues that approaches to evaluating learning evolve slowly with experience and commitment to change. It also notes that qualities that lead individuals into education may militate against their being interested in--or able to--grade others. (JB)

Argues that a growing realization and acceptance of the complexities of college teaching is behind many current trends in the field and suggests that college teaching's complexities lie in changes in the communication process including the population, paths, levels, methods, and assessment in teaching and learning. (JB)