In this article, the authors describe a mechanism they developed that assesses the congruence between their students' self-perceptions and the impressions they give to others. They wanted the students to view themselves, but they also wanted them to gain perspective on how others perceive their symbolic displays of affect. Preliminary results…

As readers of "Assessment Update" know, the call for assessment is sweeping over the globe, so much so that faculty and administrators are finding it difficult to ignore it--though many may wish they could. Unfortunately, awareness does not lead to an increase in assessment implementation because fear of assessment is still widespread. The push…

The Community Outreach Centre (COC) is part of the Community Development portfolio in the Division of Student Affairs at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. It opened in fall 2007 as a resource and support centre for students who live off campus. The overarching goal of the centre is to cultivate community among off-campus students…

The authors are members of the Department of Business Administration, one of seven undergraduate departments in the College of Business (COB) at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois. As part of both the COB's assessment plan and the Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) of their regional accreditor, the authors assessed student learning…

A common theme among faculty at many universities is that student motivation to learn is lacking in the classroom. The primary concern of today's students is to obtain A and B grades regardless of demonstrated proficiency in the subject matter. Concern about students' motivation to learn is evident at the accounting educator's conference known as…

At a recent assessment workshop, one of the authors' colleagues, Andrew Stuart Bergerson, offered a novel metaphor for building their university's assessment program. "We need to spread the assessment virus on campus," Drew remarked, half seriously. Although they had a good laugh over this image at the time, it encapsulates the faculty-driven…

Many college faculty react to student outcomes assessment the way most people react when they see a rattlesnake within striking distance. Common faculty reactions to the perceived threat of assessment include metaphorically running away and throwing rocks or sticks at it. Like a hiker in the desert doing her best to avoid being struck when she…

Any assessment primer cautions that course grades are not ordinarily considered outcomes assessments. The rationale for excluding grades as an assessment mechanism uses the following logic: because grades measure a variety of learning outcomes and probably take into account factors like attendance that have nothing to do with evidence of learning,…

The assessment movement in higher education is now into its fourth decade. Although real and worthy progress is certainly evident to those who have been in the teaching profession at least that long, the changes remain largely superficial. Well-intentioned mandates have received respectful accommodation. At the institutional level, teachers have…

A call to engagement at Fort Hays State University (FHSU) led to significant curricular and assessment changes in the university's Department of Political Science. The university unveiled the Year of the Department (YOTD) as "an ongoing strategic initiative for orchestrating change and aligning people, systems and culture at the basic unit…

Many universities rely on a committee approach to assessment in which a group of faculty, staff, and administrators is tapped to provide guidance for assessment projects on behalf of various university programs or departments or the entire university. However, other organizational approaches to achieving strong programs of assessment are…

At Oklahoma State University (OSU), faculty have defined expectations for students' learning of knowledge, skills, and attitudes about diversity, and have implemented a process to assess students' achievement of the diversity learning goal. As was done for other general education learning goals such as written communication ability and critical…

The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, commonly referred to simply as "the stimulus package," is poised to pump over $100 billion into U.S. public education in the next few years. This allocation reflects the Obama administration's new commitment to education as a public good, which is embodied in President Obama's ambitious goal of…

Civic engagement has become an important element in the mission of many colleges and universities. O'Meara (2005) found that almost two-thirds of the chief academic officers responding to a survey reported that their institution had updated its mission or strategic planning documents to include statements about civic engagement. However, only…

Every ecological, educational, or organizational system possesses a defining trait, one that affords competitive advantage. The Virginia system of higher education has consistently leaned on its institutional diversity to produce one of the most well-educated and productive bodies of learners in the nation. Given the national climate, a commitment…