Since the closing of the American Association of Higher Education (AAHE), a number of institutions have taken up the task of offering national or international workshops on assessment of student learning outcomes.  I attended the 2005 Institute at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, October 22-25. 

There were over 850 faculty members and administrators from a broad range of higher education settings in attendance.  The opening day keynote address was given by a panel of experts each having nearly 20 years of experience in outcomes assessment; including Trudy W. Banta, Professor of Higher Education and Vice Chancellor for Planning and Institutional Improvement, IUPUI; Douglas J. Eder, Director, Undergraduate Assessment, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville; Thomas A. Angelo, Director, University Teaching Development Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand; Peter T. Ewell, Vice President, National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS); George D. Kuh, Chancellor's Professor of Higher Education and Director of the College Student Experiences Questionnaire Research and Distribution Program (IUPUI) and Director of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE); and Jeffrey A. Seybert, Director, Office of Institutional Research, Johnson County (KS) Community College.

Here are some of the important points that came out of this panel discussion:

• Assessment is about change; we should be honest about that.
• We must take our focus off of methods of assessing if, in looking for those that fit us best, we are simply delaying our action.
• Every faculty member is responsible for outcomes assessment, but it is an institution's responsibility to "smooth the road" by providing adequate data to work with.
• Grades can be assessment tools, but only if grading standards are consistent, reliable, valid, and well defined.

When people hear the word assessment, many think of the standardized tests that children and young adults have to endure in elementary and secondary schools.  The results of such assessments are used by state and national government to make decisions about school reform, including funding choices.  For many years, companies such as ETS, ACT, College Base, and Academic Management Systems have marketed standardized tests for use at the college level (typically pre and post testing of the first two years of college: the general education program).

Accrediting agencies such as Middle States have traditionally valued such exams because of the existence of national norms for comparison.  By contrast, surveys (particularly "satisfaction" surveys) have been looked down upon as "soft" or "indirect" data about student learning outcomes.  But now attitudes are changing.  Well-designed surveys, giving careful thought to teasing out the information being sought as well as to how the information will be used, are now considered essential to good outcomes assessment.  And surveys with national norms are growing in popularity (such as NSSE, used by Sage for several years now).

With Zoomerang, and the assessment survey tools in Blackboard, we can accomplish much here at Sage in the next stage of our development in outcomes assessment.

About six years ago, a visionary Vice President Academic took over at Mt. Royal College in Alberta, Canada, and influenced by the founders of the assessment movement here in the United States (Alverno College, and others), started an institutional outcomes assessment movement there.  The college was affluent at the time, and able to devote considerable funds to this effort (including faculty release time).  The results have been gradual improvement in the reputation of the institution, to the point where it is ready to expand.  All of this in a nation (Canada) where there is no mandatory assessment in higher education, and no accreditation reviews (although some programs must meet professional criteria and standards).

Mt. Royal's success is drawing considerable attention, and will likely lead to Provincial and Federal accreditation in Canada.  It's interesting how the system is evolving from the bottom up.

In next week's OARs: where we stand at Sage with outcomes assessment.