This column shares reflections or thoughtful opinions on issues of broad interest to the community. This month's issue discusses tools of formative assessment.

When it comes to giving advice, the author agrees with colleagues who have stated that although they might give advice to aspiring professionals, it would be better yet if they would write or apply it to themselves! So within that context, the author, like his colleagues, does not claim to possess superior wisdom in student services. Rather, he…

A distinction must be made between "computer-generated scoring" and "computer-generated feedback". Computer-generated scoring refers to the provision of automated scores derived from mathematical models built on organizational, syntactic, and mechanical aspects of writing. In contrast, computer-generated feedback, the focus of this article, refers…

Argues that there is a need for further theoretical development regarding formative assessment, which needs to take account of disciplinary epistemology, theories of intellectual and moral development, students' stages of intellectual development, and the psychology of giving and receiving feedback. Sketches the direction this development might…

Discusses the relationship between certain aspects of curriculum evaluation and of accountability in a college setting. Identifies factors that may influence developments in the process evaluation of vocational curricula and goes on to propose that study of these factors may prove to be of considerable value for "internal control" over the…

The September 2006 report "A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education," by the commission appointed by U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, identifies many areas of improvement for U.S. higher education and specifies numerous recommendations (totaling more than 50, according to some counts) for consideration by…

Offers an interview between Bethan Marshall, a Lecturer in Education at King's College, London, and Dylan Wiliam, a Professor of Assessment in the Department of Education at King's College. Notes that he has been involved in work on assessment, both in research and government policy, for many years. Explores the findings of his research and its…

An attempt is made to define planning and evaluation in higher education in non-technical language and to describe their functions and purposes. A brief description of the interrelated nature of planning and evaluation is followed by definitions of strategic planning, tactical planning, and implementation planning. The concept of planning is then…

Offers suggestions for reinforcing the teaching of writing as process by approaching the evaluation of writing as process. (FL)

Describes and reflects on the faculty evaluation efforts of one midwestern community college. Examines some of the inherent differences between four-year and two-year institutions. Supports the use of formative faculty evaluation. (MM)

Over the last few years there has been increasing interest in process-based approaches in higher education administration, including "business process modelling" for development of information systems, "process redesign" to remove duplication and bottlenecks, and "process management" to improve operational…

Introducing a special bulletin issue about the role of research in music education, the editor discusses policies regarding the printing of material, stresses the importance of publishing and evaluating dissertations, and outlines the purposes of doctoral study. Concludes by emphasizing the need for not only research, but researcher-scholars. (GEA)

Assessment of college teaching is viewed broadly as the gathering of information for understanding and improving teaching as well as judging its quality. It is seen to play a crucial support role at each stage of instructional development: problem clarification, instructional design/redesign, and field testing and implementation. (MSE)

The current preference for alternative assessment has been partly stimulated by recent evidence on learning which points to the importance of students' active engagement in the learning process. While alternative assessment may well fulfill the aims of formative assessment, its value in the summative assessment required in higher education is more…

Discusses the paucity of useful evaluation measures that administrators making decisions about selective college admissions have to work with. Argues that the implementation of national testing would allow for more formative assessment of college applicants and would encourage increased classroom instruction with a formative focus at the secondary…