Recognition of the complexity of the world raises questions about new theories, methods, and capabilities for evaluation practice. Approaches originating in the systems sciences show promise; however, many require specialized expertise and resources. This article explores rich pictures as an accessible, low-resource method for facilitating…

This article discusses the author's belief that if assessment is going to have an impact, it must be woven into the larger tapestry that tells the tale of a student experience that leads to student and institutional success. Included are considerations for how to design meaningful ways to measure movement on the things that people care about.

I propose two practical advances to the argument-based approach to validity: developing a living document and incorporating preregistration. First, I present a potential structure for the living document that includes an up-to-date summary of the validity argument. As the validation process may span across multiple studies, the living document…

Mixed-methods research (MMR) holds promise for investigating several empirical questions within special education, capitalizing on the strengths of quantitative and qualitative traditions. We present an overview of MMR in special education and quality indicators for conducting and reporting such studies. We look to the future for how MMR may…

Social cognition is a very important group of neurocognitive processes involved especially in social functioning; currently, the amount of research on this topic is increasing and suggests some considerations about its assessment, particularly in the child population. This article presents some of these considerations focussed on the theoretical…

Critiquing journal articles can be intimidating, especially for new scholars. Many new graduate students focus on the findings and discussion rather than the quality of the research. This methodology review guide is our tool to help scholars identify and evaluate a research article, particularly focusing on the methodology. Although there are some…

This article is excerpted from the book "Exemplars of Assessment in Higher Education, Volume Two" (Souza and Rose) and includes an excerpt from Howard University (Phillips). There is a complex relationship between institutional (formerly regional) accrediting bodies and institutions of higher education. Though we believe that accreditors…

This paper describes a framework for educating future evaluators and users of evaluation through community-engaged, experiential learning courses and offers practical guidance about how such a class can be structured. This approach is illustrated via a reflective case narrative describing how an introductory, undergraduate class at a mid-size,…

Evaluation competency frameworks across the globe regard evaluation approaches as important to know and use in practice. Prior classifications have been developed to aid in understanding important differences among varying approaches. Nevertheless, there is an opportunity for a new classification of evaluation approaches, in particular one that is…

This work reports on the implementation of a self-contained data-literacy exercise designed for use in undergraduate classes to help students practice data literacy skills such as interpreting and evaluating evidence and assessing arguments based on data. The exercises use already developed data-visualizations to test and develop students' ability…

McCloud offers guidance on fostering a culture of intentionality within the scholarship of teaching, learning, and practice highlighting the role of collaborative partnerships, ongoing assessment, and professional development in advancing this critical agenda.

Walsh University's process of seeking more effective assessment practices has identified an overarching theme of university-wide continuous improvement resulting in several initiatives. The categories of these initiatives can be described as new formats in leadership, unique and collaborative improvements across campus, strategies in alignment…

This research brief describes recent methodological initiatives with the Public Libraries Survey. It describes how starting with the 2022 data, Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) updated geographic identifiers to better align Census Bureau geography types with the library's legal service area, with the goal of enabling data users to…

Student-centered classrooms, where the focus is on the way students learn concepts and skills rather than the way a teacher delivers the lessons, is a popular theme in current classrooms at all levels. A clear distinction must be made between student-centered teaching as a philosophy and student-centered teaching as a specific set of instructional…

This chapter affirms the increasing value of outcomes assessment at one of many institutions where once it was mostly ignored, how the knowledge afforded by increased use of assessment functions as a precursor to change, and how the faculty and staff work of program and outcomes assessment--discussions, decisions, preparations, actions,…