Evaluation and accountability are two of the most popular catchwords employed by higher education reformers in the Western world over the last 25 years. For 25 years governments throughout Western countries have been using evaluation and institutional accountability as policy tools to steer their university systems at a distance. From a…

The professional accreditation agencies are making demands for assessment of student learning. These demands are not expected to lessen in the near future. The accreditation agencies are suggesting that educators should shift their focus from what faculty teach to what students learn. The authors show the development and implementation of an…

This practical guide to outcomes-based assessment in student affairs is designed to help readers meet the growing demand for accountability and for demonstrating student learning. The authors offer a framework for implementing the assessment of student learning and development and pragmatic advice on the strategies most appropriate for the…

The purposes of metaevaluation go beyond the traditional functions of accountability and enhancement. It helps guide strategic organizational change and legitimizes evaluation systems. Metaevaluation results can also be used to create checklists so that the persons responsible for any evaluation can revise, monitor, and control them by themselves.…

In June 2007, the Educational Policy Improvement Center (EPIC) was awarded a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop the College Ready School Diagnostic, a web-based diagnostic instrument. The purpose of this tool is to provide individual school profiles and customized recommendations, enabling each institution to make…

This article describes the development of a Web-based instrument that is part of a strategic planning initiative in technology in K-12 schools in Nebraska. The instrument provides rubrics for self-assessment of essential conditions necessary for integrating and adopting of technology. Essential conditions were defined by an extended panel of…

An overview is provided of the Quality First Process Model developed by Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC), Wisconsin, to provide guidelines for quality instruction and service consistent with the highest educational standards. The 16-step model involves activities that should be adaptable to any organization. The steps of the quality model are…

This guide, from the Commission d'Evaluation de l'Enseignement Collegial (Quebec), was prepared in collaboration with an advisory committee composed of persons from both public as well as private colleges. It aims to provide institutions with the necessary information to plan and implement their institutional self-evaluation. It has also been…

If schools of education are to expand their programs and take on new roles, a change in funding patterns will be necessary. Fund raising skills will be required of college deans and directors and better use of available funds and resources must be made. (JD)

In February 2000, the Connecticut Department of Higher Education reported on accountability measures for higher education developed by the Higher Education Coordinating Council in response to the requirements of Public Act 99-285. That report identified 180 accountability measures for higher education. A copy of the executive summary of that…

Prepared by the Outcomes Assessment Task Force (OATF) at Owens Community College (OCC), in Ohio, this document describes the philosophy guiding assessment at OCC and provides a non-prescriptive guide for implementing an assessment plan. Part I provides an introduction to outcomes assessment at OCC, including OCC's assessment philosophy, a list of…

Describes the development of a Comenius project involving four European countries, which focused on school self-evaluation. The project resulted in an international course held in Italy. The paper describes the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the course, noting problems and solutions, strengths and limitations, recommendations for…

The Institutional Self-Assessment Measure (ISAM) is presented, which was designed to aid local agency program managers and staff members in planning and improving implementation of competency-based education (CBE) programs. It is a structured tool to be used with the support of a trained ISAM facilitator to enhance communication among staff…

Recommendations of a task force, directed to study ways to upgrade teacher preparation programs to make the course of study more rigorous and effective, became mandatory for constituent institutions once they were adopted by the Board of Governors and the General Assembly of a southeastern state. This provided an opportunity to study the process…

This article defines total quality philosophy, its transformations and significance for study quality in higher education institution. It reveals the concepts, principles and problems of study quality management and provides overview of implementation of study quality management at today's European universities. The experience of two European…