At some future point, when a definitive history of the assessment movement is written, one of the most frequently cited, influential publications will be "Assessment Update" ("AU"). Since 1989, this bimonthly newsletter has been published by Jossey-Bass in partnership with Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis…

Community colleges are increasingly pressed to develop assessment approaches of genuine value to students, faculty, and other stakeholders. Numerous institutional examples illustrate a set of principles for good practice in planning, implementing, and sustaining community college assessment.

A general process for faculty to use in comparing the relative efficacy of college outcomes assessment instruments for gauging student progress toward goals is outlined. Analysis of two standardized general education exams, the American College Testing College Outcome Measures Project and the Educational Testing Service Academic Profile,…

Since its establishment with a 1986 grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, the Assessment Resource Center (ARC) at the University of Tennessee has worked with state coordinating boards, other institutions involved in assessment leadership, institutions seeking guidance, and participants in conferences and seminars…

A study was done of the possible uses of Total Quality Management (TQM) for enhancing the quality and use of college outcomes assessment in postsecondary institutions in Tennessee. The study involved six meetings of a consortium of assessment coordinators in Tennessee over 3 years, and graduate and employer questionnaire development. Researchers…

The paper addresses issues concerned with increasing state interest in encouraging public institutions of higher education to demonstrate educational quality through outcomes assessment and reports on the development and implementation of Tennessee's program of performance funding. Emphasis is on guidelines contained within a 5-year performance…

This book applies the "Principles of Good Practice for Assessing Student Learning" developed by the American Association for Higher Education (AAHE) to 82 case examples of assessment strategies being implemented at American institutions of higher education. Part 1 presents 10 chapters each covering one of the nine AAHE principles (and an…

This report describes a project undertaken at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) between January 1, 1982 and March 31, 1984, which was designed to increase the use in program assessment and in program improvement of information derived from measures of: (1) student achievement in general education; (2) student achievement in the major…

All postsecondary institutions in Tennessee have the opportunity to earn an annual budget supplement for instruction from the state if certain criteria, based on educational outcomes, are obtained. A comprehensive assessment program at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville is described. (MLW)

The University of Tennessee at Knoxville has successfully integrated a program for assessing student outcomes in the ongoing institutional processes of peer review, strategic planning, and internal resource allocation. Students are tested in general education and their major fields and participate in curriculum and instructional evaluations.…

This book examines current assessment practices in higher education and offers suggestions on planning assessment programs, carrying them out, and using the results to improve academic programs. Examples from all types of institutions (community colleges, liberal arts colleges, and comprehensive, doctoral and research institutions) are used to…

Outlines ten principles important for the successful practice of outcomes assessment, based on the experience of a variety of institutions. Notes several salient barriers to success (lack of faculty support, changes in institutional leadership and circumstances, limitations in assessment tools and methods, insufficient student involvement,…

The purpose of this paper is (1) to discuss a set of standards that can be used to evaluate potential assessment instruments; and (2) to use these standards to evaluate the American College Testing Program's College Outcomes Measures Program (ACT-COMP) and the Educational Testing Service (ETS) Academic Profile. Using the work of S. Messick (1975,…

This booklet opens with a list of the features that society now demands from higher education and then describes approaches to assessing the community college mission. Twenty-first century expectations for higher education are being shaped by: (1) a change in focus from teaching to learning; (2) the need to base credentials on demonstrated…

This five-part volume presents a comprehensive collection of 24 accounts of campus assessment practices by the individuals who developed and implemented them. Part 1 presents the stories of five institutions in which assessment has effected a marked change in the way faculty and staff do their work. Part 2 describes some of the broad approaches to…