This study reviews the implications of the 2014 reporting regulation for public higher education institutions (PHEIs) in South Africa. Guided by the monitoring and evaluation logical framework model and the theory of change, the research assesses the alignment between the regulation's outcomes and practical implementation. Employing a Document…

On their own, student learning and development outcomes assessment data have limited utility for improving programming. We believe outcomes data should not be collected until two fundamental questions can be answered: "Why should this programming result in the desired outcome?" (i.e., program theory) and "Was the intended…

Higher education institutions struggle to demonstrate learning improvement (Banta, Jones, & Black, 2009; Banta & Blaich, 2011; Jankowski, Timmer, Kinzie, & Kuh, 2018). We showcase how student learning outcomes assessment processes can benefit from strong program theory and implementation fidelity data. In our example, faculty…

Technology can change higher education by empowering students to make an impact on the world as undergraduates. Done systematically, this would allow institutions to close the credibility gap with an increasingly dubious public. Authentic student achievements that are addressed to a "real world" audience can lead to richly detailed…

This paper provides a unique perspective on the student learning outcome assessment process as adopted and implemented at Qatar University from 2006 to 2012. The progress of the student learning outcome assessment and continuous improvement efforts at the university and the initiatives taken to establish a culture of assessment and evidence-based…

Standardized testing for higher education has been much in the news in the US over the last few years. In the wake of the Spellings Commission, the clear intent of the Department of Education's (USDOE) position in negotiated rulemaking in 2007 was to mandate its use in accreditation. Standardized testing is also a central feature of the Voluntary…

Bologna reform eulogies and protests tend to focus on the benefits and shortcomings of the new two-tier curricula, their implementation and orientation. In this article, an assessment of the Bologna reforms is made in terms of their larger and less widely discussed systemic and institutional effects--which go far beyond the original reformers'…

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…

Empire State College of New York has published a report which describes and analyzes the nature and the dynamics of the Introductory Phase of three professional fields within the school's Master of Arts program: Business and Policy Studies, Labor and Policy Studies, and Culture and Policy Studies. The report is arranged according to program…

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…

Describes the design and implementation of an assessment program for a college communication program that led to a new competency-based curriculum with expanded assessment procedures. (SR)

This brochure describes the AASCU/Sallie Mae National Retention Project's goals, beginnings, continuing work, and participants. An introduction describes how the Project has resulted in over 370 state institutions looking closely at their effectiveness in student learning and achievement and at emerging accountability requirements. An overview…

This annual report from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACCJC) contains information on commission activities during 2000-2001. One of ACCJC's top priorities was Project Renewal, a "360-degree" examination of the commission and all of its operations. For this peer-based…

This paper discusses the increasing interest in quality assurance in British education including its measurement and management through the introduction of a quality assurance system. The reasons and benefits of beginning a quality assurance system are discussed, and questions of what constitutes quality, whether it is quality in fact…

Paine College, a four-year liberal arts institution in Augusta, Georgia, serving mostly black students recently completed an assessment and evaluation plan aimed at all units of the college. The plan was developed by members of the Committee on Institutional Effectiveness and Research over 12 months and focuses on the school's primary mission to…