"Assessment is a way of describing student learning to identifiable audiences for clearly articulated reasons." ~ NCTLA
"Assessment is a means for focusing our collective attention…examining our assumptions and creating a shared academic culture dedicated to continuously improving the quality of higher learning…Assessment requires making expectations and standards for quality explicit and public…systematically gathering evidence on how well performance matches those expectations and standards…analyzing and interpreting the evidence…and using the resulting information to document, explain, and improve performance." ~ Tom Angelo (AAHE)
"Assessment is a process, not a product: it is a beginning, not an end."
~ Fred Volkwein
It is not solely an administrative activity. Faculty must not merely tolerate or endorse assessment, they must actively engage in it.
Assessment should not be part of an institution's faculty evaluation system. It should promote self-examination, critical questioning, evaluation, and renewal, but it should not punish individuals or programs honestly seeking to improve.
Assessment is not intrusion into a faculty member's classroom, nor does it infringe on academic freedom.
It is not necessarily testing, nor a series of tests. Testing can be part of assessment.
Assessment is not quick or easy. It is a conceptually, educationally,
politically, and administratively complicated business.
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