What is Assessment?

Higher Learning Commission Definition

Assessment of Student Learning is a Participatory, Interactive Process That:

• Provides data/information you need on your students’ learning
• Engages you and others in analyzing and using this data/information to confirm and improve teaching and learning
• Produces evidence that students are learning the outcomes you intended
• Guides you in making educational and institutional improvements
• Evaluates whether changes made improve/impact student learning, and documents the learning and your efforts

Fundamental Questions for Evaluation:

• How are your stated learning outcomes appropriate to your mission, programs, students and degrees?
• How do you ensure shared responsibility for student learning & assessment of student learning?
• What evidence do you have that students achieve your stated learning outcomes?
• In what ways do you analyze and use evidence of student learning?
• How do you evaluate and improve the effectiveness of your efforts to assess and improve student learning?

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From “Student Learning, Assessment and Accreditation: Criteria and Contexts”, presented at Making a Difference in Student Learning: Assessment as a Core Strategy, a workshop from the Higher Learning Commission, July 26-28, 2006.