1. Assessment: Will It Be a “We Have To?” or “We Get To?”
Ralph A. Wolff, President
Senior College Commission, WASC

2. Main Points
Assessment is a central requirement of all accrediting agencies and mandated by federal regulations (part of the “We have to”)
Once undertaken, assessment is enormously value adding for students, faculty, governing boards and institutions (“We get to”)
Trends will require that assessment results be made public and comparable (“We need to get busy”)
MUM 12-10

3. Institutions Public 4-year institutions 643
Private 4-year institutions, nonprofit 1,533
Private 4-year institutions, for-profit 453
Private 2-year institutions, nonprofit 107
Private 2-year institutions, for-profit 533
Total ,314
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4. Where Students Go Public 4-year institutions 6,955,013 (39%)
Private 4-year institutions ,285,317 (24%)
Private 2-year institutions ,420 (1%)
Total ,758,870
81% of all freshmen in the fall of 2006 who had graduated from high school in the previous year attended colleges in their home states.
MUM 12-10

5. Concern About Student Achievement
Completion rates: 54% after 6 years
-- need for increased transfers from community colleges
-- impact of increased work hours and debt load
Student learning results: NAAL, employer surveys
Data from national surveys – NSSE, CIRP
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6. Decline in Global Competitiveness
Drop in high school graduation rates (77.5%)
Dropped from 1st to 7th in college participation rates of year olds
2d for yr. olds; 10th for 25-34
15th in completion rates
Lower than OECD average for science and math literacy for 15 yr. olds (PISA scores)
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7. De-Institutionalization of Learning
>one-third of students attend more than one institution
About 10% are simultaneously enrolled at more than one institution
Recognition of prior learning
Availability of open source courses – MIT, iTunesU, YouTubeU
DIY – do it yourself learning – eHow.com
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8. Rise of For-Profit and New Institutions
Fastest growing sector, 285% in 10 years
42% of online market
Growth, scalability and high profitability of national systems
Increasing mergers, acquisitions, conversion of nonprofit universities
Joint ventures with nonprofit institutions
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9. Common Expectations of Assessment
Aligned at course, program and institutional levels
Uses multiple methods of assessment beyond surveys
Results are collected over time and discussed by appropriate stakeholders (including governing board)
“Closing the loop” demonstrated
Extends to student services and nonacademic units
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10. Course Assessment
Clear statement of course learning outcomes – what are students to know, do, apply
Alignment of course outcomes to program and institutional outcomes (CETYS U. example)
Alignment of course assignments and pedagogical approaches to outcomes
Assessment of outcomes (and pedagogy) beyond grading
Feedback to students – involvement of students
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11. Program Outcomes Assessment
Most important – leads to assessment of graduates (not courses)
Identifies key outcomes
Aligns courses to program outcomes (at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels)
Multiple measures of assessment undertaken periodically ( one assessment measure per year?)
Need for measures of direct assessment of student learning
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12. Assessment at the Institutional Level
Assurance of core competencies of graduates
Alignment of program outcomes
Are students applying TM and the values of MUM after graduation
Alumni surveys – what was the most important learning at MUM?
Integration of growth of consciousness with knowledge, skills, self awareness, motivation, etc.
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13. What’s Working to Make Assessment a “Get to”?
Pitzer experience – transforming institution and faculty engagement
University of California, Berkeley – changed student and faculty attitudes
UCLA – capstone certification; developed overall faculty ownership for student learning
CSU, Long Beach – linked academic and student learning outcomes assessment (increase in retention)
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14. Periodic Program Review
Essential part of assessment program
Provides external feedback
Links achievement of program outcomes with curricular currency, program planning and budgeting
WASC Resource guide on Program Review
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15. Infrastructure for Assessment
Assessment Committee
Syllabus review groups
Groups reviewing samples of papers and projects over 2-3 years
Involvement of Institutional Research
Development of assessment/faculty development centers with assessment specialist
Involving students – is assessment done to them or with them?
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16. Tools Available WASC toolkit HLC assessment academy and annual meeting
Middle States resource guide on assessment
WASC Academic Resource Conference
Books and consultants
Collaborating with other institutions
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17. Where is assessment heading?
Calls for accountability and public reporting will increase
Student preparation upon entry will vary more greatly
Focus will shift from identifying outcomes to whether learning results are good enough
Tension over who sets standards of judgment
Accrediting agencies will require more evidence of learning (not just assessment activities)
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18. Your Questions?
MUM 12-10