Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education

Catalog description

This course introduces students to the subject of assessment and program evaluation in colleges and universities. Interest in these topics has increased as colleges and universities have come under increasing pressure to demonstrate the effectiveness of their programs and to make themselves more accountable to a variety of internal and external constituencies. For example, student affairs divisions are being challenged to demonstrate how their programs add to the learning process and to student retention. Likewise, colleges and universities are being asked to meet specific performance objectives set by state governing bodies and to demonstrate what students are actually learning. In some cases, a portion of a university’s funding may be tied to achievement of these performance objectives.