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May 12, 2005
And what is it about this week and meetings? Assessment woes.
Every single committee is rushing to get another meeting in this week - and I'm one of the lucky ones; I'm only a member of one department and on the coordinating committee for one program, so I only have 2 sets of meetings going on about Assessment.
Our Middle States 10-year review was positive but . . . they want to see us undertake the assessment thing. So we're breaking out all those mission statements (of which we have a pile) and making 5 column charts about how each aspect of the mission statement lines up with specific outcomes which then can be assessed. And no, grading assignments and assessment aren't really the same thing at all, so put that thought out of your head.
Here's a lovely example of the process - note who's driving it. Yes, Middle States. This movement in higher education is not self-generated. Here it is in a seminary setting. The University of Denver has an Office of Assessment
Lots of this will actually be useful and may even improve what we're trying to do. Lots and lots of it, though, is busywork. As a former member of my department said in a cover letter enclosed with copies of his current departemnt's assessment materials "the filing cabinets are filling up."
from the comments - here's a very thoughtful piece on assessment and grade inflation by Jonathan Dresner.
Posted by CrankyProfessor at May 12, 2005 9:04 AM