Excellence In University Assessment

Assessment in higher education is an area of intense current interest, not least due to its central role in student learning processes. Excellence in University Assessment is a pioneering text which contributes to the theory and practice of assessment through detailed discussion and analysis of award-winning teaching across multiple disciplines. It provides inspiration and strategies for higher education practitioners to improve their understanding and practice of assessment. The book uses an innovative model of learning-oriented assessment to analyze the practice of university teachers who have been recipients of teaching awards for excellence. It critically scrutinizes their methods in context in order to develop key insights into effective teaching, learning and assessment processes. Pivotal topics include: Competing priorities in assessment and ways of tackling them; The nature of quality assessment task design; The student experience of assessment; Promoting student engagement with feedback. An indispensable contribution to assessment in higher education, Excellence in University Assessment is a valuable guide for university leaders, middle managers, staff developers, teachers and researchers interested in the crucial topic of assessment.

Assessment for Excellence introduces a philosophy of assessment based upon the talent development concept. Colleges and universities prioritize developing the talents of students and faculty, rather than gathering the most resources and status for their institutions. The Input-Environment-Outcome assessment model focuses on talent development and highlight the pitfalls of common assessment practices.

Assessment has provided educational institutions with information about student learning outcomes and the quality of education for many decades. But has it informed practice and been fully incorporated into the learning cycle? Conrad and Openo argue that the potential inherent in many of the new learning environments being explored by educators and students has not been fully realized. In this investigation of a variety of assessment methods and learning approaches, the authors aim to discover the tools that engage learners and authentically evaluate education. They insist that moving to new learning environments, specifically those online and at a distance, afford opportunities for educators to adopt only the best practices of traditional face-to-face assessment while exploring evaluation tools made available by a digital learning environment in the hopes of arriving at methods that capture the widest set of learner skills and attributes.

Self-assessment leads to stronger performance in the nation's colleges and universities. That's the premise of "Excellence in Higher Education," a model self-assessment program that has earned accolades from the higher education community. Based on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award framework, the fourth edition of this bestseller is the definitive tool for college and university administrators in defining mission, assessing stakeholders, measuring outcomes, gauging performance against other institutions, and ensuring continuous improvement. The new "EHE" provides a framework that integrates the Baldrige criteria with the standards and language developed and used by accrediting associations. The book provides facilitators with a solid understanding of the "EHE" model, providing detailed guidance in each of seven areas: (1) leadership; (2) strategic planning; (3) beneficiaries and constituencies; (4) programs and services; (5) faculty, staff, and workplace; (6) assessment and information use; and (7) outcomes and achievements. The "Workbook and Scoring Guide" and Facilitator's Guide CD-ROM both include generously illustrated PowerPoint presentations for use in facilitating workshops. The scoring guidelines will help readers interpret results and gauge their institution's performance. [For the companion report, "Excellence in Higher Education Guide: An Integrated Approach to Assessment, Planning, and Improvement in Colleges and Universities," see ED524362.].