http://assess.blogs.unr.edu Just another blogs.unr.edu weblog Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:16:12 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en In Assessment Update (Sept./Oct. 2009), Elizabeth Greville outlines the specific reasons why Assessment professionals discourage course grades as effective measures for assessment, i.e.  achievement of program-level student learning outcomes, however she suggests that: With careful, deliberate, and disciplined organization of teaching, evaluation, and grading, outcomes assessment does not have to ... http://assess.blogs.unr.edu/2009/10/13/grading-and-assessment/ Two opposing postings we should consider! Laurie Fendrich's 'You Will Be Held Accountable' continues her lambasting of outcomes assessment in higher education. She criticizes how "outcomes assessment actually plays out in practice is appalling" and is "detrimental to higher education itself." In her context, which appears to be more related to ... http://assess.blogs.unr.edu/2009/02/18/chronicles-brainstorm-blog-assessment-vs-accountability-essays/ During the 33rd Annual Conference (Nov. 12-14, 2008, in Pasadena,) of the California Association for Institutional Research, "Making Good Decisions in: Challenging Times", educational effectiveness as related to accountability and accreditation assumed center stage. The Keynote by Teri Cannon, Exec. Assoc. Director for WASC, stated, ". . . the pressure ... http://assess.blogs.unr.edu/2009/01/08/accountability-transparency-accreditation-what-a-new-administration-in-washington-will-bring/ During a meeting of officials from liberal arts colleges, associations and foundations (e.g. AAC&U and CHEA), Teagle consultant, David Paris, outlined the meeting's goal as, “being able within the next 3-5 years to say confidently to the public and public officials we have engaged in systematic and even systemic improvement ... http://assess.blogs.unr.edu/2008/10/13/what-does-the-scent-of-1000-assessment-flowers-smell-like/ The University of Nebraska announced their superior achievement in value-added learning based on students' performance on the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA). The CLA is one of three performance-based measures (tests) of student learning approved for use on the College Portrait web template (Voluntary System of Accountability-VSA) to which UNR has ... http://assess.blogs.unr.edu/2008/08/20/university-of-nebraska-is-first-in-the-us-for-value-added-education/ The Higher Education Act may finally be re-authorized following a 40-4 vote of the Conference Committee last night, July 29, 2008. One provision in the legislation, which influences how accrediting agencies (Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities accredits UNR) go about reviewing campus-wide assessment of student learning, will: "Bar the U.S. ... http://assess.blogs.unr.edu/2008/07/30/higher-education-act-exists-conference-committee/ During a 2008 Council for Higher Education Accreditation's (CHEA) Summer Workshop Panel discussion, the CHEA president [Judith Eaton], an Education Department official, a key Congressional aide, and two accrediting agency leaders debated Eaton’s vision and, more fundamentally, the current state of the tension-filled system by which the federal government, accrediting ... http://assess.blogs.unr.edu/2008/06/30/foreseeing-the-future-of-accreditation/ DOE may still issue regulations for accrediting agencies' oversight of colleges' student learning outcomes. Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings, under pressure from Congress had agreed not to issue such regulations until the re-authorization of the Higher Education Act. As the final vote on this Act is expected by the July ... http://assess.blogs.unr.edu/2008/06/05/spellings-doe-regs-for-oversight-of-accreditors-may-re-emerge/ Read/Respond - Cliff Adelman Comments, "You can't sit on your hands on this one: . . .The present prospects are utter folly." In today's Inside Higher Ed, Doug Lederman details the status of a House & Senate Conference Committee's work to reconcile the HE Act by Memorial Day. Work not only ... http://assess.blogs.unr.edu/2008/05/13/higher-education-act-in-conference-committee-compromises/ Doug Lederman's Inside Higher ED article (April 15th), "Margaret Spelling, Where Are You?", describes the extensive as well as varied approaches being undertaken by faculty and institutions accredited by the North Central Association to address external demands for accountability. “We try to not just be generating data because someone at ... http://assess.blogs.unr.edu/2008/04/15/accreditors-on-accreditation-assessment-accountability/