Assessment

Abstract

Assessment does not in itself promote educational quality, but may foster quality when it is integrated into the workings of academic departm~nts. This integration requires a professional culture and institutional structure that support collaboration around teaching and the acceptance of collective responsibility for student learning. Culture-building processes, including collaborative planning activities, are just as important as the "products" of planning and assessment. The article suggests two vehicles for integrating assessment into the department: inserting "pieces" of assessment in ongoing departmental activities (i.e., advising); and gathering data about clearly focused, concrete questions that are linked to specific options for interventions (i.e., changing the sequence of program courses).