Reasons for Assessment
Assessment within higher education is to assure effectiveness and efficiency are maintained while assuring that student learning and development is enhanced and complimented to the highest degree possible. According to Bresciani, Zelna and Anderson, indicators that effective collaborations among all university divsions and units are underdeveloped can include;- different perceptions of roles and responsibilities,
- lack of a common language,
- a power differential that ascribes more power to one group,
- an emphasis on the cognitive realm versus the affective,
- allegiance to different professional organizations and cultures,
- different sources of revenue,
- one group perceived as "thinking" and the other as "doing," and
- varied sources of evidence that each group is producing student outcomes.
A large part of an assessment effort is to overcome inherent barriers to appropriate measurement of effectiveness and efficiency and to determine the extent to which outcome goals, collaborations and a shared mission are being managed across the campus.
Assessment does not exist to present an intrusive addition to daily operations, but rather, as a compliment to those operations to assure they are as effective as possible.