Interest in assessing student learning at institutions of higher education and the need to learn how to do it continues to gather the attention and support begun nearly 30 years ago. This book summarizes contemporary thinking on the practice of assessing student learning in a comprehensive, accessible, and useful fashion. This book is short on background and theory and long on practical advice. Plainspoken and informally written, it offers sensible guidance for assessment practitioners on all aspects of student assessment and for faculty who simply want to improve assessment within their classrooms. "Assessing Student Learning" presents readers with well informed principles and options that they can select and adapt to their own circumstances. Linda Suskie, currently the Vice President of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, has worked for 30 years in higher education assessment, institutional research, strategic planning, and continuous improvement. Organized into four parts, this book: sets the stage for successful assessment efforts by discussing the nature of and rationale for assessment, principles of good practice, and campus culture; provides an overview of the many decisions that must be made in order to launch successful assessment efforts, including planning assessment strategies, establishing learning goals, and choosing appropriate assessment tools and approaches; includes information on a wide range of assessment tools, including hands on assignments, reflective writing, portfolios, traditional tests, surveys and focus groups, and published instruments; and, concludes with information on summarizing, analyzing, and communicating assessment results and using them effectively and appropriately.

Table of Contents:
About the Author. Foreword. Preface. List of Figures. List of Tables. Part I. Laying a Foundation for Assessment. 1. What is Assesssment? Why Assess? 2. What are Good Assessment Practices? 3. Promoting an Assessment Culture. Part II. Planning for Assessment Success. 4. Creating an Assessment Plan. 5. Developing Learning Goals. 6. Choosing an Assessment Strategy. Part III. The Assessment Toolbox. 7. Using a Scoring Guide to Plan and Evaluate an Assignment. 8. Creating an Effective Assignment. 9. Encouraging Student Reflection. 10. Assembling Assessment Information Into Portfolios. 11. Writing a Traditional Objective Test. 12. Conducting Surveys, Focus Groups, and Interviews. 13. Selecting a Published instrument. Part IV. Putting Assessment Results to Good and Appropriate Use. 14. Summarizing and Analyzing Assessment results. 15. Sharing Assessment Results. 16. Using Assessment Findings Effectively and Appropriately. Key Resources on Assessing Student Learning. Index.