Charlie Blaich and Kathy Wise, along with Catherine Andersen, University of Baltimore and Cynthia Crimmins, York College of Pennsylvania, will present, Assessment as Leadership for Change at the Drexel Assessment Conference.
Abstract: Good assessment requires more than technical skills. It requires leaders who can work with colleagues to find ways to respond formatively to evidence. This includes setting goals, planning, and implementing projects across different and disconnected parts of the institution. Our session will highlight the skills necessary for successful assessment leadership.
Many people see the final product of assessment as a report for administrators and/or accreditors, but its most important goal is to improve student learning. Evidence alone won’t do this. Evidence must be imbedded in our unique institutional environments and mechanisms, and this requires a distinct kind of leadership.
Participants will learn leadership skills necessary for helping their colleagues use assessment to improve student learning. These include: (1) setting ambitious but reasonable goals, (2) planning for the entire assessment cycle, not just collecting evidence and writing reports, and (3) implementing assessment plans in the unpredictable environments of our institutions.