The "Excellence in Assessment" (EIA) designation's purpose has been to recognize institutions of higher education that demonstrate an ability to integrate assessment practices throughout the institution, provide evidence of student learning outcomes, and use assessment results to guide decision-making and improve student performance.…

Authentic student voice within the assessment of student learning requires meaningful student input and institutional support. Previous examinations of this topic have primarily linked student voice with two approaches: student representation and student partnership. This 2023 AALHE Conference session introduced a third approach: student…

In a time when the value of a college degree is under continuous scrutiny and the opportunity for alternate pathways to workforce readiness is ever-increasing, ensuring high-quality credentials is imperative. However, how can we reassure our students, employers, and other stakeholders that what we offer is high quality? To answer this question, we…

The Grand Challenges for Assessment in Higher Education project is a collaborative effort of 10 endorsing organizations and over 400 volunteers to increase the extent to which assessment (1) supports equity; (2) is visible, actionable, and drives innovation; and (3) guides rapid improvements in pedagogy (Singer-Freeman and Robinson 2020). Several…

This article aims to develop enhanced conceptions of the motivational drives that may be imperilled by their encounter with new forms of governance in higher education. Of particular concern are the motivational drives behind creative scientific pursuits associated with the humanities, and their vulnerability in the face of metrics governance and…

This article explores who is participating in leadership learning initiatives in higher education and how they are represented in research, assessment, and evaluation. The article is useful to leadership educators because it explores who is conducting leadership research, assessment, evaluation, and scholarship (i.e., positionality)--and how these…

Institutions of higher education are asked to consider how their work can advance equity in institutional outcomes. Assessment, too, has been asked to consider the ways in which traditional student assessment "privileges and validates certain types of learning and evidence of learning over others" (Montenegro and Jankowski 2017, p. 5).…

For over 30 years, the notion of authentic assessment in higher education has been adopted in academic practice, but it has managed to escape substantial critique. Although there have been multiple definitions and operationalisations of authentic assessment, current practice tends to foreground mimicking of work tasks. Authenticity cannot be…

The skills required of assessment professionals are wide and varied, but research over the past decade has brought a focus on interpersonal skills as a key component of the assessment professional's toolkit. Relationship-building forms the basis of interpersonal communication with stakeholders at all levels and the assessment professional often…

In her early work, Suellen Shay argues that higher education tends to valorise objective notions of reality while downplaying the subjectivity of individuals. In Shay's view, this one-sided approach leads to a deficiency in the preparation of students for the holistic reality of the world they will experience beyond university. Taking Shay's…

Assessment of Learning in Higher Education (ALHE) has, since its roots in the early 1980s, grown into a routine activity in higher education institutions in the United States that is led by thousands of professionals who contribute to a growing body of scholarship. Yet, there are few formal ALHE training programs, no licensure or certification for…

As institutions are called to demonstrate student learning outcomes, how can our knowledge about student learning and instructional practices be used to better support and assess learning? What can institutional leaders, instructional development professionals, and instructors do to improve instructional practice? What future research complements…

Assessment has become an important aspect of almost every academic or extracurricular program within institutions of higher education in the United States. This article defines internationalization and its related activities while discussing educational outcomes and offering a model for developing assessment strategies for said activities.…

The Internationalization of Higher Education (IHE) has expanded significantly in quantity, scope, and complexity over the past two decades, advancing into a complex system able to influence and control numerous aspects of higher education. IHE has led to international ranking and university reputation concerns, increasing interest in accreditation…

Assessment professionals are often at the helm of leading discussions around data-use and data-driven decisions for higher education stakeholders. However, the problem is that assessment practitioners must be cognizant of how to engage stakeholders with equity-minded and socially just informed assessment practices. The purpose of this article is…