Assessment of Learning in Higher Education: A Case Study of Faculty Practice in a University Setting

Increasing pressure for accountability and transparency impact faculty through increased requests for evidence of student learning, often without robust structures or best practice support. The current literature revealed that the use of data has not sufficiently explored how individuals in higher education are supported in the interpretation and use of data in ways that lead to educational improvements, and what practices would lead to desired outcomes. The purpose of this research was to understand the perspective that the faculty has of assessment of student learning practices in a university setting. The secondary outcome of the inquiry w as to provide higher education administrators insight into how to best support assessment of student learning practices . This case study is set in a Midwestern mid-sized university, tenured or tenure-track faculty were interviewed to gain an understanding of their perspectives related to the assessment of student learning in their classrooms and across programs. Through this process, five major findings emerged. These include that assessment is viewed as valuable; however, there is little evidence of consistent documentation of information to be used for continuous improvement. A need for institutional support, collaboration, consistent messaging, and training also emerged as significant findings. Higher education administrators can draw several lessons from these findings to inform their assessment of student learning efforts.