The need for systemic thinking and for using the results of assessment
All institutional components and functions are interrelated. For example, the efficacy of a curriculum depends upon the quality of instruction in courses, and the effectiveness of both curriculum and instruction depends in turn on the quality of academic advising and the campus psychological climate. Likewise, all three types of assessment – outcome, process, input – are naturally connected to each other. Each serves a critical role in understanding certain aspects of the institution (college, program, course, students) as parts of a system. In practice, however, input assessment is often scanty, and outcome assessment is by no means always connected to process assessment such that institutional performance and quality can be understood and improved. For that matter, the results of assessment of any kind – when assessment occurs – may not be used, thus wasting valuable resources, failing to enhance institutional quality, reducing staff and student morale, and weakening institutional credibility with off-campus constituencies.
Powerful methods for understanding our students and our impact on them now exist. We must use them.