A few years back (which with my memory could be anywhere from last month to over a decade ago), I was at a Higher Learning Commission annual meeting and read the best ever conference session title for assessment: “Black Holes and Gaseous Processes: Big Mistakes in Assessment.”
Until recently, this title has remained one of my favorite descriptions of how I often feel when working on assessment initiatives on campus. But now I have a new favorite title, one that abandons all metaphors to reach an even starker level of candor: “How to Conduct Effective Assessment When Nobody Wants to, They Can’t agree What to, but We Have to.”
This session is being offered by our colleagues from Des Moines Area Community College. Beth Baker-Brodersen, District Chair English; Bret Ross, English Assessment Committee Chair; and Chelli Gentry, Director of Assessment, will share their work on implementing a district-wide assessment program. I’m looking forward to hearing their presentation of their story of assessment, featuring all its attendant struggles and triumphs. I hope you’ll join me.
Sheri H. Barrett, Ed.D.