The bases were loaded…everyone’s favorite hitter was up to bat as the keynote….two-year colleges were on first and second and third base was covered by a four-year school. Jeremy stepped into the batter’s box and drove a screamer over the back fence. The crowds were chanting Assessment, Assessment, Assessment!
My apologies to the baseball aficionados in the group, but that’s how it felt this past week when we participated in the Assessment Matters 2019 conference hosted here at Johnson County Community College. This year’s conference brought teams from 10 states and 41 colleges and universities. Over the two days of the conference we had 162 participants in sessions on assessment in both academic and student affairs settings. Dr. Jeremy Penn was our keynote provided a wonderful session on the past, present and future of assessment. Our breakout sessions included projects from two-year and four-year schools, public and private.
What was most exciting about the conference was the level of participation by a wide range of assessment professionals across higher education. We had student affairs professionals, faculty, institutional researchers, assessment directors, faculty, vice presidents, faculty, coordinators, athletics, registrars, deans, and did I mention faculty! I am always most excited to see faculty in the room, because they need to be in the lead anytime we discuss assessment. Assessment belongs to the faculty, because it is focused on improving student learning.
It was a great conference and I can still hear the roar of the crowd: assessment, ASSESSment, ASSESSMENT!
