Assessment Conference for AACSB

AACSB Assessment Conference

I just made my reservations today to attend this conference in March. Dr. Angelo (of Angelo & Cross) will be the plenary speaker, and I am excited to get to meet folks from other AACSB schools to learn from them what is working best and what are the trends. It's rare I get to attend a conference that is so timely to what I am studying and working with.

Here is a description of what he is speaking to at the conference:

At the 2010 Assessment Conference in New York City, Dr. Tom Angelo, internationally renowned expert on assessment with best known publication Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers (more than 75,000 copies in print), focuses on using research-based, practical options in assessment to promote deep learning—and how “less can often yield more” in this context. Here are some of his thoughts on the concept of his session, issues many schools face regarding assessment, and his advice for schools seeking accreditation.

With consulting experience at more than 250 institutions worldwide, have you found any common issues causing schools around the world to struggle with building assessment programs?

One major common issue most of us struggle with is the “add on” problem. Very few curricula are designed and implemented with assessment and evaluation built in. Consequently, we end up trying to add on assessment to programs already in place. Like adding plumbing and wiring to buildings built long ago, it’s possible, but much more difficult and expensive than simply building them into a new structure. A second common issue is finding ways to engage academic staff in assessment efforts over the long term. A third challenge is maintaining assessment programs in the years between AACSB visits. I see all three of these issues as interrelated.

What advice would you give to b-schools seeking AACSB accreditation that may or may not have an assessment model in place?

To paraphrase John F. Kennedy: “Ask not how you can do the least possible required to satisfy AACSB. Rather, ask how doing assessment can help your institution improve student learning outcomes, optimize teaching time, manage or lower costs, and raise staff morale and institutional reputation.”

You are known around the world as a renowned expert on assessment—how did you first get involved with the “movement?” And, what about assessment sparked your interest and research?

However well known I might or might not be, I got involved in the assessment “movement” mainly by chance. I happened to be in just the right place at just the right moment in the mid-1980s. My interest and work in assessment started much earlier, however, sparked by my teaching experiences. I’ve always been a bit obsessed with finding out how well students are learning what I’m trying to teach—and with exploring efficient ways to improve those outcomes.

What can conference participants anticipate to learn from your session?

Based on evaluations of past sessions, I can predict that those who participate actively will take away a few strategies or techniques, along with a new insight or two, to help them improve returns on their investment in assessment. They’ll also get suggestions for engaging their colleagues in assessment. And, since my sessions are highly interactive, they are likely to learn from other participants, as well.