Higher Education Assessment

Ruben, B. D. (2007). Higher education assessment: Linking accreditation standards and the Malcolm Baldrige criteria. [Article]. New Directions for Higher Education(137), 59-83.

This article provided an interesting overview of higher education assessment. It was an excellent supplement to our class discussion with Dr. Harrold. In particular, it described the work of The Spellings Commission, of which I was unfamiliar. The Spellings Commission produced six recommendations to address education reform within the United States. Of the six recommendations, I was most interested in the third.

“To meet the challenges of the 21st century, higher education must hange from a system primarily based on reputation to one based on performance. We urge the creation of a robust culture of accountability and transparency throughout higher education. Every one of our goals, from improving access and affordability to enhancing quality and innovation, will be more easily achieved if higher education mbraces, and implements serious accountability measures.”

Assessment is the key to this recommendation. However, during our class discussion, it was noted that assessment is often perceived as an endpoint rather than a means to a continual process of improvement.

The author also commented on accreditation and the review process. It was noted that the accreditation process “stimulated evaluation and improvement, while providing a means of continuing accountability to constituents and the public.” Of interest, the Baldrige Framework was discussed as a rigorous approach to assessment and improvement through accrediation. The goals of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award program (MBNQA) are to:

Identify the essential components of organizational excellence
Recognize organization that demonstrate these characteristics
Promote information sharing by exemplary organizations
Encourage the adoption of effective organizational principles and practices

The author suggests that these criteria provide a standard of excellence to which higher education entities can and should aspire.

The Excellence in Higher Education framework (EHE) model was also discussed. This model was designed to adapt to the needs of a broader range of higher education institutions. The EHE uses the Baldrige and regional accreditation organization criteria to offer the best available standards of excellence for higher education. The EHE framework consist of seven themes: leadership, strategic planning, beneficiaries and constituencies, program and services, faculty/staff and workplace, assessment and information use, outcomes and achievements. The seven themes are scored anonymously and areas of strength and improvement are reviewed and discussed. It can be used to evaluate programs, departments, or institutional excellence.

This article gave me great insight into the challenges and opportunities offered by accreditation, the importance of embedding assessment into the culture of an institution, and frameworks that can be used to strengthen and improve higher education.