Organizations and Foundations
Websites of Interest
Helpful Readings
The following will link you to a number of projects which directly address the assessment of outcomes valued by liberal arts education.
The Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts at Wabash College
Founded in 2000, the Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts at Wabash College seeks to improve the effectiveness of liberal arts education and ensure that its nature and value are widely understood. Our mission is to explore, test, and promote liberal arts education.Teagle Foundation
Founded in 1944 by Walter C. Teagle (1878 – 1962), the Teagle Foundation currently focuses on ensuring that college students receive a broad and enriching experience by applying both intellectual and financial resources to education.The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning
Founded in 1905 by Andrew Carnegie, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching follows its mission "to do and perform all things necessary to encourage, uphold, and dignify the profession of the teacher and the cause of higher education." The foundation is a center of research and policy study focusing on the challenges of education including classroom practices, student learning outcomes, and assessment.
Websites of Interest
The following provide valuable insight for institutions interested in assessing liberal arts outcomes. From curricular design to preparing for an accreditation visit, we found these sites to be helpful and informative.
The Assessment CyberGuide for Learning Goals and Outcomes in the Undergraduate Psychology Major by the Task Force on Undergraduate Psychology Major Competencies Board of Educational Affairs of the American Psychological Association
This document contains four sections: Understanding Assessment; Designing Viable Assessment Plans; Sustaining an Assessment Culture; and Applying Assessment Strategies in Psychology. We recommend the first three sections, which provide a valuable overview for a reflective approach to assessment that emphasizes integration of department and institutional assessment, faculty ownership of assessment, and using assessment as an opportunity for growth and improvement.NSSE Accreditation Toolkit
The NSSE Accreditation Toolkits are individualized to the specific standards of each regional accrediting agency. They suggest ways to incorporate NSSE data into the accreditation process, including timelines for collecting information and institutional examples of using NSSE in accreditation efforts.
Helpful Readings
Articles Available Online
Defining Liberal Arts Education
by Charles F. Blaich, Anne Bost, Ed Chan, and Richard Lynch
Written by Center of Inquiry staff members, this piece outlines our approach to the question, "What is a liberal arts education?" It is helpful if you want to learn more about the Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts and the working definition of liberal arts education that guides our work.
A Liberal Arts Education Changes Lives: Why Everyone Can and Should Have This Experience
by Gregory C. Wolniak, Tricia A. Seifert, and Charles F. Blaich
This piece centers around two major questions: How does a liberal arts education benefit students? and, Is effective liberal arts education limited to liberal arts institutions?
Liberal Arts Colleges: Taking the Lead on Assessment and Accountability
by Richard H. Hersh
Richard Hersh makes the case for the educational imperative for assessment. He suggests that liberal arts colleges have an obligation to lead the charge in addressing issues of educational accountability. As you read this article, consider what kinds of evidence could help make you and your colleagues more effective liberal arts educators
9 Principles of Good Practice for Assessing Student Learning
by Alexander W. Astin, Trudy W. Banta, K. Patricia Cross, Elaine El Khawas, Peter T. Ewell, Pat Hutchings, Theodore J. Marchese, Kay M. McClenney, Marcia Mentkowski, Margaret A. Miller, E. Thomas Moran, and Barbara D. Wright
This is a compilation of thoughtful guidelines for assessment practices. Although it does not get at liberal arts education outcomes in particular, it does encourage reflection, institutional commitment, and a desire to change for the better.
Do Liberal Arts Colleges Really Foster Good Practices in Undergraduate Education?
by Ernest T. Pascarella, Ty M. Cruce, Gregory C. Wolniak, and Charles F. Blaich
This study estimated the net effects of liberal arts colleges on 19 measures of good practices in undergraduate education, grouped into seven categories. Liberal arts colleges evinced stronger positive impacts on a broad range of good practices in undergraduate education than did either research universities or regional institutions.
The Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education: Liberal Arts Outcomes
by P.M. King, Kendall Brown, N.K. Lindsay, J.R. VanHecke, M.J. Mayhew, and G. Potworowski; Liberal Arts Assessment Conference, Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts at Wabash College, August 2004
This document describes the seven outcomes that the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education research team chose to examine.
Hope Students Take the NSSE
by Scott VanderStoep
This article from Hope College’s online newsletter, What’s Happening with Assessment at Hope College, centers around Hope’s NSSE results, but also offers a number of insightful remarks about some possible risks of relying too heavily upon NSSE results.
Other Articles and Books
The Truth May Make you Free, but the Test May Keep You Imprisoned: Toward
Assessment Worthy of the Liberal Arts
by Grant Wiggins
Read a paragraph about this article and find out how to locate it.
Student Success in College: Creating Conditions that Matter
by George D. Kuth, Jillian Kinzie, John H. Schuh, Elizabeth J. Whitt, and Associates
Read a brief description of this book and find out how to order it.
Taking Responsibility for the Quality of the Baccalaureate Degree
A Report from the Greater Expectations Project on Accreditation and Assessment
Association of American Colleges and Universities 2004
Read a review of this report and find out how to order it.