Article

Effective Assessment: A Model for Industrial Technology Programs

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Abstract

Why are industrial technology programs engaged in assessment? There are many answers to this question - ranging from “we’re required to do this” to “we want to know if we’re meeting our mission” to “we want to know how to improve what we do”. After nearly two decades of dualistic debates over whether assessment should focus on accountability or improvement there is a reluctant consensus that dealing with both is an economic and political inevitability (Angelo, 1999). In this context when we say we are “doing assessment” it means we are first and foremost improving student learning and secondarily determining accountability for the quality of learning produced. Effective assessment addresses both of these issues by providing a plan that defines what will be measured, how it will be measured and most importantly, how the results will be used thus providing a very valuable tool for program improvement. Recognizing the formative and summative nature of effective assessment, many accrediting agencies have incorporated it as an integral component of the accreditation process and specify the development, integration, and documentation of an assessment plan as a required component of the self-study.

Keywords: administration|higher education

How to Cite:

Strong, S., Amos, S. J. & Callahan, R. N., (2003) “Effective Assessment: A Model for Industrial Technology Programs”, Journal of Industrial Technology 19(3).