Assessment Matters: A Case Study of Building a Culture of Assessment Within a Public Four-Year College
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Authors
Sorge-Elacqua, Sarah
Issue Date
2025-09
Type
Dissertation
Language
en
Keywords
higher education assessment , culture of assessment , accreditation
Alternative Title
Abstract
Assessment in higher education serves multiple purposes, including determining the efficacy of student learning outcomes and institutional advancement in support of accreditation. However, the establishment of a culture in which assessment is celebrated and embraced by all members of a college community is no small feat, and not many institutions can claim a robust culture of assessment. This case study focused on a public four-year university and its growing culture of assessment within a state or city university system at the conclusion of its successful reaccreditation visit in spring 2025. The purpose of the study is to determine general best practices for developing and maintaining a culture of assessment within institutes of higher education and utilizes the theoretical frameworks of Banta and Suskie to generate guiding questions for interviews; the impetus for establishing a culture of assessment was established using the change management model as proposed by Kotter. In this study, 12 assessment professionals were interviewed about the culture of assessment on their SUNY or CUNY campus and how the campus community is involved in the assessment process. Responses were coded by categories and analyzed through NVivo 14. Results indicated that cultures of assessment can be established through the use of supportive materials such as software, professional development opportunities, and data sharing sessions. Assessment professionals noted common issues that can hinder or work against establishing effective assessment practices on their campus. Providing assessment stakeholders with devoted assessment staff and time to analyze and draw conclusions from assessment results may provide support toward establishing robust cultures of assessment on other IHE campuses.