Tim Cain is one of a group of scholars who has written a new book, Using Evidence of Student Learning to Improve Higher Education, to inform and shift the functions and forms of assessment away from the conventional view that assessment is primarily an act of compliance with outside forces and toward the view that understanding what matters to student learning and documenting student accomplishment are useful tools and essential to institutional effectiveness. American higher education needs a major reframing of the assessment conversation. The transformational changes underway—new providers, new technology, doubts about educational quality, concerns over cost and student debt—are prompting governing board members, policy makers, accreditors, donors and others to expect postsecondary institutions to provide evidence of the value of their educational programs. Gauging what students know and can do is central to employers’ need for graduates who are well-prepared to perform in a dynamic economic environment. Moreover, better evidence of learning is central to the lives and future well-being of the millions of college students and the colleges and universities they attend. Using Evidence of Student Learning to Improve Higher Education is published in partnership with the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA), a project based at the University of Illinois and Indiana University. NILOA’s mission is to discover and disseminate promising practices that enable academic institutions to productively use assessment data to inform and strengthen undergraduate education. Documenting what students learn, know and can do is of growing interest to colleges and universities, accrediting groups, higher education associations, foundations and others beyond campus, including students, their families, employers and policy makers. The book offers both a compelling rationale and practical advice for making student learning outcomes assessment more effective and efficient. It will be available for purchase online and at retailers nationwide in both print and all e-book formats. For a full list of retailers, visit http://www.wiley.com/buy/978-1-118-90339-1. Press Release by Wiley Publications, January 15, 2015 (Indianapolis, Ind.). Type of News/Audience: Research
