Assessing Student Learning in the Community and Two-Year College: Successful Strategies and Tools Developed by Practitioners in Student and Academic Affairs

Gardner, M. M. , Kline, K. A. , & Bresciani, M. J. (Eds.). (2014). Assessing student learning in the community and two-year college: Successful strategies and tools developed by practitioners in student and academic affairs. Sterling, VA: Stylus. 216 pp. US$95.00 (cloth). ISBN 978-1 -57922-91 I -5. US$29.95 (paper). ISBN 978-1-57922-912-2. US$23.99 (e-book). ISBN 978-1-57922-914-6.In Assessing Student Learning in the Community and Two-Year College, the coeditors Megan Moore Gardner, Kimberly A. Kline, and Marilee J. Bresciani have assembled a volume of 11 articles that provide "strategies and tools" for community college professionals who seek to begin or strengthen their efforts to assess student learning outcomes in their colleges. Each chapter was written with the input of at least one community or 2-year college professional. The chapters provide ideas for assessing outcomes in both the academic setting as well as the cocurricular setting and were developed by practitioners in both student and academic affairs. The book is organized to offer strategies for various components of the assessment process, using a sequential pattern that might be followed by community college personnel to measure student learning outcomes. The chapters give relevant examples from various colleges as well as meaningful questions to help professionals reflect on their current practices.The first two chapters provide structure for practitioners as they begin assessment efforts. Chapter 1 is designed to help practitioners determine what they hope to gain from the assessment process. A discussion of outcomes-based assessment and its importance and a means for establishing "a shared conceptual framework and common language within and among those stakeholders who will be involved" (p. 5) are included. Chapter 2 logically follows with a discussion of building a learning-centered culture. The chapter features specific examples of ways to engage in visioning, collaboration, communication, and continued buy-in. The next two chapters provide guidance for the important tasks of developing outcomes and training personnel to assess those outcomes. Chapter 3 focuses on the development of learning outcomes and priorities for assessment, whereas Chapter 4 describes ways to build a professional development plan for personnel involved in the assessment process, an important consideration as faculty and student services personnel are often not formally trained in assessment. A number of websites that disseminate assessment information are included in the text. Chapters 5 through 9 offer practical information about selecting assessment methods, analyzing and interpreting assessment results, communicating assessment results, and using assessment results to make decisions about programs and courses as well as the college as a whole. The final two chapters provide practitioners with ideas to consider as they evaluate their assessments. Chapter 10 focuses on methods for evaluating the assessment process, emphasizing the importance of reflecting on the process itself to improve the results obtained. Chapter 11 concludes the book by looking ahead with a discussion of how colleges may move "toward a more holistic approach to assessment" (p. 154). Readers will certainly pause as they consider the questions posed by the contributors as they look toward the future of higher education.Overall, the book is an important addition to literature on assessment of student learning outcomes at a time when regional accrediting agencies are increasingly focused on assessment and many states are looking to performance-based funding. …