An Assessment Minute

September 2006
As faculty we strive to improve student learning in our classes, whether we know it or not. We savor our successes and reflect on our miscalculations. Assessment activities of any kind attempt to improve student learning. Assessment, in its truest form, is an act of educational inquiry, reflection, and adaptation. It’s where the best ideas come from, and where the truly unique innovations in instruction and curriculum are born. It’s driven by our desire to “get through” to our students, to develop and refine our techniques to better meet our objectives. At the turn of the 21st century, a pedagogical shift transformed our traditional instructor-centered learning environments. The fundamental question was asked: What are our students really learning and how do we know? The answer to this question began to find its way into collegiate mission statements across the country, and I believe the following captures the spirit of this new learner-centered environment:

The Six Guiding Principles of the “Learning College”
1) The Learning College creates substantive change in individual learners.
2) The Learning College engages learners in the learning process as full partners who must assume primary responsibility for their own choices.
3) The Learning College creates and offers as many options for learning as possible.
4) The Learning College assists learners to form and participate in collaborative learning activities.
5) The Learning College defines the roles of learning facilitators in response to the needs of the learners.
6) The Learning College and its learning facilitators succeed only when improved and expanded learning can be documented for learners (5).

Source: O’Banion, T. Launching a Learning-Centered College. League for Innovation in the Community College. Mission Viejo, CA, 1999.