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Why It Should Be Done

Assessment of student learning for the purpose of continuous quality improvement (CQI) is a requirement for SACS/COC accreditation and many specialized accrediting bodies.

Assessment is also required as a part of the SCHEV Higher Education Restructuring Scorecard. Locally, assessment is required to evaluate progress on the 2005-09 Strategic Plan and support performance based budgeting.

Most importantly, setting goals, collecting and analyzing data, and using the data to improve our programs is part of what we do as professionals in a learning organization. While one person in a department may take the lead in assessment for the department, all members of the department should participate in the assessment process in their department.

Adapted from work by Julia Pet Armacost (University of Central Florida) and presented by Bob Smallwood (University of North Florida) at the SACS Institute on Quality Enhancement and Accreditation, July 2005.