Abstract
This article surveys the evolving assessment movement in higher education, focusing on its implications for communication departments and curriculum planning. It contextualizes accountability pressures from federal policy, regional accreditation, and state legislatures, and outlines four assessment domains: basic skills, general education, major content, and student development. By comparing standardized instruments with locally designed measures such as portfolios, capstone courses, exit interviews, and assessment centers, this article highlights emerging strategies for documenting institutional effectiveness and student learning outcomes. Discussion addresses administrative faculty and student challenges, particularly in evaluating oral communication competency and critical thinking within speaking across the curriculum initiatives. Concluding reflections encourage communication scholars to assert leadership in developing valid evaluation protocols that align disciplinary competencies with evidence based program improvement.
Recommended Citation
Hunt, Gary T.
(1990)
"The Assessment Movement: A Challenge and an Opportunity,"
Association for Communication Administration Bulletin: Vol. 72, Article 2.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/aca/vol72/iss1/2
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