Abstract
University mandated assessment can improve learning but also carries political stakes that shape department survival. This article chronicles five years of assessment activity in a communication program after a statewide directive and shows how faculty moved from resistance to cautious optimism as they refined competency based tests portfolios and interviews. The central argument is that assessment findings double as public relations messages heard by administrators legislators and the media. When results are reported without strategic framing strong programs may appear weak and become targets for budget cuts. The essay details missteps such as offering candid commentary that was later quoted out of context and compares locally designed and national instruments. It recommends coalition building across campuses shared reporting formats selective disclosure of data and explicit calculation of financial and workload costs. These strategies help departments protect funding while using assessment evidence to guide curricular improvement.
Recommended Citation
Aitken, Joan E. and Neer, Michael
(1992)
"The Public Relations Need in Assessment Reporting,"
Association for Communication Administration Bulletin: Vol. 81, Article 6.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/aca/vol81/iss1/6
