The effects of institutional characteristics and accreditation association assessment guidelines on perceptions of assessment practices in community colleges.

The purpose of the study was to examine the manner in which selected factors outside community colleges (accreditation association assessment guidelines) and selected internal factors (institutional characteristics and subgroup membership) influenced subgroup perceptions and the institutionalization of assessment practices in these institutions. Perceptions were defined as the extent to which subgroup members have knowledge or lack knowledge of assessment practices employed within their colleges. Institutionalization was defined as the degree to which information is communicated among subgroup members. Data was collected from four subgroups (executive administrators, mid-level administrators, faculty, and research/assessment coordinators) in a national survey involving 136 colleges in 45 states. The categories of data collected were subgroup perceptions of assessment practices related to student characteristics and learning outcomes and opinions of faculty and student roles in assuring student success. Multivariate analyses of variance, analyses of variance, Student-Newman-Keuls, and chi square analyses were completed on the variables. A factor analysis was also conducted. The results indicate that subgroup is the only factor that influences perceptions of assessment practices. The findings revealed that size and age of the institution, location, and accreditation association assessment guidelines do not impact subgroup perceptions. Executive administrators and research/assessment coordinators have the most knowledge of assessment practices and faculty the least. Each of the subgroups is more knowledgeable of assessment practices at the entry and process stages than at exit and after the student has left the institution. Also, faculty know less about practices outside of the classroom than other subgroups, and their opinions of assessment differ from other subgroups. Factor analysis revealed that the survey items clustered themselves around nine underlying themes. These results suggest that community colleges should carefully evaluate their strategies for communicating information about assessment practices and outcomes with faculty and staff, as well as, differences in subgroup perceptions over time. And, due to the paucity of empirical studies in this area, future investigations of assessment practices and outcomes should be conducted.Doctor of Education (EdD)EducationUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/105064/1/9635477.pdfDescription of 9635477.pdf : Restricted to UM users only