The role of learner-centred assessment in postsecondary organisational change

Abstract

For postsecondary institutions, organisational change is an inevitable and ongoing process. Institutions face a growing need to assess student learning assessment as part of an institution's comprehensive assessment plan. While a growing body of literature suggests that learner-centred assessment is a best practice in higher education pedagogy, it is unclear whether faculty members have embraced it fully. Using data from the 1993 and 2004 administrations of the National Study of Postsecondary Faculty, this study examines the extent to which faculty members employed learner-centred assessment in two- and four-year colleges in the USA. Findings show increases in use for some assessment techniques over the decade, as well as differences in use by faculty gender, discipline, and institution level. Increases in the use of these techniques may indicate a continued emphasis on learner-centred assessment and thus one aspect of organisational change. Implications for institutional policy are discussed.