Quality student assessment in higher education

This descriptive qualitative case study determined what assessment practices were adopted by a higher education institution that had implemented quality management as an organizational framework. The case study site was Samford University, a small private liberal arts college in Birmingham, Alabama. Samford University was selected as the case for this study because it was an institution identified by five experts in quality management and assessment in higher education to be exemplary in the way it had conceptualized and implemented extensive assessment practices within a quality framework.; The study's research questions were (1) What assessment practices are utilized by selected departments of the institution? (2) What, if any, are the commonalties in these practices between the institution and the institutional units? (3) To what degree were the assessment practices of Samford University congruent with Alexander Astin's talent development assessment model? Astin's assessment model was chosen as a theoretical framework for analysis because its components are congruent with the practices of successful assessment programs.; Information on assessment practices was gathered through interviewing faculty, staff, and students, examining institutional historical, archival and planning documents and observing institutional meetings. An examination of the material gathered on the institution revealed two sub-sets of departmental units. These were identified as Adopters and Non-Adopters of the Samford University quality management framework. Analysis of the case study evidence showed that the institutional and Adopter departments' assessment practices were congruent with Astin's talent development assessment model. The assessment practices of the Non-Adopter departments had little similarity to Astin's model and were determined to be congruent with a traditional view of assessment as conducted for external mandate only.; The final chapter of this study presents Copeland's Quality Assessment Model. This model integrates quality management principles with effective assessment practices. The Quality Assessment Model can inform the faculty and staff who adopt quality principles for their assessment programs of practices congruent with their approach, and provide institutions implementing quality management with a framework for gathering and utilizing assessment data.