Assessment Adrift: Review of the Current State of Assessment of Academically Based Leadership Education Programs

Abstract

Assessment is a growing priority among the academy and also appears to be of increasing interest among academic‐based leadership education programs. This article offers a brief history of assessment within higher education as well as an overview of the current state of assessment in the context of academic‐based leadership education programs. While there are numerous studies reporting on assignment‐ and course‐level assessment activities, comparatively limited literature addresses program‐level assessment. It is the author's assertion that we must raise the level of conversation within our emerging discipline to identify effective best practices.

Majoring in Leadership: Issues of Consistency and Credibility

“…In addition, leadership education is certainly not something that can be whittled down to a short list of key topics or ideas. However, the call for formal program review is not unprecedented (Goertzen, ; Perruci & McManus, ; Ritch, ; Sowcik, Lindsey, & Rosch, ), and if leadership degree programs remain inconsistent, additional concerns arise.…”

Aligning Instructional Strategies with Learning Outcomes and Leadership Competencies

“…In effect, learning outcomes assessment may be used to clarify what students are gaining from the college experience and, perhaps of greatest importance, to measure the impact of leadership education on competency development. Making decisions about assessment involves critical considerations regarding the properties of evidence of student learning that include both authenticity and direct and indirect measures of that learning (Goertzen, ). To be authentic, assessment activities must “closely simulate or actually replicate challenges faced by adults or professionals” (Wiggins, , p. 141).…”

“…Direct measures of student learning involve “observable deployment of the ability in question” (Ewell, , p. 21) and include such strategies as oral presentations, demonstrations, case studies, and simulations among other approaches (Palomba & Banta, ). Goertzen () stresses that direct measures of student learning may not be as authentic. However, direct measures of student learning are widely perceived as being more credible than indirect measures.…”

The Emerging Role of Higher Education in Educating and Assessing Future Leaders for Disaster Relief

“…As higher education looks to expand academic off erings and cocurricular activities that deal specifi cally with disaster relief, a need exists to better understand how to assess these programs. Since the 1980s, assessment has expanded in higher education (Ewell, 2009), but little attention has been given to assessment in cocurricular leadership education (Goertzen, 2012). Programmatic assessment is permeating many aspects of higher education with practical applications in experiential learning (Banta, 1997;Ewell, 2009).…”