Like many colleges and universities, mine is engaged in an assessment overhaul. We do not have an assessment culture on our campus, and there has been a concerted effort from the Dean's office to create one. This has been a long and painful process for many, as I am sure anyone in higher education can attest. Teaching faculty are not accustomed to defining goals, outcomes, and mapping course sequences towards departmental visions. Even for someone like myself, who has (albeit limited) a K-12 background, this process had brought out out some of my worst characteristics: I hear "assessment matrix" and I become sullen, sassy, or socialist, depending on the day.
