Where do we want students to be at the end of a course or a program? And how will we know if they get there? Those two questions are at the heart of assessment.

Although there is a lot of buzz about assessment these days, assessment itself is nothing new. If you’ve ever given an exam, led a discussion, or assigned a project – and used what you discovered about student learning to refine your teaching – you’ve engaged in assessment. Assessment is simply the process of collecting information about student learning and performance to improve education.

At Carnegie Mellon, we believe that for assessment to be meaningful (not bean-counting or teaching to the test!) it must be done thoughtfully and systematically. We also believe it should be driven by faculty so that the information gathered:

• Reflects the goals and values of particular disciplines
• Helps instructors refine their teaching practices and grow as educators
• Helps departments and programs refine their curriculum to prepare students for an evolving workplace