Running head: CONCEPTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION Olshefski

Concepts in Higher Education: Assessment, Evaluation, and Research

Jessica Olshefski

Western Carolina University

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Concepts in Higher Education: Assessment, Evaluation, and Research

Over the years the terms assessment, evaluation, and research have interchangeably been

used and misconstrued. Throughout this paper, the differences between these three terms will be

defined and the similarities and differences will be analyzed and argued. By using multiple

examples and sources, the different purposes for each term will be revealed along with how they

relate to each other.

Assessment can be defined as “any effort to gather, analyze, and interpret evidence which

describes institutional, departmental, divisional, or agency effectiveness” (Schuh, Biddix, Dean,

& Kinzie, 2016). In many ways, some may say that evaluation and research are actions that take

place through assessment and that assessment is the main category, and the definition above

explains this. However, there have been many definitions given to this term. Astin & Antonio

had a different way of defining assessment, “The term assessment can refer to two different

activities: the mere gathering of information (measurement) and the use of that information for

institutional and individual improvement (evaluation)” (Astin, & Antonio, 2012). By including

the use of the term it could be argued that it better defines the action, as this would also be the

beneficial reason to conduct an assessment. In the second edition of Assessment in Student

affairs, the authors propose that effectiveness is added to this definition. They define

effectiveness as “a measure of the extent to which an intervention, program, activity, or learning

experience accomplishes its goals, frequently linked to how student learning is advanced”

(Schuh, et al., 2016). With this information, it seems as though the most appropriate way to

define assessment in relation to higher education would be to include all aspects of each of these

definitions. While they have similarities, the different aspects are important changes that should

be considered when defining the term.

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Evaluation is defined as “the use of assessment data to determine organizational

effectiveness” (Schuh, et al., 2016). This definition separates assessment and evaluation based on

the action of the data. Taking data that has been gathered through assessment and using it to

determine effectiveness. This plays a strong role within higher education departments. It is one

thing to collect data and examine it, it is another to use that data to determine its level of

efficiency. Evaluation of data can be the important factor that separates what is expected to be

the results or impact and the level of what actually happened. This could also lead to a new

discovery that can help a department make new correlations between two factors. An example of

this would be the effect that being involved in a student ran organization has on an individual’s

GPA. While there may be no correlation, evaluation of data may provide a correlation between

GPA and academic term.

Research can also be defined in many ways depending on the way it is being discussed.

The action of researching is one way to define it. Another could be the way the research is

conducted, such as methods, technology, even the data collected. Assessment has been said to

incorporate many methods similar to the ones included in traditional research. Research in

relation to higher education differs from that of a research study due to the level of research that

is being conducted. One way to look at this would be to view assessment research as being

guided by a theory, whereas a research study is more of an assessment of a theory itself.

Each of these terms has clear relations but have also been confused for one another in the

past. Research is usually conducted to test theories and is not time bound whereas assessments

are guided by theories and time sensitive. Assessments tend to also gather attention and have use

in areas other than the topic which the assessment is based around such as public or political

dimensions. Research, on the other hand, is usually used within the function that it discusses.
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While these differences are universal, there are a few factors that separate these terms in direct

relation to higher education. “Assessments typically are funded out of the unit or divisional

budgets, which can put something of a strain on providing support for all of the activities

planned by the unit, especially if resources are not designated for assessment in organizational

based budgets. Research often is financed through special support such as grant or contract

secured specifically to support the project” (Schuh, et al., 2016).

Each of these terms has great importance in higher education and student affairs.

However, much like the definition of these terms, the description of these reasons can be argued.

In the second edition of Assessment in Student affairs, the authors argue that there are two main

reasons for each of these terms. Accountability and improvement are well-known terms within

departments of higher education. With every program, department, and service that an institution

provides, there is always accountability. With every new semester, there is always a new goal set

for improvement. These are the terms that help institutions grow and improve, and this happened

through assessment. “If you take the time and effort to design assessments reasonably carefully

and collect collaborating evidence, your assessment results may be imperfect but will never the

less give you information that you will be able to use with confidence to make decisions”

(Schuh, et al., 2016).

Overall, it is clear that there is a strong connection between assessment, evaluation, and

research. Based on the information discussed it is also clear that each term has many definitions

depending on the viewpoint of the term. Each definition has strong points that are used within

higher education and can be argued as a correct description of the term. It seems as though a

good way to define these terms is to address their relations with one another as well as define

how they are different.

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References

Astin, A. W., & Antonio, A. L. (2012). Assessment for excellence: the philosophy and practice

of assessment and evaluation in higher education. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Schuh, J. H., Biddix, J. P., Dean, L. A., & Kinzie, J. (2016). Assessment in Student Affairs (2nd

ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.