Outcomes Assessment Programs: Historical Perspective and State of the Art.

This paper provides an historical perspective of assessment and accreditation processes and reviews the various approaches to assessment (reputation, resources and outcomes). This paper also includes the results of a survey designed to determine the degree to which outcomes assessment has been implemented at colleges and universities, the characteristics of those institutions, the methods of assessment used, the parties within the institution responsible for designing, implementing and monitoring the assessment program, and the parties to whom assessment data are disseminated. The results indicate that outcomes assessment is not as widespread as might be expected and appears to be unaffected by whether an institution is accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Furthermore, outcomes assessment programs are only slightly affected by whether an institution is public or private.