The Challenge of Assessing Civic Engagement: What We Know and What We Still Need to Learn about Civic Education in College

In this article the author builds on research from her coauthored 2003 book, Educating Citizens, which reported on a three-year study of civic education on twelve campuses and focused primarily on conceptual and implementation questions involved in civic education.This article takes up two additional and crucial issues: the empirical evidence the project elicited about the effects of these programs and practices on undergraduates, and the evidentiary issues and challenges involved in assessing students’ moral and civic learning. It focuses primarily on key issues involved in assessing students’ moral and civic learning and is intended to help inform and lay the groundwork for further assessment efforts.