A Portrait of the Assessment Professional in the United States: Results from a National Survey

Abstract

While the systematic assessment of student learning has been undertaken since the 1980s, scant research is available that outlines a profile of assessment professionals or the roles and responsibilities these individuals perform in institutions of higher education. This study presents the results of the Assessment Professional Survey (n=305). By examining the demographics, range of roles and responsibilities, types of methodological skills and the service contribution of these professionals, this study provides the first national portrait of the assessment professional.\nFindings are valuable for (a) the field of assessment, as it represents the first systematic attempt to create a profile of the assessment professional (b) institutions, as they work to provide authentic evidence of student learning, (c) assessment professionals, to understand how they fit within their own institutions and in relationship to other assessment professionals, and (d) new entrants to the assessment profession, to position themselves in the assessment job market.