The second edition of Assessment for Excellence arrives as higher education enters a new era of the accountability movement. In the face of mandates such as results-based funding and outcomes-based accreditation, institutions and assessment specialists are feeling increasingly pressured to demonstrate accountability to external constituencies. The practice of assessment under these new accountability pressures takes on special significance for the education of students and the development of talent across the entire higher education system. This book introduces a talent development approach to educational assessment as a counter to prevailing philosophies, illustrating how contemporary practices are unable to provide institutions with meaningful data with which to improve educational outcomes. It provides administrators, policymakers, researchers, and analysts with a comprehensive framework for developing new assessment programs to promote talent development and for scrutinizing existing policies and practices. Written for a wide audience, the book enables the lay reader to quickly grasp the imperatives of a properly-designed assessment program, and also to gain adequate statistical understanding necessary for examining current or planned assessment policies. More advanced readers will appreciate the technical appendix for assistance in conducting statistical analyses that align with a talent development approach. In addition, institutional researchers will benefit from sections that outline the development of appropriate student databases.

This book explores the many ways in which the obsession with "being smart" distorts the life of a typical college or university, and how this obsession leads to a higher education that shortchanges the majority of students, and by extension our society's need for an educated population. The author calls on his colleagues in higher education to return the focus to the true mission of developing the potential of each student: However "smart" they are when they get to college, both the student and the college should be able to show what they learned while there. Unfortunately, colleges and universities have embraced two very narrow definitions of smartness: the course grade and especially the standardized test. A large body of research shows that it will be very difficult for colleges to fulfill their stated mission unless they substantially broaden their conception to include student qualities such as leadership, social responsibility, honesty, empathy, and citizenship. Specifically, the book grapples with issues such as the following:Why America's 3,000-plus colleges and universities have evolved into a hierarchical pecking order, where institutions compete with each other to recruit "smart" students, and where a handful of elite institutions at the top of the pecking order enroll the "smartest" students. Why higher education favors its smartest students to the point where the "not so smart" students get second-class treatment. Why so many colleges find it difficult to make good on their commitment to affirmative action and "equality of opportunity." Why college faculties tend to value being smart more than developing students' smartness (i.e., teaching and learning).

The second edition of Assessment for Excellence arrives as higher education enters a new era of the accountability movement. In the face of mandates such as results-based funding and outcomes-based accreditation, institutions and assessment specialists are feeling increasingly pressured to demonstrate accountability to external constituencies. The practice of assessment under these new accountability pressures takes on special significance for the education of students and the development of talent across the entire higher education system. This book introduces a talent development approach to educational assessment as a counter to prevailing philosophies, illustrating how contemporary practices are unable to provide institutions with meaningful data with which to improve educational outcomes. It provides administrators, policymakers, researchers, and analysts with a comprehensive framework for developing new assessment programs to promote talent development and for scrutinizing existing policies and practices. Written for a wide audience, the book enables the lay reader to quickly grasp the imperatives of a properly-designed assessment program, and also to gain adequate statistical understanding necessary for examining current or planned assessment policies. More advanced readers will appreciate the technical appendix for assistance in conducting statistical analyses that align with a talent development approach. In addition, institutional researchers will benefit from sections that outline the development of appropriate student databases.

Although access to higher education is virtually universally available, college student retention stills remains a vexing and puzzling problem for educators and legislators. In College Student Retention: Formula for Student Success, second edition, Alan Seidman deals with this problematic issue by examining a number of areas critical to the retention of students, including the history, the theories and concepts, models, and a standardized definition of the term. Seidman and his contributors also lay out the financial implications and trends of retention in one of their updated chapters. Completely new to this edition are three chapters that examine several recent issues: the current theories of retention, retention of online students, and retention in community colleges. Tying all of these components together, Seidman then presents his formula and highly successful model for student success that colleges can implement to effect change in retaining students and helping them to complete their academic and personal goals.

This book explores the many ways in which the obsession with “being smart” distorts the life of a typical college or university, and how this obsession leads to a higher education that shortchanges the majority of students, and by extension our society’s need for an educated population. The author calls on his colleagues in higher education to return the focus to the true mission of developing the potential of each student: However “smart” they are when they get to college, both the student and the college should be able to show what they learned while there. Unfortunately, colleges and universities have embraced two very narrow definitions of smartness: the course grade and especially the standardized test. A large body of research shows that it will be very difficult for colleges to fulfill their stated mission unless they substantially broaden their conception to include student qualities such as leadership, social responsibility, honesty, empathy, and citizenship. Specifically, the book grapples with issues such as the following: Why America’s 3,000-plus colleges and universities have evolved into a hierarchical pecking order, where institutions compete with each other to recruit “smart” students, and where a handful of elite institutions at the top of the pecking order enroll the “smartest” students. Why higher education favors its smartest students to the point where the “not so smart” students get second-class treatment. Why so many colleges find it difficult to make good on their commitment to affirmative action and “equality of opportunity.” Why college faculties tend to value being smart more than developing students’ smartness (i.e., teaching and learning).

"Know thyself" is something that has been advocated by great philosophers, psychologists, and religious leaders since the beginning of recorded history. The principal aim of this book is to promote greater self-awareness through a deeper understanding of how your mind works and by cultivating your ability to observe your own mind in action. Most of the chapters contain simple exercises that are designed to enhance your ability to understand and control your own thoughts, feelings, and actions. Since your emotional reactions to life events are largely shaped by your beliefs, many of these exercises are designed to help you get in closer touch with your beliefs and, if necessary, to change some of these beliefs. Each of us has the ability-right now in this conscious moment-to begin reshaping our life's experience through a better understanding of how the mind works. The book is thus intended for people who feel that they worry too much, or are dissatisfied with their jobs or their relationships with others, or always feel rushed because there are too many things that they have to do. It's for people who want less frustration, guilt, irritability, boredom, or unhappiness and more love, joy, adventure, and sense of control over their lives.

"Know thyself" is something that has been advocated by great philosophers, psychologists, and religious leaders since the beginning of recorded history. The principal aim of this book is to promote greater self-awareness through a deeper understanding of how your mind works and by cultivating your ability to observe your own mind in action. Most of the chapters contain simple exercises that are designed to enhance your ability to understand and control your own thoughts, feelings, and actions. Since your emotional reactions to life events are largely shaped by your beliefs, many of these exercises are designed to help you get in closer touch with your beliefs and, if necessary, to change some of these beliefs. Each of us has the ability-right now in this conscious moment-to begin reshaping our life's experience through a better understanding of how the mind works. The book is thus intended for people who feel that they worry too much, or are dissatisfied with their jobs or their relationships with others, or always feel rushed because there are too many things that they have to do. It's for people who want less frustration, guilt, irritability, boredom, or unhappiness and more love, joy, adventure, and sense of control over their lives.

In this detailed study, Astin examines why assessment activity has produced such meager results and, just as important, how existing activities can be improved. The author also discusses what new assessment practices can be implemented and shares specific and sometimes startling ideas on: --How assessment information can most effectively be used for evaluation; --How results can be used to enlighten and inform the practitioner; --How practical, technical, and political problems can be overcome when building an assessment database from student and faculty input; --How the movement of externally mandated assessments in various states is having a negative impact on higher education.