Center History

History and Scope

In 1985, the Commonwealth of Virginia chose several Virginia institutions to explore issues in accountability and assessment in higher education. James Madison University was chosen as one of these institutions. Five faculty members (Don Corbin, Foreign Languages; Andrew Kohen, Economics; Virginia Livingston, Nursing; Frank Luth, Special Education; Allen Lyndrup, Theater) were commissioned by then President Carrier and Vice President of Academic Affairs Russell Warren, to review assessment practices at four different campus settings. They went to the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Northeast Missouri State (now Truman State University), Alverno College, and to find out more about the discrepancy model of program evaluation at the University of Virginia. They came back from these campus visits recommending an assessment office, and advising JMU to bring new expertise to the campus to lead assessment work. The five faculty members became the search committee for a new assessment position.

In the summer of 1986, T. Dary Erwin was hired as Director of Assessment. In 1988, the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV) allocated funding for an Assessment Center. The Center had permanent funding and four staff: the Director, a secretary, and two full-time staff positions, one working in Office of Academic Affairs and another working in both the Office of Student Affairs and Academic Affairs. Assessment faculty have taught in the Department of Psychology since 1986.

The Commonwealth required every public institution to submit an assessment plan in 1987 for review by the SCHEV staff and an outside consultant. The plan was to include assessment of the major, general education, at risk students, and alumni. Within two years, SCHEV also required assessment of student affairs and off-campus instruction. JMU initially used the ACT COMP and the ETS Academic Profile in general education (liberal studies), but later dropped these (in the late 80's) and designed tests specifically for JMU. Liberal Studies (General Education) assessment looked at skills across the curriculum such as critical thinking and writing, and assessments were developed in the distribution areas: Composition, Mathematics, Oral Communication, Literature, Philosophy/Religion/Values, Natural Science, Physical Education/Dance, Fine Arts/Esthetics, Social Science, and History/Civilization. Discussion of technology assessment was initiated at this time.

In 1986, assessment in the major began by phasing in all undergraduate programs in five-year cycles. Alumni were surveyed on a five-year cycle as well that remains in place today. An Alumni Survey Committee was initiated and created the first alumni survey about institutional perceptions, employment history, and continuing education. Each academic program designated an assessment coordinator (usually someone other than the department head) to work with the Assessment office. Every year as programs phased into the assessment process, staff from the Assessment office held an orientation for assessment coordinators and their respective department heads. Coordinators who had participated the previous year came to the workshop to share their experiences with the new group. At the end of the first year of their work, each Assessment Coordinator gave a public presentation of their program objectives, methods, results, and use of results. By 1991-1992, every major program was actively working on an assessment plan.

The Assessment Center has involved Student Affairs in assessment since 1987. There was an Affective Development Committee that met regularly to design and select ways to assess student development --affective, cognitive, moral, and psychosocial.

By 1987, serious concerns about student samples began to emerge. Until this time, students were offered incentives to participate in assessment activities. As more and more assessment instruments were used and more students were needed, the practice of "incentive" sampling began to break down. With all the information that was being collected for assessment of Liberal Studies, the major, and student development, a day was designated specifically for student assessment by the Academic Council of Deans. From the start, students were required to participate, and student registration for classes was blocked until their assessments were completed. Later, this evolved into a pattern of three required assessment times (described below) for all students. In 1987, then President Carrier formed the Assessment Steering Committee to advise the Office on assessment planning and reporting. The original committee was Dr. Richard F. Whitman, Chairperson; Drs. Alexander Gabbin, Elizabeth Neatrour, Gerald Taylor, Reid Linn, and Al Menard. In 1997, the name of the Office of Student Assessment was officially changed to the Center for Assessment and Research Studies (CARS).