Assessment 101
Assessment 101 is designed for anyone looking to enhance their assessment practice, regardless of prior experience. Individuals and teams from across the country come to learn strategies regarding how to teach others about assessment. Assessment 101 is a 5-day virtual, intensive workshop about each step of the assessment cycle with a special emphasis on learning improvement.
About Assessment 101
In this nationally-acclaimed (NASPA Silver Award-winning) workshop, participants learn about each step of the assessment cycle with a special emphasis on learning improvement. Assessment 101 is a 5-day virtual, intensive workshop designed to combine synchronous and asynchronous time to reinforce the knowledge gained while also imparting tangible skills. Individuals and teams from across the country come to learn strategies regarding how to teach others about assessment.
Assessment 101 will explore topics such as:
• writing student learning outcomes
• mapping the curriculum
• creating instruments
• examining implementation fidelity
• analyzing data
• reporting results
• using results to make evidence-based decisions
A $1,500 registration fee covers participation and materials provided during the 5-day workshop. There are a limited number of seats for each cohort.
Upcoming sessions of Assessment 101:
Register - February 6, 13, 20, and 27 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET and March 6, 2026, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., over five consecutive Fridays (ET). Registration is open until Monday, January 26, at noon, or until filled.
Register - June 1–5, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Friday (ET). Registration is open until Monday, May 18, at noon or until filled.
Faculty and staff at James Madison University can apply to have this fee waived through an assessment scholarship. If you have further questions, please contact us at assessmentdevelopment@jmu.edu.
FAQs about CARS Events
You can register for as many people as will attend as long as payment is completed for each person by the enrollment deadline. The person sitting for the workshop does not have to be the one completing the registration.
You may cancel your registration up to two weeks prior to the program start date and receive a refund of course registration fees, less a $25 administrative fee. To withdrawal from this course you must send a request to cpdtraining@jmu.edu. Requests received beyond the deadline will receive no refund. For more information, please visit Policies & Notices.
As part of Assessment 101, each participant completes an individual or group project. These projects usually pertain to some aspect of the assessment cycle. For example, an individual may choose to focus on writing student learning outcomes for an academic degree program or identifying an appropriate instrument to measure such outcomes.
Here a few examples from previous projects:
You will receive an orientation email the week before the session that includes the pre-workshop preparation materials. While the specific materials vary by workshop, you can expect no more than two hours of preparation. Additionally, participants new to assessment may benefit from exploring the CARS Professional Development in Assessment webpage to learn more about the Assessment Skills Framework and other freely available resources.
