Saturday, January 26, 2008

Business Leaders Poll re How Colleges Should Assess and Improve Student Learning

Greetings, The Association of American Colleges and Universities website, www.aacu.org, describes a recent national survey which "shows that employers see a need for significant improvement in the skills and knowledge of recent college graduates. Employers especially seek improved skills in global knowledge, self-direction, writing, and critical thinking. Employers surveyed also find college transcripts unhelpful and reject multiple choice tests and institutional assessments in favor of qualitative evaluations of internships, senior projects, and the results of individual essay tests that measure students’ abilities to write, solve problems, and think analytically." Quote from www.aacu.org, retrieved January 26, 2008. The AACU website links to the study, How Should Colleges Assess and Improve Student Learning? Employers' Views of the Accountability Challenge, A Survey of Employers Conducted on Behalf of The Association of American Colleges and Universities by Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc., Jan 9, 2008, embargoesd for release January 22, 2008