Assessing Student Learning and Development: A Handbook for Practitioners (review)

Assessing Student Learning and Development: A Handbook for Practitioners, by Bresciani, Zelna, and Anderson (2004) is the latest entry in the ever-expanding, but still important, outcomes assessment literature. The authors draw upon their years of professional experience to present a "how-to" manual for student affairs practitioners. The book has many strengths: it is readily accessible and comprehensible; it presents a solid argument for moving student affairs assessment efforts beyond satisfaction to outcomes assessment; and it addresses multiple assessment methods that practitioners may employ. The book also has weaknesses. The omission of any discussion of Alexander Astin's (1991) I-E-O model for outcomes assessment is particularly noteworthy. In fact, there is no mention of input variables at all, which limits the usefulness of this book considerably.

The purpose of the book is to assist student affairs professionals, and cocurriucular specialists within academic affairs, with "specific techniques, ideas, and examples for assessing student learning and development" (p. v). To do so, the authors provide a general overview of the assessment process with examples of specific methods. This is not a book intended to stand alone as the sole assessment resource in anyone's professional library. Rather, the book is rightfully intended as a reference tool for practitioners who have existing knowledge of the assessment process. The authors also suggest the book as a supplemental reading for courses in higher education/student affairs assessment, a purpose for which it would be appropriate.

Overview of Contents

The first four chapters focus on the process of assessment, convincing the reader of the need for student affairs practitioners to focus on student learning, and discussing the importance of collaboration between academic and student affairs. Chapters 5 through 14 provide discussion of specific qualitative and quantitative assessment tools and techniques (e.g., criteria and rubrics, interviews and focus groups, survey research). Building upon the comprehensive definition of assessment presented in the early chapters, the final chapters present concise discussion of several assessment methods. While each is quick to read for the busy student affairs professional, it must also be noted that the chapters lack sufficient detail if the reader is not already familiar with the topic.

Strengths of the Book

Perhaps the primary strength of this book is its accessibility and readability. The authors' presentation successfully moves assessment "from the unattainable, rigorous research-driven model to one that is embedded in the day-to-day" (p. 9). The writing is clear and jargon-free. The concise discussions, especially in the later chapters, make them perfect for busy professionals hoping to refresh their understanding of specific assessment techniques.

Bresciani, Zelna, and Anderson devote an entire chapter to "moving from assessing satisfaction to assessing student learning and development" (p. 19). Although they acknowledge the importance of student satisfaction assessment, they present a convincing argument in favor of more outcomes assessment in student affairs. The authors then quickly move to a discussion about identifying outcomes, the first step, they claim, in the transition away from satisfaction assessment. Utilizing student development and student affairs-related examples allows for easy translation of outcomes assessment to a student affairs context.

Readers may find the final chapters (5 through 14) to be the most applicable, as each addresses a separate assessment method or strategy. From interviews and focus groups (chapter 8) to survey research (chapter 12), the authors present a breadth of possible methods that include both qualitative and quantitative strategies. These chapters are necessarily cursory in their handling of each strategy, which while a strength as a quick reference, may limit the usefulness of these chapters for those student affairs professionals without previous experience in assessment. The final chapter on documenting assessment findings and the four appendices provide specific and applicable strategies that readers will find quite...