Socializing Future Professionals: Exploring the Matrix of Assessment

This article argues that graduate education often does not fully prepare students to take on the role of faculty member after graduation because it does not make students aware of the importance of faculty responsibilities such as service. It also suggests that the increasing importance of assessment in education indicates that assessment should be an essential part of training future faculty. This argument is explored through a graduate-level assessment course that required students to conduct assessment research for their department and university not only to give students real experience with assessment but also to make them aware of faculty responsibilities beyond the classroom. These students were interviewed twice during the course and reported that they felt that learning and applying assessment research allowed them to develop practical professional skills and broadened their knowledge of academic opportunities for conference presentations and publication.