Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Jessica Olshefski
Over the years the terms assessment, evaluation, and research have interchangeably been
used and misconstrued. Throughout this paper, the differences between these three terms will be
defined and the similarities and differences will be analyzed and argued. By using multiple
examples and sources, the different purposes for each term will be revealed along with how they
Assessment can be defined as “any effort to gather, analyze, and interpret evidence which
& Kinzie, 2016). In many ways, some may say that evaluation and research are actions that take
place through assessment and that assessment is the main category, and the definition above
explains this. However, there have been many definitions given to this term. Astin & Antonio
had a different way of defining assessment, “The term assessment can refer to two different
activities: the mere gathering of information (measurement) and the use of that information for
institutional and individual improvement (evaluation)” (Astin, & Antonio, 2012). By including
the use of the term it could be argued that it better defines the action, as this would also be the
affairs, the authors propose that effectiveness is added to this definition. They define
experience accomplishes its goals, frequently linked to how student learning is advanced”
(Schuh, et al., 2016). With this information, it seems as though the most appropriate way to
define assessment in relation to higher education would be to include all aspects of each of these
definitions. While they have similarities, the different aspects are important changes that should
effectiveness” (Schuh, et al., 2016). This definition separates assessment and evaluation based on
the action of the data. Taking data that has been gathered through assessment and using it to
determine effectiveness. This plays a strong role within higher education departments. It is one
thing to collect data and examine it, it is another to use that data to determine its level of
efficiency. Evaluation of data can be the important factor that separates what is expected to be
the results or impact and the level of what actually happened. This could also lead to a new
discovery that can help a department make new correlations between two factors. An example of
this would be the effect that being involved in a student ran organization has on an individual’s
GPA. While there may be no correlation, evaluation of data may provide a correlation between
Research can also be defined in many ways depending on the way it is being discussed.
The action of researching is one way to define it. Another could be the way the research is
conducted, such as methods, technology, even the data collected. Assessment has been said to
incorporate many methods similar to the ones included in traditional research. Research in
relation to higher education differs from that of a research study due to the level of research that
is being conducted. One way to look at this would be to view assessment research as being
Each of these terms has clear relations but have also been confused for one another in the
past. Research is usually conducted to test theories and is not time bound whereas assessments
are guided by theories and time sensitive. Assessments tend to also gather attention and have use
in areas other than the topic which the assessment is based around such as public or political
dimensions. Research, on the other hand, is usually used within the function that it discusses.
CONCEPTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION Olshefski
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While these differences are universal, there are a few factors that separate these terms in direct
relation to higher education. “Assessments typically are funded out of the unit or divisional
budgets, which can put something of a strain on providing support for all of the activities
planned by the unit, especially if resources are not designated for assessment in organizational
based budgets. Research often is financed through special support such as grant or contract
Each of these terms has great importance in higher education and student affairs.
However, much like the definition of these terms, the description of these reasons can be argued.
In the second edition of Assessment in Student affairs, the authors argue that there are two main
reasons for each of these terms. Accountability and improvement are well-known terms within
departments of higher education. With every program, department, and service that an institution
provides, there is always accountability. With every new semester, there is always a new goal set
for improvement. These are the terms that help institutions grow and improve, and this happened
through assessment. “If you take the time and effort to design assessments reasonably carefully
and collect collaborating evidence, your assessment results may be imperfect but will never the
less give you information that you will be able to use with confidence to make decisions”
Overall, it is clear that there is a strong connection between assessment, evaluation, and
research. Based on the information discussed it is also clear that each term has many definitions
depending on the viewpoint of the term. Each definition has strong points that are used within
higher education and can be argued as a correct description of the term. It seems as though a
good way to define these terms is to address their relations with one another as well as define
References
Astin, A. W., & Antonio, A. L. (2012). Assessment for excellence: the philosophy and practice
of assessment and evaluation in higher education. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Schuh, J. H., Biddix, J. P., Dean, L. A., & Kinzie, J. (2016). Assessment in Student Affairs (2nd