Evaluability Assessment in Higher Education: Supporting Continuous Improvement, Accountability, and a Culture of Assessment

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to describe the use of evaluability assessment, an approach to program evaluation, to inform continuous improvement efforts, support accountability requirements, and facilitate a culture of assessment in higher education. Examples of two evaluability assessments conducted in a college of education are discussed, including the key activities carried out for each component of the evaluability assessments, findings and recommendations from each evaluability assessment, and how results of the evaluation work have been used. The examples demonstrate the utility of evaluability assessment as part of a higher education assessment system. They further highlight the value of stakeholder involvement, initiation of assessment by leadership based on need, and use of results in supporting a culture of assessment in higher education. Future research is needed to better understand the utility of evaluability assessment in other program evaluation approaches in diverse higher education contexts.