AALHE 2018 Annual Conference

In the past several decades, there have been major efforts to promote a civically literate society (Torney-Purta, Cabrera, Roohr, Liu, & Rios, 2015), and numerous surveys have been conducted with higher education institutions (HEIs) and employers that stress the importance of civic learning (e.g., Association of American Colleges and Universities, 2011; Hart Research Associates, 2015). The purpose of this session is to discuss the development process and research support for a next-generation Civic Competency and Engagement assessment intended for all college students, regardless of major. We will first discuss the research-driven approach used to develop an assessment framework, and will then present assessment considerations and findings from a large-scale field test. Finally, we will discuss the ways in which results from this assessment can be used by HEIs for evaluation and curriculum improvement purposes. The intended audience includes HEI stakeholders who are interested in assessing civic learning. We intend to engage the audience in discussion about current efforts to define and assess civic learning as a college outcome. Participants will learn about ways to define this type of construct, and the elements that go into developing an assessment to measure student learning in civic knowledge, skills, and engagement.