Dear Colleagues,

The Middle States review process has been successfully completed, but the issue of assessment is perennial. Our colleague, Lion Gardiner, invites us to ponder the issue: “In the absence of timely and reliable information produced by effective assessment and evaluation, how can we be sure of what is happening in our institutions? “ Professor Gardiner also notes that “assessment will have to apprise us not only of the outcomes we produce, but also of the inputs—the specific characteristics of our incoming students—and the quality of our educational processes.” This year’s RU Teaching Conference will focus on assessment as a part of our every day life as teachers. As always, the conference objective is to improve the quality of our collective enterprise.

The RU Teaching Conference, sponsored by the New Brunswick Faculty Council, will be held on Friday, September 26, 2008, from 8:30-1:00 at the Douglass Student Center, Trayes Hall. This year’s conference will feature Peggy L. Maki, Ph.D., who specializes in assisting institutions integrate assessment of student learning into educational practices, processes and structures. To register for the conference: http://ctaar.rutgers.edu/council/

I look forward to seeing you at the conference.

Sincerely,

Martin Gliserman