Assessment by Design

After over 30 years in higher education Sheri Barrett recently retired as the director of assessment, evalua­tion, and institutional outcomes at Johnson County Community College (JCCC). Prior to that position, she served in positions at both a 4-year liberal arts college, a first–professional degree institution, and an urban university system school. Barrett has served as a peer reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission for over 18 years, currently serves as an assessment mentor in the Assessment Academy for the Higher Learning Commission, and is member of the Institutional Actions Council. Barrett has also served on the accred­iting board of a specialized accreditor. Barrett has spoken and consulted both region­ally and nationally on issues of assessment, pro­gram review, and accreditation. The Assessment Office at JCCC developed and ran an assessment conference, Assessment Matters, over the past 10 years that focused on the regional community college assess­ment needs while attracting participants from across the United States. Barrett developed an assessment workshop, upon which this book is based, that provides a frame­work for understanding and implementing assess­ment. First designed for an internal audience, the workshop has been expanded to be offered nation­ally, with more than 50 colleges and university faculty and administrators having attended both the face-to-face and online workshops. Although retired, Barrett continues to teach and mentor EdD students in higher education. She holds a bachelor’s degree in management, a master’s degree in public administra­tion, and a doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies.