The Assessment Contract

Students take responsibility for developing and negotiating an assessment contract with a faculty member* for each required and elective knowledge area*.   The assessment contract describes the student's educational objective within a specified knowledge area, the specific knowledge to be acquired, the methods used to acquire it and a timetable for its completion.  In developing this assessment contract, the student uses study guides.  The study guides are intellectual maps of knowledge within each area.  They emphasize key issues in the area and define the competencies that form the basis of the knowledge area.  Commonly selected means for documentation of competence include: research papers, course development, scholarly lectures or videotaped presentations and tutorials.  Assessment consists of three elements: the overview, the in-depth, and the applied.

Overview

The overview portion of an assessment demonstrates a broad integrative/evaluative understanding of the major conceptual and research issues in an area.  Major theoretical issues are addressed as well as current methodological and political debates.

In-depth

In-depth projects focus on narrow topic of special interest to a student.  In-depth reading generally includes current research and contemporary criticism of work around a focused subject.

Applied

The applied portions of assessment are hands-on projects.  Students might conduct a small research project, a focus group, and experiential exercise, or design an intervention at work.

*Students may be assessed in no more than two knowledge areas by any one faculty reader.

*Most of the knowledge areas are considered equivalent to ten units, divided into three parts: overview (4 units), depth (3 units), and applied work(3 units).