"At UWSP, the assessment of student learning is intended to provide the foundation for all academic planning and decision making. The ultimate goal of assessment is to ensure the continuous improvement of student learning as well as the courses, programs, and policies that make it possible."
From Assessment of Learning at http://www.uwsp.edu/AcadAff/Pages/assessmentLearning.aspx
"Assessment requires making expectations and standards for quality explicit and public; systematically gathering evidence on how well performance matches those expectations and standards; analyzing and interpreting the evidence; and using the resulting information to document, explain, and improve performance."
Angleo, T. A. (1995). AAHE Bulletin, p 11