Measuring Quality in Higher Education: An Inventory of Instruments, Tools and Resources is a new resource available from the Association for Institutional Research (AIR) web site in partnership with the American Council on Education (ACE) Center for Policy Analysis, and the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA). The resource center provides information on assessment instruments and assessment resources in a format that allows keyword and topical searches. The site was compiled from research by Victor M.H. Borden, Associate Vice President for University Planning, Institutional Research, and Accountability and Graduate Assistant Brandi Kernel – both from Indiana University.

This information is an update and expansion of the monograph, Measuring Quality: Surveys and Other Assessments of College Quality (Borden & Owens, 2001). The original volume, published jointly by ACE and AIR, included information about 26 assessment instruments. The updated inventory includes approximately 250 items divided into four categories: instruments (examinations, surveys, questionnaires, etc.), software tools and platforms, benchmarking systems and data resources, projects, initiatives, and services. Measuring Quality in Higher Education expands both the domain and range of assessment resources covered in the original volume.

Measuring Quality in Higher Education considers quality issues regarding institutional effectiveness, including the research/scholarship and outreach/service missions of institutions, as well as the alignment between higher education institution activities and societal needs. The web site includes guidance intended to provide context for evaluating, selecting, and using assessment tools and resources. The resource is provided from an “agenda-neutral” position.