College English Sep 2012

The Trouble with Outcomes: Pragmatic Inquiry and Educational Aims

Chris W. Gallagher

Abstract

Although outcomes assessment (OA) has become “common sense” in higher education, this article shows that the concept of outcomes tends to limit and compromise teaching and learning while serving the interests of institutional management. By contrast, the pragmatic concept of consequences tends to expand our view of teaching and learning, and contests the technical rationality of the managerial university. Though I challenge outcomes assessment, I recognize that OA is the coin of the educational realm. Therefore, this article outlines ways to frame and use educational aims to minimize the negative tendencies of outcomes assessment and to maximize the positive tendencies of “consequential assessment.”

Journal
College English
Published
2012-09-01
DOI
10.58680/ce201220677
CompPile
Open Access
Closed
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Citation context

Cited by in this index (4)

  1. Tennant et al. (2022)
    From Failure to Inquiry: Three Problem-Solving Strategies for Community Literac…
    Literacy in Composition Studies
  2. Gomes et al. (2020)
    Engaging expectations: Measuring helpfulness as an alternative to student evalu…
    Assessing Writing
  3. (2019)
    Symposium: Standardization, Democratization, and Writing Programs
    College Composition and Communication
  4. Lindenman et al. (2018)
    What Changes When We “Write for Change?”: Considering the Consequences of a Hig…
    Reflections: A Journal of Community-Engaged Writing and Rhetoric

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