Within the changing landscape of higher education, faculty, staff, and administrators are encountering an increasingly diverse student population, including students who represent a wide range of religious and secular identities. Campuses are increasing support for students of diverse worldviews and fostering students’ ability to engage with others across lines of worldview difference. As campus partners engage in this endeavor, assessing interfaith work is critical for understanding progress.
This resource provides an overview of IFYC’s approach to assessment, outlining six key assessment tenets along with a set of questions to help guide your assessment practices. As you read through the resource we invite you to pause and reflect on the self-reflexive and/or program questions. These questions are designed to help you connect our approach to the interfaith work you are (or will be) assessing on your campus.
Defining Assessment
Before diving into our assessment approach, it is important to define assessment. Assessment is the systematic collection of information about programs, departments, and institutions using time, knowledge, expertise, and resources available for the purpose of improving learning and development. The six tenets that follow unpack IFYC’s definition of assessment and highlight positive outcomes associated with assessment and interfaith work. The definition and the tenets are not exhaustive; they are a starting point for you to begin thinking about the value and practice of interfaith assessment.