Assessing ¡Schools

Over the past decade, iSchools have emerged to educate the next generation of information professionals and scholars. Claiming to be edgy and innovative, how can and should these scbools function in tbe spirit of assessment tbat now drives so much in the university? This essay, which explores how well we can assess iSchools, emerged from a doctoral seminar. Academic Culture and Practice, taugbt by Richard Cox and including four doctoral student participants and the Dean of School of Information Studies at tbe LJniversity of Pittsburgh, Ronald Larsen. The doctoral students, among other activities, were required to work on assignments to support a self-study for tbe University of Pittsburgh's reaccreditation by tbe Middle States Association. As we proceeded through tbe course, we found ourselves increasingly drawn to questions about how iSchools, in their nascent state, can assess themselves. Four major areas—reputation, evaluating productivity in scholarly publishing, student evaluation of teaching, and student satisfaction witb tbeir academic programs—that emerged based on student interest as the seminar proceeded are*discussed.