About the Journal

Mission

The Journal of Assessment in Higher Education is an open-access, semi-annual publication that presents articles on current philosophy, research, teaching, learning and scholarship in higher education assessment. The Editors encourage submissions that represent multiple institutional contexts, perspectives, and issues that enable a dynamic and iterative exchange about the practice, successes and concerns that assessment in higher education reveal.

Focus and Scope

The Journal of Assessment in Higher Education (JAHE) is a semi-annual, open-access publication intended to present the peer-reviewed conference proceedings resulting from the annual assessment conference held each spring at the University of Florida. A second, peer-reviewed issue will focus on topics and issues raised at the conference that will benefit from further treatment and presentation of a wide variety of perspectives presented as journal articles. Other contributions that no not arise directly from the conference are also considered. JAHE does not require a fee for publication and is free to readers.

We seek to disseminate research, scholarship, best practices, philosophy, theory, and policy that emerges from assessment as it is applied by all units within higher education. The journal welcomes work that addresses the methods, frameworks, history, theory and oppositional viewpoints relative to the assessment of student learning outcomes, impact studies, and collaborative and innovative assessment approaches. 

We publish with Florida Online Journals and are supported by the LibraryPress@UF, an imprint of the University of Florida Press.

Peer Review Process

All materials in the Journal of Assessment in Higher Education (JAHE) are peer-reviewed, using a double-anonymous process. Peer review is essential to scholarly communication, providing expert feedback for authors, ensuring publication quality and integrity and, confirming scholarly merit. JAHE’s policy is framed to achieve these goals while also supporting use of innovative forms of peer review and considered challenges to the sovereignty of tradition. JAHE’s scope embraces the use of alternative approaches to assessment as well as research housed within traditional theoretical frameworks and methodologies as a way to simultaneously embrace innovation and scholarly rigor. This review process is structured to support the development of communities of practice that continue to create diverse assessments that reflect the communities producing them.

Open Access Policy

The Journal of Assessment in Higher Education provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. There are no publication charges, and all content is freely available without charge to the user or their institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author for non-commercial purposes. Nonetheless, reproduction, posting, transmission or other distribution or use of the article or any material therein requires credit to the original publication source with a link to both the article and the license. This open access policy is in accordance with the definition of open access from the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI).

Name Changes Policy

The LibraryPress@UF is committed to supporting requests for author name changes and/or pronoun changes, with as few barriers as possible. Name changes and/or pronoun changes are available to authors upon request, with no legal documentation required. Upon receiving a name change request, the LibraryPress@UF will update all metadata, published content, and associated records under our control to reflect the requested name change. The LibraryPress@UF will not issue a notice of correction for the name change or notify co-authors or editors. While the LibraryPress@UF cannot control the use or appearance of an author’s name for external systems and publications administered by other editorial boards, and changes made to prior publications may not propagate to downstream environments, the LibraryPress@UF is committed to collaborating with other groups to support systemic changes to ensure name changes are fully supported.

Authors who wish to update or change their name should contact Chelsea Johnston, Scholarly Publishing and Repository Librarian, at cjohnston@ufl.edu. Requests will be treated with respect and confidentiality, and addressed as quickly as possible. 

Inclusion and Intellectual Freedom

Inclusion Statement

The George A. Smathers Libraries support intellectual freedom, freedom of speech and the open exchange of ideas and opinions that support the community building, learning and research efforts of the University of Florida. The Libraries welcome all members of our community, regardless of their race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, veteran status, ancestry, national or ethnic origin, or citizenship status.

Intellectual Freedom Statement

The Libraries are committed to protecting and advancing intellectual freedom, as an important set of rights. Intellectual freedom includes the right to access the widest diversity of views and expressions, including those that are unorthodox, unpopular, or considered dangerous. When intellectual freedom exists, these views and expressions are accessible without the necessity of endorsement by other individuals, groups or institutions, and without the imposition of political, moral, or aesthetic views of another individual, group or institution. Intellectual freedom includes the right to free expression, where an individual or group may fully engage in the quality and diversity of thought and expression, and develop their own views and expressions without being coerced and/or inhibited. The right to privacy is essential for intellectual freedom.

Sponsors

The University of Florida Office of Institutional Assessment

Journal History

The inaugural issue of the Journal of Assessment in Higher Education resulted from the proceedings of the 3rd Annual University of Florida Academic Assessment in Higher Education Conference, held April 5, 2019 in Gainesville, Florida. This third year marks the extension of the conference to include external submissions from outside UF, with contributions from both the Florida state university system and submissions from institutions outside the state.