Assessment is very much evident in higher education, as institutions face increasing pressure, from the government, the public, and accrediting bodies to demonstrate the value they provide to their students. Ascertaining how well students achieve desired learning outcomes provides institutions with evidence to demonstrate quality, as well as data to inform improvements. Managing assessment processes effectively and efficiently, however, requires coordination, guidance, and engagement of individuals who have traditionally operated independently and who often resist assessment because they view it as a compliance exercise.

Taskstream, a New York based firm, helps address these pain points by providing cloud-based software and supporting services that make it easier for institutions to manage assessment for accreditation and continuous improvement. For instance, prior to 2010, Texas Wesleyan relied on a cumbersome paper-based process for assessment and accreditation that limited involvement across campus and made it difficult to engage the community. The use of Taskstream as a centralized system for collecting program data has had an immense impact on Texas Wesleyan’s SACSCOC reaffirmation preparation process. It has helped streamline processes, increased transparency, and has resulted in greater acceptance of assessment across the institution, with faculty engaging more deeply in the work.

Taskstream offers solutions for managing data and streamlining workflows to improve processes. The company provides a centralized online system for strategic assessment planning, data management, curriculum mapping, reporting and analytics to create a coordinated and robust assessment system. e-Portfolios is another key product of Taskstream that showcases the skills and abilities of students and, in turn, acts as evidence and data to inform improvements at course, program, and institutional levels.

With real-time reporting on students’ performance, it makes the assessment and analysis of student learning by outcome possible. “There is wide range of growing interest in the pedagogical value of e-portfolios among institutions of higher education. Our platform supports the full range of initiatives with pedagogical and assessment-related benefits,” claims Kevin Doyle, Chairman of the Board and CEO, Taskstream.