Assessment [is t]he process of measuring effectiveness, usually through the articulation of goals, the development of associated measures and the identification of observable outcomes, used to inform whether the initial goals were achieved. In the context of education abroad, the following types of assessment are common: 1) assessment of a student’s academic work in a particular course ending in the determination of the student’s grade for the course; 2) assessment or evaluation of a particular program (see Program Review), and 3) assessment of the outcomes achieved by education abroad programs (assessment typically measures a program’s growth or progress along particular parameters). Although the terms assessment and evaluation have often been used as synonyms, assessment measures progress by looking at defined variables while evaluation is an interpretation or judgment relating to quality. (2)

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