ABSTRACT
This chapter considers practices, policy issues, and possibilities for advocacy by adult education professionals related to assessment and evaluation practices for adult students in higher education programs. It describes assessment of prior college-level learning, other uses of portfolio-based assessment, authentic assessment, and competency-based education. For many adult learners in higher education, assessment begins with efforts to acquire credit for prior learning through various modes of prior learning assessment, one of the key features of adult higher education that has helped increase access for adults. Higher education institutions are responsible for the quality of their academic programs. The regional accreditation agencies maintain that institutions should practice regular program reviews every three to five years. The purpose of a program review is program improvement through the lens of quality, currency, value, and effective use of resources. Although accountability in higher education has changed over the years, quality assurance has always been a focus in US higher education.
