Assessment can be very political given that competition and conflict may impact each step of the assessment process. In addition to competition for resources, there is conflict in defining an issue or problem to study. The conceptual framework for addressing an issue, the outcomes, resources, strategies, measurement, and reporting may all contribute to the political challenges of assessment.

Take alcohol use on campus. To begin thinking about assessment of alcohol use on campus, one needs to decide what lens one will use to assess the problem. Is alcohol use an individual health issue? Is it a public policy issue? Is it both or something else entirely? Defining the issue will dictate other steps in the assessment process.

The definition of the issue then determines the conceptual framework that will be used to both understand the issue and determine how it can be addressed. The conceptual framework and stakeholders will influence the articulation of outcomes. For example, should the outcome be to reduce the number of students that need to be sent to the emergency room for their alcohol use? Should it be to decrease the number of students violating alcohol policy? Or should an outcome be a reduction in the number of students reporting having their study or sleep disrupted due to someone else’s alcohol use? Each of these outcomes may have a political component and the decision as to which outcomes should be examined may have to be negotiated.

With the outcomes set, the issue of resources rises to the surface. What inputs, or raw materials, are available to foster these outcomes? Are there adequate resources to support them? The inputs are also affected by the location of the issue on the larger political agenda of the institution. If alcohol use is a hot topic on campus then it will likely receive appropriate funding. Furthermore, if it is a hot topic, there will likely be more people that have a stake in the issue, each with an opinion regarding outcomes and how they should be addressed. The hotter the topic, the more political the topic.

Once the inputs have been allocated, the time comes to develop and implement strategies to address the issue. Again, this is influenced by the definition of the issue. If alcohol use is defined as a health issue strategies that focus on reducing harm may be put into place. However, if alcohol use is seen as a policy issue, strategies may include creating new policies or increasing enforcement. These are different approaches to address the same issue. It is possible that a comprehensive set of strategies is developed that includes both of these approaches. There usually has to be negotiation given the finite resources allocated to address the issue.

The outcomes may be affected by politics in other ways. First, is the measurement of outcomes being used for program improvement, accountability, or both? This is important as these decisions will influence what data are collected and how. Second, measuring the effectiveness of the strategies to meet the outcomes for accountability or program improvement is dependent upon the definition of the issue as that will dictate which measures are used. Will a measure be the number of students sent to the emergency room for alcohol related issues? Will a measure be the average number of drinks consumed per week or the number of policy violators?

Politics enters this step of the assessment process not just in regard to identifying the measures, but also in defining what determines success. Is success a 10% reduction in the number of students sent to the emergency room, a 50% reduction, or can success only be defined when no students are sent to the emergency room?  Is success defined by a 25% reduction in alcohol violations or the nature of the violations themselves? Perhaps alcohol policy violations for underage students only include the equivalent of a six pack of beer or less rather than two cases of beer. The threshold for effectiveness has to be negotiated among the stakeholders.

Reporting the results can be political. The question of what can and should be reported has to be answered and often different stakeholders have different opinions. This is complicated when you consider the audiences and the sensitivity of the data. Who should know what, how, and when?

Finally, using the data to effect change can be political. Once the assessment data has been collected and reported, what improvements should be made? Each stakeholder has ideas regarding this as well. Are there some strategies that were more effective than others? How does one define an ineffective strategy and should it be discontinued? Should new strategies be developed? Should the issue be defined differently?

Politics is inherent throughout the assessment process. It may impact each step. Thus, it is important to consider and attempt to anticipate the politics of assessment before you embark on an assessment project. Doing so will help you be more intentional and anticipate challenges before they arise so that you can minimize the impact. A little political consideration will go a long way to produce effective assessment.