The Perceived Effectiveness of Strategies for Assessing Spiritual Formation at Christian Colleges and Universities / by Paul R. Sweet. [print]

Typescript.

Thesis Ed.D. Columbia International University 2012.

Colleges and universities exist to promote student learning. It is important, for each institution to identify outcomes consistent with its mission and then to implement a strategy to assess that learning. While this is true for every institution of higher education, it carries special significance for those colleges and universities committed to the spiritual formation of the students. This study answered the question, What strategies for assessing spiritual formation are perceived to be most effective by leaders of Christian colleges and universities? The target population were 360 leaders--presidents, provosts, chief academic officers at the undergraduate and graduate levels, chief student development officers, and chief spiritual formation officers from the 101 colleges and universities accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education. These leaders completed a web-based survey composed of 10 questions in which they were asked to rate and rank 15 strategies for assessing spiritual formation, as well as to provide open-ended comments. These were supported by the open-ended comments, which also suggested that there was a degree of uncertainty among the respondents as to the nature of spiritual formation and how it should be assessed. This information should be helpful to these institutions as they seek to fulfill this critical part of their mission to effect positive change in the lives of their students.

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