"A Culture of Assessment is an organizational environment in which decisions are based on facts, research, and analysis, and where services are planned and delivered in ways that maximize positive outcomes and impacts for customers and stakeholders. A Culture of Assessment exists in organizations where staff care to know what results they produce and how those results relate to customers' expectations. Organizational mission, values, structures, and systems support behavior that is performance and learning focused." (Lakos & Phipps, 2004)
"Assessment culture is often just a term deployed casually to mean a collection of assessment activities that must and will be pursued. Sincere and widespread faculty engagement in those activities is a rare bonus, and the (usually small) groups of faculty who are enthusiastic about assessment are gathered into metaphorical strategic hamlets ('assessment steering committees,' 'ad hoc outcomes task forces,' 'reaccreditation teams') in which their important work can go on admidst a larger culture of indifference." (Ennis, 2010)