Chapter 3: Using Assessment Centers for Leader Development and Assessment

This chapter explores the use of assessment center methodology for the dual purpose of developing student leadership competencies and potential and as a method of evaluating growth in those same competencies over time. Assessment centers have been used extensively in selecting business leaders, identifying individuals with high potential for future leadership roles, and as a developmental program for established leaders. Beginning in the 1990s, assessment center technology was applied to higher education. Student-oriented assessment centers have similarly been used as a developmental tool (Radi Afsouran et al., 2022), an instructional strategy, as an outcome assessment for development programs (Riggio et al., 2003), and to measure career readiness (Jacobs et al., 2018). We will explore each of these uses in this chapter.