Welcome to the Chamberlain College of Nursing Curriculum Committee. You are a new faculty member, and, along with Dr. John Becker, you have just been assigned to start a 2-year term on the Curriculum Committee. The committee chair is Dr. Janet Stewart. Dr. Nancy Smith and Dr. Patricia Huber are in their second year of serving. Your school is facing a reaccreditation next year, and the dean has charged the committee with writing the school's self-study. This will involve summarizing the state of your school based on an assessment of student learning, an evaluation of the school's strengths and challenges, and a plan for continuing improvement.

The committee meets in the president's conference room in the Nightingale building, an indication of how important the work of this committee is. Being new, John asks an interesting question:

"Why can't we just look at the grades we give students to see what they have learned? They tell us whether the student passes or fails. Why does the faculty have to waste time on all of this paperwork?"

What would you tell him?