Although assessment of learning has been a common practice in higher education for over twenty years and has been an oft-required element of accreditation processes for at least ten, it has generally been seen as an optional or non-urgent means of indicating institutional quality. In the last five years, though, it has taken on much more importance as higher education's efforts to assure quality have been more seriously and closely scrutinized than ever. This session will describe the forces that have effected this change as well as the likely developments in assessment practice that the change will entail.