1 ACHIEVING QUALITY AND SCALE IN ONLINE EDUCATION THROUGH TRANSFORMATIVE ASSESSMENT: A CASE STUDY Jacqueline Moloney Steven Tello Continuing, Corporate & Distance Education University of Massachusetts Lowell One University Ave. Lowell, MA 01854 978-934-2262 978-934-4064 Jacqueline_Moloney@uml.edu Steven_Tello@uml.edu ABSTRACT/KEYWORDS The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of an online education program that achieved quality and scale by engaging in a Transformative Assessment process. This study demonstrates how current theories of transformative assessment, coupled with research on online education, may be used to create a framework for transformative assessment of online programs; the potential of transformative assessment for contributing to the development of scalability and quality of online education programs; and how the powerful combination of transformative assessment and online education can transform mainstream student learning, programs, and institutions. Finally, the study will attempt to outline future challenges and opportunities for transformative assessment and online education. INTRODUCTION Assessment of higher education is rapidly changing as faculty, administrators and other stakeholders grapple with the public’s demand for accountability and the academy’s own desire to improve. Best practices in assessment strategies continue to evolve in a field that is no longer focused on evaluation of students, programs and institutions, but rather on the continuous improvement or transformation of the same. At the same time, alternatives to traditional higher education, such as online education, have emerged that present unique challenges and exciting opportunities in assessment. One way to discover and unlock the powerful potential of those innovations is through transformative assessment that focuses on the use of systematic inquiry of student learning to build program and institutional quality. In this article, we present a case study that: • Demonstrates how current theories of transformative assessment, coupled with research on online education, may be used to create a framework for transformative assessment of online programs; • Demonstrates the potential of transformative assessment for contributing to the development of scalability and quality in online education programs; • Provides examples of how the powerful combination of transformative assessment and online