Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education

What Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education does

AALHE (Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional membership association incorporated in Kentucky in January 2010 and operationally headquartered in Wales, Wisconsin, where Association Headquarters, Inc. provides accredited association management services. The organization serves approximately 1,000+ individual members who are assessment professionals in U.S. higher education, including institutional effectiveness staff and faculty assessment leaders. Its primary segments are the national community of practitioners who promote ethical and equity-minded assessment practices, with horizontal segmentation across institutions rather than vertical specialization by sector.

Revenue is generated through four streams: annual membership dues (recurring subscription), conference registration fees (transactional, with member discounts), webinar fees at $40 per session for non-members (members attend free), and tax-deductible donations including the Jen Sweet Memorial Fund. GTM is community-led and event-driven, with the annual virtual conference as the flagship acquisition and retention vehicle, complemented by webinars, podcasts, and committee service. Marketing channels include the company website, social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram), email newsletters, and virtual events.

AALHE offers a portfolio of member services rather than a software product. Core offerings include the annual conference, a peer-reviewed scholarly journal (Intersection: A Journal at the Intersection of Assessment and Learning, listed in Google Scholar), the Emerging Dialogues publication, Conference Proceedings archive (2013 to present), the PASS webinar series, SPARK (formerly Book Club), the Assessment Learning Exchange (ALE), the ACCELERATE professional development track, a collaborative mentorship program, and the Field Guide to Equity-Minded Assessment. Technology underlying delivery consists of standard web tools — Zoom for virtual events, MemberClicks for membership administration, and Scholastica for journal peer review — with no proprietary platform, no API, and no disclosed AI capability. Geographic scope is predominantly United States with virtual programming enabling international participation.

Name

Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education

Legal name

Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education

Website

https://aalhe.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AALHE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional membership association serving over 1,000 higher education assessment professionals in the United States. It generates revenue through annual dues, conference registrations, paid webinars, and donations, delivering publications, virtual conferences, and peer community programs rather than software.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lexington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: Annual membership fees provide core recurring revenue. Members receive discounted conference registration rates, exclusive access to past webinars, and opportunities to participate in professional development and committee service.
2. Conference registration fees: Revenue from annual conference attendance with member discounts available. The AALHE 2026 Virtual Conference is scheduled for June 9-10, 2026.
3. Webinar fees: Non-member webinar pricing at $40 per session; member webinars offered free. Spring 2026 PASS (Practical Assessment Strategies Series) includes multiple webinars.
4. Donations: Tax-deductible contributions to General AALHE Fund to strengthen organization, improve conferences, and increase member benefits. Also accepts donations to Jen Sweet Memorial Fund for travel grants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AALHE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional membership association serving higher education assessment practitioners. It delivers annual conferences, peer-reviewed publications, webinars, mentorship, and community programming to help members advance ethical and equity-minded assessment of student learning.

Product overview

AALHE is a professional membership organization (nonprofit 501(c)(3)) focused on assessment in higher education, not a technology product company. The organization offers a portfolio of member services including annual conferences, peer-reviewed publications (Intersection journal, Emerging Dialogues, Conference Proceedings), professional development programming (PASS webinars, SPARK book club, Assessment Learning Exchange, ACCELERATE), mentorship programs, and resource libraries. These services are provided directly to members rather than through a software platform architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Intersection: A Journal at the Intersection of Assessment and Learning: Official peer-reviewed journal of AALHE focusing on scholarship and professional development in assessment for learning, following a double-anonymous review process.
• Emerging Dialogues
• SPARK (formerly Book Club)
• PASS (Practical Assessment Strategies Series)
• ALE (Assessment Learning Exchange)
• ACCELERATE

Products and services

• Annual Professional Membership Annual membership subscription for higher education assessment professionals, delivering access to webinars, publications, networking, and member benefits.
• Annual Conference Flagship annual conference bringing together higher education assessment professionals for presentations, networking, and professional development.
• Intersection: A Journal at the Intersection of Assessment and Learning Official peer-reviewed journal of AALHE publishing scholarly articles on student learning assessment through a double-anonymous review process.
• Emerging Dialogues Semi-annual publication featuring short articles (up to 1,500 words) with case studies, op-eds, and innovative ideas from assessment practitioners.
• Conference Proceedings Annual publication compiling papers from AALHE annual conference presentations, providing scholarly documentation of assessment research and practices.
• PASS (Practical Assessment Strategies Series) Webinars Professional development webinar series offering hands-on strategies and expert insights on assessment innovation and student success.
• SPARK (formerly Book Club) Members-only reading and discussion group that cultivates community among assessment practitioners through facilitated online discussions of assessment-related books.
• Assessment Learning Exchange (ALE) Members-only small-group discussion forum for engaging with peers around pressing assessment challenges, fostering collaborative learning.
• ACCELERATE Professional development resource focused on assessment principles and best practices, providing ongoing learning opportunities for members.
• Spring Collaborative Mentorship Program Structured mentorship program pairing experienced assessment professionals with those newer to the field to facilitate knowledge transfer and professional growth.
• Assessment Works Podcast Podcast series featuring discussions on assessment practices, providing accessible professional development and knowledge sharing.
• Field Guide to Equity-Minded Assessment Specialized resource providing guidance on equity-minded approaches to assessment in higher education, supporting inclusive assessment practices.
• Jen Sweet Memorial Fund (Travel Grants) Travel grant program established in 2024 in honor of Jen Sweet, supporting individuals' attendance at the AALHE Annual Conference.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Arkansas Association for the Assessment of Collegiate Learning (AAACL)minorOthersRegional assessment organization listed as a resource partner for assessment professionals in higher education
• Assessment Network of New York (ANNY)minorOthersRegional assessment organization listed as a resource partner
• Chicago Area Assessment Group (CAAG)minorOthersRegional assessment organization; mentioned in context of Jen Sweet's involvement
• New England Educational Assessment Network (NEEAN)minorOthersRegional assessment organization listed as a resource partner
• Virginia Assessment Group (VAG)minorOthersRegional assessment organization listed as a resource partner
• Washington Area Student Learning Assessment Network (WASLAN)minorOthersRegional assessment organization listed as a resource partner
• National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA)minorOthersNational organization providing assessment resources and knowledge sharing; referenced in Emerging Dialogues publications
• Association Headquarters, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharter accredited association management company that professionally manages AALHE operations

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children): Large early-childhood education membership association with comparable nonprofit 501(c)(3) structure, journals, conferences, and member benefits model relevant for benchmarking AALHE's operations.
• POD Network (Professional and Organizational Development): Professional association for those who teach and support faculty development in higher education, sharing audience overlap with AALHE's faculty assessment leaders segment.
• National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA): National organization providing resources, research, and knowledge sharing on learning outcomes assessment in higher education; already named as a partner and content contributor to AALHE publications.
• ASHE (Association for the Study of Higher Education): Professional association for higher education scholars and practitioners, with peer-reviewed journals (Review of Higher Education) and annual conference serving an overlapping academic audience.
• Association for Institutional Research (AIR): National professional association for institutional research, planning, and assessment professionals in higher education, with overlapping member base, conferences, and journals addressing assessment practice.
• NASPA (Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education): Major professional association for student affairs administrators in higher education, comparable membership-association structure with conferences, publications, and institutes addressing assessment-adjacent work.
• American Evaluation Association (AEA): Professional membership organization for evaluators across sectors, including higher education, with conferences, journals (American Journal of Evaluation), and topical TIGs that overlap with AALHE's assessment community.

Broad incumbents

• Higher Learning Commission (HLC): Regional accreditor whose accreditation criteria and resource offerings drive demand for assessment professionals, shaping AALHE's market and providing complementary resources rather than direct competition.
• EDUCAUSE: Large higher education technology and leadership membership association whose community of CIOs, faculty, and administrators overlaps with AALHE's institutional effectiveness audience.
• Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U): Major national higher education membership association that serves faculty, administrators, and assessment practitioners with broader programming on liberal education, equity, and student success, overlapping AALHE's audience but at a much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/aalheorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-for-the-assessment-of-learning-in-higher-education
• Instagraminstagram.com/aalhe_org
• Xx.com/aalheorg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education