Welcome to Student Learning Outcome Assessment at Fresno State.

Assessment of student learning outcomes proficiency is planned and undertaken by Fresno State faculty members.  This page provides information about the assessment infrastructure at Fresno State.  Under the assessment tabs on this OIE website, you can access the Student Outcome Assessment Plans (SOAPs) for each academic program at Fresno State, information about the annual assessment report that each program submits, General Education (GE) assessment, and assessment of WSCUC Core Competencies.  This is an outline of the assessment infrastructure at Fresno State.

ASSESSMENT INFRASTRUCTURE AT FRESNO STATE

I.  Leadership

     A.  University Faculty Director of Assessment (appointed by the Provost)

     B.  Assessment Coordinators Leadership Team.  The Faculty Director of Assessment and the Assessment Coordinators of each college and the university library (faculty members appointed by their respective deans) develop and implement policies for assessment at the department/program level and core competency assessment.

     C.  Program Assessment Coordinators.  Each degree program has a faculty member who serves as their Assessment Coordinator.  Programs may also elect to have an Assessment Committee.  

     D.  GE Assessment Subcommittee.  The subcommittee includes ten faculty members and the University Director of Assessment.

II.  Department/Program Assessment

      A.  Each degree program has a Strategic Outcomes Assessment Plan (SOAP).  These SOAPs include the program’s student learning outcomes, curriculum map, measures for assessment, assessment schedule, and policy for closing the loop.

     B.  Each program submits an annual assessment report to their college coordinator and the university assessment director.  These reports are also shared with program faculty and used to plan for continuous improvement.

     C.  The Learning Assessment Team (the university assessment director and college assessment coordinators) use a rubric to evaluate the program assessment reports.  Results are shared with the program coordinators, department chairs, deans, and the provost.

III.  Core Competency Assessment

     A.  The university assesses WSCUC undergraduate core competency proficiency on a five-year rotating basis.  Graduate core competency proficiency assessment was formulated by the university graduate coordinators and competencies are assessed on a three-year rotating basis.

     B.  Core competency assessment is co-chaired by two college assessment coordinators (on a rotating basis), who recruit additional faculty to assist in the assessment.

     C.  The college coordinators and faculty members conducting the assessment obtain representative samples of undergraduate student work and assess student proficiency.  They write a report with the results that is shared with the university community.  The graduate faculty of each program assess core competency proficiency by analyzing graduate students’ culminating experiences (thesis, project, or comprehensive examination).  These results are also shared with the university community.

IV.  GE Assessment

     A.  The university General Education Committee has a GE Assessment Subcommittee (consisting of ten faculty members and the university director of assessment).

     B.  There is a Canvas GE ePortfolio for each student.  Each GE faculty member designates one assignment that aligns with at least one GE learning outcome and designates that assignment when setting up the course in Canvas.  When students submit that assignment to their professor, it is seamlessly duplicated (through an LTI developed by Canvas) and placed in the student’s ePortfolio.

     C.  GE Learning Outcomes are assessed on a rotating basis.  The assessment director selects a random sample of student assignments for each SLO being assessed.  The GE Assessment Subcommittee evaluates student proficiency for each SLO, using rubrics developed by the subcommittee.  The assessment director prepares a report with the results that is shared with the university community.

 

For more information about assessment, please contact Dr. Douglas Fraleigh, University Faculty Director of Assessment, douglasf@csufresno.edu.