The coordinated Student Affairs Assessment Program at Sacramento State is: 1) a relatively new work in progress, we began in earnest October 2005; 2) a collaborative venture between the Office of Institutional Research (Academic Affairs) and the Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs; and 3) a collective effort that has engaged each department and major program within the Division.

More importantly, the current program reflects our efforts to move from a program-improvement/student satisfaction based assessment to a student learning based initiative. Towards that end, each department within Student Affairs is expected to formulate 3-4 outcomes or objectives related to departmental mission and goals. At least one of those outcomes must be "student learning" oriented with a measurable outcome associated with it.

Each of the departments assessment plans include six components: mission statement, planning goals, program objectives or student learning outcomes, measures, results, and conclusion.

To ensure that we are "speaking the same language", we rely on the following definitions to shape our work.

• The Departmental Mission must be directly aligned with those of the University and the Division. This statement should include approximately 3-5 sentences that identify the name of the department, its primary functions, modes of delivery and target audience.
  
  
• The Planning Goals are broad statements that describe the overarching long-range intentions of an administrative unit. Goals are used primarily for general planning, as the starting point for the development and refinement of program objectives or student learning outcomes.
  (Administrative Assessment Handbook University of Central Florida)
  
  
• The Objectives or Outcomes can be one of two types: program objectives or student learning outcomes. The former are related to program improvement around issues like timeliness, efficiency and participant satisfaction. The latter addresses what a student learns or how a student changes by participating in the program or utilizes the service. Both program objectives and student learning outcomes are measurable statements that provide evidence as to how well you are reaching your goals.
  
  
• Measures describe the methodology and timeframe for data collection. Measures also should identify the population being surveyed and/or tested.
  
  
• Results include a brief narrative of findings, and/or essential tables or graphs. The results should indicate the extent to which the program objective or student learning outcome was met.
  
  
• Conclusions. The conclusion should summarize briefly the collection and analyses of data. It should also "close the loop" by identifying what decisions and/or program modifications were made on the basis of these analyses.

You may download the Division's 2006-07 year end assessment report by using either of these links:
    - 2006-2007 Assessment Plan (Word)
    - 2006-2007 Assessment Plan (PDF)

And you may download the 2007-08 comprehensive assessment plan by using either of these links:
    - 2007-2008 Assessment Plan (Word)
    - 2007-2008 Assessment Plan (PDF)