Student Learning and Satisfaction
In higher education, student success is commonly defined as persistence in a bachelor’s degree program, leading to a timely graduation. Cal Poly recognizes that a larger understanding of student success includes student learning; the degree to which the student achieves the program and university learning objectives; student engagement in educationally purposeful activities; student development as a whole person; and, ultimately, student satisfaction with the sum total of his/her college experiences.
Although student learning is itself a complex phenomenon, taking place in multiple courses and curricula over a period of years, the metrics provided below evidence the value of a Cal Poly education.
STUDENT LEARNING: COLLEGIATE LEARNING ASSESSMENT
1254 was Cal Poly's senior mean total score on the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA+).
This score is better than or equal to the senior mean total of 97% at all CLA+ schools, signifying Accomplished mastery of the writing, critical thinking and quantitative reasoning skills measured by the CLA+.
STUDENT LEARNING: CORE COMPETENCY ASSESSMENT
Cal Poly has a rubric-based assessment plan that focuses on evaluating five core competencies as defined by the WASC Senior College and University Commission: writing, critical thinking, quantitative reasoning, oral communication, and information literacy.
Student performance is typically evaluated at the foundation level in General Education and at the graduation level in the major.
Learn more about Cal Poly's comprehensive academic assessment plan here.
STUDENT SATISFACTION: THE CAL POLY EDUCATION
85% of Cal Poly freshmen and an equal percentage of seniors rated their entire educational experience at Cal Poly as "excellent" or "good."
See the 2017 NSSE Pocket Guide to Choosing a College for more results.
References:
CLA+ (2017). Spring 2017 CLA+ Results — Institutional Report: California Polytechnic State University [PDF file]. New York, NY: Council for Aid to Education.
National Survey of Student Engagement (2017). A Pocket Guide to Choosing a College: NSSE 2017 Answers from Students: California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo [PDF file]. Bloomington, IN: The Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University Bloomington School of Education.