Student Learning and Satisfaction

Image: Assistant Professor Kathryn Vasilaky and a student look intently at a computer screen during her ECON 395: Programming for Economics and Analytics course.

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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; student engagement in educationally purposeful activities; student development as a whole person; and, ultimately, student satisfaction with the sum total of their college experiences.

Although student learning is itself a complex phenomenon, taking place in multiple courses, curricula, and co-curricular activities over a period of years, the metrics that follow provide evidence of the value of a Cal Poly education.

Percentile ranking of Cal Poly seniors on the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA+) nationwide assessment of writing and critical thinking skills: 98^th (2020)

Percentage of first-year and senior-level students who rate their Cal Poly education as excellent or good: 83% and 87% (2022 NSSE)

Percentage of first-year Cal Poly students who had frequent discussions with people from different political, economic, or racial/ethnic backgrounds: 71% (2022 NSSE)

Number of core competencies to be evaluated in the university-wide assessment plan for 2023-2032: six (five defined by WSCUC, plus diversity/equity/inclusion)

Percentage of 2021-22 Cal Poly graduates who secured positive post-graduation outcomes, such as work, graduate school, or other intentional plans by July 2023: 91%

 

Sources:

Cal Poly Career Services. Cal Poly Graduate Status Report: Executive Summary, 2021-2022 Graduates. [PDF]

Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA+). Spring 2020 CLA+ Results — Institutional Report: California Polytechnic State University [PDF]. New York, NY: Council for Aid to Education, 2020.

National Survey of Student Engagement. "A Pocket Guide to Choosing a College: NSSE 2022 Answers from Students: California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo" [PDF]. Bloomington: Center for Postsecondary Research, Indiana University School of Education, 2022, page 3.

Last updated: 10/17/2023