Parents want to know what their children are learning. At CSUN, departments will develop assessment plans for all of their baccalaureate programs. They will select their own assessment projects, based on goals and objectives they want to measure, and use the outcomes to modify their curriculum. The projects may include portfolios, capstone seminars, certification examinations, senior papers or juried performances, research projects or supervised field experiences, among others. They will focus on graduating seniors who have completed department requirements for their degrees.
Some departments plan to use standardized tests, in some cases along with other assessment methods.
One department will require a senior thesis course in which students present research results in the form of talks similar to those at scientific conferences. The department also will track students' GRE scores and their work in graduate programs through questionnaires sent to their graduate advisers. Other departments will ask students to assemble portfolios or require a senior project, such as a graded presentation and written paper. When the new general education package takes effect, a separate phase of the project will assess the impact. Madison said she hopes the assessment effort eventually will expand to include graduate programs.