California State University, Fresno College Portrait
California State University, Fresno5241 N. Maple Ave. Fresno, CA 93740
(559) 278-2261
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- Classes and Campus Life
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- Majors, Graduation and Next Steps
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- Student Success & Progress
Discover how many students who start at CSUFRESNO finish their bachelor's degree and how long it takes.
- Student Learning Outcomes
Figure out what learning gains to expect in critical thinking, writing, and other important subjects at CSUFRESNO.
- Public Good
California State University, Fresno Learning Outcomes
Fresno State is committed to the regular collection of data on student outcomes and uses the information to constantly improve our programs. Assessment takes place in the classroom and at the program and institutional levels. In addition to the university's accreditation review every 10 years by WASC, several programs are reviewed more frequently by their disciplinary accrediting organization. Internally, each academic program is formally reviewed every seven years. Programs develop and implement outcomes assessment plans on an ongoing basis. Every year, additional university and program-level outcomes assessment projects are funded through mini-grants.
Learning Assessment Examples
California State University, Fresno administered the CLA in 2012.
California State University, Fresno conducted a Value-added administration of the CLA in 2012. The results are displayed below in the SLO Results tab.
For additional information on CSUFRESNO’s process for administering CLA, please click on the Assessment Process Tab below. For information on the students included in the administration, please click the Students Tested Tab above.
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Assessment Process
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Students Tested
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Results
Use of the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) was mandated by the the Chancellor's Office of the California State University System at the system level.
100 first-time freshmen complete the CLA in the fall, and 100 seniors who started at Fresno State as freshmen complete the CLA in spring. Random sample of 800 students in each group are emailed an invitation to participate in the CLA.
For detailed information about the CLA visit: http://www.collegiatelearningassessment.org/
For detailed information about the CLA visit: http://www.collegiatelearningassessment.org/
We don't use the CLA data for program level improvements.
Assessment data from other student learning outcomes instruments are used for program improvements. Those instruments include direct measures such as exams, portfolios, projects, and samples of writing/compositions; and indirect measures such as alumni and employer surveys. Faculty in each department collects these data every semester according to the department's assessment plan. Selected departments, colleges or schools also use professional associations' assessment instruments in collecting learning outcome data, such as externally administered national assessment exams or field projects.
Student learning outcome data are collected and analyzed at the department level, and results are used to monitor and adjust curriculum to improve student learning. Fresno State performs an annual review of all these assessment activities at the institutional level, and offers suggestions for improvement in learning outcome planning, data collection and utilization of findings in closing the loop in improving student learning outcome.
Of 2925 freshmen students eligible to be tested, 105 (4%) were included in the tested sample at California State University, Fresno.
Of 2903 senior students eligible to be tested, 104 (4%) were included in the tested sample at California State University, Fresno.
Probability sampling, where a small randomly selected sample of a larger population can be used to estimate the learning gains in the entire population with statistical confidence, provides the foundation for campus-level student learning outcomes assessment at many institutions. It's important, however, to review the demographics of the tested sample of students to ensure that the proportion of students within a given group in the tested sample is close to the proportion of students in that group in the total population. Differences in proportions don't mean the results aren't valid, but they do mean that institutions need to use caution in interpreting the results for the groups that are under-represented in the tested sample.
| Freshmen | Seniors | ||||
| Eligible Students | Tested Students | Eligible Students | Tested Students | ||
| Gender | Female | 60% | 65% | 58% | 73% |
| Male | 40% | 35% | 42% | 27% | |
| Other or Unknown | <1% | <1% | <1% | <1% | |
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Race/
Ethnicity |
US Underrepresented Minority | 53% | 70% | 42% | 69% |
| White / Caucasian | 23% | 19% | 33% | 8% | |
| International | 2% | <1% | 2% | <1% | |
| Unknown | 4% | <1% | 5% | 8% | |
| Low-income (Eligible to receive a Federal Pell Grant) | 63% | 73% | 53% | 63% | |
The VSA provides sample size guidelines for institutions based on a 95% confidence interval and 5% margin of error. So long as the tested sample demographics represent the student body, this means we can be 95% certain that the “true” population learning outcomes are with +/- 5% of the reported results. For more information on Sampling, please refer to the Research Methods Knowledge Base .
The increase in learning on the performance task is at or near what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.
The increase in learning on the analytic writing task is above what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.
| Performance Task | Make-an-Argument | Critique-an-Argument | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analytic Reasoning and Evaluation | |||
| Writing Effectiveness | |||
| Writing Mechanics | |||
| Problem Solving |
| Performance Task | Make-an-Argument | Critique-an-Argument | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analytic Reasoning and Evaluation | |||
| Writing Effectiveness | |||
| Writing Mechanics | |||
| Problem Solving |
