Developing a Culture of Evidence
California Lutheran University (CLU) participates in numerous external and internal surveys to gather direct and indirect evidence of educational effectiveness at many levels of the university. CLU’s Assessment Committee, comprising senior administrators, faculty, and professional staff, reviews, analyzes, and integrates survey results into reports that inform decision-making. Internal assessment survey results are also actively used for program review. Department chairs and faculty complete review templates and attach survey results and demographics as appendices (see Figure 1).
First-year programs are assessed using BCSSE and NSSE results as part of the Foundations of ExcellenceTM process. BCSSE results and BCSSE-NSSE combined results are used by the Assessment Committee to evaluate the first-year experience and are presented at faculty meetings.
The Office of Student Life is also involved in assessment activities. Given that about 40% of students at CLU are commuter students and 33% are transfer students, with the majority coming from two-year institutions in Ventura County (CA), the Office of Student Life was curious about the level of engagement of commuter and transfer students compared to residential students and those who started at CLU. They reviewed NSSE results and saw a gap in the co-curricular engagement of transfer and commuter students. This finding generated an increase in programs focused on the needs of commuter students and the creation of a peer-mentoring program for transfer students.
NSSE results are widely shared at CLU. The provost and Office of Educational Effectiveness, along with the vice president of student affairs, disseminate NSSE results to CLU’s campus constituents. The provost also presents results to the California Board of Regents. The Office of Educational Effectiveness makes assessment information available on the institution’s Web site. During an annual summer retreat on student leadership, the Office of Student Life brings in institutional research staff, retention staff, and others to share data and help participants work this information into programming.
