Assessing Student Skills Development in a Graduate Public Affairs Program:
A Comparison of Initial and Final Skills Assessments
David Powell – California State University, Long Beach
This paper examines the use of initial and final skills self-assessment in the MPA Program at California State University, Long Beach. The paper compares the results of initial skills self-assessments that students prepare in their introductory PPA 500 Foundations class to the final skills self-assessments that students complete in their final core course (PPA 697 Directed Research). The analysis uses a panel design over the period of 2011-2014. Results indicate that students demonstrate a statistically significant increase in self-assessments over a majority of core skills and competencies. These results suggest that students experience a significant increase in self-perceived competency in these areas and a resulting increase in efficacy upon completion of the MPA Program.
Five Things You Need to Know about Program Assessment
Yuerong Sweetland – Franklin University
The presentation will start with the three fundamental questions that assessment should answer: 1) Are students learning? 2) How do we know? 3) What do we do after assessment? Five important considerations will be illuminated based on best practices and scholarship in evaluation and assessment, including:
Room: Phillips Hall 233
