For Students

What is assessment?

At its core, assessment is the way that we determine how well we are meeting the University’s educational goals. Assessment is an intentional effort to measure where learning is happening as we expect and where it is not. With this information, we work to make changes to the learning environment (courses, programs, services) to better serve students and promote learning.

Assessment happens at multiple levels at CSU. In the classroom, your instructor checks on your learning and provides feedback to improve your performance. In your major degree program, faculty track how well students are prepared for success at the next level. In your residence hall or student organizations, staff assess how well their programs help you develop non-academic skills that are important to you as a whole person. CSU conducts assessment to understand things like:

    • Are students learning what we want them to learn? Are we providing appropriate learning experiences?
    • Are we ensuring that our learning environments and experiences promote inclusion and a sense of belonging for all students?
    • Does our curriculum make sense? What are we missing? What could we do better?
    • How well are we preparing our students for their futures?
Students walking outside at Colorado State University, October 13, 2017.

How does assessment impact me?

CSU is committed to providing a quality education for all its students. The regular evaluation of student learning, performance, and educational experience is fundamental to the continuous improvement of CSU’s academic programs. All academic programs at CSU, including All-University Core Curriculum, have student learning outcomes that are assessed regularly. Student coursework may be randomly selected and used for such assessments. Student identities will not be shared in the collection, review, or sharing of assessment results, and grades will not be affected. Student participation is essential to understanding learning outcomes, and students and alumni may be asked to engage in a variety of assessment activities including surveys and focus groups. 

Students may contact the Office of Institutional Research, Planning and Effectiveness with questions or concerns about assessment activities at CSU.

How can I learn more?

Want to understand more about how your learning is being assessed in your courses? Reach out to your professor! Professors hold weekly office hours to get to know their students.

Want to be a part of collecting or analyzing assessment information? Many programs on campus reach out to students regularly to engage in assessment activities. They might ask for students to do interviews, surveys, or focus groups.

Not sure where to begin? Reach out to one of the university’s assessment contacts and we’ll get you connected.