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Mission & Goals

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Mission

The mission of Assessment and Program Evaluation at Stanford is to promote excellence in student learning, educational practices and quality of services by establishing and maintaining a campus culture of self-evaluation and improvement at all levels of the institution. Our primary role is to provide guidance and support for all academic departments and co-curricular programs on campus in assessing change and enhancing best educational practices. These efforts support the University’s mission in preparing students "for personal success and direct usefulness in life" and "promoting the public welfare by exercising an influence on behalf of humanity and civilization." The team provides support and oversees assessment and evaluation of:

  1. Student learning outcomes at the program level.
  2. Co-curricular program level goals.
  3. Learning outcomes related to the University's accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
  4. Specialized accreditations held by other colleges and individual academic programs.

Objectives

Our team’s primary objectives include:

  1. To assist both academic and co-curricular programs in developing assessment and evaluation plans and reports based on student learning outcomes and evaluation findings.
  2. To accumulate, generate, maintain, and disseminate institutional information as a means to promote dialogue across the institution about student learning.
  3. To develop and share best practices for enabling continuous organizational learning and development by organizing and promoting assessment and evaluation materials and workshops.
  4. To provide timely information to decision makers and planners as they direct and allocate resources that support the institution’s mission.