Campus Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes

What are the student learning outcomes in your unit (SPEA)?

To date, we have considered preliminary student outcomes in two of our Program Areas: Political Science (undergraduate students), and Health Services Administration (graduate students).

In Political Science the preliminary student outcomes include:

1. Understanding the structures and processes of American government, commensurate with citizenship duties and an effective civil society.
2. A high degree of familiarity with a broad range of political systems.
3. Effective writing and communication skills.
4. Ability to conceptualize problems and apply analytical tools in solving them.

In Health Services Administration, the preliminary student outcomes include:

1. Understanding the determinants of optimal health for individuals and communities.
2. Ability to manage, administer, and lead culturally competent public, nonprofit and for-profit health care organizations that provide preventive, chronic, acute, and long-term care, and related social and rehabilitative services.
3. Ability to lead health care delivery systems based on a thorough understanding of organizational behavior, budgeting, strategic planning and program evaluation, and the social, political and historical forces that influence policy and program choices.
4. Understanding the size and scope of the health care industry including government, for-profit, and nonprofit / NGO domestic and international entities, such as publicly funded and commercial health insurance plans, biomedical and health policy research institutions, organized interest groups, quality improvement and patient safety researchers and regulators, producers of pharmaceuticals and durable medical equipment, and international and domestic population-based health service providers.
5. Understanding the market forces and political constraints that shape the health care system including:
   • Health laws and regulations
   • Practices designed to encourage ethical behavior by all staff at every organizational level
   • Financial incentives in reimbursement systems that impact health care service delivery
   • Social forces that influence how health care is researched, funded and delivered
6. Recognizing the challenge of health disparities and being able to meet the health care needs of underserved populations associated with demographic factors (e.g., class, race / ethnicity, insurance status, geographic location, gender); health care status (e.g., rare diseases); and disorders bearing social stigma (e.g., drug addiction, HIV / AIDS).
7. Ability to conduct quantitative analyses for data-based decision making for health care organizational management, evaluation of quality improvement initiatives and public health programs, and to fully comprehend peer-reviewed research published in the medical and public policy literature.
8. Understanding the implications of globalization on health care financing, human resources, research, and other issues, and incorporating that knowledge into the decision-making processes of the organizations they serve.
9. Ability to pursue doctoral studies, independent professional adult learning, participation on research project teams, and provide staff training to non-graduate-trained members of the health care workforce.

Which outcome did you assess this academic year?

We did not assess outcomes in the previous academic year (2007 / 08) in ways that differ from our normal procedures of testing and evaluating student performance in our courses.

How did you assess their skills before, during and/or at the end of the semester / academic year?

We have not yet undertaken this effort.

Please summarize the data you have collected this semester / academic year.

We have not yet gathered assessment data.

Please describe any programmatic changes you have made or are planning to make based on the data you have collected.

We have note yet considered programmatic changes in this context.

**Note: Please use this template to provide the responses to the prompts above.**