Student Affairs Curriculum

Domain summary:
Creates opportunities for students to consider purpose for being in college and connect values, strengths, and decisions about their future.

Use this domain when your program supports: 
Decision-making, meaning-making, purpose, ethics, vocation, career-life integration.

Domain summary:
Builds students’ ability to manage resources and navigate barriers affecting access and wellbeing.

Use this domain when your program supports:
Financial literacy, time management, basic needs, resource navigation, self-advocacy.

Domain summary:
Supports students in identity development and building skills to engage across difference and foster belonging.

Use this domain when your program supports: 
Belonging, dialogue, intercultural engagement, identity exploration, inclusion.

Domain summary:
Helps students apply career planning and decision-making strategies to pursue opportunities and long-term goals.

Domain summary:
Supports holistic wellbeing, coping strategies, and healthy decision-making to thrive academically and personally.

Domain summary:
Builds academic skills, learning strategies, and habits that support student success and persistence.

Domain summary:
Develops reflective practice and adaptive learning—students consider feedback, growth, and change over time.

Domain summary:
Strengthens interpersonal skills, connection, and community-mindedness to support student development and belonging.

Domain summary:
Develops leadership and civic/urban engagement, including applying learning to community contexts and systems.

Involves data collection for internal audiences (i.e. administrators, faculty, students) and demonstrates the effectiveness of programs and services to stakeholders.

The various ways student learning outcomes are measured (using multiple methods will produce stronger data).

The annual plan that guides assessment efforts for a divisional department. The plan includes a department’s mission, vision, goals for the year, a number of assessment “activities” to accomplish, results and next steps based on results.

A budget cycle is the timeframe a budget covers. Though the university budgets on a fiscal year (July 1 - June 30) and is dependent on the State and CSU budget cycles, budget development at San José State University is an ongoing, multi-year process that is aligned with the strategic planning of our campus. ( Annual Budget Reports)

The gathering and analyzing of data on a program, service or activity about a department and then using that information to make informed decisions for improvement.

Systematic collection, evaluation and use of information obtained to help improve a student's overall college experience and divisional effectiveness. Every 5 years, each divisional department is reviewed by a team of professionals in the field to ensure they are meeting professional standards. Can include evaluation of facilities, technology, services, etc., within individual programs. (Source: SFA University)

Assessment that demonstrates learning and focuses on students’ achievements of learning outcomes. A demonstration or display of actual knowledge, thought process, skills, accomplishments or achievements (i.e. student demonstrates interpersonal competence in a role playing activity by showing behaviors like treating others with respect and considering others' points of view). 

Domains are categories of learning typically divided into cognitive (intellectual, core learning), affective (attitude, core motivation) and psychomotor (hands-on, motor activity) classifications. 

A period that a company or organization uses for accounting, budgeting and reporting purposes. The fiscal year at SJSU is defined as July 1st - June 30th.

Assessment that describes learning and measures perceptions and behaviors during the learning process. Indirect assessment may provide feedback on student perception of their own level of learning. Can be a reflection on and/or self-report about knowledge, thought processes, learned skills, etc., or a perception of an accomplishment or achievement.

Example: Student tells you that they gained all the information they needed at Frosh orientation.

There are 9 categories for data reporting to IPEDS. The categories for reporting are: U.S. nonresident; Hispanic (regardless of race); and for non-Hispanic only: American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Black or African American; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; White; and Two or more races. Source: National Center for Education Statistics ( NCES), Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).

The Integrated Plan is a department plan for the upcoming academic year. The purpose is to convey the department’s goals and priorities for operations, programs, services, expected outcomes (operational, learning) and assessment. The annual planning deadline is May 31.

The Integrated Report is a department summary submitted on a mid-year and annual basis. The purpose is to document the department’s impact and outcomes for the current academic year. The general reporting deadlines are (1) Mid-year: due early January (reflects July 1 December 31) and (2) Annual: due mid-July (reflects July 1 - June 30).

Statements that describe the knowledge or skills students should acquire by the end of a program, event, service or activity.

Example: Students will be able to identify and apply at least one strategy to effectively navigate campus resources or challenges relevant to their personal, academic, or professional goals. 

The process of connecting annual department goals to divisional and other strategic initiatives. Goals are “mapped” to initiatives they support.

A service or administrative outcome that documents how well an operation works. Objectives are tied to operational processes and program/unit targets that it desires and intends to achieve. The Shults Dorimé-Williams Support Outcomes Taxonomy serves as a helpful model to assess administrative task complexity.

Example: All incoming admissions applications were reviewed and a decision was made within a 6-week period. 

A performance evaluation is a way to systematically assess an employee’s performance. Performance evaluations are important for all employees. The goal is to increase communication, establish clear expectations, reinforce good performance, improve unsatisfactory performance and foster a spirit of cooperation and teamwork. ( University Personnel)

A program is a functional area unit (organized as a department), such as MOSAIC CrossCultural Center, Peer Connections or Student Wellness Center. Units may choose to conduct program-level assessment or may choose to assess several major programs.

A statement written ahead of time that will measure the overall impact of a program or department.

Example: Decrease time to graduation.

An evaluation form that is used to measure a program, department or performance to a particular standard. A rubric can communicate expectations of quality around a task. In many cases, scoring rubrics are used to delineate consistent criteria for evaluation, which can be complex and subjective.

Social justice is defined as both a process and a goal that includes the knowledge, skills and dispositions needed to create learning environments that foster equitable participation of all groups and seeks to address issues of oppression, privilege and power. (ACPA & NASPA, 2015)