EER Report Highlights

• Student Learning. In a ULO-based, campus-wide assessement of writing, seniors scored higher than freshmen on all traits measured: purpose, synthesis, support, style, and mechanics.
• Student Success. On the 2011 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), Cal Poly seniors rated the overall quality of academic advising at 3.01 on a scale of 1 (poor) to 4 (excellent), a .31 increase since 2008.
• Organizational Learning. Program review is at a developed stage based on WASC's Educational Effectiveness Framework rubric (doc).
• Our Polytechnic Identity. According to program review reports, Learn by Doing is helping students attain program learning objectives.

WASC Visiting Team Praises Cal Poly

A team from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) was on campus April 3-5 as one of the final steps in our Educational Effectiveness Review (EER). At a public exit interview, the Visiting Team Chair, Dr. Sam Smith, presented a long list of commendations and five recommendations. The WASC Commission's decision will be based on the team's written report, but the highlights below provide a summary of the exit interview.

Commendations Highlights

• Cal Poly's commitment to remaining an outstanding academic institution
• A significant increase in six-year graduation rate over ten years
• Progress on defining our comprehensive polytechnic identity
• Efforts to personalize a student's education, including policy changes and advising efforts
• Leadership exercised by the Academic Senate on the definitions of Learn by Doing and the teacher-scholar model
• Investment in campus facilities during a time of financial hardship
• Passage of the student success fee

Recommendations

• Continue to review campus policies on student success.
• Engage in further data analysis regarding the lack of success among particular ethnic groups.
• Analyze the success of federally funded programs such as the TRIO programs and develop a plan to support them locally.
• Improve campus climate with special attention to the experience of under-represented minorities.
• Act quickly to increase the diversity of students, staff, and faculty.

The full list of commendations and recommendations will be available when we receive the team’s final report in May. Dr. Smith said the team anticipates submitting a positive report to the WASC Commission. The Commission will meet June 14 to determine the status of Cal Poly’s reaccreditation.

Timeline

Self-Study Milestones

Milestone	Date
WASC accepts Institutional Proposal	December 12, 2007
Cal Poly submits CPR Report	December 3, 2009
WASC team visits Cal Poly for CPR	February 10-12, 2010
WASC Commission accepts CPR Report	June 16-17, 2010
Cal Poly submits EER Report	January 9, 2012
WASC team visits Cal Poly for EER	April 3-5, 2012
WASC Commission reviews EER Report and makes accreditation decision	June 14, 2012

EER Documents

• EER Report (pdf)
• Student Learning Executive Summary
• Student Success Executive Summary
• Organizational Learning Executive Summary
• Our Polytechnic Identity Executive Summary
• Printable Executive Summaries (pdf)
• EER Data Portfolio