journal of public affairs education - NASPAA *The Global Standard ...

How Do We Know What They Know?Evaluating Student-Learning Outcomes in an MPA ProgramAPPENDIX A.EXAMPLE OF INITIAL SKILLS SELF-ASSESSMENTGRADUATE CENTER FOR PUBLIC POLICY AND ADMINISTRATIONINITIAL SKILLS SELF-ASSESSMENTInstructions: Effective as of the 2007 fall semester, all PPA 500 students arerequired to complete an Initial Skills Self-Assessment in PPA 500. The purposeof this self-assessment is to allow students and faculty to assess student skills ineach core content area, upon entry into the California State University, LongBeach MPA Program. It is vital that students provide honest and accurateinformation in this initial assessment.Please begin by responding to the questions on the following page. Indicateyour knowledge in each of these areas by circling the most appropriate number(1 = no knowledge, 5 = a great deal of knowledge). In Part II, please provide awritten discussion of any skills and/or experience that you have in the corecontent areas. Your discussion should include an honest assessment of yourstrengths and weaknesses in each content area. For more information on eachtopic, see the list of core concepts for each of these core content areas on thePPA department Web page at http://www.csulb.edu/colleges/chhs/departments/ppa/coreconcepts/. Finally, in Part III, please discuss your reasons for pursuingthe MPA degree and what specific skills you expect to acquire upon completionof the degree.Format: There is no mandated length for this assignment. However, it is usefulto organize your discussion by core content area. Upon completion, pleasesubmit this assignment to your PPA 500 instructor. When the Initial Skills Self-Assessment is returned to you, you are strongly encouraged to place it in yourStudent Learning Portfolio. It will then be evaluated again by your PPA 697instructor at the end of the MPA program.(See sample form on following page.)284 Journal of Public Affairs Education