Outcomes Assessment: Collaboration between Schools of Social Work

Assessment of social work programs at the University of North Dakota (UND) and Colorado State University (CSU) is a unique and collaborative venture. The two schools of social work have sought to test a model of program monitoring developed by one and enhanced by the other. This cooperative approach to program assessment has provide to be a boon to both programs.

An internal evaluation perspective is the basis for the approach used by UND and CSU. It represents a value principle that assessment should focus on curriculum content, the student learning process, and the usefulness of that learning content and experience beyond the university environment. We believe that students are the primary consumers of the educational "product" and that, logically, they are among those best suited to evaluate its success or failure. The internal evaluation perspective is more concerned with the actual impact of the educational process on the student.