Assessment of Student Learning

Seattle University is dedicated to educating the whole person, to professional
formation, and to empowering leaders for a just and humane world.
(SU Mission & Vision)

Are we successfully carrying out this educational mission? Seattle University faculty and staff, in dozens of undergraduate and graduate degree programs and over a dozen certificate programs, systematically assess student learning in order to answer this question. Staff in over a hundred support and service units carefully assess their area's effectiveness in order to learn how well they are contributing to the excellence of the educational mission. Our approach to education and assessment flows from our identity as a Jesuit institution. We are sustained by the legacy of Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus. This legacy underscores a Jesuit way of educating and assessing that emphasizes continual reflection, discernment and review.

Though assessment is not a new endeavor—it has been going on at Seattle University since its founding in 1891—it is only since 2000 that assessment has been systematic and collaborative, university-wide, and intentionally related to strategic planning and budgeting. We are continually growing in our ability to engage in effective assessment that leads to improved teaching and learning.

The information on this site tells our assessment story. It includes information, resources, plans, and outcomes. It is an evolving story that will have no end. Assessment is a way of life for the institution.