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Study Notes:
Mission, Values, and Outcomes
Walden Universitys Mission Statement
http://www.waldenu.edu/c/Student_Catalog/8893_9124.htm
Walden's missionthe e!p"ession o# what the $ni%e"sit& doesis de"i%ed #"om its pu"pose and
de#ined '& its ope"ational %alues and p"inciples:
Walden $ni%e"sit& p"o%ides a di%e"se communit& o# ca"ee" p"o#essionals with the
oppo"tunit& to t"ans#o"m themsel%es as schola"(p"actitione"s so that the& ma& t"ans#o"m
societ&.
School of Managements Mission Statement
)d%ance the *nowledge and p"actice o# management and leade"ship to shape the di"ection o# the
21st Centu"&
Vision and Strategic Direction:
+e the "ecogni,ed leade" in distance(education o# schola"(p"actitione"s p"o%iding glo'al
leade"ship in management
Walden Beliefs and Values
-hese 'elie#s and %alues gi%e Walden $ni%e"sit& its uni.ue identit&/ unde"pin the Walden
$ni%e"sit& mission/ and in#o"m the 0utcomes )ssessment 1lan:
Walden $ni%e"sit& 'elie%es that all adult lea"ne"s should ha%e inno%ati%e educational
access/ especiall& those who a"e without oppo"tunit& in othe" %enues.
Walden $ni%e"sit& 'elie%es that academic p"og"ams must 'e lea"ne"(cente"ed/
inco"po"ating the lea"ne"'s p"io" *nowledge and allowing them to #ocus thei" academic
wo"* on thei" needs and inte"ests.
Walden $ni%e"sit& 'elie%es that .ualit& and integ"it& a"e the co"ne"stones o# all academic
p"ocesses.
Walden $ni%e"sit& 'elie%es in inno%ation and #le!i'ilit& in the conception and deli%e"& o#
its educational p"og"ams and the"e a"e man& di##e"ent academic "outes to achie%e .ualit&
and integ"it&.

Walden $ni%e"sit& 'elie%es that positi%e social change enhances the dignit& o# the
indi%idual/ the unit& o# the human #amil&/ the e.ualit&/ and #"eedom o# people/ and the
goodness o# c"eation that suppo"ts all li#e.
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Walden $ni%e"sit& 'elie%es that its lea"ne"s e##ect positi%e social change when the&
'eha%e as "e#lecti%e o" schola"l& p"actitione"s.
Walden $ni%e"sit& 'elie%es that the in.ui"&/action model #oste"s c"itical thin*ing and
unde"pins "esea"ch and disco%e"& #o" "e#lecti%e p"actitione"s 2'achelo"s and maste"s3 and
schola"/p"actitione"s 2docto"s3. -his model p"o%ides the #"amewo"* #o" teaching/ lea"ning/
and assessment.
Walden University Outcomes
-he outcome o# all teaching and lea"ning at Walden $ni%e"sit& is to p"oduce g"aduates with the
#ollowing *nowledge/ s*ills/ and a'ilities:
-o unde"stand and continuousl& de%elop and change themsel%es/ the o"gani,ations in
which the& wo"*/ and societ& at la"ge
-o c"eate new *nowledge dedicated to the imp"o%ement o# social conditions/ and to
positi%el& impact societ& '& putting that *nowledge into p"actice/ '& modeling thei"
lea"ning th"ough action/ and '& 'eing ci%icall& engaged
-o continue lea"ning ac"oss thei" li#etimes/ as p"actitione"s/ "esea"che"s/ and schola"s and
to continue to impact social change
-o achie%e p"o#essional e!cellence as acti%e and in#luential p"o#essionals '& appl&ing
thei" lea"ning to speci#ic p"o'lems and challenges in thei" wo"* settings and p"o#essional
p"actice
-o 'e in#o"mation lite"ate/ including *nowing the lite"atu"e o# thei" p"o#essional #ields
and "eading it c"iticall&
-o unde"stand the design and methods o# in.ui"& in thei" p"o#essional #ields
-o p"actice in thei" p"o#essional #ields legall& and ethicall&
-o communicate e##ecti%el&/ pa"ticula"l& to communicate thei" lea"ning and "esea"ch to
othe"s
-o app"eciate/ "espect/ and ad%ocate #o" di%e"sit& and multicultu"alism within thei"
p"o#essional #ields
-o #unction #le!i'l& and e##ecti%el& in a %a"iet& o# educational en%i"onments/ including
online and dist"i'uted en%i"onments
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A ommon !anguage for Outcomes Assessment
By "eter #$ell
4n )cc"editation and Student 5ea"ning 0utcomes: ) 1"oposed 1oint o# 6epa"tu"e 2Council #o"
7ighe" 8ducation )cc"editation/ 0ccasional 1ape"/ Washington/ 6C./ Septem'e" 29913/ 1ete"
8well has p"o%ided use#ul common language a'out outcomes assessment with common language
in its outcomes assessment plan/ ma*ing changes as app"op"iate to align with its %alues and
'elie#s.
1. What is a student 5ea"ning 0utcome:
)n 'outcome' is something that is achie%ed '& an indi%idual student as a "esult o# his o" he"
pa"ticipation as an acti%e agent in a pa"ticula" cou"se o# stud& and inte"acti%e lea"ning situations.
+ut the"e a"e man& t&pes o# outcomes othe" than student lea"ning. ) 'student lea"ning outcome'/
in cont"ast/ is p"ope"l& de#ined in te"ms o# pa"ticula" le%els o# *nowledge/ s*ills and a'ilities that
a student has attained at the end 2o" as a "esult3 o# his o" he" engagement in a pa"ticula" set o#
collegiate e!pe"iences.
2. What counts as e%idence o# student lea"ning:
8%idence must in%ol%e a ;di"ect e!amination o# student le%els o# attainment;/ such as:
Capstone e!aminations
Capstone po"t#olios
-heses
6isse"tations
)uthentic pe"#o"mances/demonst"ations o# lea"ning
-hi"d pa"t& e!aminations 2such as licensing/ ce"ti#ication e!aminations3
Cou"se e!aminations
1ape"s
1"o<ects
-h"eaded online 6iscussions
Cou"se('ased po"t#olios
3. )t what le%el 2o" #o" what unit o# anal&sis3 might e%idence o# student lea"ning outcomes 'e
sought:
4ndi%idual student in a cou"se
4ndi%idual student in a p"og"am
4ndi%idual g"aduate o# an institution
="oups o# students
Cou"ses o" g"oups o# cou"ses
1"og"ams
Schools within an institution
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%oals
-he =oals o# the Walden $ni%e"sit& 0utcomes )ssessment 1lan
-he #ollowing a"e the goals that Walden $ni%e"sit& see*s to achie%e th"ough its outcomes
assessment acti%ities:
-o imp"o%e teaching and lea"ning 2#o"mati%e3
-o c"eate a cultu"e o# e%idence to suppo"t continuous imp"o%ement o# academic p"og"ams
and student se"%ices 2#o"mati%e3
-o document that students a"e achie%ing all lea"ning outcomes/ at the cou"se/ p"og"am
and uni%e"sit& le%els 2summati%e3
-o 'enchma"* Walden $ni%e"sit& outcomes against app"op"iate institutional o" national
outcomes 2#o"mati%e3
-o document .ualit& 2summati%e3
Outcomes of &esidency om'onent for Doctoral Students:
-o c"eate communities o# lea"ning that a"e 'oth p"o#ession('ased and c"oss(discipline
o"iented
-o p"o%ide students with the oppo"tunit& to p"esent thei" schola"ship and "esea"ch
-o p"o%ide the students with the oppo"tunit& to use the $ni%e"sit&>s academic p"ocesses
e##ecti%el& #o" thei" own p"og"ess towa"d deg"ee completion
-o p"o%ide the students with the oppo"tunit& to lea"n a'out the "esea"ch and disco%e"&
p"ocess #"om #acult&/ th"ough #acult& p"esentation o# thei" "esea"ch
-o enhance students> a'ilities to plan and assess thei" own lea"ning e!pe"iences
-o engage students and #acult& in a lea"ning communit& that e!tends 'e&ond thei" own
inte"ests
-o sociali,e students into a communit& o# schola"s
-o p"o%ide students with the oppo"tunit& to p"oduce an academic p"oduct that ad%ances
them towa"d the completion o# thei" deg"ees
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-o p"o%ide students the oppo"tunit& to meet #ace to #ace with #acult& to ad%ance thei"
p"og"ess on academic "e.ui"ements
-o ad%ance students> unde"standing o# "esea"ch and "esea"ch methods
-o #acilitate students> s&nthetic thin*ing a'out thei" "esea"ch
-o ad%ance students> capacit& #o" c"itical thin*ing
-o assist students in getting to *now #acult& who sha"e thei" "esea"ch and academic
inte"ests
Waldens !earning #('erience
-he Walden lea"ning e!pe"ience is 'ased on th"ee su'(components:
Breadth: -he '"eadth section challenges students to ac.ui"e and intellectuall& p"ocess
*nowledge o# the ma<o" theo"ies in the discipline and 'ecome awa"e o# the issues that
d"i%e continual de%elopment o# the theo"etical 'ase o# the content a"ea.
De'th: 4n the depth component/ students #ocus on a na""owe" po"tion o# the spect"um o#
concepts and issues identi#ied in the '"eadth component. -he depth component #o"ms a
'"idge 'etween theo"&('ased *nowledge and p"actice.
A''lication: -he application section "e.ui"es students to appl& to thei" p"o#ession what
the& ha%e lea"ned #"om the studies #"om the '"eadth and depth sections.
-he $ni%e"sit& "e.ui"es that each demonst"ation o# *nowledge 'e const"ucted as an
integ"ated wo"*. 4t must possess logical/ conceptual lin*s de"i%ed #"om a '"oad
theo"etical 'ase/ 'e tied to an in(depth anal&sis o# a "ange o# issues/ and culminate in an
application o# p"inciples in a p"o#essional o" societal setting. Students must demonst"ate
g"ounding in ma<o" theo"ies/ ac.ui"e the intellectual s*ills use#ul in "esea"ching and
imp"o%ing thei" p"actice/ and assess shi#ts in the pa"adigms o# the cultu"e in gene"al and
thei" p"o#essions in pa"ticula".