Required Data Elements

The Required Data Elements (RDEs) are standard data exhibits for use in program planning self-study reports. The RDEs are available as dashboards to department chairs, college and university administrators, and assessment facilitators/coordinators. View the RDE User Guide for more information and how to request access.

• 1. List of Academic Programs
  • From the Current Academic Catalog. Meet the EO 1071 revised requirements to ensure compliance with CSU policy. Please copy these into your self-study.
• 2. Number of frosh, transfer & graduate students who applied, were admitted, and enrolled over 5 years
  • Describe how trends reflect economy, changes with the field, and the success of past efforts. These numbers can be used to evaluate the basic demand for the major, to assess past enrollment management efforts, and to set targets for any planned growth or recruitment efforts.
• 3. Migration of students entering and leaving the major
  • Identify which majors are complementary sources and destinations for students in the program. Consider whether recruitment or advising should change as a result.
• 4. Courses with greater than 20% DFW rates
  • Provide evidence of student success, possible reason to review program and GE curriculum. If a course has a consistently high failure rate, should the curriculum be redesigned to provide more support so that students can master it in one attempt?
• 5. Course GPA gaps between URM and non-URM students
  • Examine courses with a sufficient number of students and a sizable difference in average grades (data exhibit may highlight statistically significant differences by course).
• 6. One-year retention of new undergraduates in the program overall and separately for URM and non-URM students
  • Describe efforts/processes used to retain and graduate students, especially URMs. Identify whether outcomes are similar for URM and non-URM students in the program, and if there is a gap, consider how it might be reduced.
• 7. Recent graduation rates for first-time freshmen and transfer students versus university goals, including URM versus non-URM rate
  • Compare program rates to college and university, discuss significant deviations, discuss plans to improve rates within the next program review. It is important to note that rates, especially for URM students, can be difficult to interpret for small programs, as the sample size is often very small.
• 8. Native junior graduation rates
  • Recommended for discovery majors or ones requiring additional qualification: The graduation rates of students in the program as of the fifth term for freshman entrants. This can show the outcomes of students in the program after initial qualification and changes of major are out of the way.
• 9. Enrollment in minors and certificate programs, if applicable
  • Evaluate the number of students in minors and certificate programs relative to the mission of those programs.
• 10. Trend in FTEF and SFR in the program; the tenure density of the department
  • Discuss the tenure density of the department and how it relates to department mission and goals.
• 11. Optional: Predictors of 4- and 6-year graduation rates
  • May help programs understand underlying influences (e.g., demographic and academic predictors) on student success. Note that there may be limited information for small programs.
• 12. Optional: Trends in course FTES and the Induced Course Load Matrix
  • May be used to understand the demand for the department's courses outside the major and the total service to the university by the department's courses.
• 13. Optional: Trend in average number of units to degree
  • Consider whether undergraduates take a significant number of units over 120 and whether the trend is changing.