C OLLEGIATE L EARNING A SSESSMENT Dr. Pedro Reyes, Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs January 2014

Learning Assessments 2 The assessment of all degree programs is required by the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) Section of the Principles of Accreditation, regarding Institutional Effectiveness: The institution identifies expected outcomes, assesses the extent to which it achieves these outcomes, and provides evidence of improvement based on analysis of the results in […] educational programs, to include student learning outcomes.

Essential Learning Outcomes (from the LEAP initiative) 3 Knowledge that students acquire Knowledge about human cultures Knowledge about the physical and natural world Personal and social responsibility  Civic engagement  Intercultural knowledge and competence  Ethical reasoning  Skills for lifelong learning

Essential Student Learning Outcomes, cont. 4 Intellectual (or cognitive) and practical skills Effective oral and written communication Inquiry and analysis  Critical and creative thinking  Quantitative literacy  Information literacy  Teamwork  Problem solving

Problem Solving Critical Thinking Analytic Reasoning and Evaluation Writing Effectiveness Collegiate Learning Assessment: Focus on Cognitive Skills 5

Improve teaching Set goals for student learning Benchmark student learning performance Communicate student learning goals and results Essential component of our accountability program U. T. System Goals for Student Learning Assessment 6

Employers value the development of these broad skills These skills are central to most college mission statements CLA measures are consistent with general education requirements of many institutions UT System has been using the CLA since 2005, and institutions use the results to improve programs. Why Focus on CLA Measures? 7

Uses constructed-response tasks and value-added methodology Random sample of up to 200 freshmen in the fall and 200 seniors in the spring at each institution Students take one Performance Task or a combination of one Make-an-Argument prompt and one Critique-an- Argument prompt  Open-ended responses  No multiple choice questions CLA Methodology 8

Snapshot of current student population Ideally, assessment should be done every year, following the student cohorts to better understand “value-added.” Methodological Concerns 9

Institution-level data  Scores are reported relative to institutions testing students of similar entering academic ability.  Value-added score indicates the degree to which the observed senior mean CLA score meets, exceeds, or falls below expectations. The “expected” scores are statistical projections. Universities with students entering with high credentials may be limited in the value they can add because the students are already near the top of the measuring scale. CLA Reports 10

Student-level data  Provided to allow linking with other data (NSSE, local assessments, course-taking patterns, etc.)  Allows participating students to benchmark their performance against students within and outside the institution CLA Reports (cont.) 11

To address weaknesses in the general curriculum To create opportunities to improve critical thinking, problem solving, analytical reasoning, and writing skills in programs of study For benchmarking academic performance against national peers and setting targets for improvement How are CLA Results Used? 12

UT Arlington has included the CLA as an assessment strategy in its Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). UT Pan American used CLA results to guide the restructuring of its undergraduate writing curriculum. Examples of How CLA Results Are Used 13

Q UESTIONS ?