Page Description

The following page is a two column layout. Page sections are identified with headers. The footer contains update and contact information.

Learn More

  • Students

    Find out more about the characteristics of students who attend NAU.

  • Admissions

    See how many students applied, accepted, and enrolled at NAU. Learn more about students’ high school preparation and test scores.

  • College Costs & Financial Aid

    Learn about costs to attend NAU and how much financial aid is typically awarded.

  • College Cost Estimator

    Estimate your cost to attend NAU in a few simple steps.

  • Classes and Campus Life

    Learn more about professors, where students live, and campus safety at NAU.

  • Student Experiences

    Discover ways to be actively involved in your education at NAU – inside and outside the classroom.

  • Majors, Graduation and Next Steps

    See which majors are most popular at NAU and what recent graduates plan to do after earning their bachelor's degree.

  • Student Success & Progress

    Discover how many students who start at NAU finish their bachelor's degree and how long it takes.

  • Student Learning Outcomes

    Figure out what learning gains to expect in critical thinking, writing, and other important subjects at NAU.

Student Learning at Northern Arizona University

All colleges and universities use multiple approaches to measure student learning. Many of these are specific to particular disciplines, many are coordinated with accrediting agencies, and many are based on outcomes after students have graduated.

The Office of Academic Assessment seeks to support quality student learning and to foster excellence in educational practices by establishing and maintaining a culture of assessment and improvement at the course, program, and institutional levels. The basic premise (and slogan) of the OAA is "Assessment for Improving Student Learning."

Learning Assessment Examples

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Pilot Project to Measure Core Learning Outcomes

Colleges and universities participating in the College Portrait measure the typical improvement in students' abilities to think, reason, and write using one of three tests. This is part of a pilot project to better understand and compare what students learn between their freshman and senior years at different colleges and universities.

2007 - 09 Results from the Collegiate Learning Assessment

The Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) measures critical thinking, analytic reasoning, problem solving, and written communication using a performance task and an analytic writing task. The scores from the tasks are reported separately below.

Test Administration Process

Test Information

Performance Task Results for First-time, Full-time Students

The increase in learning on the performance task is at or near what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.

Freshman Score: 1111
Senior Score: 1183
CLA score range: 400 to no maximum score.

Average EEA scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 1067
Senior Score: 1089

Analytic Writing Task Results for First-time, Full-time Students

The increase in learning on the analytic writing task is above what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.

Freshman Score: 1076
Senior Score: 1177
CLA score range: 400 to no maximum score.

Average EEA scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 1067
Senior Score: 1089

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