University of Northern Iowa College Portrait

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Students
Find out more about the characteristics of students who attend UNI.
Admissions
See how many students applied, accepted, and enrolled at UNI. Learn more about students’ high school preparation and test scores.
College Costs & Financial Aid
Learn about costs to attend UNI and how much financial aid is typically awarded.
College Cost Estimator
Estimate your cost to attend UNI in a few simple steps.
Classes and Campus Life
Learn more about professors, where students live, and campus safety at UNI.
Student Experiences
Discover ways to be actively involved in your education at UNI – inside and outside the classroom.
Majors, Graduation and Next Steps
See which majors are most popular at UNI and what recent graduates plan to do after earning their bachelor's degree.
Student Success & Progress
Discover how many students who start at UNI 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 UNI.

Student Learning at University of Northern Iowa

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.

UNI has had procedures in place for the assessment of student learning since the early 1990's. Each department is required to develop statements of intended student learning outcomes for each academic program area, along with a plan for assessing student learning in the program. Information gathered from assessment of student learning is used to make changes at the course and curriculum level in order to increase levels of student performance for the stated outcomes. Learning in the Liberal Arts Core is measured through assessments conducted for each category of courses in the Core through the LAC Category Review Process and through administration of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), the ETS Proficiency Profile, and the Graduating Senior Survey, which is administered by the Office of Institutional Research.

Learning Assessment Examples

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.

2008-10 Results from the ETS Proficiency Profile (formerly MAPP)

The ETS Proficiency Profile (formerly MAPP) measures critical thinking, analytic reasoning, and written communication and reports separate scores on critical thinking and written communication.

Test Administration Process

Test Information

Critical Thinking 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: 110
Senior Score: 113
ETS score range: 100 to 130

Average ACT scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 23
Senior Score: 23

Written Communication Results for First-time, Full-time Students