Minnesota State University, Mankato College Portrait
Minnesota State University, MankatoMankato, MN 56001
507-389-1866
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- Students
Find out more about the characteristics of students who attend MSU, Mankato.
- Admissions
See how many students applied, accepted, and enrolled at MSU, Mankato. Learn more about students’ high school preparation and test scores.
- College Costs & Financial Aid
Learn about costs to attend MSU, Mankato and how much financial aid is typically awarded.
- College Cost Estimator
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- Classes and Campus Life
Learn more about professors, where students live, and campus safety at MSU, Mankato.
- Student Experiences
Discover ways to be actively involved in your education at MSU, Mankato – inside and outside the classroom.
- Majors, Graduation and Next Steps
See which majors are most popular at MSU, Mankato and what recent graduates plan to do after earning their bachelor's degree.
- Student Success & Progress
Discover how many students who start at MSU, Mankato 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 MSU, Mankato.
- VSA SLO Pilot Project Experience at MSU, Mankato
Minnesota State University, Mankato Learning Outcomes
At Minnesota State University, Mankato assessment is the practice of evaluating the manner or degree to which students are learning what they are supposed to be learning. Academic departments and programs at Minnesota State Mankato have or are developing student learning outcomes, which are statements of the key indicators of student learning in specific departments and programs. Assessment is designed to compare actual student performance to these student learning outcomes: We say this is what students are learning--are they? That is what assessment is designed to do.
Learning Assessment Examples
Minnesota State University, Mankato administered the ETS Proficiency Profile in Fall 2011 - Spring 2012.
Minnesota State University, Mankato conducted a Value-added administration of the ETS Proficiency Profile in Fall 2011 - Spring 2012. The results are displayed below in the SLO Results tab.
For additional information on MSU, Mankato’s process for administering ETS Proficiency Profile, please click on the Assessment Process Tab below. For information on the students included in the administration, please click the Students Tested Tab above.
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Assessment Process
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Students Tested
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Results
The ETS Proficiency Profile was selected for the institutional assessment due to the tools alignment with institutional student learning outcomes, testing format, and testing method.
A sample of first-year students were assessed during the fall term and a sample of senior students were assessed during the spring term.
A proctored paper and pencil administration of the ETS Proficiency Profile was used for both the first-year and senior student samples.
The data collected from the administration of the ETS Proficiency Profile is aggregated and analyzed at the institutional level by the University’s Assessment and Evaluation Sub-Meet and Confer (shared governance committee).
The assessment results are used as a component of the institution’s assessment of Institutional Student Learning Outcomes.
Of 2514 freshmen students eligible to be tested, 288 (11%) were included in the tested sample at Minnesota State University, Mankato.
Of 4992 senior students eligible to be tested, 209 (4%) were included in the tested sample at Minnesota State University, Mankato.
Probability sampling, where a small randomly selected sample of a larger population can be used to estimate the learning gains in the entire population with statistical confidence, provides the foundation for campus-level student learning outcomes assessment at many institutions. It's important, however, to review the demographics of the tested sample of students to ensure that the proportion of students within a given group in the tested sample is close to the proportion of students in that group in the total population. Differences in proportions don't mean the results aren't valid, but they do mean that institutions need to use caution in interpreting the results for the groups that are under-represented in the tested sample.
| Freshmen | Seniors | ||||
| Eligible Students | Tested Students | Eligible Students | Tested Students | ||
| Gender | Female | 48% | 59% | 51% | 48% |
| Male | 52% | 40% | 49% | 51% | |
| Other or Unknown | <1% | <1% | <1% | 1% | |
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Race/
Ethnicity |
US Underrepresented Minority | 17% | 13% | 10% | 12% |
| White / Caucasian | 78% | 87% | 84% | 85% | |
| International | 3% | <1% | 4% | <1% | |
| Unknown | 2% | <1% | 2% | 3% | |
| Low-income (Eligible to receive a Federal Pell Grant) | 36% | 35% | 36% | 36% | |
The test samples were fairly representative of the campus population with the following exceptions:
- Tested senior students included a higher proportion of males (51%) than exists in our student body of senior students (48%).
- Tested first year students included a higher proportion of females (60%) than exists in our student body of first year students (48%).
The VSA provides sample size guidelines for institutions based on a 95% confidence interval and 5% margin of error. So long as the tested sample demographics represent the student body, this means we can be 95% certain that the “true” population learning outcomes are with +/- 5% of the reported results. For more information on Sampling, please refer to the Research Methods Knowledge Base .
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.
The increase in learning on the analytic writing task is at or near what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.
