Missouri Southern State University College Portrait

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

Student Learning at Missouri Southern State 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.

Missouri Southern has been involved with assessment since 1987. Students are tested and surveyed as entering freshmen and as graduating seniors. Discipline level assessment is carried out by department personnel. The Proficiency Profile (General Education Test) from ETS is used along with several surveys including NSSE, College Outcomes Survey(COS) from ACT and others. A faculty committee serves as an advisory group to the assessment program.

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.

2010 - 11 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 above 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

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