Appalachian State University College Portrait
Appalachian State UniversityBoone, NC 28608
(828) 262-2120
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- Student Learning Outcomes
Figure out what learning gains to expect in critical thinking, writing, and other important subjects at Appalachian.
- VSA SLO Pilot Project Experience at Appalachian
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Appalachian State University Learning Outcomes
Student learning at Appalachian is represented by the four goals of the general education program: thinking critically and creatively, communicating effectively, making local to global connections, and understanding responsibilities of community membership. These goals are meant to be addressed throughout the curriculum and are assessed within the general education program and by the various departments in their efforts to assess learning in their majors. In both cases, student accomplishment of these goals is determined through analysis of student work produced in response to classroom assignments. The results of these analyses inform changes in the delivery of the general education curriculum and also instruction in the majors. Major programs also use the assessment of student artifacts to determine the level of student learning of the unique content in their specific majors.
Appalachian also surveys students regarding their opinion about the extent of their learning. In past years we have used the Graduating Senior Survey (GSS) and the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) for this purpose. In 2012 (n=1402) 91.2% responded on the GSS) that their experience at Appalachian had contributed “somewhat” or “very much” to their writing skill. Likewise 91% responded that Appalachian had contributed “somewhat” or “very much” in enhancing their analytical thinking skills. The 2012 NSSE results (n=665) showed that 81% of seniors thought that Appalachian had contributed “Very much” or “Quite a bit” to their ability to “write clearly and effectively.” Also, 91% responded that Appalachian had contributed “Very much” or “Quite a bit” to their ability to “think clearly and analytically.” The General Education program used student surveys to determine to what extent the General Education was achieving the desired results. The questions for the survey were adapted from the VALUE rubrics developed by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). The results are informing the University’s continuing efforts to improve the program
Results of select questions from the Graduating Senior Survey (GSS) and NSSE were disaggregated by department and uploaded to departmental assessment sites within TracDat. Departments used these results to inform their efforts to improve teaching effectiveness. The results for all the questions on the GSS and the NSSE are posted on the university’s assessment website:
Learning Assessment Examples
Appalachian State University administered the CLA in 2010 - 2012.
Appalachian State University conducted a Value-added administration of the CLA in 2010 - 2012. The results are displayed below in the SLO Results tab.
For additional information on Appalachian’s process for administering CLA, 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
Appalachian State University participated in the VSA Learning Outcomes Pilot by administering the Collegiate Learning Assessment during the 2007-08 and 2010-11 academic years. Membership in the VSA and use of the CLA was mandated by University of North Carolina General Administration for all schools in the system.
At Appalachian, test results are shared with campus academic leaders and are posted in our VSA College Portrait. The results in both 2007-08 and 2010-11 administrations of the CLA indicated that our students’ academic gains from freshman to senior year were “as expected” for students like ours. These findings, combined with the research methodology, limit the value of the test to provide actionable information. Regarding the research methodology, in both the 2007-08 and 2010-11 administrations, around 100 freshmen and 100 seniors were tested. Those numbers are too small to disaggregate to the program level where curricula and degree requirements exist. Disaggregation of student learning outcomes at least to the academic department level is necessary for campus officials to know how students’ academic experiences affect the gains in learning as measured by the CLA. Further, a random sample of students were approached to take the CLA, but only willing, paid volunteered actually took the tests. For these reasons, the value of the CLA test results to help inform campus decisions about student learning outcomes is limited.
In following the testing model prescribed by the CLA we tested 100 freshmen during their first semester on campus (Fall 2010) in the fall and 100 seniors during their last semester (Spring 2011) on campus in the spring. For the Graduating Senior Survey all graduating seniors in the Spring of 2012 were sent an email encouraging them to complete the survey online. For the NSSE, graduating seniors identified by Appalachian were contacted in the spring semester of 2012 by the NSSE organization to complete the survey.
Students who agreed to take the CLA were asked to schedule themselves into testing sessions held in a computer lab on campus. They took the test online in one sitting of approximately an hour. For the Graduating Senior Survey and the NSSE students were invited via email to complete the survey online at their convenience.
The results of the CLA were reported to the college deans who in turned shared them with faculty within their colleges. Using the data provided by the CLA we were also able to compare the results of native students with transfer students. The small sample size made other meaningful disaggregation impossible. Results of select questions from the Graduating Senior Survey (GSS) and NSSE were disaggregated by department and uploaded to departmental assessment sites within TracDat. Departments used these results to inform their efforts to improve teaching effectiveness. The results for all the questions on the GSS and the NSSE are posted on the university’s assessment website (http://irap.appstate.edu/assessment/potential-assessment-data)
Because of the state of flux of Appalachian’s General Education program there was little we were able to take away from our experience so far with the CLA. If we continue to use it we might get some indication of the success of our recent General Education revisions. Departments used the results of the benchmarking scales of the NSSE and corresponding items from the Graduating Senior Survey to guide their efforts to improve their students’ learning experiences.
Of 2829 freshmen students eligible to be tested, 107 (4%) were included in the tested sample at Appalachian State University.
Of 4447 senior students eligible to be tested, 95 (2%) were included in the tested sample at Appalachian State University.
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 | 55% | 61% | 52% | 59% |
| Male | 45% | 39% | 48% | 41% | |
| Other or Unknown | <1% | <1% | <1% | <1% | |
|
Race/
Ethnicity |
US Underrepresented Minority | 10% | 13% | 8% | 5% |
| White / Caucasian | 86% | 80% | 88% | 95% | |
| International | 1% | <1% | <1% | <1% | |
| Unknown | 3% | 7% | 3% | <1% | |
| Low-income (Eligible to receive a Federal Pell Grant) | 24% | 31% | 31% | 29% | |
Our senior sample was proportionately similar in gender composition to the class-at-large. It was also similar in relation to the proportion of minority and non-minority students.
Our freshman sample was proportionately higher in females than the class at large. We will take that into account when interpreting the results and implementing any action plans. The sample was proportionately similar to the class-at-large in relation to the number of minority and non-minority students.
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.
| Performance Task | Make-an-Argument | Critique-an-Argument | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analytic Reasoning and Evaluation | |||
| Writing Effectiveness | |||
| Writing Mechanics | |||
| Problem Solving |
| Performance Task | Make-an-Argument | Critique-an-Argument | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analytic Reasoning and Evaluation | |||
| Writing Effectiveness | |||
| Writing Mechanics | |||
| Problem Solving |
