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 MSU.

  • Admissions

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

  • College Costs & Financial Aid

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

  • College Cost Estimator

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

  • Classes and Campus Life

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

  • Student Experiences

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

  • Majors, Graduation and Next Steps

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

  • Student Success & Progress

    Discover how many students who start at MSU 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.

Student Learning at Montclair 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.

Procedures for the assessment of student learning in all majors have been
developed and promulgated University-wide. As might be expected, however,
the assessment of learning in the major is most highly developed and
routinized in those degree programs that are nationally accredited.
Consequently, while comprehensive, program-level assessment may be most
highly advanced in Business, Teacher Education, Computing Sciences,
Chemistry, Dance, Theater, and Music, it is practiced across-the-curriculum.
Assessments include a variety of direct measures of student learning,
including portfolios; standardized tests; internship evaluations; student,
alumni, and employer surveys; and various other measures.

The University's General Education curriculum, which is driven by clearly
enunciated learning goals, is assessed using nationally-normed, standardized
tests. During AY2008-09, the achievement of important General Education
learning goals was evaluated using ETS' Measure of Academic Proficiency and
Progress (MAPP) test. This instrument was used to assess three core skill
areas: critical thinking, reading, and writing. Results were shared with
Colleges and Schools, and faculty are using them to "close-the-loop" by
analyzing how these findings might best improve curriculum and pedagogy.

During AY2010-11, the University assessed student learning in its general education program by using the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA). This instrument was administered to freshmen in the fall, and graduating seniors in the spring, in hopes of quantifying the "value-added" by Montclair's general education curriculum. Results are expected in late summer, 2011, and they will be analyzed by the University’s General Education Committee to determine whether learning outcome goals are being met.

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.

This university is in the process of collecting and analyzing learning outcomes test results.

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