Ohio University College Portrait

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.

Ohio University has a long history of assessing its students, beginning formally in 1981. Assessment of teaching, learning, and student services has been done in a variety of ways. All academic departments and schools have assessed their students, and the Office of Institutional Research does ongoing University-wide assessments. In 2007 Ohio University created its Student Success Plan, in which each academic program identified student learning objectives. Assessments are under way to identify the extent to which students are meeting those learning objectives in academic disciplines and in general education. At Ohio University assessment is a collection of activities designed to continuously improve the ways it helps students succeed. Student assessment is a tool to help faculty and staff enable Ohio University to achieve its mission to help students succeed through continuously improving teaching, learning, and student services.

Learning Assessment Examples

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 4-year pilot project to better understand and compare what students learn between their freshman and senior years at different colleges and universities.

As the pilot project comes to a close, it is important to evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot project within the College Portrait and to disclose the results to the public. All VSA participating institutions are encouraged to report their results; OU reported results from one of the VSA-approved value-added SLO assessments below. Institutions who have not posted SLO results from one of the three VSA approved value-added pilot measures by the end of September 2012 are required to report their results here.

2009 - 10 Results from the College Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP)

The Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) measures critical thinking and written communication using two test modules -- critical thinking and a writing essay. The critical thinking and writing scores are reported separately below.

Test Administration Process

Test Information

Critical Thinking Results for First-time, Full-time Students

The increase in critical thinking skills is at or near what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.

Freshman Score: 61
Senior Score: 66
CAAP score range: 40 to 80

Average ACT scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 24
Senior Score: 25

Writing Essay Results for First-time, Full-time Students

The increase in written communication skills is at or near what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.

Freshman Score: 3
Senior Score: 4
CAAP score range: 1 to 6

Average ACT scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 23
Senior Score: 24