Utah Valley University College Portrait

Learn More

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

Student Learning at Utah Valley 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.

UVU is committed to evaluating the strength of its educational programs in multiple ways. In that light, the University has selected the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Progress (CAAP) to be administered to a selected group of students who have applied for graduation during the Spring semester 2011. We are specifically interested in tracking changes of students. We are specifically interested in tracking changes in the writing and critical thinking ability of students.

Last September (Sept. 2010), a sample of incoming freshmen was given assessments in writing and critical thinking areas. The tests were administered in the entry level English and Math courses, with high percentage of first time freshman in those courses.
The CAAP test is key to our assessment of the essential learning outcomes of our university. In addition, the aggregated results will be part of our public profile for the Voluntary System of Accountability as documentation of student learning.

We expect results for this assessment to be available by the end of the Summer semester, 2011.

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 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 learning on the performance task 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: 20
Senior Score: 22

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