Marshall University College Portrait

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

Student Learning at Marshall 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.

Marshall University uses multiple measures to assess student learning. Based on a critical examination of assessment results, we make appropriate revisions to our curriculum and to student services, ensuring the best learning outcomes and collegiate experiences for our students. A sampling of measures used to assess student learning include standardized measures such as the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) and the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), licensure exams, authentic assessments, and student and alumni satisfaction surveys. Additionally, all programs on campus, both graduate and undergraduate, measure their programs’ student learning outcomes annually to ensure continuous improvement of their respective curricula.

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.

2009-10 Results from the Collegiate Learning Assessment

The Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) measures critical thinking, analytic reasoning, problem solving, and written communication using a performance task and an analytic writing task. The scores from the tasks are reported separately below.

Test Administration Process

Test Information

Performance Task 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: 1066
Senior Score: 1205
CLA score range: 400 to no maximum score.

Average EEA scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 1027
Senior Score: 1120

Analytic Writing Task Results for First-time, Full-time Students

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.

Freshman Score: 1085
Senior Score: 1273
CLA score range: 400 to no maximum score.