Student Outcomes Assessment

Indirect measures in the learning environment

Ongoing assessment is an integral component of shaping our student learning environment. The campus participates in several external surveys to assess student outcomes. For example, we have participated in both NSSE and FSSE. Officials from NSSE visited our campus in spring 2006 to help us further examine previous results. Various campus groups use results to suggest means to further engage students in their academic experience and environment.

In order to supplement these campuswide assessments, individual units engage in outcomes assessment tailored to specific programs and services. For example, to assess the effects of differential tuition programs, the University has implemented the College Perception Survey. The impact of differential tuition is assessed annually by each of the core units receiving funding and a program wide assessment is done on a regular basis.

The Counseling Center coordinates the administration of MAP-Works, an online freshmen transition survey, to assess student perceptions of academic strengths/weaknesses, study intentions, social connection, healthy choices, intent to remain at the university, and interest in campus resources. Relevant pieces of this information are accessed directly by the Undergraduate Advising Resource Center, Student Support Services, Residence Life, Center for Academic Resources, and the Reading Study Center. Other information (e.g., interest in services) is provided to appropriate departments. The primary users of the data are advising staff who sit with students to go over MAP-Works areas.This assessment data informs outreach and intervention programs administered by departments across campus and aids the referral process to guide students to these resources.

The Counseling Center administers the SnapShot Survey. This assessment, given to all clients for a two-week period in the fall and a two-week period in the spring, provides data about University services for the purposes of quality improvement and evaluating efforts in support of Differential Tuition.

The Campus Violence Prevention Program tracks the numbers and types of students served, outcomes of cases referred to campus adjudication and local law enforcement, numbers of training and prevention education services provided on campus, and numbers and types of prevention education materials distributed.

Leadership development, citizenship and volunteerism are integral components of our residential education program. For 20 years, the University has used Square One, an assessment instrument to determine the successes of our residence hall governments. This tool is used by hall leaders, professional staff and leadership development specialists. Reeve Union also assessed student learning outcomes and leadership development through the use of the MLS (Multidimensional Leadership Survey).

Residence Life and Reeve Union survey students each year, using the Educational Benchmark Inventory to determine the students’ satisfaction with staffing, programming, facilities and services.The survey results are compared with six comparable universities and with national data. These data also are used by the Student Recreational and Wellness Center staff to evaluate student need and programs.

Student Recreation is in contact with the National Research Institute for College Recreational Sports and Wellness to conduct a M.O.R.E. (Measuring Outcomes from RecSports Experiences) survey in the coming year.

Through the SAMHSA Mental Health Grant, the Counseling Center administers the American College Health Association Survey every two years to gather data about student health and mental health. The survey assesses the impact of behavioral factors and health/mental health factors on academic performance. It also provides information used to improve programs and services that meet student health and mental health needs.

UW Oshkosh participates with other comprehensive UW-System institutions in the administration of the UW- System Alcohol and Other Drug survey. Student use of alcohol and other drugs is surveyed as well as the behaviors and consequences related to alcohol and other drug use and misuse. The information is used to assess campus AODA interventions and educational programs.

Student Outcomes Assessment-Direct Measures

The University’s liberal education reform initiative continues to focus on curricular alignment and the identification of assessments for the approved learning outcomes. During the 2009-2010 year, the Liberal Education Reform Team collaborated with faculty governance groups, the colleges and departments to review where the learning outcomes are emphasized in the curriculum in preparation for a larger-scale curriculum review and the selection of assessments.

As the work of the liberal education initiative evolves, governance groups and faculty will select, design and pilot assessment tools. The selection of instruments will be based on their alignment to the learning outcomes, ability to report data by program and for targeted student populations. Current assessments of general education are limited to assessments that are embedded in courses that fulfill the general education requirements. During the 2009-2010 academic year, the University administered the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA). Freshman and senior students were tested as either a part of a class or on a volunteer basis on a two-year cycle.

The Faculty Senate Committee on the Assessment of Student Learning provided feedback to departments and programs regarding the effectiveness of their assessment plans. The Faculty Senate Committee on the Assessment of Student Learning provided a new template for program assessment plans that focuses directly on the alignment of assessments with program learning outcomes and the interpretation and use of assessment results for possible curriculum reform. The committee also sponsored workshops for departments to engage in discussion about their assessment plans. The programs were encouraged to select assessments that represent a range of student experiences, including milestone assessments at entry, midpoint and program exit. During the 2010-2011 academic year, the committee will provide other workshops for faculty that focus on distinct assessment models and formats. Additional programs will review their existing assessment plans so that all programs have an articulated feedback mechanism. The committee will collaborate with the Liberal Education Team to identify specific assessments for general education outcomes.

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