The University of New Mexico is engaged in the Collegiate Learning Assessment, a low stakes measure of students’ critical thinking, analytical reasoning, problem solving and written communication skills. UNM is one of 415 postsecondary institutions in the country using the CLA to learn more about students’ acquisition of core postsecondary skills.
UNM will participate in the CLA for the first time in the fall of 2009 and spring 2010. Several participation dates will be scheduled for freshmen between mid-August and October and for seniors between February and mid April.
“Like many academic and life-tasks, the questions are open-ended and require the participant to construct a reasoned response, sometimes requiring the analysis and referencing of supplemental materials. Cohorts of beginning and graduating students participate,” said Tom Root, outcomes assessment planning manager in the Provost’s Office.
UNM, and the other public New Mexico universities, as well as an additional 200 other national universities, is participating in the Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA), a joint project of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges.
“We hope to learn how well students at UNM grow in these skills over their course of studies; how measured ability in these skills correlate with graduation; and how achievement in these skills varies across subpopulations,” Root said.
Each year a random sample of first semester freshmen complete the CLA in the fall term and a random sample of second semester seniors complete the CLA in the spring term. Students work online in a proctored setting to do their analysis and construct their response in a 90 minute session.
“Participation is voluntary and participating students receive an individual score report of how well they did on each part of the test and how they compare to their peers at UNM and nationwide, and incentives from the University in appreciation for their contribution to UNM research,” Root said. He added that UNM receives fall interim reports, a spring institutional report, a student level data file to help with correlation analysis, and a PowerPoint ® presentation of results.
The VSA requires UNM to measure educational outcomes to identify effective educational practices using one of three possible instruments. A group of UNM faculty researched and evaluated all three assessment options and selected the CLA. The CLA was created by the Council for Aid to Education to improve teaching and learning.
“UNM expects participation in the CLA to contribute to the improvement of teaching and learning of critical thinking, analytic reasoning, problem solving and written communication skills,” Root said.
For more information, contact Tom Root at 277-4130 or troot@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales (505) 277-5920; cgonzal@unm.edu