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University of Wyoming

UW Participating in Collegiate Learning Assessment Study


Aug. 24, 2005 -- The University of Wyoming is among 50 colleges and universities selected to participate in a nationwide study to assess gains in student learning. Approximately 300 incoming UW freshmen will participate in the study beginning this fall.

The Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) Project will examine critical thinking, written communication and analytical reasoning. The Lumina Foundation, in conjunction with the Council for Aid to Education, funds the project.

The CLA is a tool to help the university assess student learning over time, says Erika Prager, assessment specialist in the UW Office of Academic Affairs. She leads an implementation team that will recruit students and administer the CLA this semester. The Office of Academic Affairs coordinates the project.

"Specifically, the CLA will help determine certain skills and understanding students gained primarily through the University Studies Program," she says. "By comparing what students know when they begin at UW with what they know when they graduate will help establish what they actually learned and how we might improve the program."

She says faculty and administrators may make programmatic and course changes if the assessment shows students are not performing as well as expected.

"Each student participating in the study will receive an individual results report that will show how they performed in each area compared to other students taking the CLA nationwide," says Prager.

In addition to seeking freshmen to participate in the study, Prager is seeking faculty interested in student learning assessment to join the implementation team.

For more information, call 766-2897 or e-mail CLAPROJ@uwyo.edu.