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Current Evidence of Student Learning
Introduction
Evidence of student learning on WSU’s Seven Learning Goals in the context of the UCORE curriculum comes from results of UCORE Assessment activities.
The table below aligns current UCORE Assessment results with WSU’s Learning Goals, including direct and indirect measures. Click on the links for more information about particular evidence of student learning. For current and past summaries of UCORE-related student learning assessment on WSU’s Learning Goals, see UCORE Assessment Summaries.
Data Table (Assessment Evidence)
Current UCORE Assessment Evidence of Student Learning on WSU’s Seven Learning Goals
| Evidence | Critical & Creative Thinking | Quantitative Reasoning | Scientific Literacy | Information Literacy | Communication | Diversity | Depth, Breadth, & Integration of Learning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capstone [CAPS] Assessment for UCORE Results1 | X | (X) | (X) | X | X | (X) | X |
| Roots of Contemporary Issues [ROOT] Assessment Results2 | X | X | X | X | X | ||
| National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) Results3 | X | X | (X) | X | X | X |
Capstone [CAPS] Assessment for UCORE Results
Each year, beginning in 2015, results of Capstone [CAPS] Assessment for UCORE are compiled to provide a summary of student learning on WSU’s Learning Goals in the context of the UCORE curriculum at the near-graduation level. 1Note: Quantitative Reasoning, Scientific Literacy, and Diversity are optional in [CAPS] courses, depending on the student project, discipline, and course. Click on the link below for the current summary of results of Capstone [CAPS] Assessment for UCORE.
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Student Learning at the Senior Level: AY 2020-21 [CAPS] Course Assessment Results
As reported in the AY 2020-21 [CAPS] Course Assessment Reporting Summary of Key Evidence for UCORE, assessment results indicated that 82% of students met or exceeded expectations at the graduating undergraduate level for Information Literacy. Additionally, 83% of students met or exceeded expectations for Integrative Learning. In courses where faculty members found enough elements to evaluate student learning on additional learning goals, instructors indicated that 82% of the students met or exceeded expectations for Scientific Literacy, and 81% for Quantitative Reasoning.
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For past summaries and additional information, see Capstone [CAPS] Assessment for UCORE.
Roots of Contemporary Issues [ROOT] Assessment Results
Each year, beginning in 2012-13, Roots of Contemporary Issues Assessment results are compiled to provide a summary of student learning on the WSU Learning Goals at the first-year level. 2Roots of Contemporary Issues [ROOT] assessment includes the Final Papers Assessment (aligned with Critical Thinking, Information Literacy, and Integrative Learning) and the Diversity & Inequality Papers Assessment (aligned with Diversity and Written Communication), conducted biennially in alternating years starting in AY 2016-17. Click on the links below for the current summaries of Roots of Contemporary Issues [ROOT] Assessment results.
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Information Literacy, Integrative Learning, and Critical Thinking Achievement at the First-Year Level: AY 2020-21 Roots of Contemporary Issues [ROOT] Final Papers Assessment Results
As reported in the AY 2020-21 [ROOT] Final Papers Assessment Summary of Key Evidence for UCORE, assessment results indicated that, on average, 78% of first-year students met or exceeded expectations at the first-year undergraduate level at the end of their UCORE first-year experience [ROOT] course on rubric outcomes related to Information Literacy. Additionally, 88% met or exceeded expectations on the outcome related to Integrative Learning and 80% met or exceeded expectations on the outcome related to Critical Thinking.
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Diversity and Written Communication Achievement at the First-Year Level: AY 2019-20 Roots of Contemporary Issues [ROOT] Diversity & Inequality Papers Assessment Results
As reported in the AY 2019-20 [ROOT] Diversity & Inequality Papers Assessment Summary of Key Evidence for UCORE, assessment results indicated that, on average, 75% of first-year students met or exceeded expectations at the first-year undergraduate level at the end of their UCORE first-year experience [ROOT] course on rubric outcomes related to Diversity. Additionally, on average, 84% met or exceeded expectations for outcomes related to Written Communication.
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For past summaries and additional information, see Roots of Contemporary Issues [ROOT] Assessment.
National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) Results
NSSE provides participating institutions with a variety of reports. WSU’s current and historic NSSE results are available on IR’s NSSE survey webpage.
Questions on the NSSE survey (updated in 2013) also provide indirect evidence of student learning on six of the WSU Learning Goals at the first-year and senior levels. 3Note: NSSE questions mapped to Information Literacy are not part of the standard NSSE instrument and are only administered as part of certain optional topical modules. Click on the link below for the current summary of selected NSSE results mapped to the WSU Learning Goals.
As with any voluntary survey, response rates and the presence of non-response bias should be considered when evaluating NSSE results. Low response rates present a concern regarding the accuracy of the results as low response rates may impact how representative the results are. In other words, there is concern that those who did not respond (non-respondents) may have different views than those who did respond and therefore the results are not representative of the entire group.
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Student Learning at the First-Year and Senior Level: 2019 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) Results
As reported in the 2019 National Survey of Student Engagement – Summary of Key Evidence for UCORE, results from the 2019 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) indicate that nearly all WSU seniors responding to NSSE have considerable confidence in their ability to complete tasks requiring critical thinking (94%) and creative thinking (93%).
In addition to Critical and Creative Thinking, results from the 2019 NSSE also provide indirect evidence of student learning on Information Literacy, Communication, Quantitative Reasoning, Diversity, and Depth, Breadth & Integration of Learning at the first-year and senior levels for UCORE assessment—see the 2019 NSSE Summary of Key Evidence for UCORE for more information.
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For past summaries and additional information, see National Survey of Student Engagement.