A Closer Look at the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) / Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) Consortial Project

Cabrini College (PA) used the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) "Level of Academic Challenge" scores to engage faculty members in interpreting CLA results so that, taken together, these sources of evidence can help shape the revision of the general education curriculum.

Barton College (NC), which has shared CLA results even with prospective students and their parents, is using those results to change campus culture by relying on hard evidence—not simply anecdotal accounts—to continue to press for improvements in student writing and critical thinking skills.

Two key lessons have already emerged from the consortial experience. First, engagement of faculty members in assessment is essential to improve student learning. Second, CLA results are best interpreted when used in conjunction with other assessment measures, such as NSSE, portfolio analyses, and the like. In combination, these two lessons point to an even larger agenda, that of creating a culture of assessment that is based on evidence.

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