Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ImprovIng
UndergradUate
LearnIng:
Findings and Policy Recommendations
om the SSRC-CLA Longitudinal Project
richard arum, Josipa roksa, and esther Cho
For more information, please visit http://highered.ssrc.org Social Science Research Council
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ACKNoWLEdgEMENTS
AUTHoR BIoS
INTRodUCTIoN
Politicians, policymakers, and private complex reasoning, and written disturbing conditions and documented
foundations have united in recent years communication. But what if sending the extent to which many students
around achieving a common goal: students to college did not necessarily show little if any growth over the
college for all. As President Barack ensure that much was learned once first two years of college in their
obama pledged in his first speech to there? What if at the beginning of ability to perform tasks requiring
a joint session of Congress in February the 21st century many colleges and critical thinking, complex reasoning,
2009: “We will provide the support universities were not focused primarily and written communication as
necessary for you to complete college on undergraduate learning, but instead measured by the Collegiate Learning
and meet a new goal: by 2020, America had become distracted by other Assessment (CLA; for more
will once again have the highest institutional functions and goals? information on the CLA see the
proportion of college graduates in Methodological Appendix). This
the world.” At the beginning of the We have systematically investigated report extends findings reported in
21st century, increasing and ensuring the state of undergraduate learning our recent book to document the
individual access to college presents in contemporary colleges and rate of growth on the CLA for the
itself not just as a moral imperative, but universities. Following several thousand full four years of college, academic
an economic necessity. As employment traditional-age students as they enrolled practices associated with improved
opportunities in manufacturing continue in coursework from Fall 2005 to Spring student performance, as well as
to grow scarcer in the United States, 2009, across a wide range of four-year differences across individuals and
both individual and national global colleges and universities, we found a set institutions in the level of learning.
economic competitiveness requires of conditions suggesting that something Moreover, we present recommenda-
mastery of what many commentators indeed is seriously amiss in U.S. higher tions for policymakers, institutions,
have termed “21st century skills.” education. In Academically Adri: and practitioners to consider for
These skills, generally thought uniformly Limited Learning on College Campuses improving undergraduate learning
taught at U.S. colleges and universities, (University of Chicago Press, 2011), at U.S. colleges and universities.
are defined as including critical thinking, we have described some of these
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LIMITEd ACAdEMIC
ENgAgEMENT ANd
LEARNINg oUTCoMES
While higher education is expected Large numbers of students experienced neither of those course
to accomplish many tasks, existing report that they enroll in courses requirements in a typical semester.
organizational cultures and that do not require either substantial over their entire four years of
practices too often do not prioritize writing or reading assignments. college coursework, 50 percent of
undergraduate learning. Large In a typical semester, 32 percent students reported that they had taken
numbers of college students report did not take any courses with more five or fewer courses that required
that they experience only limited than 40 pages of reading per week 20 pages of writing over the course
academic demands and invest only and 50 percent did not take a single of the semester, and 20 percent of
limited effort in their academic course in which they wrote more students reported that they had taken
endeavors. Findings from our than 20 pages over the course of five or fewer courses that required
study document that: the semester. A quarter of students 40 pages of reading per week.
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Course with Course with Both course Neither course
more than 20 more than 40 requirements requirement
pages of writing pages of reading
per week
Note: Based on Spring 2007 Survey
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on average, students in a typical less than one-fifth (16 percent) of their week studying alone. More troubling
semester spend only between 12 and 14 time each week on academic pursuits. still, 35 percent of students at four-year
hours per week studying (approximately colleges report that they spend five or
50 percent less time than full-time When studying, students attending fewer hours per week studying alone.
college students did a few decades ago, four-year colleges on average spend
according to recent research by labor about one-third of their time studying Students interact with their
economists Phillip Babcock and Mindy with peers in social settings that are not professors outside college classrooms
Marks published in the Review of generally conducive to learning. rarely (on average only monthly), if
Economics and Statistics). Combining Excluding studying with peers from our ever (9 percent of students never meet
the hours spent studying with the hours calculations, college students on average with faculty outside the classroom
spent in classes and labs, students spend spend only between 8 and 9 hours per in a typical semester).
9% Attending class/lab
7%
Studying
9% Working, volunteering,
51% Greek and other clubs
Sleeping (estimated)
24%
Socializing, recreating,
and other
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LIMITEd ACAdEMIC
ENgAgEMENT ANd
LEARNINg oUTCoMES
CoNTINUEd
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WITH LEARNINg
practices associated with academic
rigor improved student performance,
while collegiate experiences associated
with social engagement did not.
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VARIATIoN
ACRoSS INSTITUTIoNS
ANd INdIVIdUALS
While the average trends in our data backgrounds and racial/ethnic There is notable variation in
indicate that too many students are groups, as well as students with experiences and outcomes across
embedded in institutions that place different levels of academic institutions. Students attending
very limited academic demands preparation, who improved their certain institutions have more
on them and that limited learning performance on the CLA at beneficial college experiences
occurs for all too many students impressive rates while enrolled in (in terms of reading/writing
during college, there is notable college. In virtually every college requirements, hours studying,
variation across students as well examined we found students who and high faculty expectations) and
as across institutions. In our study, were devoting themselves to their demonstrate significantly higher
we found many high-performing studies and learning at rates gains in critical thinking, complex
students from all socio-economic substantially above the average. reasoning, and writing skills over
time, even after we control for
students’ individual characteristics.
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performance. We focused on with respect to academic endeavors, found at each institution and within
one institutional variable that past variation in curricular demands, each level of selectivity.
sociological research has shown as well as variation in faculty
can have a strong relationship expectations. Students demonstrating
to learning: peer composition. substantial learning (e.g., the top 10
In particular, we measured the There is more variation within percent of the CLA growth distribu-
selectivity of entering freshmen institutions than across institutions. tion) are found at each institution.
at an institution and examined the Although institutional selectivity
extent to which this measure of is related to students’ experiences
peer characteristics was associated and growth in the CLA, high- and
with variation in rates of learning low-performing students can be
over and above a student’s own
individual characteristics.
Figure 5. Predicted CLA scores, by institutional selectivity
Institutional differences
1280
associated with student selectivity High Selectivity Low Selectivity
are related to increased growth in 1240
CLA performance over four years
1200
of college.
1160
Selectivity of entering freshmen
is a measure that likely taps multiple 1120
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VARIATIoN
ACRoSS INSTITUTIoNS
ANd INdIVIdUALS
CoNTINUEd
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1240
1220
1200
1180
1160
1140
Business Engineering/ Science/
Computer Science Health
Math
Education/ Social Science/ Other
Communications
Social Work Humanities
Note: Predictions based on a model estimating 2009 CLA scores while controlling for 2005 CLA scores.
have chosen particular majors. While Higher performance of students of the Association of American
appreciating the diverse causes of in liberal-arts fields may not be Colleges and Universities (AAC&U)
differences by field of study, we surprising given the focus of the to develop principles of effective
observed several patterns in our data: CLA on general skills, including critical practices, such as those outlined in
thinking, analytical reasoning, and General Education & Liberal Learning:
Students majoring in traditional writing. Reported findings do not Principles of Effective Practice, provide at
liberal-arts fields, including social preclude the possibility that students least two recent examples of on-going
science, humanities, natural science, and in other fields are developing efforts to improve undergraduate
mathematics, demonstrated significantly subject-specific or occupationally- academic experiences and outcomes.
higher gains in critical thinking, complex relevant skills. These patterns,
reasoning, and writing skills over time however, do challenge the assumption
than students in other fields of study. that focusing on field-specific
knowledge will inevitably lead to
improvement in general skills.
Students majoring in business,
education, social work, and communica-
differences in student outcomes both
tions had the lowest measurable gains.
across and within higher education
institutions highlight the extent to
greater gains in liberal-arts fields
which colleges seeking to improve
are at least in part related to faculty student learning can gain as many
requiring higher levels of reading insights by looking within for
and writing and students spending institutional strengths and weaknesses
more time studying. as looking outside to exemplary
institutions. NSSE’s work on Project
DEEP (documenting Effective
Educational Practice) and the efforts
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PoLICY
RECoMMENdATIoNS
CoNTINUEd
to instructional purposes, and communication skills (i.e., increased Faculty must take collective and
institutional activities devoted to academic assignments requiring greater individual responsibility for ensuring
improving instruction. student effort, adequate student reading that coursework offered at their institu-
and writing, and high expectations by tions is both rigorous and demanding.
Enhanced curriculum and faculty). Moreover, if active/collabora-
instruction associated with academic tive learning approaches outside the Faculty should have high standards
rigor. More rigorous, appropriately classroom are adopted as instructional and expectations for their students
demanding course requirements and models, these models must be and should be adequately trained and
standards must be put in place to ensure specifically structured and carefully supported by their institutions to serve
the development of critical thinking, assessed to ensure that adequate as effective instructors.
complex reasoning, and written academic development is occurring.
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Students must take responsibility order to engage in ongoing instruc- Enhanced research infrastructure
for embracing the academic tional improvement efforts that for measuring and understanding
opportunities they have been are informed by assessment data. student learning in higher education.
afforded. Colleges and universities Institutions can learn from and In addition to the recommendations
must promote organizational build on the efforts of colleges for practitioners and policymakers
cultures that encourage and require and universities currently engaging identified above, our research
students to demonstrate serious in assessment of learning for identifies the importance of
commitment to academic endeavors institutional improvement, such as embedding longitudinal measurement
and to take responsibility for devoting those participating in the Voluntary of collegiate learning outcomes in
sufficient time to their studies. System of Accountability or the future federally organized national
New England Consortium on probability studies. Such measures
Increased measurement of Assessment and Student Learning. would greatly enhance the available
student learning. Colleges and research infrastructure to allow future
universities should consistently System Level Actions social science researchers to better
collect diverse, comprehensive Reallocation of government identify determinants of collegiate
sources of evaluation and assessment resources to improve undergraduate learning. Moreover, limited place
data to improve instruction and learning. While public investment in randomized field trials of promising
student learning on an ongoing basis. research is a worthy end, federal and curricular and instructional models
given the great variation in student state government grant programs tied would generate increased knowledge
performance within institutions in to improvement of undergraduate of effective programmatic interven-
our study, all schools would benefit learning and its assessment on both tions to guide policy and practice.
from developing internal organiza- institutional and individual levels
tional mechanisms to identify the would encourage the development
strengths and weaknesses of their of policies and practices to enhance
respective curricular programs in undergraduate educational outcomes.
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Table 2. Institutional characteristics of colleges and universities in the DCL sample compared to IPEDS reports
Difference between 2007 and 2005 Total Score 0.19 0.14 0.13
Institutional Selectivity
a The DCL sample includes students who participated in the 2005 and 2007 waves. This is the sample on which most of the reported analyses are based.
b Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) data include first-time, degree-seeking undergraduates and are weighted by enrollment.
c For the IPEDS sample, this category includes American Indians, students of unknown backgrounds, and non-resident aliens. For the DCL sample, this category
includes American Indians and any students who self-identified as "other" race/ethnicity.
Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) carefully constructed in consultation the state-of-the-art component of
Student learning was assessed using with experts on student assessment the assessment instrument. The
the performance task of the Colle- and elaborately pre-tested and piloted performance task allows students
giate Learning Assessment (CLA). in prior work. The three components 90 minutes to respond to a writing
The CLA aims to measure general include: performance task, make an prompt that represents a “real-world”
skills-based competencies such as argument, and break an argument. scenario in which they need to use a
critical thinking, analytical reasoning, We focus on the performance task range of background documents
and written communication. because that component of the (from memos and newspaper articles
Measures used to assess student CLA was administered most to reports, journal articles, and
learning consist of three sets of uniformly across institutions, had graphic representations) to solve
open-ended prompts that have been the largest completion rate, and is a task or a dilemma. The testing
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materials, including the background performance task scores. Moreover, Figures for predicted test scores are
documents, are accessed through for analyses of institutional selectivity, based on models with the complete
a computer. For more we use a three-level hierarchical linear set of covariates. In these predic-
information on the CLA, see model to estimate change in CLA tions, all continuous variables (2005
www.collegiatelearningassessment.org. scores over the full four years of CLA scores, high school gPA, and
college. It is worthwhile to note SAT/ACT performance) are set at
The Collegiate Learning Assessment that our strategy differs from the their means. This implies that we are
was developed for instructional value-added approach typically predicting 2007 CLA scores for an
assessment and improvement, not for adopted by institutions using the average student on those measures,
accountability purposes. Variation CLA, which is also often based on i.e., a student with a mean 2005 CLA
in CLA scores within individuals and cross-sectional data. Instead of score, as well as mean high school
the recent validity study organized estimating value-added models, gPA and SAT/ACT performance.
by the Fund for the Improvement we aim to understand the relationship For categorical variables, our
of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) between specific students’ character- predictions are based on the
indicate that the CLA (as well as istics and experiences and their reference category. For more
other currently available measures of growth on the CLA over time, and information on statistical analyses,
learning in higher education) should we use a longitudinal design to do so. as well as robustness checks regarding
not be used for high-stakes testing ceiling and motivation effects, see
with consequences for individual Findings regarding college activities the Methodological Appendix of
students. Moreover, the CLA summarized in this report are based Academically Adri: Limited Learning
measures a select set of skills that on regression analyses that control on College Campuses (University of
represent a sub-set of skills taught for students’ sociodemographic Chicago Press, 2011).
in higher education. Although backgrounds (race/ethnicity, gender,
virtually all faculty agree that parental education and occupation,
teaching critical thinking, analytical English home language, number of
reasoning, and writing is at the core siblings, and two-parent household),
of undergraduate education, these high school characteristics (region,
skills do not capture the totality urbanicity, and racial composition [i.e.,
of student experiences or learning 70 percent or more non-white]),
in specific subject areas and academic preparation (number of
occupational fields. Advanced Placement courses taken,
high school gPA, and SAT/ACT per-
Analyses formance), and institutions attended
In addition to presenting descriptive (using fixed effects). The three-level
results, we conducted multivariate HLM models control for a similar set
regression analyses predicting 2007 of background characteristics.
CLA performance task scores,
while controlling for the 2005 CLA
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ImprovIng
UndergradUate
LearnIng:
Findings and Policy Recommendations
om the SSRC-CLA Longitudinal Project
richard arum, Josipa roksa, and esther Cho
For more information, please visit http://highered.ssrc.org Social Science Research Council