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8/30/09

St. Lawrence University To Participate In Wabash Study, Assessing Learning Outcomes

CANTON - St. Lawrence University has been selected to participate in a new initiative of the Wabash Study, conducted by Wabash College's Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts to gather and use evidence to strengthen liberal arts education.

The study will last three years, ending in the fall of 2013. The goal is for institutions to use evidence to identify areas of student learning or experience that they wish to improve, and then to create, implement and assess changes designed to improve those areas. The study is not designed to overhaul existing structures or create revolutionary changes, but to model a deliberative process for using evidence that an institution can build on for future improvements.

St. Lawrence plans to examine student learning outcomes related to diversity; writing and research; and quantitative literacy. The project will be led by Professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies R. Danielle Egan and Assistant Dean of Student Life/Director of Residence Life Matha E. Thornton.

In addition to focusing on these specific learning outcomes at St. Lawrence, the University's team will also collaborate during the course of the study, sharing information, approaches, problem-solving strategies and lessons learned.

Since 2005, the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education has been the primary mechanism by which the Center of Inquiry has implemented its mission to collaborate with institutions to gather and use evidence to strengthen liberal arts education. The initial study included 49 institutions.

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More: St. Lawrence Assessment Web site

Wabash Study Web site