Grand Valley is one of 24 colleges and universities (out of 144 applicants) selected to participate in a pilot study that will track 300 students for four years.
Students will be tested on their acquisition of liberal education skills like analytical reasoning, problem-solving, and communication using the Collegiate Learning Assessment. The study is funded by the Lumina Foundation, working with the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Grand Valley's participation is one part of the Claiming a Liberal Education initiative, whose goals are to align faculty and student expectations with the goals of a liberal education.
Catherine Frerichs, director of the Pew Faculty Teaching and Learning Center, and Diana Pace, associate dean of students, co-direct the initiative. Donna Henderson-King, associate professor of psychology, is the faculty researcher. The test will be administered by Julie Guevara, Grand Valley's new assessment officer.
