Assessment and Evaluation as a Part of the Learning Process

One principle of learning implies students learn best when they have immediate and precise feedback as to how they are performing. The goal of Ottawa University is to make evaluation a valuable part of the learning process itself, not an anxiety-producing hurdle that must be surmounted. Evaluation should take place in ways that help each person understand the strengths and weaknesses of his/her performance in a given area and determine what needs to be done to improve. The most effective feedback tells the student what the grade symbol means relative to the skill and knowledge objectives of a particular course or learning experience. Evaluation takes place in many ways, not merely through tests and term papers.

Each student at Ottawa University receives an evaluation of performance from the instructor in each course. Students, too, are encouraged to develop their own skills in self-evaluation as a part of becoming life-long learners who continue to learn and grow long after graduation.

Ottawa University is committed to student success in the achievement of the learning outcomes for LAS and the chosen major. In addition to a range of evaluation tools, each program provides the student an opportunity to demonstrate academic achievement through a designated primary assessment strategy: a senior comprehensive examination, a capstone course or a portfolio.

Major Requirement

Each student is required to plan a major program in cooperation with their advisor, involving at least 28 semester credit hours. At least 12 semester credit hours of the major must be taken at Ottawa University, and at least 12 semester credit hours of the major must be upper division courses. Only those required courses completed with a grade of “C” or better are counted toward satisfaction of the minimum number of major semester credit hours required by the department. Each major requires a comprehensive examination/capstone course designed to assess the student’s achievement of the goals of his/her major program. In the case of a dual major, a separate and distinct comprehensive are required in each of the major areas.

Each student is required to select breadth area courses consistent with his/her educational goals and approved by the advisor. The student must maintain passing work in these courses as evidenced by the course instructor’s evaluation. In order to be approved, a student’s educational plan must show encounter with all required areas of academic pursuit. Courses that are designated as satisfying these requirements are reviewed regularly and identified in the course schedule each year.