Voluntary System of Accountability
"The Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA) communicates information on the undergraduate student experience through a common web reporting template, the College Portrait.
The VSA is a voluntary initiative for 4-year public colleges and universities. Developed through a partnership between the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the Association of Public And Land-Grant Universities (A P L U), the VSA is designed to help institutions meet the following objectives:
- Demonstrate accountability and stewardship to public
- Measure educational outcomes to identify effective educational practices
- Assemble information that is accessible, understandable, and comparable" (source: VSA website)
Office of Assessment Contributions to the K-State College Portrait
Future Plans of Bachelor's Degree Recipients (view)
- 71% Employment
- 20% Graduate Study
- 4% Other
- 2% Military
- 2% Volunteer Service
- 1% Starting or Raising a Family
- Refer to: the 2008 - 2009 K-State Senior Survey for full results
Student Experiences and Perceptions (view)
- K-State utilized the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) results for this section
(results from Spring 2007 administrations)
- Group Learning Experiences
- Active Learning Experiences
- Institutional Commitment to Student Success
- Student Interaction with Faculty and Staff
- Experiences with Diverse Groups/Ideas
- Student Satisfaction
- Refer to: Spring 2007 NSSE administration for full results
Assessment at Kansas State University (view)
Core Learning Outcomes (view)
- K-State utilized the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) results for this section
(results from 2008 - 2009 administration)
- Critical Thinking
- First-Year Score: 62.5
- Senior Score: 64.6
- National Score: 62.3
- CAAP Score Range: 40 to 80
- Writing Essay
- First-Year Score: 3.2
- Senior Score: 3.1
- National Score: 3.2
- CAAP Score Range: 1 to 6
- K-State also administered the Reading module (optional)
- Reading
- First-Year Score: 61.2
- Senior Score: 64.4
- National Score: 62.5
- CAAP Score Range 40 to 80
2008 - 2009 CAAP Administration
K-State administered the CAAP to first-year students enrolled in the pilot first-year seminars, Introduction to Honors, and the University Experience courses in early Fall 2008. CAAP was administered to seniors in senior level and/or capstone courses during late Spring 2009. A total of 758 first-year students and 791 seniors participated in CAAP testing for the 2008 - 2009 academic year. Please refer to "student characteristics" below for the demographic information of our students.
Student Characteristics
Comparison of all First-Year Students to First-Year Students Taking CAAP at K-State (Fall 2008)
- Representation by:
- Gender
- Ethnicity
- ACT Composite Score
Comparison of all Senior Students to Senior Students Taking CAAP at K-State (Spring 2009)
- Representation by:
- Gender
- Ethnicity
- ACT Composite Score