The Economics Department, in conjunction with Trinity College, is in the midst of a large-scale research initiative to provide undergraduates with increased opportunities to conduct novel research within their fields of study. The idea is to allow students to become active participants pushing research forward, rather than passively accepting existing work. We are excited to have the opportunity in conjunction with this initiative to ask our majors to participate in the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA).

The CLA is a project designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the research initiative's curricular changes in respect to the positive development of critical thinking skills.   The CLA is not a test of knowledge, but rather, it provides relevant information and sees how well the participant uses this information to formulate and support their response to an open-ended problem.

The Economics Department is currently seeking the participation of all majors graduating in Spring or Summer 2008.

We hope that a majority of our majors will choose to participate in this assessment. We are sincerely trying to determine if we are moving things in the right direction. Participation will benefit each individual student, as well as future Duke students and the University as a whole.

Information for CLA Spring 2008 Participants
Sessions are available Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, from February 12th through April 3rd, 2008, and you must register online for an appointment. Under Program affiliation, select the option "Economics." After registration, you will receive a confirmation email.

In Fall 2006, this year's graduating class first completed the CLA. In order for the CLA data collected to date to be of any use, all Economics Majors graduating in Spring 2008 or September 2008 are required to take the CLA again this spring.  

We will compensate participants for their time, paying $35 for completion of the exam. Payment will be made upon completion of the CLA and receipt in the EcoTeach Center of a Participant Payment Request Form (also distributed at testing sites). We are in the process of securing the method(s) of payment. Those will be posted here and on the Payment Request Form when available.  

This is a 90-minute exam that most students appear to finish in one hour.   $35 is above the market wage for undergraduates for 60-90 minutes of your time.   Moreover, participants will receive their results and see how they compare to their original results, how they compare to Duke classmates' results, and how they compare to the results of national participants.  

The Economics Department is aware that whenever something is required, students resent it and may not take the exam seriously.   We ask that you think about the fact that this is a genuine attempt by the university to see if the changes we are making to improve the education offered to you are having a demonstrable impact.   This is why we need a baseline from you earlier in your career and then again as you graduate.   We will look at each student's course choices, as well as indicators from high school, to see the relative effectiveness of different paths of study in developing critical learning skills.

Prior to participation you will be asked to sign a consent form that allows the CLA administrator to use the results of your participation in the ongoing testing and refinement of the assessment tool. In addition you will be asked if it is alright for your scores to be released back to the university to be used for assessment purposes. If you allow the release of your scores back to the university they will be sent via industry standard 256 SSL encryption software and stored on a secure server accessible only by a representative of the Office of Assessment: Trinity College. Your name will be removed from the actual scores and replaced with a coded identifier which will allow the Office of Assessment to connect your scores with you at time two of the assessment cycle. The key to the code will be kept on a separate secure server.

At the completion of the assessment task you will be asked to voluntarily sign an information release form. This form will allow for any future research on teaching, learning and/or educational outcomes that may take place using your CLA scores to also access information in your educational record. The signing of this release form is separate from participation in the CLA assessment project and declining to sign this release form will in no way impact your ability to participate in future assessment sessions.

Questions about the CLA can be addressed to Jennifer Socey in the EcoTeach Center, ecoteach@econ.duke.edu, #919/660-1880.