by Alejandra Molina
LV Life Editor
This semester, University of La Verne students were randomly chosen to take the Learning Strategy and Studying Inventory test.
The test, known as LASSI, offers an assessment of student awareness and use of learning and study strategies related to their skills, will and self-regulation components of strategic learning.
The LASSI focuses on thoughts, behaviors, attitudes and beliefs, which ultimately relate to how well or how poor a student does academically.
This evaluation is the most widely used learning inventory on college campuses. In fact, more than half of all college campuses in the United States use it. The inventory is administered here by the Office of Academic Advising.
Ruth Lindhorst, academic advisor and records analyst, called students and sent a notice to their mailboxes to inform them about the test dates held Wednesday, Feb. 19 and Saturday, Feb. 22.
Lindhorst said the turn out was not what she expected and still has more tests to administer.
“Students are doing it at their convenience,” Lindhorst said.
Students can even take the inventory home and give it to Lindhorst the next day.
“It assesses students in different areas that equal to student success,” Lindhorst said.”We’re trying it this term, and we want to see what the results are.”
This inventory assessment can be used for several reasons.
The assessment can serve as a basis for improving students’ learning and study strategies or as a measure to help identify where students could benefit most from educational interventions.
Alternately it can be used as a counseling tool for learning assistance programs, learning centers, college orientation programs and developmental education programs.
So far, ULV provides its students with the Learning Enhancement Program, which provides tutoring for those who need it.
The assessment will help us know what kind of educational interventions we need, Lindhorst said.
“U-100 covered parts of student success, but it was different because it was only for incoming students,” Lindhorst said about the class that was offered for freshmen or transfer students.”We’re hoping to look at some of the differences of students with a low or high GPA.”
Those who succeed academically will see a pattern, and for those who show difficulty, the test scores will show why, she said.
There are eight items on the 10 scales of the LASSI. Scales for anxiety, attitude and time management are included. The scales are related to a component of strategic learning: skill, will and self-regulation.
Under the skill component of the inventory, students are tested on information processing, the selection of main ideas and test strategies.
This section identifies how students acquire and construct meaning for important new information and how they prepare and demonstrate their new knowledge on tests or other evaluative procedures.
The will component covers the attitudes, motivations and anxieties of students. These scales measure students’ attitudes and interest in college, their diligence, self-discipline and willingness to exert the effort to complete academic requirements. The self-regulation component relates to how students concentrate and use study aids. These scales focus on how students concentrate over time and how students meet the learning demands for class, an assignment or test.
By Apr. 19, Lindhorst hopes to have all the results in to begin implementing programs that students need.
“The inventory will be most helpful to freshmen and sophomore students who are making the transition between high school and college,” said Lynn Stanton-Riggs, assistant professor of education.
“It’s a tool to help students and faculty communicate,” she said.
