FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                              April 4, 2006

NORTHWESTERN ASSESSMENT DAY APRIL 12 

Northwestern Oklahoma State University’s second annual Assessment Day for all students and employees is scheduled for Wednesday, April 12. Employee sessions, as well as student tests and surveys, will take place at various times throughout the day.

            No daytime classes will take place that day to allow all Northwestern students and employees to participate in their particular areas, said Dr. Mark Denton, director of assessment and institutional effectiveness. All night classes will take place at their regular times.

            Denton said the purpose of Assessment Day is to emphasize the importance of continually identifying areas of strength and weakness within university programs. Students will have the opportunity to evaluate their educational progress through the use of exit assessment exams and mid-level assessment exams, as well as student assessments from those who took Freshman Connection during the fall of 2005. In addition, there will be admission interviews for education students and general campus surveys for all students.

            “Graduating seniors and ‘rising juniors’ will have specific tests to complete,” Denton said. “Those students will be notified by the chair of their major department for exit tests or by my office for mid-level tests as to when and where to be for their testing.” 

            Denton said students failing to show for their mid-level testing will not be allowed to pre-enroll for the Spring 2007 semester. He also said that ALL Northwestern students, even those taking exit and mid-level testing, need to check in at the Student Center Ballroom and complete a Student Opinion Survey that day anytime between 10 a.m. and noon.

            Students primarily on the Enid and Woodward campuses also will be filling out Student Opinion Surveys specific to their campuses.

            Northwestern employees also are scheduled to learn about assessment that day.

            Staff members will be in a workshop to learn about enrollment management from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. in Industrial Education, room 131, and on the Enid campus, room 221. Dr. Cindy Dougherty, dean of student services at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, will be the speaker for that session.

            Faculty will attend workshops that afternoon from 1:30 to 3:30 in Industrial Education 131 and Enid 221. Jean Dunlap will speak to that group regarding the new accreditation requirement to assess service learning on campus. Dunlap is a retired educator who does consulting in the area of service learning.

            Various other activities, games and lunch will be provided for all students and employees that day in the Student Center. Games and activities will kick off at 10 a.m. in the Ranger Room, where door prizes also will be given. Free hamburgers and hot dogs will be available from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the parking lot east of Coronado Cafeteria. The grand prizes will be given at 12:30 p.m. in Percefull Fieldhouse.

            This year six Northwestern students will have the opportunity to win $5,000 each by participating in a basketball hoop shoot. Those students’ names will be drawn randomly from tickets they complete when they check in at the ballroom.

            If selected, the students can choose one of two options toward winning the prize. The first option is to shoot a lay-up, then a free throw, then a three-point shot, then a half-court shot. With that option, all four shots must be made and completed within 25 seconds.

            The second option is to choose from where they want to shoot. If they make that shot, they then must turn around from that same spot, shoot to the opposite goal and make it as well. 

            Denton said he believes the best opportunity for the second option will be shooting from half-court so there is equal distance for both shots. Also, since no practice shots are allowed prior to the hoop shoot, Denton encourages students to begin practicing their half-court shots now.

In case of inclement weather, lunch and prize drawings will take place in Coronado Cafeteria.

For additional information about Assessment Day at Northwestern, please contact Denton at (580) 327-8148 or at mhdenton@nwosu.edu.

-NW-

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