Student Learning Outcomes

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I. Goal:  Foundations of Knowledge

Students will be able to:

  1. Express ideas, facts, opinions and beliefs in ways that are relevant and appropriate to the audience, context, purpose and genre
  2. State an idea/argument and develop it in a logical, organized form using conventional grammar, punctuation and formatting
  3. Formulate and support ideas with sufficient reasoning, evidence and persuasive appeals, and proper attribution
  4. Accurately summarize and interpret the purposes and main ideas of texts and performances
  5. Use a variety of resources and current technology to locate, retrieve and evaluate relevant sources and information
  6. Construct and use models to analyze, explain or predict phenomena
  7. Use mathematical and logical methods to solve problems
  8. Identify fundamental principles, theories, concepts, methodologies, tools and issues from various disciplines
  9. Synthesize information from different disciplines and perspectives to solve problems, gain new experiences, or create new things
  10. Engage effectively in the process of collaborative work and identify factors that facilitate and impede effective communication

II.  Goal:  Aesthetic Perspective and Meaning

Students will be able to:

  1. Identify appropriate methods for understanding and interpreting the aesthetics of various works
  2. Evaluate artistic presentations using appropriate language and patterns of thought
  3. Evaluate artistic presentations as commentary on society and the human experience
  4. Identify diverse elements (artistic, scientific, religious, cultural) that can provide meaning for human existence
  5. Explain factors that make their own lives meaningful

III. Goal:  Inquiry and Critical Thinking

Students will be able to:

  1. Identify and use methods of inquiry appropriate to a given problem
  2. Identify valid procedures for gathering empirical data to solve particular problems
  3. Investigate and assess hypotheses using appropriate methods
  4. Critically assess the reasoning and evidence supporting or refuting a thesis
  5. Distinguish between fact, opinion, observation and inference
  6. Detect patterns underlying phenomena and draw reasonable inferences from information
  7. Reason logically, creatively and independently
  8. Explain the impact of science and technology on the environment, human experience and social change
  9. Explain how content is shaped by the context in which it was created

IV.  Goal:  Personal, Social and Global Responsibility

Students will be able to:

  1. Describe how cultural and individual differences have shaped perspectives and contributed to patterns of privilege and oppression
  2. Explain how values and ideas of cultures have evolved and how patterns of globalization have shaped the modern world
  3. Recognize and respect different ways of thinking and communicating
  4. Explain the rationales for cultural behaviors different from one’s own
  5. Communicate effectively with members of another culture
  6. Identify diverse moral and ethical perspectives, principles, and systems of evaluation
  7. Articulate their moral values, the processes they use to make ethical decisions and their perspective on current ethical issues
  8. Explain how knowledge from various disciplines is essential to individual and societal health and well-being
  9. Identify their strategies for involvement, leadership and civic engagement
  10. Analyze the impact their decisions and choices have on themselves and others
  11. Practice and uphold standards of academic integrity and intellectual honesty
  12. Articulate how their participation in campus and community events and in the democratic process has made a difference in their lives and the lives of others

Approved by Faculty Senate Sept. 29, 2005