When students graduate from Hudson Valley Community College, what should they know? Whether they are Medical Imaging students, Business Administration students, Criminal Justice students, or Civil Engineering Technology students, what should they all be able to do? What general skills and knowledge would help them succeed, whether they go directly into the workplace or transfer to another college?
Not only are these good questions to ask; we now are required by SUNY and Middle States to establish student learning that is measurable and college-wide.
In fall 2016, the Institutional Student Learning Outcomes Committee (ISLOC) was formed to begin the process of developing the Institutional Student Learning Outcomes (ISLOs). While the ISLOs are very similar to the college’s General Education requirements, the ISLOs now are required student performance standards for graduates from all Hudson Valley Community College’s associate degree programs. (Certificate programs are excluded from this requirement.)
The ISLOC, a Senate Affiliate committee, was co-chaired by the dean of Institutional Assessment and the Criminal Justice, Forensic Science, and Public Administration department chairperson, and was comprised of representatives from all four schools of the college including deans, department chairs, faculty, and staff.
At the end of the spring 2017 semester, the following ISLOs were finalized and approved by Senior Staff and the Academic Senate:
Oral & Written Communication
Graduates will be able to:
- Produce coherent texts within common college-level written forms
- Demonstrate competency in oral discourse
Scientific Reasoning
Graduates will be able to:
- Apply the scientific method, develop hypotheses, analyze results, and draw conclusions
Quantitative Reasoning
Graduates will be able to:
- Use math skills to solve problems which may include but are not limited to interpreting and drawing inferences from models such as formulas, graphs, tables, and schematics
Critical Analysis & Reasoning
Graduates will be able to:
- Identify, analyze, and evaluate questions, issues, or problems appropriate to their academic program/discipline
Technological Competency
Graduates will be able to:
- Demonstrate the ability to use technology and/or software applications to produce an output or perform analyses appropriate to their academic program/discipline
Information Literacy
Graduates will be able to:
- Apply basic research techniques which may include but are not limited to locating, evaluating, and utilizing information effectively
Cultural Awareness
Graduates will be able to:
- Demonstrate an awareness of values, ethics, and diverse perspectives appropriate to their academic program/discipline
This fall academic departments will begin curriculum mapping to identify where the outcomes are met for every two-year program and to identify measures for each. Every effort will be made to integrate General Education and program learning outcomes into the process as appropriate.
Beginning this fall, the ISLOC and the General Education Committee are merged into one committee which will be co-chaired by the dean of Institutional Assessment and the chairperson of the English, Foreign Languages, and English-as-a-Second Language Department.
Thank you to all the members of the ISLOC and the General Education Committee for your hard work this past year and your continuing participation this year.
Published: Wed, 13 Sep 2017 12:09:33 +0000 by m.geehan