Group II, Summit II Summary
Core Student Learning Outcomes
New Jersey Council of County Colleges
21 February 2014
Outcomes
Introduction to Computers
1. Apply critical thinking skills to retrieve, organize, analyze, and evaluate information using technological means.
2. Explain the functions of computing hardware components.
3. Apply system and application software to accomplish tasks.
4. Collaborate using technological tools.
5. Describe secure, safe, ethical, and legal use of technology.
6. Analyze the impact of technology and connectivity on society and culture.
7. Describe techniques to acquire and upgrade technology skills as computing evolves.
Global/Western Civilization
1. Analyze major events, ideas, and developments and their context within history.
2. Formulate an argument about the impact of historic events, ideas, and developments on the modern world.
3. Evaluate primary and secondary sources critically.
Introduction to Statistics
1. Computer measures of descriptive statistics.
2. Apply basic rules of probability (binomial, conditional, addition, etc.)
3. Solve problems involving probability distributions.
4. Formulate conclusion through inference.
5. Analyze bivariate data through linear correlation and regression.
6. Apply basic statistical concepts.
Anatomy & Physiology
1. Use working vocabulary of appropriate terminology in (applicable systems).
2. Identify structures of (applicable body systems).
3. Differentiate among various histological body tissue samples.
4. Explain the function of the organs within a particular system and their importance to that system’s function and to maintaining homeostasis.
5. Correlate structure and function relationships within a particular system.
6. Integrate knowledge of anatomical and physiological functions of the entire body.
7. Utilize concepts of the scientific method investigating laboratory/clinical data.
General Discussion
Following the group report-outs on their identified outcomes, the faculty members then engaged in general group discussion. They found these outcomes to line up with existing course goals, a consolidation and revitalization of the learning outcomes. They help to guide to guide the learning, such as serving as the platform from which you can derive assignments. Of particular import is providing clear learning outcomes for when four-year institutions look at course syllabi to determine credit transfer. Further, when students come from different backgrounds, they may have to take a refresher course; having a common ground through these learning outcomes, faculty can have an idea of your preparation no matter which school you come from.
Moving forward, the participating faculty felt that most faculty would be receptive to these outcomes. As long as faculty are invited into the conversation, they will be much more willing to buy-in to the process and its outcomes. That said, many present also reminded that despite these attached outcomes being good working drafts, they will be tweaked each time they are revisited (this is not, however, to suggest that they should not be revisited.) One proposed solution would be to have a central website serve as a hub for all learning outcomes discussions. Organizing these into a common website could act as a springboard for the next conversation on outcomes, as well as serve as a portal for ideas on how to assess.
Overall, faculty members were very receptive to this process of identifying core student learning outcomes. They noted that they tend to only get a narrow view of their own syllabi and teaching experiences, and that it is nice to expand out to see what others are doing. They agreed that the driver behind these discussions is student success. Because of the importance of collaboration, a few disciplines already meet on their own as a group. Serving as a model for to develop networks of colleagues for other disciplines, faculty members would love to see what support they could get form the state to make this collaboration easier and more accessible.