College Learning Outcomes

Communication, or the transmission of ideas and information, successfully conveys research, analysis, creative work, speeches, and narratives via various modes, among them written, oral, visual, and artistic presentations. It sends clear messages to intended audiences; organizes points through appropriate genre and discipline-specific formats; follows established academic conventions; uses reliable and authoritative sources correctly; and avoids plagiarism in all its forms. Courses should develop students’ ability to construct complex and logical pieces of work that make effective use of relevant supporting materials.

Critical and Imaginative Thinking is a mode of analysis–about any subject, content, or problem–by which learners improve the quality of their thinking by skillfully reflecting, analyzing, assessing, and reconstructing it. Critical thinking is self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective. Courses that foster critical and imaginative thinking assist students to assess multiple perspectives, with an eye to understanding why and how they differ. They assist the student to develop a range of skills in reading, interpretation, analysis, argumentation, synthesis, and application. They also enable students to construct well-reasoned arguments and solutions as well as create and evaluate novel approaches in a variety of contexts.

Information and Digital Literacy describes the understanding of how information is produced and valued, how to use information and communication technologies to discover and evaluate information, and how to use the information gathered to create new knowledge and/or communicate ethically. Courses or assignments that promote information literacy foster an appreciation for the complexity of the modern information environment, specifically including digital resources and tools (which may include AI); cultivate an understanding of how to search effectively for a wide range of relevant, high-quality information sources; and develop in students the ability to evaluate sources, authority, and biases while working with information in both their personal and professional lives.

Moral Inquiry develops students’ moral framework, instilling a habit of mind by which they continually revisit important ethical questions and refine their capacity to consider these questions dispassionately, systematically, and in a rigorous manner. Moral Inquiry fosters discussions of ethical issues in pursuit of moral truth. This includes exploring the Catholic Intellectual Tradition and Catholic Social Teaching, with an emphasis on the preferential option for the poor, vulnerable, and marginalized; engaging critically with the contemporary world and the differences among global, political, philosophical, religious, and cultural traditions; and encouraging students to integrate their ethical knowledge into their actions both within the College community and beyond.

Equity, Inclusion, and Inter-Cultural Competence is the recognition, understanding, and acceptance of local, national, and global communities, irrespective of diversity factors such as history, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religion, gender, age, language, national origins, political choices, sexual orientation, and cultural practices. Equity, Inclusion, and Inter-Cultural Competence acknowledges the many forms of difference and their contributions to lived experiences but does not use differences as a means to diminish or oppress; rather, the college-wide outcome is a means to celebrate humanity, its interconnectedness, and our common human commitment to what is good and just.