Student Learning Outcomes

It is the faculty's goal that students who earn a baccalaureate degree in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will achieve the following student learning outcomes:

Professional, Interpersonal and Cross-cultural Communications

CALS graduates will be able to:

  • speak and write clearly and persuasively
  • prepare effective visual, oral, written and electronic presentations
  • effectively read, listen, observe and reflect.

Problem-Solving/Critical Thinking

CALS graduates will be able to:

  • apply a holistic approach to solving complex issue laden problems
  • apply a rational and objective process to:
    • distinguish verifiable facts from value claims
    • determine the accuracy of statements
    • identify assumptions and detect bias
    • distinguish relevant from irrelevant information
    • establish priorities
  • summarize, analyze, and interpret simple research data and policy issues
  • critically evaluate their own arguments and those of others.

Leadership

CALS graduates will be able to:

  • organize, facilitate, and participate effectively in a group, team, or organization
  • define a problem or opportunity, implement an action planning process, work toward a goal and justify actions taken.

Entrepreneurship

CALS graduates will be able to:

  • demonstrate innovativeness and creativity regardless of context
  • identify and pursue opportunities that produce value
  • be persistent in shepherding necessary resources and managing associated risk to facilitate change.

Life-long Learning

CALS graduates will be able to:

  • articulate how continued learning after graduation will enrich their lives
  • identify and participate in new areas for learning beyond the classroom and after graduation.

Ethics

CALS graduates will be able to:

  • define and assess their ethical perspective, moral responsibility, and values
  • identify and critically evaluate contemporary ethical and moral issues in professional and private life.

Environmental Awareness

CALS graduates will be able to:

  • explain the physical and biological interactions within ecosystems
  • explain how human activities impact the environment and how societies are affected by environmental change.

International/Multi-Cultural Awareness

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences adopts the Faculty Senate outcomes for U.S. Diversity and International Perspectives:

U.S. Diversity - Students should achieve two of the following outcomes: They should be able to:

  • articulate how their personal life experiences and choices fit within the context of the larger mosaic of U.S. society, indicating how they have confronted and critically analyzed their perceptions and assumptions about diversity-related issues.
  • analyze and evaluate the contributions of various underrepresented social groups in shaping the history and culture of the U.S.
  • analyze individual and institutional forms of discrimination based on factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, class, etc
  • analyze the perspectives of groups and individuals affected by discrimination
  • analyze how cultural diversity and cooperation among social groups affect U.S. society

International Perspectives - Students should achieve two of the following outcomes: They should be able to:

  • analyze the accuracy and relevancy of their own worldviews and anticipate how people from other nations may perceive that worldview.
  • Describe and analyze how cultures and societies around the world are formed, are sustained, and evolve
  • Analyze and evaluate the influence of global issues in their own lives
  • Describe the values and perspectives of cultures other than their own and discuss how they influence individuals' perceptions of global issues and or events
  • Communicate competently in a second language.