Curriculum Mission Statement
Learning Goals
Standards
Student Outcomes Assessment and Credential Portfolio

Standards
Goal attainment is manifested when students meet the standards laid out below:

Critical Thinking

1. All students subject a hypothesis to critical analysis utilizing data, facts, and authoritative expertise either to confirm or refute their point of view.
2. All students analyze complex problems and propose feasible solutions based upon the application of logic and knowledge.
3. All students evaluate critically the underlying assumptions behind generally accepted viewpoints and “conventional wisdom”.
4. All students demonstrate respectful skepticism in utilizing information for decision-making.

Communication Skills

1. All students demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing through careful reading and listening.
2. All students assert and develop a thesis by applying established expository or persuasive modes.
3. All students prepare and present an oral argument and deal with audience response fairly and courteously.

Community Awareness

1. All students are knowledgeable about the political, cultural, economic, and environmental developments which have shaped today’s global community.
2. All students are knowledgeable about interrelationships among the world’s societies and see the common bonds that link all peoples and societies on this globe.
3. All students are knowledgeable about the socio-economic realities within their local communities and are sensitized to the service opportunities these communities provide.

Respect for and Acceptance of Others

1. All students establish clear moral directives.
2. All students demonstrate a level of maturity in thought, word, and action.
3. All students are able to make informed decisions on moral questions, particularly those involving plagiarism, cheating, or lying.
4. All students recognize racism, discrimination, sexism, and other forms of intolerance as elements which subvert open-mindedness, empathy, and mutual respect.

Teamwork/Collaboration

1. All students demonstrate knowledge of various leadership styles and the ability to work effectively with persons of various backgrounds in all types of group settings.
2. All students demonstrate understanding of the process of problem solving in a group setting.
3. All students demonstrate negotiation skills and the ability to develop agreed-upon goals through consensus building.
4. All students demonstrate the ability to initiate and carry out projects in a group setting.

Life-Long Learning

1. All students demonstrate effective research and information management skills.
2. All students demonstrate the ability to apply effective job finding skills.
3. All students demonstrate understanding of the continuing impact of societal, technological, governmental and economic forces on their professional lives. 4) All students demonstrate perseverance and learn from mistakes as they self-direct life-long learning.

Knowledge Applications

1. All students understand the connections among theoretical, practical, and experiential knowledge as the bases for their thinking and for their life experience in society and within families.
2. All students demonstrate the ability to construct knowledge, manifest an in-depth understanding of knowledge through the use of primary resources, and connect knowledge to value beyond the classroom.
3. All students demonstrate the ability to solve semi-structured problems where hypotheses must be formed and tested.
4. All students demonstrate the ability to identify knowledge gaps and solutions to pursue needed information.

Science/Technology Skills

1. All students demonstrate familiarity with common applications of contemporary technology and can appreciate its usefulness in solving varying problems.
2. All students demonstrate mastery of practical skills using computer hardware and software as tools in their course of study.
3. All students manifest a level of scientific literacy commensurate with established academic and career directives.

Information Literacy

1. All students are able to determine their research needs.
2. All students are able to locate and access necessary reference works, books, journals, and other printed, non-print and electronic information resources skillfully and confidently.
3. All students are able to evaluate critically the usefulness, relevance, scholarly accuracy and veracity of the print, non-print, and electronic resources they may access for a particular assignment.    
4. All students understand how best to utilize the resources essential to support a thesis statement in a learned manner.
5. All students adhere to Lackawanna College’s academic integrity policy as well as have a functioning knowledge of copyright law.