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

Curriculum Mission Statement

Lackawanna College’s faculty strives to fulfill the College’s institutional mission within the various curricula sponsored by individual departments. These curricula offer students opportunities to advance their knowledge in a variety of disciplines and to pursue a number of different career goals. Irrespective of academic interest or career choice, however, all matriculating students at the College are expected to achieve mastery of designated learning goals through curriculum-wide study, practice and demonstration.

The overall College Curriculum Mission Statement is as follows:

Lackawanna College is an educational institution that seeks to empower its students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes that will enable them to:

• Solve problems and communicate effectively;
• Foster personal and professional growth;
• Contribute to community betterment
• Promote a spirit of inquiry and a desire for lifelong learning
  

Learning Goals
The individual learning goals that have emerged from this statement are as follows:

1. Critical Thinking: Critical thinking is the ability to apply recognized principles of logic to the analysis of judgments, values or extended presentations. The critical thinker is able to subject personal work as well as published statements to rational analysis. This individual is also able to apply logical principles in ways that solve problems effectively through information-seeking and objective evaluation.
   
2. Communication Skills: Communication skills are those capacities, which enable a person to express ideas orally and in writing in a clear, correct, concise and thoughtful style.  The ability to listen carefully and to read with confidence and comprehension is included within these capacities.
   
3. Community Awareness (Global): Community awareness refers to one’s sensitivity to the socio-economic, political, cultural and ecological environment. Such awareness is extended to more global dimensions when it takes into account the multitude of nations, races, traditions, belief systems, values and lifestyles that constitute the world-wide community of humankind.
   
4. Respect for and Acceptance of Others: Respect for and acceptance of others’ social and ethical beliefs are demonstrated by attitudes of openness, empathy and good will toward all life styles and philosophies that do not infringe upon another person’s freedom.
   
5. Teamwork/Collaboration: Teamwork/collaboration involves one’s ability to work effectively with others in common activity. An effective team member commits talents and resources to the common project or goal and contributes fully to its joint achievement.
   
6. Life-Long Learning: A life-long learner is willing to update and upgrade skills periodically, to develop abilities and supplement knowledge long after a degree has been earned, and to subject concepts and formulations learned early to the test of continuing relevance later in life.
   
7. Knowledge Application: Knowledge application refers to how a person translates theoretical or abstract concepts into practical applications. Such knowledge affects one’s work, thinking, environment, social and family life daily.
   
8. Science/Technology Skills: Science/technology skills are those aptitudes and competencies which enable one to utilize contemporary science and technology both in the workplace and in one’s personal life knowledgeably and effectively. These skills are not necessarily those of an expert but are consistent with the level of scientific and technical development manifested in one’s personal and professional environment.
   
9. Information Literacy: Information literacy is the capability of determining the information needed, and locating, evaluating, organizing and properly crediting the information required for a particular task or presentation. Familiarity with standard print, non-print and electronic information resources and research techniques is an essential element in this skill set.