Identifying and Assessing Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
I. Introduction. Student Learning Outcomes in programs of the Department of Modern Languages are listed in the six categories that are used university-wide in efforts to assess student output and program effectiveness. The categories are as follows: Knowledge, Critical Thinking, Communication, Diversity, Ownership for Learning, and Personal and Professional Development
Learning a foreign language implies the acquisition of detailed knowledge of the target culture as well as the comprehension of the language and its literature.
Such knowledge encompasses purely technical knowledge of the target language as well
as insights into modes of thinking other than those students already have. Studying
a foreign language will stimulate the student’s critical thinking about the linguistic structure of that language as well as its literature, all within
a cultural context that implies a range of paradigms. Critical thinking goes beyond
the mere technical understanding of a text and the ability to summarize it. It also
implies the ability to interpret texts and the development of an understanding of
the target culture. Therefore, it extends into many disciplines across the social
sciences, the humanities, and cross-cultural studies. Students develop and improve
communication skills not only in the target language, but through exposure to another linguistic system,
and ultimately also in their mother tongue. Our classes stimulates students to develop
the ability to relate to diverse cultures and thus reflect on their own. A foreign language, once started, often has the impact
of turning students into life-long learners. In that sense it is like a savings account that keeps growing once the initial
investment is made. The longer a student stays with the chosen language, especially
after an extended sojourn in one of the countries in which it is spoken, the less
the student may be inclined to give up on studying this language and its culture.
Language learning engages in a multitude of exercises and experiences in which students
learn to interact with their peers and learn how to work as a team, an ability that is highly sought by government and industry employers. Learning
to do research cultivates individual responsibility and reinforces personal ethics.
The knowledge of another culture through its language and texts enhances social responsibility
as well as cosmopolitan and even global thinking. Consequently, the study of a foreign
culture and its language has the potential to turn students into more responsible citizens of the world. Students with four years of language training and a year abroad clearly
demonstrate this development from local thinkers into more cosmopolitan thinkers.
Note: References to “advanced” and “superior” skills in reading, speaking, and writing
are to definitions and guidelines of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign
Languages (ACTFL). References are made in this document to Attachment A (*advanced)
and Attachment B (**superior).
Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Grid
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II. Student Learning Outcomes by Assessment Category. |
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A. Bachelor of Arts Modern Languages |
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Graduates in Modern Languages will have demonstrated: |
Assessment Categories |
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B. Master of Arts in Modern Languages |
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Master’s Degrees Graduates in Modern Languages will have demonstrated: |
Assessment Categories |
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II. Student Learning Outcomes by Assessment Category. |
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| A. Bachelor of Arts Modern Languages | |
| Student Learning Outcomes | Assessment Categories |
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B. Master of Arts in Modern Languages |
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Student Learning Outcomes |
Assessment Categories |
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