University of North Carolina, Wilmington
AC-2: Learning Outcomes

At UNCW, our deepest and most sustaining commitment is to the journey of learning, inquiry, and discovery for our students. The establishment of student learning outcomes (statements of what students will know and be able to do at the end of a program of study), combined with a continuous assessment of those outcomes, guides our curricula and is a critical component of the powerful UNCW learning experience. Continuous assessment also ensures the continuing evolution of our learning outcomes to maintain currency and to keep the outcomes focused on the needs and demands of our students and of society. These learning outcomes for all students are aligned with the four categories of student learning articulated in the university mission--creative inquiry, critical thinking, thoughtful expression, and responsible citizenship—and to the eight UNCW learning goals that support them.

Goal 1. Acquire foundational knowledge, theories and perspectives in a variety of disciplines (Foundational Knowledge); Goal 2. Engage in rigorous, open-minded and imaginative inquiry (Inquiry); Goal 3. Locate, evaluate, and effectively use information by applying a variety of academic and technological skills (Information Literacy); Goal 4. Integrate multiple methods and perspectives to critically examine complex problems (Critical Thinking); Goal 5. Effectively express meaningful ideas in speech and writing (Thoughtful Expression); Goal 6. Demonstrate basic proficiency in speaking, listening, writing and reading in a language in addition to English (Foreign Language); Goal 7. Describe and examine the importance and implications of human diversity (Diversity); Goal 8. Describe and examine the intellectual and ethical responsibilities of active global citizenship (Global Citizenship).