Western Kentucky University
AC-2: Learning Outcomes

In Fall 2014, WKU implemented a new general education model called the Colonnade Program. The Colonnade Program is now the core academic program at WKU. These general education requirements are an integral part of the undergraduate curriculum that both complement and support the student's preparation in their specific field.

WKU requires that all undergraduate degree-seeking students successfully complete a general education curriculum that represents a substantial component of each degree program (15 hours for associates degrees and 39 hours for baccalaureate degrees).

Courses in the Colonnade Program teach students to think critically, solve problems, and communicate effectively. Through these courses, students are encouraged to explore the connections among different areas of study in order to understand their roles as students and citizens. In short, the Colonnade Program is intended to promote intellectual curiosity and to instill a love of learning.

The student learning outcomes (SLOs) are as follows:
1. Knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world, including:
a. An informed acquaintance with major achievements in the arts and the humanities
b. An appreciation of the complexity and variety of the world's cultures;
c. An understanding of the scientific method and a knowledge of natural science and its relevance in our lives;
d. A historical perspective and an understanding of connections between past and present.
2. Intellectual and practical skills, including:
a. The capacity for critical and logical thinking;
b. Proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking;
c. The ability to understand and apply mathematical skills and concepts.
3. Personal and social responsibility, including:
a. An understanding of society and human behavior;
b. An understanding of factors that enhance health, well-being, and quality of life.
4. Integrative Learning, including:
a. Synthesis and advanced accomplishments across general and specialized studies.

Additionally, the following Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) are unique to the WKU Colonnade General Education Program – "WKU Connections". These courses are intended to instill "understanding individual and social responsibility."

Social to Cultural
• Analyze the development of self in relation to others an society.
• Examine diverse values that form civically engaged and informed members of society.
• Evaluate solutions to real-world social and cultural problems.

Local to Global
• Analyze issues on local and global scales.
• Examine the local and global interrelationships of one or more issues.
• Evaluate the consequences of decision-making on local and global scales.

Systems
• Analyze how systems evolve.
• Compare the study of individual components to the analysis of entire systems.
• Evaluate how system-level thinking informs decision-making, public policy, and/or the sustainability of the system itself.

International Experience (added as a requirement of Colonnade Connections in 2019). As part of this category students "will leave the USA to immerse themselves in different cultural experiences that broaden their cultural competencies and understanding of global complexities." Learning outcomes of these courses are:
• Articulate the relationship between ideas, experiences, and place.
• Develop tools to engage with diverse people in the local cultures.
• Explore other peoples' values and clarify their own.

More information can be found at:
https://www.wku.edu/colonnade/

WKU maintains a data analytics system, which allows the Office of Institutional Research to select per-identified majors (supplied by the Office of Sustainability) and calculate the number of graduates from those degree programs. We are reporting the number of graduates from programs identified as sustainability-focused (#1), which includes 24 degree programs.

WKU has a number of program level sustainability-focused programs (16 in total). A few examples include:

Environment, Sustainability, and Geographic Studies Bachelors of Science:
The Environmental, Sustainability, and Geographic Studies program focuses on environment related issues using scientific, technological, and humanistic approaches to understand the interactive nature and interdependence of environmental and human factors. Foundational instruction introduces students to basic principles of environmental science and related subjects, such as sustainability science, environmental planning, pollution control, natural resource management, spatial data analysis, economics, cultural geography, and the general interactions of humans and nature.

Geoscience Masters:
The graduate program in Geosciences provides advanced professional training for careers as hydrologists, environmental resource managers, city and regional planners, engineering geologists, geophysical and geochemical geologists, meteorologists and climatologists, earth science teachers, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) specialists, consultants in business and industry, and professional educators.

Science and Mathematics Education Bachelors:
SMED students must complete the middle school mathematics or science program or a certification along with SMED requirements to be certified to teach in the following areas: biology, chemistry, earth and space science, mathematics, or physics. Areas including biology and earth and space science concentrations require an understanding of sustainability and earth science concepts.

Geographic Information Systems certificate:
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology is widely used in business, industry, government, and education. This certificate is designed for students in a variety of disciplines, including sustainability, that involve the analysis, mapping, display, and interpretation of geospatial data and information.

Geological Sciences Bachelors of Science:
Geological science focuses on global challenges like managing land, water, ocean, space, mineral, and energy resources in a sustainable way. The program takes a holistic approach, as the traditional geology has become increasingly interdisciplinary, including three concentrations; Geology, Environmental Earth Science, and General.

Social Responsibility and Sustainable Communities Masters of Arts:
Students take a core set of courses that provide interdisciplinary grounding in social justice and sustainability, economic and policy issues, leadership issues, community-building, and community-based research. Students may focus their elective courses on environmental sustainability, social justice (broadly understood), gender & women’s studies, or community studies.

Diversity and Community Studies Bachelors:
The major in diversity & community studies provides graduates with a critical framework for understanding social systems and structural forms of oppression at local and global scales. Students also gain practical skills of working with others to solve problems related to citizenship and activism. The program aims at transformative knowledge, changing consciousness and shaping leaders who are less susceptible to short-term answers at the expense of long-term sustainability of the environment and communities that must share the world.

MBA program Graduate certificate for Business Sustainability:
Fluency in current major legal, governmental, and business standards related to sustainability
Ability to identify opportunities for sustainable actions and policies throughout the value chain
Proficiency with quantitative operations models and techniques to analyze and evaluate the viability of sustainable opportunities throughout the product life-cycle
Social Entrepreneurship acumen
Understanding of the major voluntary codes and best practices about sustainability which impact business. As well as how the activities and reports relating to sustainability fit into the broader policy arena of corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Providing oversight for sustainability initiatives in your organization
Experience in evaluating and creating effective sustainability marketing strategies

Environmental Health and Safety Graduate Certificate:
This program equips graduates with public health protection skills for program design, implementation and the evaluation of policies and practices to assist in preventing or deducting environmental hazards on individuals and communities.

Global Pathways to Sustainability Graduate Certificate:
The Global Pathways to Sustainability (GPS) Graduate Certificate prepares professionals working in organizations and institutions to understand complex environmental and social problems and to apply community-based solutions. The certificate offers a multidisciplinary study of the environmental, social, and policy dimensions of sustainability.

Agriculture Bachelors of Science:
The major in agriculture (508) consists of several concentrations allowing students to specialize in areas of interest such as agronomy, agribusiness, agricultural education, agricultural systems, animal science, dairy science, horticulture, horse science, and turf and golf course management. Sustainability is an important concept in several concentrations and graduates are required to have a general understanding of sustainable management and action.

Biology Bachelors of Science:
Biology degree majors are required to take a range of core classes to develop an understanding of the several concepts of biology, including courses such as Ecology or Environmental Biology. Many core classes and extracurricular options include learning outcomes that require an understanding of earth science and sustainability, making sustainability a key concept in the Biology degree program.

Recreation Administration Bachelors of Arts:
The major in Recreation, Park, and Nonprofit Administration prepares students for numerous and exciting careers in the nonprofit, government, and private sectors. These careers are designed to help individuals, families, and communities improve their quality of life. Sustainability is a key concept in this program due to the inherent involvement of sustainability in recreation and preservation of recreational areas and parks, in addition to the focus on sustainability of many nonprofit programs.

Emergency Management and Disaster Science certificate
This program provides students with the knowledge and skills critical for planning and responding to complex emergency management situations. Sustainability is an important concept in an understanding of environmental issues and causes of disaster science.

Floodplain Management certificate:
The certificate provides students with basic knowledge and skills needed to implement and administer flood mitigation and recovery programs. Students develop familiarity with federal floodplain management regulations, the National Flood Insurance Program, hydrology, surveying, and tools such as Geographic Information Systems that are critical to administering an aggressive floodplain management program. Flood mitigation and management requires sustainability core knowledge and an understanding of environmental science concepts.

Environmental and Occupation Health Science Masters:
A key component of the program is to understand how exposure to environmental and occupational hazards occurs and discovering ways to reduce and control the risk of exposure. This program is designed for working professionals and students desiring opportunities with industry, consulting firms, government agencies, and other environmental and occupational health science professions.

Data regarding number of graduates from degree programs obtained from Stefanie Estes, WKU Institutional Research. Degree programs and information compiled by Office of Sustainability from the university catalog.