These six institutional learning outcomes, which are drawn from the academic goals section of the College’s Mission, form the basis for our assessment plan. The purpose of our plan is to gauge the degree to which we are achieving these goals and to guide discussions of how we can enhance teaching and learning.
The College’s mission is to provide an exceptional undergraduate liberal arts education.
At Carleton, we value intellectual curiosity, risk taking, courage, the development of wisdom and creativity. As a residential liberal arts college, Carleton strives to create a collaborative community in which faculty, staff, and students respect one another. These qualities are an integral part of who we are and because we do not want to lose sight of them, we state them here, along with the more measurable objectives listed below.
Carleton College graduates should be able to:
- Demonstrate that they have acquired knowledge necessary for the continuing study of the world’s peoples, arts, environments, literatures, sciences and institutions i.e. learning to learn.
- Demonstrate substantial knowledge of a field of study and the modes of inquiry or methodologies pertinent to that field.
- Analyze evidence: i.e. identify underlying assumptions in particular theoretical orientations, methodological approaches or arguments; present opposing viewpoints and alternative hypotheses; recognize quantitative and qualitative claims, etc.
- Formulate and solve problems: i.e. locate, analyze, synthesize and evaluate information; discern patterns, coherence and significance; explore a situation, phenomenon, question or problem to arrive at a hypothesis or conclusion about it, come to well-reasoned conclusions or solutions, etc.
- Communicate and argue effectively.
- In their chosen field of study, conduct disciplinary and/or interdisciplinary research and/or undertake independent work which may include artistic creation or production.