The Gothic Times

Issue date: 2/22/07 Section: News

Media Credit: graphic illustration by Cristina Villaflor

As many other universities in New Jersey,
NJCU has proposed its seven student
learning goals. These seven goals, which
are also known as expected learning outcomes,
are an attempt to reach an ideal
NJCU education. The seven learning
goals are expressed as the following:

1.Students will demonstrate effective
writing skills.
2.Students will demonstrate effective
oral communication skills.
3.Students will demonstrate effective
quantitative literacy skills.
4.Students will demonstrate the ability
to think critically to evaluate and solve
problems.
5Students will demonstrate effective information
and technology literacy skills.
6.Students will practice responsible citizenship
in a culturally complex world.
7.Students will demonstrate knowledge
of their disciplinary or interdisciplinary
fields.

Dr. Hurwitz from the Dept. Of Special
Education and a member of the University
Committee on Assessment of Student
Learning had this to say about the learning
goals.

"Universities are now required by their
accrediting agencies to have these institutional
wide student learning goals. Our
[NJCU's] accrediting agency is requiring
that we have these goals in place."

He also spoke about how the federal
government is playing a part with the
universities.

"The federal government is becoming
more involved in accountability on a part
of institutions. They are giving a lot of
federal dollars to form student loans, and
they want to know that universities have
specific goals and are serious about meeting
these goals."

Marcus Rosado, President of the Student
Government Organization, had his
own perspective of the seven learning
goals.

"We [the SGO] had a month to review
the goals, and we made a vote that
passed unanimously agreeing with them.
The goals sound good. They are an attempt
to strengthen of what students
have acquired as learning goals and they
are just trying to reinvent it and strengthen
it."

However, even though the learning
goals sound efficient, there is still a
question of whether or not students will
respond.

"The main concern of the student government
organization was that, yes, the
language used to describe these goals
sound effective but will strategies developed

Continued...

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