Consistent with its mission and guiding principles, Florida Gulf Coast University is committed to academic excellence and continuous quality improvement, as supported by a sound teaching-learning process. Within this process, students and instructors share responsibility for learning that is a movement from the simple to the complex, the concrete to the abstract, and the dependent to the independent. The Academic Learning Compact (ALC) initiative supports the teaching-learning process by clearly identifying expected core student learning outcomes in the areas of content/discipline knowledge and skills, communication skills, and critical thinking skills; aligning curricula with expectations; and using assessment to guide continuous improvement.

Graduates will be able to:

1. Provide melodic, harmonic, rhythmic and formal analysis of music written from 1700-present and compose short pieces in those styles.
2. Compare and contrast the various style periods of Western music in both written and oral form.
3. Demonstrate the ability to sing at sight a short written score, and to write, after hearing, short musical examples of melody, harmony, and rhythm.
4. Through a 30-minute performance in the student's applied area, demonstrate proper technique, understanding of musical style, poise, and musicality.
5. Demonstrate preparation as a responsive and competent teacher through evidence of classroom performance, lesson plan preparation, communication skills, and ability to provide effective instruction.   

Content/discipline knowledge and skills are assessed at the college and departmental levels.

     1.     Students will take traditional exams and complete projects which will measure their ability to analyze and create in these styles (MUT 1111, MUT 1112, MUT 2116, MUT 2117, MUT 3611).   

     2.     Students will take traditional exams which will test their ability to recall dates, composers, specific works and stylistic characteristics of the different periods. They will also write papers which articulate their ability to synthesize these separate components (MUH 3211 and MUH 3212).

     3.     Students will be tested individually in singing at sight, and will take dictation exams involving melody, harmony, and rhythm (MUT 1241, MUT 1242, MUT 2246, MUT 2247).    

     4.     At the end of each semester of applied music, students will take a performance exam (jury) which will be evaluated by a music faculty team.  This evaluation will judge the student's semester-by-semester progress towards this senior performance goal (MVx ; 7 semesters).

     5.     At the end of the final semester, students will submit a teaching portfolio consisting of a variety of “artifacts” which students have chosen from their educational experience to best represent their growth and development as teachers.

Graduates will be able to:

1. Employ the conventions of standard written English. 
2. Select a topic, and develop it for a specific audience and purpose, with respect for diverse perspectives.
3. Select, organize, and relate ideas and information with coherence, clarity, and unity.
   

Communication skills are assessed as part of the General Education Program through papers, exams, and projects completed in ENC 1101 Composition I, ENC 1102 Composition II, and HUM 2510 Understanding the Visual and Performing Arts. 

Graduates will be able to:

1. Select and organize information.
2. Identify assumptions and underlying relationships. 
3. Synthesize information, and draw reasoned inferences. 
4. Formulate an appropriate problem solving strategy. 
5. Evaluate the feasibility of the strategy.
   

Critical thinking skills are assessed as part of the General Education Program through papers, exams, and projects completed ENC 1101 Composition I, ENC 1102 Composition II, and HUM 2510 Understanding the Visual and Performing Arts.