Academic Learning Compact

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.

Content/Discipline Knowledge and Skills

Graduates will be able to:

1. Critically analyze a variety of historical texts.
2. Critically formulate interpretations through syntheses of material from diverse texts, contexts and sources.
3. Understand the forces, ideas, events, movements, persons, and creative expressions of the past.
4. Examine a variety of ethical issues from an awareness of past ideas and events.
5. Present ideas and conclusions in a variety of forms, e.g. (oral, written, and technological)

Content/discipline knowledge and skills are assessed at the college and departmental levels through papers, exams, quizzes, and other projects completed in the following: AMH 3571 or AMH 3572; HIS 3064; HIS 4104; HIS 4936, and 3/4000 level AFH, AMH, ASH, EUH, HIS, LAH courses.

Communication Skills

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. Communication skills are also assessed in the capstone courses.

Critical Thinking Skills

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. Critical thinking skills are also assessed in the capstone courses.