Learning Outcomes

Undergraduate Learning Outcomes

The CSUMB Undergraduate Learning Outcomes state the knowledge, skills, and abilities that CSUMB students have acquired and demonstrate upon graduation. These outcomes are guided by the Founding Vision Statement, the University Mission, its Core Values, and Academic Goals, so CSUMB graduates can promote human rights, health and wellness, environmental integrity, and economic vitality to contribute to a just and sustainable world for present and future generations.

ULO 1:  Intellectual Skills

CSUMB graduates demonstrate competence in critical thinking, written and oral communication, information literacy, and quantitative reasoning.

ULO 2:  Personal, Professional, and Social Responsibility

CSUMB graduates engage in ethical reasoning and public action that is informed by historical, multicultural, global, ecological, and equity-oriented perspectives.

ULO 3:  Integrative Knowledge

CSUMB graduates synthesize and connect knowledge, skills, and experiences across disciplines, allowing them to address new and complex situations.

ULO 4:  Specialized Knowledge

CSUMB graduates apply knowledge, theories, methods, and practices in a chosen field of study to address real-world challenges and opportunities.

General Education Learning Outcomes

A1: Oral Communication

Listening:

1. Apply active listening in group deliberation to understand multiple perspectives and identify common ground
2. Accurately summarize a speaker’s message 
3. Evaluate arguments for coherence, logic, ethics, style, and audience appropriateness

Speaking:

1. Revise speeches across multiple drafts to address a specific audience, purpose, and context
2. Justify claims with evidence and attention to assumptions
3. Integrate sources chosed for relevance, diversity of perspectives, and credibility
4. Apply appropriate genre conventions for citation, organizational patterns, tone, and speech writing mechanics
5. Engage audiences through nonverbal communication

A2: Written Communication

Reading:

1. Adapt strategies for reading according to purpose and context
2. Accurately summarize multiple perspectives 
3. Evaluate arguments for coherence, logic, ethics, style, and audience appropriateness

Writing:

1. Apply strategies for drafting, collaborating, and revising according to audience, purpose, and context
2. Justify claims with evidence and attention to assumptions
3. Integrate sources chosen for relevance, diversity of perspectives, and credibility
4. Apply appropriate genre conventions for citation, structure, paragraphing, tone, and mechanics

A3: Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking:

1. Analyze verbal and/or nonverbal messages in terms of audience, purpose, and context
2. Accurately summarize multiple perspectives
3. Assess the relevance, adequacy, and credibility of evidence used to reach conclusions
4. Explain modes of reasoning (including but not limited to fallacies, warrants, and inductive and deductive logic)

Ethical Reasoning:

1. Explain one’s own and/or others’ explicit and implicit values, premises, beliefs, and/or ideologies
2. Apply theories to explain the implications of ethical questions for multiple stakeholders
3. Justify an ethical position while acknowledging limitations

B1: Physical Science

1. Analyze representative questions in the physical sciences using discipline-appropriate content or methods
2. Describe the relevance of physical science concepts to their own experiences
3. Apply quantitative skills to physical science problems
4. Describe the processes of constructing physical science knowledge

B2: Life Science

1. Analyze representative questions in the life sciences using discipline-appropriate content or methos
2. Describe the relevance of life science concepts to their own experiences
3. Interpret quantitative data in life science contexts
4. Describe the processes of constructing life science knowledge

B3: Laboratory Practices

1. Use laboratory and/or field methods to collect and evaluate scientific data
2. Explain results within a broader scientific community
3. Find relevant sources of scientific information
4. Critically evaluate the credibility and value of scientific information sources
5. Explain how the peer review process contributes to the credibility of scientific sources

B4: Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning

1. Develop solutions to routine and non-routine problems using discipline-appropriate mathematical/quantitative methods
2. Justify the reasonableness of solutions to mathematical/quantitative problems
3. Represent mathematical/quantitative information using symbolic, visual, numerical, and verbal forms
4. Interpret mathematical/quantitative information using symbolic, visual, numerical, and verbal forms
5. Draw conclusions based on the analysis of mathematical/quantitative information
6. Describe the assumptions and limitations of mathematical/quantitative methods and their consequences
7. Use appropriate reasoning and terminology to communicate mathematical/quantitative ideas, methods, and conclusions

Upper Division B: Scientific Inquiry & Quantitative Reasoning

In addition to the learning outcomes described in the above lower division B areas 1-4, at the upper division students shall also:

1. Synthesize quantitative or scientific knowledge, reasoning, skills, and/or experiences across disciplines to address new or complex situations relevant to students’ lives or careers

C1: Arts

Lower Division

1. Identify the interrelationships between ideas and expression in works of art
2. Identify and compare the ways that diverse cultural identities and other social contexts influence the creation and experience of art works
3. Compare methods of artistic engagement and critical analysis which may produce aesthetic choices through the study of historical, contemporary, and/or emerging examples of cinema, literature, dance, media arts, visual art, music, or theatre.
4. Describe and compare the techniques that artists use to elicit emotional and intellectual responses in their audiences and viewers
5. Identify a contextual and a critical understanding of the arts’ role in public, social, and institutional environments
6. Critically describe the role of the arts in different contexts of their lives

C2: Humanities & Language

Lower Division - Humanities and Language

1. Describe significant questions about the human condition that emerge from multicultural and/or multilingual perspectives
2. Interpret cultural expressions, including as responses to power and race within global and/or local social contexts
3. Communicate emotional and personal responses to cultural works, practices, and/or perspectives

Lower Division - Humanities (Language)

1. Use a language other than English to communicate effectively in three modes of communicaiton (interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational) about familiar topics related to everyday life
2. Use a language other than English to describe a different culture (practices, products, and perspectives) based on familiar topics related to everyday life
3. Use a language other than English to explain connections across disciplines and cultures

Lower Division - Humanities (Non-Language)

1. Interpret emerging, contemporary, and/or enduring works of human imagination
2. Critically compare diverse cultural perspectives on the human condition 
3. Analyze cultural works within their global and/or local social contexts in which systems of power impact a society’s cultural expressions

Upper Division C: Integrated Humanities & Language

1. Analyze significant questions about the human condition that emerge from multicultural and/or multilingual perspectives.

2. Analyze the ways that questions of power impact a society’s cultural and artistic expressions within global and/or local social contexts.

3. Communicate personal responses to cultural and artistic works.

Upper Division C1: Integrated Arts

1. Describe the interrelationships between ideas and expression in works of art 

2. Articulate how diverse cultural identities and other social contexts influence the creation and experience of works of art 

3. Compare methods of artistic engagement and critical analysis which may produce unique aesthetic choices through the study of historical, contemporary and/or emerging examples of cinema, literature, dance, media arts, visual art, music, or theatre.

4. Identify techniques that artists use to elicit emotional and intellectual responses from their audiences. 

5. Compare the arts’ role in public, social, and institutional environments 

6. Explain the role of the arts in different contexts of students’ lives and how the role has evolved over time

Upper Division C2: Integrated Humanities

Humanities (Language)

Students will be able to:

1. Use a language other than English to communicate effectively in three modes of communication (interpersonal, interpretive and presentational) about a range of topics in culturally appropriate ways. 

2. Use a language other than English to describe a different culture (practices, products, and perspectives) based on a range of topics in culturally appropriate ways. 

3. Use a language other than English to analyze connections across disciplines and cultures.

Humanities (Non-language)

1. Analyze emerging, contemporary, and/or enduring works of the human imagination.

2. Critically compare diverse cultural perspectives on the human condition.

3. Analyze cultural works within their global and/or local social contexts to understand the impacts of globalization and the ways in which systems of power impact a society’s cultural expressions and historical experiences.

4. Apply insights and approaches from multiple disciplinary perspectives to the study of human experiences.

D: Social Sciences

Lower Division - General Social Sciences

1. Basic Principles: Describe social science vocabulary, concepts, and theoretical perspectives as appropriate to the discipline

2. Analysis: Describe one or more social issues using basic principles of the discipline

3. Research: Analyze existing disciplinary research on a social issue

4. Personal and Professional Responsibility

5. Identify ways in which their identities relate to disciplinary-specific methodologies

6. Explain applications of professional codes of ethics within the discipline.

Lower Division -  History

1. Historical Knowledge:

   • Describe the cultures, economics, politics, peoples, processes, and social movements within a field or subfield of history over a span of 10 years or more.

2. Historical Thinking:

   • Place individual events, people, places, and/or processes into a larger historical and periodic context.

   • Explain how different sources affect what we can know about the past.

3. Historical Research Methods: 

   • Describe the various steps in the historical research process.

   • Identify the pros and cons of various approaches to historical research.

4. Historical Writing: 

   • Incorporate elements of Outcome 1 (Historical Knowledge) and Outcome 2 (Historical Thinking) into essays.

   • Incorporate and cite credible evidence in accordance with appropriate styles.

5. Information Literacy: 
   • Identify relevant and credible sources using appropriate library databases.

D: Civics & Lower Division Service Learning

Civic Identities

1. Describe one’s personal, social, and political identities in relationship to social and cultural contexts, particularly multiple civic institutions and communities

2. Demonstrate how one’s identities connect with systems of power, privilege, and marginality

Civic Knowledge

1. Analyze  the political philosophies informing the debates around the creation of the U.S. constitution, including the amendment process, within the context of systems of inequity (e.g, racism, classism, sexism, heterosexism) 

2. Analyze the origins and changing parameters of the California constitution 

3. Describe the rights and obligations of citizenship in relationship to the forms of government at the local, state and national levels 

4. Describe local community history, assets, strengths and the structural causes of local social issues and responses

Civic Action

1. Demonstrate ethical service to community informed by reciprocity, cultural humility, and intercultural competence
2. Use tools of social/political action to engage in informed civic advocacy

Upper Division D: Integrated Social Sciences

1. Analysis: 
   • Analyze one or more social issues using social science vocabulary, concepts, and theoretical perspectives
2. Research:

   • Formulate social science research questions

   • Identify appropriate social science methods to answer research questions

   • Conduct research using appropriate social science methodology

3. Personal and Professional Responsibility:

   • Explain how one’s diverse identities relate to disciplinary-specific methodologies.

   • Analyze ethical issues within the discipline.

   • Apply professional codes of ethics relevant to the discipline in analyzing social issues and/or disciplinary methodologies.

E: Health & Wellbeing

1. Analyze health and self-development theories and practices using the framework of evidence-based practice.

2. Identify evidence-based strategies for optimal health and self-development including benefits and risks of personal behavior choices across the lifespan.

3. Apply evidence-based behavioral strategies that promote lifelong, optimal personal health and self-development.

F: Ethnic Studies

The learning outcomes for GE area F Ethnic Studies, referred to as core competencies are mandated by the Chancellor’s Office in the CSU General Education Breadth Requirements and are copied below: 

Courses that are approved to meet this requirement shall meet at least 3 of the 5 the following core competencies. Campuses may add additional competencies to those listed.

1. Analyze and articulate concepts such as race and racism, racialization, ethnicity, equity, ethno-centrism, eurocentrism, white supremacy, self-determination, liberation, decolonization, sovereignty, imperialism, settler colonialism, and anti-racism as analyzed in any one or more of the following: Native American Studies, African American Studies, Asian American Studies, and Latina and Latino American Studies.

2. Apply theory and knowledge produced by Native American, African American, Asian American, and/or Latina and Latino American communities to describe the critical events, histories, cultures, intellectual traditions, contributions, lived-experiences and social struggles of those groups with a particular emphasis on agency and group-affirmation.

3. Critically analyze the intersection of race and racism as they relate to class, gender, sexuality, religion, spirituality, national origin, immigration status, ability, tribal citizenship, sovereignty, language, and/or age in Native American, African American, Asian American, and/or Latina and Latino American communities.

4. Critically review how struggle, resistance, racial and social justice, solidarity, and liberation, as experienced and enacted by Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans and/or Latina and Latino Americans are relevant to current and structural issues such as communal, national, international, and transnational politics as, for example, in immigration, reparations, settler-colonialism, multiculturalism, language policies.

5. Describe and actively engage with anti-racist and anti-colonial issues and the practices and movements in Native American, African American, Asian American and/or Latina and Latino communities and a just and equitable society.

University Requirements Learning Outcomes

First Year Seminar

1. Describe how the CSUMB Founding Vision Statement, Core Values, and Academic Goals may contribute to their own educational and personal goals.
2. Develop an academic plan that incorporates exploration of major and career, and student development pathways.
3. Collaborate through constructive, ethical participation in team tasks and effective interactions with team members of diverse identities and perspectives.
4. Select and employ appropriate metacognitive strategies in order to monitor and improve their own comprehension of texts, solve problems, and/or evaluate their progress toward completion of tasks.

Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR)

Reading

1. Adapt strategies for reading according to disciplinary purpose and context.
2. Read to comprehend, analyze, and evaluate disciplinary texts.

Writing

1. Adapt strategies for drafting, collaborating, and revising according to disciplinary purpose and context.
2. Adapt content and style to audience, purpose, and context.
3. Select and apply appropriate disciplinary genre conventions for content, development, structure, paragraphing, tone, and mechanics.
4. Choose and use sources according to appropriate disciplinary criteria.

Upper Division Service Learning (UDSL)

1. to be determined soon

World Culture and Language (WCL)

1. Identify and describe cultural practices, products, and perspectives on a range of topics related to the target language.
2. Compare and contrast different cultural perspectives and practices in order to connect with local, regional, and/or global communities and reflect on the nature of language and the concept of culture.
3. Use a non-English language to communicate at basic levels in culturally appropriate ways.